Museums and local heritage

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Casa della cultura

Palmi takes rightful pride in its Casa della Cultura, a true symbol of the city, which boasts more distinguished natives than any other in Calabria. Built in the 1970s and dedicated to writer Leonida Repaci, this modern structure houses the Raffaele Corso Ethnographic Museum, founded by a group of scholars (Antonino Basile, Giuseppe Pignataro, Nicola De Rosa, Luigi Lacquaniti, Francesco Salerno, Antonino Nasso) and inaugurated in 1975. The exhibits, which originate from the world of peasant civilization, crafts, fishing, pastoral life, family life, popular traditions, religious and civil rites, as well as superstition and magic, are displayed according to a rigorous scientific path, making this museum one of the most significant of its kind in southern Italy.

The recently established “Nicola De Rosa” Antiquarium features artifacts from the geographic area of ancient Taureana, such as amphorae, marble busts, coins, pins, anchors, and cinerary urns. Other collections include the Gipsoteca with casts of master Michele Guerrisi’s works, and the “Francesco Cilea” Museum with memorabilia of the illustrious musician.

The Municipal Library, with its 120,000 volumes and a specialized section on Calabria, serves as an important reference point for scholars and researchers. Founded and curated in 1925 on behalf of the municipality by geographer Luigi Lacquaniti, the library’s collection grew through donations from Leonida Repaci, Francesco Cilea, humanist professor Attilio Zagari, journalist and writer Domenico Zappone, historian and ethnologist Antonino Basile, Michele Guerrisi’s widow Marta Rempte, economist professor Antonio Repaci, and philosopher Domenico Antonio Cardone, who was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1963.

Lastly, the Pinacoteca, housed in a large hall, displays works by some of the greatest contemporary artists, including Amedeo Modigliani, Renato Guttuso, Renato Martini, Umberto Boccioni, Arturo Tosi, Pericle Fazzini, Cesare Zavattini, Ugo Attardi, Mario Sironi, Levi, Bertoloni, Pincherle, Gazzerra, Conti, Viani, Funi, and others, as well as older artists like Corot, Manet, and Guercino.

Casa della Cultura also features a large auditorium where conferences, lectures, and other cultural events take place.

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