The 10 Best Museums in Cosenza, Calabria

The Diocesan Museum of the Archdiocese of Cosenza is located between the Archbishop’s Palace and the Cathedral, in those rooms that were once part of the premises of the Diocesan Seminary. It serves as a link between past and recent history and constitutes a point of reference which allows to go back in time and revisit past and to discover aspects of the present time in its best and sometimes unknown aspects. It represents an ideal base to explore and discover the city and learn more about the vast Archdiocese, as it gathers in a single place precious and famous artifacts coming from the Cathedral and other local churches. The Museum contains artworks coming from some churches of the Diocese, including the precious Reliquary-Cross or Staurotheque, a unique work in embossed gold, vermicelli filigree, enamel and rock crystal dating back to the 12th century. According to tradition, it was donated by Frederick II of Swabia on the occasion of the consacration of the Cathedral in 1222.

The Gallery is located in the magnificent Arnone Palace, a sixteenth century building in the historical centre of Cosenza. Within its spaces we can contemplate important works by Calabrian painters, such as Pietro Negroni, Marco Cardisco, Francesco Cozza and Neapolitan artists who influenced the local art, among all, Luca Giordano. The Gallery also houses a section of graphic works of Umberto Boccioni in the period between the 1906 to the 1915; Fascinating are the studies that reveal the genesis of “La risata” (The Laugh), exhibited in the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Thanks to donations and acquisitions, the museum presents a rich collection of modern art, including sculptures of Umberto Boccioni, Giorgio de Chirico, Emilio Greco, Antonietta Raphaël, Pietro Consagra, Mimmo Rotella and Bizhan Bassiri. Furthermore, it is possible to appreciate the Carime Collection, today owned by UbiBanca, that traces the major artistic currents from the fifteenth to the twentieth century.

Il Museo dei Brettii e degli Enotri è soprattutto un’esposizione archeologica permanente, ma anche un polo culturale che ospita mostre temporanee, concerti e incontri istituzionali. Qui, in un connubio fra archeologia, arte e strumenti didattici anche digitali, il visitatore può vivere la cultura in maniera innovativa e piacevole. Tutto, dalla grafica dei pannelli didattici all’illuminazione degli ambienti, è curato in modo da creare un’atmosfera accattivante ma anche accogliente, in cui principalmente l’archeologia della Calabria, marcatamente quella del cosentino, è a disposizione di chi volesse scoprire le origini antiche della nostra terra. La struttura ospita una vasta collezione archeologica, proveniente dagli scavi urbani e da località diverse della provincia, che abbraccia un ampio arco cronologico: dai resti ossei del Paleolitico superiore delle grotte di Cirella all’oinophoros di età romano-imperiale (III sec. d.C.) proveniente da Cosenza.