Museo Etnografico MAJORANO. Apertura e Visite Guidate

Opening to the Public and Guided Tours at the A. Majorano Ethnographic Museum

The “Majorano” Ethnographic Museum in Taranto is finally opening its doors to visitors, showcasing its invaluable demological, anthropological, and ethnographic heritage collected by the distinguished Taranto scholar to whom it is dedicated. This is happening within a splendid setting, in the halls of the prestigious and lavish “Pantaleo” Palace, with its extraordinary eighteenth-century architecture. The archaeological cooperatives Polisviluppo and Museion, managers of the museum area, along with its Director Pierluca Turnone, are pleased to announce the reopening of this important cultural attraction, thanks to a partnership agreement with the Municipality of Taranto.
Every Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning, visitors can join Guided Tours conducted by licensed guides from both cooperatives to discover the new and interesting museum layout. An exciting journey through ancient stories, arts, games, rites, and traditions of historic Taranto.

GUIDED TOUR DEPARTURE:
- Every Saturday at 4:30 PM
- Every Sunday at 11:00 AM

ITINERARY OF GUIDED TOURS:
- Museum Exhibit
- 18th Century Kitchen
- The Ancient Stables of Palazzo Pantaleo
- Rooms of the Noble Floor

Guided Tour Ticket - € 6.00 per person (includes museum admission and guided tour service)
For Info and Reservations - Tel. +39 379.2935991 (during opening hours)
Or e-mail: museomajorano@servizicomunetaranto.it

OPENING DAYS AND HOURS OF THE A. MAJORANO ETHNOGRAPHIC MUSEUM:
From Tuesday to Friday from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Saturday from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM and from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Sunday from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Closed on Monday.

Admission Ticket to the Museum:
Full price: € 4.00
Reduced: € 3.00
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The A. Majorano Ethnographic Museum, located on the second noble floor of Palazzo Pantaleo, is divided into seven main areas:
A) Alfredo Majorano Nunziato Room;
B) Ceramics Room;
C) Room of Festive Games, Toys, and Puppets;
D1 and D2) Rooms of Nativity Scenes and Ex-votos;
E) Tarantism Room;
F) Agricultural Tools Room;
G) Fishing and Sea Room;
H) Room of Processional Ceremonies, Ritual Bread, and Sweets.

Completing the exhibition are I) the 18th Century Kitchen (mezzanine floor) and J) the stables of Palazzo Pantaleo (on the ground floor).
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The works are displayed according to an original scientific project developed by Prof. Alberto Mario Cirese. Following the transfer of the Majorano collection to Palazzo Pantaleo, the setup was curated by Prof. Antonio Basile, who authored the project and the related report submitted to the Superintendency. The representation of magical-religious rituals in Taranto and the surrounding area is complexly articulated, designed in complementary and interdependent sections; a choice prompted by the unique architectural features of Palazzo Pantaleo, allowing it to be used for autonomous yet interconnected units (also through pre-existing passages between various rooms). Furthermore, the Ethnographic Museum belongs to a different museum typology than those with an artistic and/or archaeological focus, as the objects on display are not singular works or “unique pieces,” but rather testify to the "basic personality" of a territory, attesting to the concrete historical and cultural development of its people. The objective was to avoid the risk of presentism, inherent in a “fixed” and timeless taxonomic representation of the specimens, which should instead be interpreted as signs of the actual historical dynamics that led to their creation and use in everyday and communal life; thus, the museographic representation aims at a narrative rather than a description, carefully avoiding abstract generalizations and romantic suggestions.
In a historical-diachronical perspective, the exhibition reconstruction focuses on two typical factors:
the economic and the sacred, as criteria endowed with their own typicity, yet at the same time interdependent, conceived to equally encompass the private and the public sphere.
Web: www.museoetnograficomajoran...