Nuovo Museo Archeologico (Museo Civico) di Ugento

The Nuovo Museo Archeologico di Ugento occupies a former Franciscan convent and presents the Messapian and Roman history of the surrounding territory. Its collections include a copy of the Zeus of Ugento and a reconstruction of the Tomba dell'Atleta.

Why it matters

The museum makes Ugento's archaeological landscape legible through finds from the town and its territory. Its principal displays connect two celebrated discoveries with the wider collections of tomb goods, cult objects and coins.

What to notice

The bronze Zeus statuette was discovered in 1961 and is now held in Taranto; the museum displays a copy by Murat Cura. The reconstruction of the Tomba dell'Atleta shows the form of a Messapian chamber tomb. Other displays present finds from local necropoleis and material related to cults and coinage. The museum is housed in the former convent of Santa Maria della Pietà, founded in 1430 beside the church of Sant'Antonio.

Context and history

The civic museum was established by a town council resolution in 1966. After restoration of the convent, its displays were rearranged and expanded in 2009, and it was inaugurated as the Nuovo Museo Archeologico. The former convent later passed to the Observant Franciscans. The museum also serves as the municipal cultural heritage system's base.