Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
B4
C2
Eating
4
Cèsare
C2
B4
Drinking & Nightlife
C2
Sights
Museo Nazionale della
Magna Grecia
MUSEUM
( 0965 81 22 55;
www.archeocalabria.beniculturali.it/
;
Piazza de Nava 26; adult/child €7/3; museum
closed at the time of writing)
The museum's prides are the world's finest examples of ancient
Greek sculpture: the
Bronzi di Riace
, two extraordinary bronze statues discovered on the
seabed near Riace in 1972 by a snorkelling chemist from Rome. Larger than life, they de-
pict the Greek obsession with the body: inscrutable, determined and fierce, their perfect
form more godlike than human. The finest of the two has ivory eyes and silver teeth par-
ted in a faint Mona Lisa smile. No one knows who they are - whether man or god - and
even their provenance is a mystery. They date from around 450 BC; it's believed they're
the work of two artists.
Aside from the bronzes, there are other magnificent ancient exhibits. Look for the 5th-
century-BC bronze
Philosopher's Head,
the oldest-known Greek portrait in existence.
While the museum is undergoing extensive renovations, follow the brown 'laboratorio'
signs to the Palazzo del Consiglio on Via Portanova where you can see the bronzes for
free, albeit lying on their backs on trolleys. Ask to see the video (in English), which tells
the gripping story of their discovery and restoration.
