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Open Daily: 9:00 am to 3:30 pm; last entrance is at 2:45 pm.
The Museum and Grounds close promptly at 3:30 pm.

Admissions
Membership

Daily hours are 9:00am to 3:30pm; last entrance is at 2:45pm.

TEMPORARY EXHIBIT: September 10—January 4

Hammond In Italy

A Journey Through Culture, Curiosity, and the Italian Influence on an American Inventor

Now On Display!

Hammond in Italy invites visitors to step into the rich cultural tapestry that shaped John Hays Hammond Jr. during his travels across Italy from 1924 to 1928. This immersive, chronological exhibition offers a unique glimpse into the formative years of our founder through a curated blend of personal experience, historical context, and artistic appreciation.

Guests will follow Hammond’s footsteps through a comprehensive timeline of his travels, enhanced by a carefully selected display of Italian and Roman artifacts. An evocative ambient soundscape, inspired by the bustling streets of Rome, Venice, and Florence, surrounds the experience to help transport visitors into the atmosphere that once inspired the young inventor.
Access to this exhibit is included with your Guided & Self-Guided Tour Admission. Our Members enjoy free entrance to this and all temporary exhibits.
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Hammond Castle Museum in Construction
Hammond Castle Museum in Construction—During his time in Italy, Hammond was very busy. While trying to sell and demonstrate his radio system, Hammond was also dealing with the matter of being removed from his parents’ property. Over the course of his time in Europe, Hammond sent many frantic letters back to Leslie Buswell, trying to direct the construction of Hammond Castle Museum from over 4,000 miles away. “Everyone predicts a hell winter. For God’s sake get the house closed in. They took their damn time excavating for foundations. If I had known about the difficulty of lowering the great hall quite so much, I wouldn’t have done it...” - Hammond, in letter #31 to Leslie Buswell. October 3rd, 1926
Pompeii Forum and Market
Pompeii Forum and Market—Hammond standing in the ruins of Pompeii Forum and Market. During his time in the region surrounding Pompeii, Hammond would acquire the famous 11th Century Ravello arch, made possibly of volcanic pumice stone from Mt. Vesuvius.
Tempio di Giunone
Tempio di Giunone—Hammond posing for a photograph in the Tempio di Giunone in Agrigento. While traveling in Italy, Hammond would acquire a large number of the artifacts displayed in Hammond Castle Museum. Well-known pieces such as the Ravello arch in the Courtyard, the Dining Room table, and the Roman epigraph tablets were all acquired from private auctions or purchased from art dealers such as Armando Pacifici.
Monreale Cathedral Cloisters
Monreale Cathedral Cloisters—Hammond posing in the garden cloisters of Monreale Cathedral in Palermo, Sicily. ”In Italy you have Gothic, Byzantine, Roman, Greek and every art. There are lakes, mountains, seascapes, and skies that are like stanzas in a great poem. You are not dependent on the people here. Living human beings become microscopic, in face of the eternal things which abound.” - Hammond, in letter #47 to Leslie Buswell. December 12th, 1926
Views of Toarmina
Views of Toarmina—Hammond posing over the coast of Taormina in Sicily. Italy, for the inventor, was not just a vacation destination. Hammond’s primary reason for being in the country was to produce and sell radio systems to the Italian government under Benito Mussolini. In a letter to Leslie Buswell, Hammond reveals he was even asked to embark on a “secret radio mission” to Sicily. This trip wasn’t all work for the inventor though, as the inventor acquired a massive number of artifacts for the Museum, at the time just starting construction.
Old Appian Way
Old Appian Way—John Hays Hammond Jr., Irene Fenton-Hammond, and Lester Donahue, on the Appian Way trail. While the inventor was overseas in 1926 on his second voyage to Italy, Hammond was served with an eviction notice to vacate his parents’ property. Famously, Hammond was asked to leave his residence due to his relationship with Irene Fenton Hammond, a divorcee. However, this did not stop the relationship between the two, as Hammond and Irene would secretly wed during the trip. Irene traveled under a pseudonym during her trip to meet Hammond in Italy, to avoid detection and negative press for the inventor.
Inside 3 Foro Romano
Inside 3 Foro Romano—John Hays Hammond Jr. and Lester Donahue, sitting inside their apartment at 3 Foro Romano. The pianist would accompany Hammond on all three of the inventor's visits to Italy between 1924 and 1928. Donahue, when not accompanying the inventor, would perform concerts across Europe on a showcase tour for Hammond’s ‘Tonal Pedal’ patent for pianos. While the invention received mixed reviews, it allowed the two to embark on an extended vacation in Europe.
Outside 3 Foro Romano
Outside 3 Foro Romano—The apartment that John Hays Hammond Jr. and his companion, pianist Lester Donahue, resided in during most of their Italian trip from 1926 to 1927. The apartment overlooks the Roman Forum, a collection of Roman temples, housing, and ruins. The apartment still stands today.

 A celebration of the Hammond family’s deep affinity for Italian culture...

the exhibit also includes intriguing personal touches such as Eating in Italy, a mid-century restaurant guide coauthored by Hammond’s brother, Richard Hammond. This small but fascinating inclusion reflects the family’s enduring passion for discovery and taste.

Whether you’re a lover of history, travel, or invention, Hammond in Italy will offer a rare window into the world that helped shape one of America’s most visionary minds. All of it can be explored within the walls of his extraordinary seaside home and laboratory.