Description
This Reggio Calabria archaeological museum tour is a private visit of about two hours, led by a licensed guide who walks you through the National Archaeological Museum on the seafront. The neoclassical building, with its monumental columns, is a fitting prelude to the Greek colonial world kept inside. Museum admission is booked separately.
The first stop is the hall of the Riace Bronzes, two life-size warriors of classical Greek art. They stand so that you can walk around them and look at the anatomy, the faces and the casting techniques of the 5th century BC.
- Magna Graecia galleries with painted vases in two styles, terracotta statuettes and votive gifts from Calabria's ancient sanctuaries
- Etruscan and Roman rooms with colourful mosaics, carved sarcophagi, inscriptions and daily objects
- The coin and medal section, which shows how trade and politics worked in the ancient Mediterranean
- Prehistoric finds like flint tools and first ceramics, from before the Greek colonies
Columns, capitals and friezes from ancient public buildings complete the picture, and the visit closes in the calm inner courtyards, among statues and pieces of ancient buildings. Photography may be limited in some rooms. The tour runs in English and Italian,; you can ask questions as you go.