Museo civico Emanuele Barba
19th-century civic museum in Gallipoli with archaeological, natural history, historical-artistic and foetal pathology collections, in the historic centre.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The museum was founded in 1823 with the donation of the books of the canon Carmine Fontò to the city, to which bequests from convents were soon added. After some years the collection was entrusted to the naturalist and teacher Emanuele Barba, who set up a zoological cabinet there and brought together his own collections; the museum is named after him. It belongs to the municipality of Gallipoli and is housed in a 19th-century palazzo on the main street of the historic centre.
It is a typical example of a positivist museum, holding objects of every kind. The collections include Renaissance weapons and arquebuses, period costumes, ceramics and glass, paintings of the 19th and 20th centuries, archaeological finds (including material from the necropolis of Alezio, Messapian sarcophagi and vases with inscriptions), a numismatic collection, and natural history sections on malacology, zoology, mineralogy, fossils and ornithology. In 2010 the section on human and animal foetal pathology, which Barba had assembled to study genetic diseases, was reopened.
The museum system also includes the Sala Collezione Coppola, opened in 2012 in the lower rooms of Palazzo Balsamo, the town hall, with about twenty canvases by the Gallipoli painter Giovanni Andrea Coppola, and a route devoted to the sea.
Highlights
- Collection of Renaissance weapons and arquebuses
- Messapian finds from the necropolis of Alezio
- Natural history sections: fossils, shells, zoology
- Section on human and animal foetal pathology
- Sala Collezione Coppola with about twenty canvases
Permanent exhibition
- Collezioni permanenti del Museo civico – Historical-artistic, archaeological, numismatic, natural history and foetal pathology collections; the Sala Collezione Coppola holds about twenty canvases by Giovanni Andrea Coppola.
- Founded
- 1823
- Operated by
- Comune di Gallipoli
- Director
- Paola Renna
- Visitors per year
- approx. 4,603 (2022)
Admission & discounts
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Getting there & parking
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Amenities & dining
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Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Ticketing and educational activities are run by the cultural association Amart (amartgallipoli@gmail.com). Guided tours by reservation; educational workshops for schools of all levels, mainly in winter. |
