Museo del Mare «Sebastiano Tusa»

Municipal museum at Arenella with video mapping, the Roman ship of Scauri, the island’s underwater routes and local maritime culture.

Opening hours unknownFree admission

Directions

About the museum

The Museo del Mare di Pantelleria is located in the Arenella area, an industrial heritage zone between the harbour, Mursia and the Villaggio Sevi. It belongs to the Comune di Pantelleria and in August 2020 it was named after Sebastiano Tusa, the archaeologist and regional councillor for cultural heritage who died prematurely and had devoted numerous studies and research campaigns to the island. The museum draws on the scientific advice of the Soprintendenza del Mare (heritage authority for the sea).

The route takes visitors on an immersive journey through the island’s history and its link with the sea. In the entrance hall, a video mapping recreates the microcosm of Pantelleria: the obsidian trade, the arrival of the Sesi people, social and architectural development, and the island’s role in Roman times, narrated by Sebastiano Tusa. This is followed by a section on the Roman ship of Scauri, with a reconstruction of the wreck, a map of the routes and the cargo, the island’s underwater routes, and an area on local maritime culture, including the craft of the maestro d’ascia (shipwright) and the traditional gozzo pantesco (Pantelleria boat).

Highlights

Video mapping on the island’s history, narrated by Sebastiano Tusa
Reconstruction of the wreck of the Roman ship of Scauri
Seven underwater routes around Pantelleria
Gozzo pantesco and the craft of the shipwright

Permanent exhibition

Percorso museale sul mare di Pantelleria – Video mapping on the island’s history, the Roman ship of Scauri, underwater routes and local maritime culture.

Operated by: Comune di Pantelleria