Museo Archeologico Provinciale Ribezzo

Museum in Brindisi

CC BY-SA 3.0 / Sailko

The Archaeological Museum of Brindisi, named after the esteemed archaeologist and glottologist Francesco Ribezzo, is situated adjacent to the Cathedral Basilica of San Giovanni Battista. Visitors are welcomed by the splendid 13th-century Portico of the Knights Templar at the entrance. Established in 1884 to house donations from local excavation collectors, the museum has become a cultural hub, attracting both national and international tourists.

The museum’s exhibition is thoughtfully designed with texts and graphic aids that provide historical context for the displays. The narrative unfolds through six distinct itineraries: the epigraphic section, the statuary section, the antiquarian section, the prehistoric section, the numismatic section, and the impressive underwater exhibition featuring the Bronzes of Punta del Serrone. These bronzes, discovered in 1992 two miles from the Port of Brindisi, are particularly captivating, enhanced by a scenographic setup that includes a large marine aquarium and a scale reconstruction of a ship’s bow with amphorae.

Other sections of the museum feature a diverse array of artifacts from various Apulian and Greek sites, such as Attic vases, Apulian red-figure kraters, and votive pinakes. The epigraphic section is especially notable, containing Greek, Latin, and Jewish inscriptions. In the Benita Sciarra room, dedicated to underwater archaeology, visitors can view amphorae and anchor stumps found along the Brindisi coast. The highlight of this room is the Bronzes of Punta Serrone, discovered 400 meters off the shore of Punta del Serrone, along with other materials and statues likely comprising the cargo of a single ship.

The museum is open to the public from Tuesday to Sunday, 09:00 to 19:15, and is closed on Mondays. Entry is free, but reservations are required for groups (maximum of 25 people). For more information, visitors can call (+39) 0831 544257.

The Museo Archeologico Provinciale Ribezzo appears in our Complete Guide to Visiting Brindisi!

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