Museo Vichiano
Museum in the De Vargas castle in Vatolla, Cilento, where Giambattista Vico stayed as a tutor in the late 17th century; seat of the Fondazione Vico.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The museum is housed in Palazzo De Vargas, also known as Castello De Vargas Machuca, in Vatolla, a small medieval village in the hamlet of Perdifumo, with a view from the Gulf of Agropoli to Capri. The building is an ancient castle used to control the territory, reworked many times, with the typical Cilento layout of terraced courtyards. Between 1686 and 1695 the young Giambattista Vico lived here as tutor to the children of the Marquis Rocca, and it was here that the Neapolitan philosopher developed his thought and wrote the Scienza Nuova.
The Fondazione Giambattista Vico was founded in 1999 at the wish of Elena Croce, with the commitment of Vincenzo Pepe, Gerardo Marotta and Alfonso Andria, and thanks to the concession by the last heir of the owning family. The restoration of the palace's reception area, completed with the contribution of the Parco Nazionale del Cilento e Vallo di Diano, made it possible to reopen the spaces as a venue for seminars, conferences, exhibitions and cultural initiatives.
According to the entry on the ministry's Musei Italiani portal, the museum also includes ethnographic collections and is today the heart of this complex. The palace also houses the library of the Cilento National Park, with over twenty thousand volumes on environmental culture, philosophy and social history, and the foundation awards the international Giambattista Vico prize there every year.
Highlights
- Castello De Vargas Machuca, where Vico stayed from 1686 to 1695
- Restored conference hall and reception area
- Ethnographic collections
- Library of the Cilento National Park with over 20,000 volumes
- View from the Gulf of Agropoli to Capri
- Operated by
- Fondazione Giambattista Vico Onlus
- Visitors per year
- approx. 6,000
Admission & discounts
Admission is free.
According to the Musei Italiani portal entry (updated in 2019), admission is free.
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
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
