How many things can be hidden in the folds of your toga? Treasure all the anecdotes, curiosities and insights collected in this column, carry them "in your pocket" and, if necessary, take them out to amaze everyone with your knowledge!

In the Folds of the Toga

No rules, just one truth: art is for everyone! 
Join our art club and satiate your hunger for culture, (but be careful, it could cause Independence)!

Art Without Rules

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Hidden artworks in Disney classics

International Day against Illicit Trafficking in Cultural Property

There are days that require special attention.
November 14 is one of them.

On this date, in 1970, the **Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property** was signed in Paris.
Recognising cultural heritage as a necessary element for the history and culture of peoples - fundamental for the sharing and knowledge of human diversity - the Convention establishes in Art. 2 paragraph 1 that:

> *The States Parties to this Convention recognize that the illicit import, export and transfer of ownership of cultural property is one of the main causes of the impoverishment of the cultural heritage of the countries of origin of such property and that international co-operation constitutes one of the most efficient means of protecting each country's cultural property against all the dangers resulting there from.*

And even today, more than fifty years later, we **celebrate**  the signing thanks to the **International Day against Illicit Trafficking in Cultural Property**, officially established by UNESCO in 2020 for 14 November. As we think about this day and the reasons that continue to lead more and more countries to ratify the text of the Convention, we would like to dwell in particular on one word in the above-mentioned article: collaboration. 
Emphasizing the international nature of this cooperation, the Convention underlines how mutual aid between countries with the same ideals and intentions is essential both to prevent theft or illicit trafficking of cultural goods (for example, through the creation of a special document that guarantees the authorized movement of a property from one country to another) and to return them in the event of theft.

**The case of MArTA**

This is a theme that closely touches one of our museums: the National Archaeological Museum of Taranto. The MArTA, the flagship in the Apulian museum scene, was at the center of a major media cycle in 2022 when, decades after his death, the sculptural group *Orpheus and the Sirens*, stolen in the same years in which the Convention on the Movement of Cultural Property was ratified,  returned to its rooms.

Dating back to the fourth century B.C., it is a life-size terracotta sculptural group of admirable workmanship. To be represented are Orpheus, the mythical singer who with his voice was able to tame the most ferocious beasts, and two mermaids, represented here as hybrid beings halfway between humans and birds.
To create the work, the sculptor probably drew on the myth of the Argonauts, of which Orpheus was a part, and the path that led him to skirt the island where these bird-women lived who, after trying to bewitch the unsuspecting sailors, were defeated by the voice of the hero, who enchanted them by preventing them from killing their companions.

The result of the cultural influences of the time, the group thus became a symbol of the victory of reason over irrationality, winking at Pythagorean philosophy and its vision of music as that element that, together with mathematics, involves the whole Universe in a harmony of shapes and numbers.

**Theft, Sale & Gathering** 

The work was clandestinely excavated in the seventies in the Taranto area. Found in pieces at what was probably a funerary site of an adept of the Orphic cult, it arrived in the hands of a receiver in contact with organized crime. After several passages, it was taken to Switzerland and handed over to a restorer to be reassembled. It was later sold to the Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles through the intermediary of a Swiss banking institution.

To suggest that it was a stolen archaeological find, there were some recent interceptions of a well-known receiver by the Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage. Thanks to the investigations, the TPC soldiers discovered that the suspect was about to carry out some actions against the Italian cultural heritage and, upon a more in-depth analysis, they realized that he had participated in the clandestine excavation of the 70s.

Thanks to the collaboration with the District Attorney's Office of Manhattan (DAO) and the Homeland Security Investigations, the investigation continues and ends with the seizure of the work and its repatriation to the land of origin.

 **Back Home**

The return journey of *Orpheus and the Sirens* begins on September 17, 2022.
Finally back in Italy, the work was first exhibited at the Museum of Saved Art and then transferred to the National Archaeological Museum of Taranto, where it becomes part of the permanent collection on April 5, 2023.

A conquest not only for our country, but for the entire world of art and culture.

Protecting these treasures – the beating heart of our history and identity – is crucial to preserving cultural diversity and ensuring that future generations can fully enjoy the richness of our heritage.
 
 



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The Return of Orpheus and the Sirens

A city of ancient origins, also known as the "City of the two seas", Taranto boasts a millenary wealth that is easy to appreciate in every corner of the city. It looks like a real open-air museum. Churches, Palaces, and Museums are containers of works of art of rare beauty and undisputed value. Discover all the cultural activities available right now and buy your ticket directly online (safely and with just a few clicks!).


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What to see in Taranto

Taranto

Turn your visit into an experience where all five senses are called to participate. 

During the visit, visitors will be able to get in touch with the finds that are inside the museum and with their history through the use of sensory elements that serve as support for the story. In particular, the senses of hearing, smell and touch will be activated through the use of materials such as laurel, rose, olive and sage (for the smell), the sound of the lyre and the flute pan (for the hearing), statues recreated with the 3D method in recycled plastic (for the touch).

OBJECTIVES: 

The objective of this type of guided tour is to spread the story of the foundation of Taranto and tell the finds present within the museum through a polysensory experience, but above all to promote inclusion and a diversity mindset, Creating polysensory visiting moments for all types of target. This visit, in fact, can be activated for a blind public, but also for all other types of visitors who want to enjoy an experience guided through the use not only of sight but also of all the other senses.

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Guided polysensory tour Taranto

Guided Tour

A careful analysis of the religious paintings of the "Ricciardi Collection"

Thematic route dedicated to the "Ricciardi Collection". A careful analysis of the religious paintings of the Baroque period donated to the museum by Mons. Giuseppe Ricciardi, will guide visitors to the discovery of sacred iconography.

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The iconography of the sacred in the Ricciardi Collection

An in-depth look at funerary culture from the archaic age to the Roman era

The visit offers an in-depth look at funerary culture from the archaic age to the Roman era, illustrating persistencies and innovations that have characterized the funeral ritual over the centuries.

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Life beyond death: the cult of the dead in the Greek and Roman world

The importance of sport in ancient Greek culture


The guided tour, suitable for all age groups, highlights the importance of athletics in Greek culture as a basic educational component in the training of young aristocrats.

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The Value of Sport in Ancient Greece

Discovering the plurality of cultures and religions present in the territory of Taranto in antiquity!

The educational operator will accompany the visitor through the halls of the museum, deepening the history of the funerary steles preserved in the exhibition rooms called "The late ancient and early medieval city". The stelae bearing inscriptions in Latin, Greek and Hebrew are archaeological testimonies of the existence of a Jewish community in Taranto, as well as the plurality of cultures and religions present on the territory.

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Jewish testimonies in Taranto

The works of the museum are presented so that everyone can access them! 

It is a workshop aimed at all target groups, which aims to repropose the works of the museum in an inclusive way. After the guided tour with an experienced educational operator, participants will be divided into groups and **perform with the use of recovered materials, works that recall those seen during the guided tour** and which can be used later by the museum itself during the multi-sensory visits (in particular these works can be used during the polysensory visit of a blind audience, as they are suitable for manipulation). 

**This type of activity promotes and develops the inclusive museum concept that actively involves all visitors**.

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Inclusive workshop Taranto

The experience allows the public to get in touch with the works of the museum, using those senses that are normally put into the background.

The "in the dark" guided tour is an activity already started in various museums. It is aimed at a normogifted audience who access an inclusive guided tour experience without the sense of sight through a blindfold covering their eyes. The experience allows the public to get in touch with the works of the museum, using those senses that are normally put in the background (smell, hearing, touch), to favor the sight. In addition to the sharpening of the senses, this type of experience allows to raise awareness about the difficulties that a blind visitor encounters in the use of spaces. 


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Guided tour in the dark National Archaeological Museum of Taranto

Discovering the roots of the city of Taranto and the Mediterranean culture that marks its identity.

The rich collections of the National Archaeological Museum of Taranto accompany visitors to discover the roots of the city of Taranto and the Mediterranean culture that marks its identity. Among the most important in Italy, the National Archaeological Museum of Taranto was established in 1887 and occupies from the beginning the former Convent of the Friars Alcantarini, or of San Pasquale, built shortly after the middle of the eighteenth century. The MArTA is a museum with a rich and varied cultural offer, for all types of public: a space dedicated to meeting and deepening, to know the past in its most diverse facets with new and different ideas.

Visit it together with an expert guide or educational operator, who will be able to explain the wonders of this place!

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Come and discover the wonders of Magna Graecia

A guided tour that celebrates the feeling of love told in all its forms 

A guided tour that celebrates the feeling of love told in all its forms through the myths, stories and legends depicted on the exhibits on display at the museum. The thematic visit aims to address the feeling of love with the observation of ceramics from the Greek era that tell it in all forms: maternal love, love between two loved ones and marriage. 

The myth of Love and Psyche will be told, depicted on terracotta dating back to the Roman period.
Love is represented in several representations that will be the subject of this thematic visit.

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Myths and depictions about love

The rich collections of **Taranto National Archaeological Museum** accompany the visitor to discover the roots of the city of Taranto and the Mediterranean culture that marks its identity.

Visit it together with an **expert guide** , who will be able to show you the wonders of this place!


Taranto National Archaeological Museum Guided Tour 

The rich collections of the National Archaeological Museum of Taranto guides visitors to the discovery of the roots of the city of Taranto and the Mediterranean culture marking its identity. 

**Paths and Collections**

The collections at the MArTA illustrate a long and fascinating historical timeline, starting from Prehistory to the foundation of Taranto and then its conquest by the Romans, through Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, up to the Ricciardi collection: MArTA's collections illustrate a long and fascinating historical period.
The MArTA is a treasure trove of items that speak of our past and recount the history of our city and its surrounding territory.

**Discover the Wonders of Magna Graecia**

Visiting the museum it will be possible to discover the oldest traces of human presence on the territory, immerse yourself in the splendors of a city of Magna Graecia, walk among architecture, precious jewelry and sumptuous funerary objects. Retrace the turbulent stages of the Roman conquest and live again the following metamorphosis of the city, evidenced by the statuary and mosaic floors of both public and private buildings. Finally be amazed by the urban changes and the cultural and commercial exchanges of the Early Medieval Age. 

**Objects on Display**

Some of these objects are particularly significant and entice visitors to stop for an insightful look at our heritage.
Of particular note are the **Venus of Parabita** (c. 18,000 B.C.E.), the **Terracotta female head** (4th century B.C.E.), the **Navicella Earring** (second half of the 4th century B.C.E. ), the **Nucifrangibulum (nutcracker)** (late 4th century B.C.-early 3rd century B.C.E.), the Head of Heracles (1st century B.C.E.), the **Zeus of Ugento** (530 B.C.E.) and the **Panathenaic Amphorae** (480 B.C.E.).


**Golds Artifacts from Taranto**

One of the most attractive elements of MArTA's rich collections is definitely **Gold artifacts from Taranto**. 
Between the second half of the fourth and third centuries B.C., Tarentine craftsmanship specialized in a series of luxury productions that achieved such excellence that they fueled exports and conditioned the customs of a large sector of the Mediterranean. This is the case of textile productions and especially of the famous goldsmiths, which, even today, constitute one of the most attractive elements of MArTA's collections.


**The Ricciardi Collection**

The National Archaeological Museum of Taranto collects the testamentary bequest of Monsignor Giuseppe Ricciardi.
The collection includes a Byzantine icon, attributed to the 13th century, which reproduces the Virgin Hodegitria, an oil painting representing Our Lady of Sorrows in tears on a zinc plate, dating back to the 16th-17th century, and eighteen oil paintings on canvas, which can be dated chronologically between the 17th and 18th centuries, depicting sacred subjects.

**Past for Future**

The people, who have inhabited and shaped these places over centuries, live again at MArTA. Not just a museum, but a place to excite in the retelling of History. 


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Taranto National Archaeological Museum

Come and discover the wonders of Magna Greacia


The rich collections of the National Archaeological Museum of Taranto guides visitors to the discovery of the roots of the city of Taranto and the Mediterranean culture marking its identity. The National Archaeological Museum of Taranto, one of the most important in Italy, was established in 1887 and since then it has been housed in the former Convent of the Alcantarini Friars, or the Friars of San Pasquale, built shortly after the mid-eighteenth century. MArTA is a museum with a rich and varied cultural offering for all types of audiences: a space dedicated to meeting and learning about the past in its most diverse aspects with ever new and different insights.


What to see in Taranto

Taranto

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