MACOR – Museo del Corallo

About the museum

The museum is housed in Villa Costantino, an elegant Art Nouveau villa built in 1927 by the family of Dr Nunzio Costantino outside the city walls, in an area occupied until a few years earlier by the Forte Montalbano and the Sperone Reale, which were later demolished. The house, also used as a doctor's surgery, has a ground floor, upper floor, basement and attic over a surface of 230 square metres. It retains the internal layout of a single-family house and the original decorative elements, with different floors in each room. It is the only Art Nouveau villa in the city that can be visited.

The whole exhibition is devoted to coral, Alghero's precious “red gold”, a theme also taken up in the villa's garden. The route covers the biology of Corallium rubrum and its value between myth and history, from the beliefs of the ancients to the granting of the city's coat of arms with a coral branch in 1355, and fishing, with stories such as that of the Caixa del Corall, a kind of pension fund for coral fishers.

One section is devoted to the Scuola del Corallo of the Istituto statale d’arte locale, with projects, drawings, jewellery and objects, and another to the donation from the heirs of Raffaele Foddai, known as Fefele, a fisherman and craftsman, with jewellery, small coral sculptures and underwater fishing equipment. The museum is part of the Sistema museale della Città di Alghero managed by the Fondazione Alghero.

Highlights

• Art Nouveau villa of 1927 with original decorations
• Sections on the biology, myth and history of Corallium rubrum
• Scuola del Corallo: projects, drawings and jewellery
• Foddai donation with coral sculptures and fishing equipment
• Garden with a coral-themed installation

Permanent exhibition

• Collezione permanente sul corallo di Alghero – Sections on the biology, history and myth of coral, the Scuola del Corallo and the Foddai donation, in the rooms of the Art Nouveau villa.

Operated by

Fondazione Alghero (Sistema museale della Città di Alghero)

Admission & discounts

Admission is also free for accompanying teachers of school groups of at least 15 people and for tourist guides with an official card. There is the “Alghero Ticket”, a single ticket to discover the city's museums and monuments (details on the Foundation's website).

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• 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

A goods lift and a stairlift give access to all floors of the building. A video in Italian Sign Language (LIS) about the museum is available on the website.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

The museum offers events for families with children, such as the afternoon “Mosse dal mare” for children aged 3 to 7 (by booking).

Getting there & parking

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit