{"id":25707,"date":"2024-02-12T12:38:41","date_gmt":"2024-02-12T11:38:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/parchipaestumvelia.cultura.gov.it\/scopri-i-parchi\/museum-and-deposits-of-paestum\/"},"modified":"2025-06-04T14:05:06","modified_gmt":"2025-06-04T13:05:06","slug":"museum-and-storerooms-of-paestum","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/parchipaestumvelia.cultura.gov.it\/en\/scopri-i-parchi\/museum-and-storerooms-of-paestum\/","title":{"rendered":"Museum and Storerooms of Paestum"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Museum and Storerooms of Paestum<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The National Archaeological Museum of Paestum<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The National Archaeological Museum of Paestum stands at the heart of the ancient city of Poseidonia\u2013Paestum and has housed one of Italy\u2019s most important archaeological collections since 1952. Since October 2023, the museum has welcomed you with a completely renewed and expanded layout, enriched with educational displays and multimedia content. It\u2019s a museum designed for everyone\u2014fully accessible and offering a wide range of engaging and inclusive experiences.<\/p>

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As you explore the galleries, storerooms, and archives, you\u2019ll encounter an extraordinary number of artefacts and documents\u2014the result of over a century of excavations and research. These collections trace the full history of Poseidonia\u2013Paestum and the surrounding area: from the earliest evidence of human presence, around 40,000 years ago, through the Prehistoric and Protohistoric periods of the Sele plain, and on to the Graeco-Lucanian, Roman, Late Antique, Medieval, and modern eras. The museum also highlights the rediscovery of the site in the 18th century and the interest it sparked among scholars and Grand Tour travellers.<\/p>

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Among the museum\u2019s most iconic works, you\u2019ll find the extraordinary cycle of metopes\u2014stone slabs carved with mythological scenes\u2014that once adorned the temple of the sanctuary of Hera on the River Sele in the 6th century BC; the famous Tomb of the Diver from the 5th century BC; painted slabs from Lucanian tombs of the 5th\u20134th centuries BC; and the bronze statue of the silenus Marsyas, found in the Forum of the Roman city.<\/p>

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Behind the scenes, the museum\u2019s laboratories, offices, library, and reading room are where the technical and scientific staff of the Parks work daily to care for the site\u2019s cultural heritage. They collaborate with external scholars and professionals on research, conservation, restoration, and enhancement projects.<\/p>

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The museum is also a space for connection and creativity, where new social and cultural meanings take shape through a wide range of inclusive and participatory activities\u2014educational workshops, temporary exhibitions, talks and conferences, as well as festivals celebrating art, science, music, theatre, and more.<\/p>

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Before you leave, don\u2019t forget to visit the bookshop, where you\u2019ll find printed guides and helpful resources for your visit, as well as both scientific and popular publications in Italian and major foreign languages\u2014plus a variety of themed gifts and souvenirs.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t

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The History of the Museum<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The museum building is not just a space that holds artefacts, stories, and activities\u2014it has its own story to tell, as a cultural property of notable historical and architectural significance.<\/p>

It was designed in the 1930s by architect Marcello De Vita, on the initiative of the then-superintendent Amedeo Maiuri, to house the remarkable cycle of stone metopes carved with mythological scenes. These slabs were created around 570\u2013560 BC to decorate a sacred building and were discovered during excavations in the sanctuary of Hera on the River Sele. Due to the outbreak of the Second World War, however, the museum was only completed and opened in 1952. The central section of the museum, built in a rationalist style, recalls the form of a temple. It features an internal chamber (cella), a three-step podium, and perimeter pillars evoking a colonnade. High on the exterior walls of the so-called \u201cCella Room\u201d, the metopes were placed\u2014where you can still see them today.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Read more <\/div><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/summary>\n\t\t\t\t
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Over the years, the museum has been extended several times to accommodate the large number of finds brought to light through excavations and research in the city, its necropoleis, sanctuaries, and surrounding areas. The galleries have also been updated on several occasions to reflect new discoveries and evolving exhibition approaches. The first expansion began in 1959, with the construction of a new gallery to exhibit additional metopes and materials uncovered in the sanctuary of Hera on the Sele. A second phase of expansion started in 1968, adding a large wing at the rear of the museum dedicated to the urban sanctuaries, necropoleis, and painted tombs. A new room was also created for the celebrated Tomb of the Diver<\/em>, discovered in 1968 by superintendent Mario Napoli. In 1972, in the museum\u2019s courtyard and in an ideal dialogue with the tomb, a contemporary artwork by artist Carlo Alfano was installed. Part of the \u201cTempi Prospettici\u201d series, it was the first contemporary art installation ever placed in an Italian archaeological museum. The work consists of a marble basin with flowing water and five cylinders made of different materials and varying heights. In more recent years, a third expansion added a gallery on the upper floor. Since 1999, this space has housed artefacts from the Roman period.<\/p>

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To meet the need for structural renovation and to bring the museum up to date with modern standards in education, communication, and accessibility, two major redevelopment projects were launched in 2019 and 2023. Funded by the PON \u201cCulture and Development\u201d FESR 2014\u20132020 programme, these projects aimed to rethink the museum in a way that better responds to contemporary needs. The structural and systems renovation was accompanied by a complete reorganisation of the archaeological collection, resulting in a newly designed visitor experience.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/details>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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VISIT ROUTE<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The Visitor Route at the National Archaeological Museum of Paestum<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The museum\u2019s new exhibition route is organised into sections that tell the story of the ancient city of Poseidonia\u2013Paestum and the wider territory stretching from the River Sele in the north to the Agropoli promontory in the south, from the Palaeolithic period to the present day.<\/span>
<\/span> Original artefacts are displayed alongside educational panels and multimedia content, all developed in line with the latest standards in museum communication and accessibility. These resources allow you to explore the collection in greater depth and personalise your visit.<\/span><\/p>

The layout is designed to echo the stratigraphic sequence of an archaeological excavation\u2014moving from bottom to top, and from the oldest layers to the most recent.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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EXPLORE THE MUSEUM SECTIONS <\/div><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/i><\/span>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/summary>\n\t\t\t\t
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Your visit begins in the basement level with the \u201cPrehistory and Protohistory\u201d<\/strong> section, which explores the earliest phases of human presence and settlement in the region.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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You then continue on the ground floor and first floor with the section \u201cThe Graeco-Lucanian city\u201d<\/strong>, dedicated to the history of Poseidonia during the Greek and Lucanian periods.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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The second floor hosts the section \u201cPaestum: from the Roman city to the present day\u201d<\/strong>, which traces the changes that took place in Paestum during the Roman, Late Antique, Medieval, and modern eras\u2014up to the site’s rediscovery in the 18th century and the latest developments in archaeological research.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Also accessible from the basement level is the new section \u201cBeyond the Museum\u201d<\/strong>, dedicated to the museum\u2019s archaeological storerooms. These areas can be visited daily with museum staff.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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On the ground floor, you\u2019ll also find a dedicated space for small temporary exhibitions, where recent archaeological discoveries and ongoing research projects are presented.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/details>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Museum Map<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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DISCOVER THE MUSEUM<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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