La Società degli Archeologi Medievisti Italiani (SAMI) has established, starting from 2013, an award dedicated to the memory of Professor Riccardo Francovich, awarded to the Italian museum or archaeological park which, in the opinion of its Members and citizens participating in the vote, represents the best synthesis between the rigor of the contents scientific and effective communication of the same to the public of non-specialists. Each year the jury, which is responsible for selecting the museums-sites that compete, awarded a prize for dissemination and (in some cases) a special prize. In the first two editions (2013-2014), voting was reserved for SAMI members only; since 2015 the voting has been extended (with separate counting) to the public.

IX edition, year 2021

The Judging Commission, chaired by Paul Arthur (SAMI president, professor of Medieval Archeology, Univ. Salento), is composed of: Eva Degl'Innocenti (director of the National Archaeological Museum of Taranto - MArTA), Francesca Morandini (Civic Art Museums and History of Brescia - Brescia Museums Foundation), Fabio Pagano (director of the Phlegraean Fields Archaeological Park - MIC), Piero Pruneti (director of Living Archeology), Giuliano Volpe (professor of Archaeological Research Methodology, University of Bari), Anna Maria Visser (professor of Museology, University of Ferrara).

The Commission has selected the following six museum-sites:

Lower Church of San Sepolcro, Milan
Lagopesole Castle, Potenza
Class Museum, Ravenna
"Lama D'Antico" rock park, Fasano (BR)
Museum of the Opera del Duomo, Pisa
Medieval Museum of Montalbano Elicona, Messina

Vote closed

Vote link: http://archeologiamedievale.unisi.it/sami/premio-riccardo-francovich-ix-edizione-anno-2021-webform
Voting is open to both SAMI members and the general public. We remind you that it is possible to vote only once (providing a maximum of 2 preferences). Voting is open until 12 September 2021. We will publish the final ranking at the end of the voting.

RESULTS

Il Class Museum, Ravenna wins the Francovich 2021 prize obtaining 38,73% of the votes, in second place the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo in Pisa and in third place Castel Lagopesole (Potenza) with 16,02%. In total the voters were 6260 and the preferences expressed 6852.

Christopher Gorno wins the Francovich 2021 award for dissemination.

President Paul Arthur reads the motivation for assigning the plaque to Cristoforo Gorno (photo Graziano Tavan).

Prizes already awarded

Award to the Italian museum or archaeological park

2021 - SAMI and public votes: Class Museum, Ravenna
2020 - SAMI grades: Archaeological complex of S. Eulalia in Cagliari ; audience votes: Early Middle Ages Museum of Ascoli Piceno
2019 - SAMI and public votes: Byzantine and early medieval Abruzzo Museum of Crecchio (CH)
2018 - SAMI grades: Widespread Museum of Borgo Terra, Muro Leccese; audience votes: Baptistery-South Aula complex e Domus- Episcopal Palace, Aquileia
2017 - SAMI grades: Samnite Museum, medieval section, Campobasso; audience votes: Domus of the stone carpets, Ravenna
2016 - SAMI grades: Catacombs of Naples; public votes, Siponto Archaeological Park - Paleochristian Church
2015 - SAMI and public votes: Poggibonsi Archeodrome - Archaeological Park
2014 - Crypta Balbi - National Roman Museum (Rome)
2013 - Biddas Biddas - Museum of the abandoned villages of Sardinia, Sorso (SS)

Special Jury Prize

2015 - special prize, for the work carried out both in the discipline and in the SAMI, awarded to the two former presidents of the Company, Saurus Gelichi e Gian Pietro Brogiolo
2013 - special prize awarded to Archaeological Mines Park of San Silvestro (Campiglia Marittima, LI), to whose realization Riccardo Francovich contributed in a decisive way, and which represented one of the first examples in Italy of the integral musealization of a medieval archaeological site

Disclosure Award

2021 - Christopher Gorno (journalist, popularizer)
2020 - Edoardo Carlo Winspeare Guicciardi (film director)
2019 - Syusy Blady, Luciano Manzalini, Marco Melluso and Diego Schiavo, respectively protagonist, interpreter and directors of "La Signora Matilde", (documentary)
2018 - The Festival of the Middle Ages (event)
2017 - Chiara Frugoni (historian and essayist)
2016 - Piero Angela (journalist, science writer) e Franco Cardini (historian, essayist)
2015 - Pupi Avati (film director)
2014 - Alessandro Barbero (historian, essayist, writer)
2013 - Mark Salvador (writer)

Selected juries and museums-sites

2020 - Judging Commission: (chaired by) Paul Arthur (SAMI President; Professor of Medieval Archeology, Univ. Salento), Eva degl'Innocenti (Director, National Archaeological Museum of Taranto), Francesca Morandini (Civic Museums of Art and History of Brescia), Fabio Pagano (Directorate General of Museums, MIBAC), Piero Pruneti (Director of Living Archeology), Giuliano Volpe (Professor of Medieval Archeology, Univ. Foggia), Anna Maria Visser (Professor of Museology, Univ. Ferrara). Selected museums-sites (7): Archaeological site of Kaukana, Ragusa; Market of the Gaite of Bevagna, Perugia; National Archaeological Museum of Cividale del Friule, Udine; Museum and Monumental Complex of Torcello, Venice; Archaeological complex of S. Eulalia in Cagliari; Regional Museum of Ceramics of Deruta, Perugia; Museum of the Early Middle Ages of Ascoli Piceno Ferrara).
2019 - Judging Commission: (chaired by) Paul Arthur (SAMI President; Professor of Medieval Archeology, Univ. Salento), Eva degl'Innocenti (Director, National Archaeological Museum of Taranto), Francesca Morandini (Civic Museums of Art and History of Brescia), Fabio Pagano (Directorate General of Museums, MIBAC), Piero Pruneti (Director of Living Archeology), Giuliano Volpe (Professor of Medieval Archeology, Univ. Foggia), Anna Maria Visser (Professor of Museology, Univ. Ferrara). Selected museums-sites (6): Byzantine and early medieval Abruzzo Museum - Ducal Castle of Crecchio, Crecchio (Chieti); Provincial Museum of Castel Tirolo (Bolzano); National Archaeological Museum of Cividale del Friuli (Udine); Archaeological Park of Castelseprio and Monastery of Torba (Varese); Tower of Satriano in Tito (Potenza); Nonantola Museum (Torre dei Bolognesi) and Benedictine and Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art, Nonantola Abbey (Modena).
2018 - Judging Commission: (chaired by) Giuliano Volpe (President of SAMI and President of the Higher Council for Cultural and Landscape Heritage of MiBACT), Paola Galetti (Professor of Medieval History, Univ. Bologna), Federico Marazzi (Professor of Medieval Archeology Univ. Naples Suor Orsola Benincasa), Antonella Pinna (Director of the Umbria Region), Piero Pruneti (Director of Archeology Viva), Ugo Soragni (Director General of Museums, MiBACT), Anna Maria Visser (Professor of museology, Univ. Ferrara). Selected museums-sites (7): Aquileia (UD), Baptistery-South Aula and Domus-Episcopal Palace Complex; Suasa (AN), Archaeological Area of Suasa; Priverno (LT), Fossanova Abbey Museum; Turin, Archaeological Museum Late Antique and Medieval Sections; Piombino (LI), Archaeological Museum of the Territory of Populonia; Tito (PZ), Multimedia Museum of Torre di Satriano in Tito; Muro Leccese (LE), Diffuse Museum of Borgo Terra.
2017 - Judging Commission: (chaired by) Giuliano Volpe (President of SAMI and President of the Higher Council for Cultural and Landscape Heritage of MiBACT), Paola Galetti (Professor of Medieval History, Univ. Bologna), Federico Marazzi (Professor of Medieval Archeology Univ. Naples Suor Orsola Benincasa), Antonella Pinna (Director of the Umbria Region), Piero Pruneti (Director of Archeology Viva), Ugo Soragni (Director General of Museums, MiBACT), Anna Maria Visser (Professor of museology, Univ. Ferrara). Selected museums-sites (7): Florence, Museum of the Opera del Duomo; Rome, late Roman Domus of Palazzo Valentini; Canossa (RE), “Naborre Campanini” Castle and Museum; Jesi (AN), Federico II “Stupor Mundi” Museum; Aquileia (UD), Sudhalle and Domus Episcopal Palace; Ravenna, Domus of the Stone Carpets; Campobasso, Samnite Museum, medieval section.
2016 - Judging Commission: (chaired by) Giuliano Volpe (President of SAMI and President of the Higher Council for Cultural and Landscape Heritage of MiBACT), Paola Galetti (Professor of Medieval History, Univ. Bologna), Federico Marazzi (Professor of Medieval Archeology Univ. Naples Suor Orsola Benincasa), Antonella Pinna (Director of the Umbria Region), Piero Pruneti (Director of Archeology Viva), Ugo Soragni (Director General of Museums, MiBACT), Anna Maria Visser (Professor of museology, Univ. Ferrara). Selected museums-sites (7): Naples, Catacombs San Gennaro / San Gaudioso; San Giovanni Valdarno (AR), Museum of the New Lands; Ascoli Piceno, Museum of the Early Middle Ages; Loppio (TN), Archaeological area equipped -Siponto (FG), Area of Santa Maria; Rome, Santa Maria Antiqua (Roman Forum), multimedia exhibition; Savona, Civic Archaeological Museum and of the city of Savona (Museo del Priamàr).
2015 - Judging Commission: Giuliano Volpe (President of the Scientific Council), Paola Galetti, Federico Marazzi (Secretary), Antonella Pinna, Ugo Soragni, Annamaria Visser, Piero Pruneti. Selected museums-sites (7): Archeodrome and Park of the Medici Fortress of Poggibonsi (SI); Archaeological Park of Pava, S. Giovanni d'Asso (SI); Archaeological Museum of Milan, New Medieval Section; Archaeological area of Palazzo Pignano (CR); Archaeological Area of Santa Eulalia, Cagliari; Medieval Museum of Fossanova, Priverno (LT); Museum of the city and the territory, Vetralla (VT).
2014 - Judging Commission: Giuliano Volpe (President of the Scientific Council), Paola Galetti, Federico Marazzi (Secretary), Antonella Pinna, Ugo Soragni, Annamaria Visser, Piero Pruneti - Selected museums-sites (7): Aquileia (UD), National Paleochristian Museum; National Roman Museum, Crypta Balbi, Rome; Archaeological Area of Castelseprio / Torba, Castelseprio / Gornate Olona (VA), Province of Varese; Barro Museum and Archaeological Park, Galbiate (LC), Monte Barro Park Consortium; Civic Archaeological Museum of Milan, Early Middle Ages Section; Civic Museums of Ascoli Piceno, Museum of the Early Middle Ages, Polo Museale of Forte Malatesta; Villa del Casale, Piazza Armerina.
2013 - Judging Commission: prof. Giuliano Volpe (president of SAMI and of the Committee), prof. Paola Galetti, dr. Luigi Malnati, prof. Federico Marazzi, dr. Antonella Pinna, dr. Piero Pruneti, prof. Annamaria Visser. Selected museums-sites (7): Biddas Museum (Sorso, SS), Museum of the Abandoned Villages of Sardinia; National Roman Museum Crypta Balbi (Rome); Museum and complex of Santa Giulia in Brescia; Borgo Terra Museum, Muro Leccese (LE); Byzantine and Early Medieval Abruzzo Museum of Crecchio (CH); Villa del Casale Archaeological Complex, Piazza Armerina (EN); Archaeological complex of Castelseprio and Torba.