MANN in Naples reopens Magna Graecia collection after 27 years

The National Archaeological Museum of Naples (MANN) has reopened its Magna Graecia collection, closed since 1996, adding 15 new galleries that showcase over 400 artifacts from pre-Roman southern Italy. The collection, one of the richest of its kind, includes pottery, jewelry, frescoes, and mosaic floors from sites like Pompeii, Herculaneum, Paestum, and Ruvo. Highlights include the Hydria Vivenzio vase (490-480 BCE) depicting scenes from the Trojan War, and a circular opus sectile floor from the Villa dei Papiri. The new layout explores settlement patterns, sociopolitical structures, and religious-artistic traditions of indigenous Italic peoples and Greek colonists. Director Paolo Giulierini stated the reopening restores a fundamental part of the museum's identity and allows visitors to 'walk through history' on restored mosaic pavements. The museum, founded by Charles III of Bourbon in the 18th century, now completes its unique offering alongside the Farnese, Numismatic, and Epigraphic collections.