Italy Guide
Basilicata and Calabria
Museo Nazionale
Opening time: Tues– Sun 9am–7pm
Price: €6
Address: Corso Garibaldi
The Museo Nazionale holds the most important collection of archeological finds in Calabria, full of items dating from the Hellenic period, with examples from all the major Greek sites in Calabria, including the famous pinakes or carved tablets from the sanctuary of Persephone at Locri. The most renowned exhibits in the museum are the Bronzi di Riace: two bronze statues dragged out of the Ionian Sea in 1972 near the village of Riace. They are shapely examples of the highest period of Greek art (fifth century BC), and especially prized because there are so few finds from this period in such a good state of repair. Upstairs, you can see examples of Byzantine and Renaissance art, including two works by Antonello da Messina.