Antiquarium Nicola De Rosa

About the museum

The Antiquarium “Nicola De Rosa” is the archaeological section of the Casa della Cultura “Leonida Rèpaci”, the cultural complex designed by the architect Saverio Muratori and inaugurated in Palmi in 1982. The exhibition space, named after Nicola De Rosa, opened to the public in 1997 and holds material from the excavations at ancient Tauriana, today’s Taureana in Palmi, and from the Scinà coastline.

The display runs through ten display cases covering five archaeological contexts and more than three thousand years of history. It moves from the protohistoric origins of the Taureana plateau, with its Bronze Age huts, to the Italic town and then to the Roman centre. Amphorae and everyday ceramics are on show, some of them recovered from the seabed off the Costa Viola, which bear witness to trade along the routes of the Strait of Messina. The cases also recall the House of the Mosaic, with its hunting scene, the urban sanctuary known as the House of Donna Canfora, and the sixteenth-century watchtower that stands on the headland.

The exhibition is not limited to Taureana: it also includes material from the Grotta Pietrosa, a natural Bronze Age shelter, and from the San Fantino complex with its crypt, built over a necropolis. The most famous piece is a bust-portrait of Emperor Hadrian, the work of a provincial sculptor, dated 135–140 AD, which was found by chance at the end of the last century in the Scinà district.

The Antiquarium can be visited together with the other sections of the Casa della Cultura, which include the Museum of Ethnography and Folklore, the picture gallery, the plaster-cast gallery, the music museum dedicated to Cilea and Manfroce, and the library. The Taureana site now forms part of the Parco archeologico dei Tauriani “Antonio De Salvo”.

Highlights

• Bust-portrait of Emperor Hadrian (135–140 AD) from the Scinà district
• Amphorae from the 4th–5th century AD and ceramics recovered from the seabed off the Costa Viola
• Ten display cases covering five archaeological contexts, from the Bronze Age to the Middle Ages
• Finds from the House of the Mosaic and the urban sanctuary of Donna Canfora
• Finds from the Grotta Pietrosa and the crypt of San Fantino

Permanent exhibition

• Antiquarium «Nicola De Rosa» – Ten display cases with finds from ancient Tauriana and the Scinà coast, from the Bronze Age to the Roman period, including the bust of Emperor Hadrian and amphorae recovered from the sea.

Founded

1997

Operated by

Comune di Palmi

Visitors per year

approx. 7,500

Admission & discounts

The Casa della Cultura website does not publish admission prices; reduced rates are available for groups of more than 10 people and for school classes.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

According to the website’s FAQ, the Casa della Cultura is easily accessible for visitors with mobility impairments.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

The Antiquarium is located inside the Casa della Cultura “Leonida Rèpaci”, Via Felice Battaglia, Palmi.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

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