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

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!).


Taranto

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The entrance fee to the museum is not included. 

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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 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.


Guided Tour

Ostia antica

Ostia Antica Archaeological Park it’s one of the biggest and most important archaeological areas of Italy, capable of offering an authentic immersion in an ancient Roman city surrounded by lush mediterranean nature. 

Ostia Antica

Take a break immersed in the history of one of the largest archaeological parks in the world! The Archaeological Park of Ostia Antica is waiting for you!

Scavi Cafè

Taormina

Taormina, Pearl of the Ionian Sea, it’s one of the places where modern élite tourism was born. Here nature, art and history encounter: the beauty of the landscape combines with the memory of all Mediterranean cultures. 


Taormina Ancient Theatre

Immersed in the natural beauty of the Ancient Theatre of Taormina, every break at the Belvedere Café becomes a memorable experience. 

Belvedere Cafè

Syracuse

Simbolo dell’espansione urbana di Siracusa ai tempi del tiranno Gelone, Neapolis è diventata oggi un’oasi protetta, con un Parco Acheologico immerso in uno straordinario scenario naturale. L’emozione di passeggiare in un teatro dove Eschilo metteva in scena le sue opere 2.500 anni fa.

Neapolis Archaeological Park - Momento Caffetteria

A unique place to take a break in the heart of the Archaeological Park of Neapolis

Momento Cafè 

A symbol of Syracuse's urban expansion at the time of the tyrant Gelon, Neapolis has now become a protected oasis, with an Archaeological Park located in an extraordinary natural setting. The thrill of walking through a theatre where Aeschylus staged his plays 2,500 years ago.


Neapolis Archaeological Park - Momento Restaurant

An oasis of peace where you can taste the traditional Sicilian dishes with your gaze turned towards the beauty of the Archaeological Park of Neapolis

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

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