GUIDE TO THE [DISMANTLED] ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM OF PAESTUM ceci n’est pas € 3,00 un musée

GUIDE TO THE [DISMANTLED] ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM OF PAESTUM ceci n’est pas un musée EDITED BY GABRIEL ZUCHTRIEGEL AND MARIA BOFFA thanks to cover the work tempi prospettici editorial coordinator (perspective times) maria sapio by carlo alfano redazione page 2 alessandra guadagno metopes with dancing girls from the sanctuary of hera art director at the mouth of the river sele enrica d’aguanno graphic designer vincenzo antonio grillo translation colum fordham

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7 ceci n’est pas un musée the museum beyond its contents gabriel zuchtriegel

13 the museum of paestum from 1952 to the present maria antonietta brandonisio

19 the virtual museum at the mouth of the river sele bianca ferrara

27 the excavations at the mouth of the river sele: in search of the greeks during the twenty-year period of romanisation daniele rossetti

31 the diver in the work by carlo alfano raffaele d’andria

37 rethinking the museum of paestum: notes on the proposed dismantlement maria boffa

45 …so what is it? mariajosè luongo

55 the museum, the architecture and the characters maria boffa, maria antonietta brandonisio

62 map 64 bibliography ceci n’est pas un musée the museum beyond its contents gabriel zuchtriegel director of the archaeological park of paestum

This guide is due to be published at what is arguably the most awkward moment im- aginable. In a few years’ time, the museum will undergo major refurbishment involv- ing restoration work and a new layout. The collections will be moved and the rooms will be temporarily closed. What is the point of publishing a guide during this phase? Well, we believe that although it may seem inappropriate, the moment is particular- ly opportune for grasping the sense of the museum of Paestum. It is not a museum, even though the word appears in large bronze letters above the entrance: MVSEO. However, laid bare, stripped of most of its collections in order to carry out the work alluded to above, it reveals its true identity most clearly: that of a temple, a unique work of architecture in which antiquity and contemporaneity merge. The museum of Paestum was designed around the reconstruction (a mistaken one, as is now clear) of the temple of Hera at the mouth of the river Sele. The sandstone metopes (carved panels) that are currently mounted on the walls of the “cella” - the central room of the museum - were attributed to the temple. In reality, how- ever, the temple never existed except in the imagination of archaeologists. New excavations have demonstrated that the building to which the metopes were at- tributed and whose dimensions are reproduced in full scale in the “cella” of the museum of Paestum actually belong to a much more recent period than that of the metopes. Moreover, rather than being an actual building, it was probably a kind of open enclosure. Meanwhile, the Museum of Paestum, which was opened in 1952, preserves this “petrified” reconstruction. The “cella” with the metopes is sur-

CECI N’EST PAS UN MUSÉE 7 rounded by a “colonnade” of pilasters seologists: more an intellectual work and a three-stepped podium, just like than a material work. For this reason, I a temple. Despite being mistaken, the am rather perplexed by the proposals to hypothetical reconstruction remains move the Tomb of the Diver to another structurally enclosed within the muse- room or to seal off the courtyard of the um itself and, inevitably, continues to “fountain” by Alfano (the artist did not proclaim this to the whole world, not approve of this title) and to add anoth- with panels or multimedia supports, er wing to the existing building. What but with a much more powerful and I find particularly perplexing is the fact subversive language: the language of that there are architects and archaeol- architecture. Redesigning this part of ogists who have worked seriously on the museum, “correcting” the errone- these proposals which, if put into effect, ous reconstruction of the cella (as a would have led to the destruction of few zealots in the archaeological world a major piece of contemporary art in have suggested), would, in this case, lit- the Museum of Paestum. If we reflect erally mean demolishing the museum on this episode, which was only avert- as an architectural container and de- ed thanks to the long-sightedness of stroying its substance. The same is true several guardian angels who opposed for another cornerstone of the museum the madness of the destruction of art building, the Mario Napoli Room which in a museum, we can take account of houses the Tomb of the Diver. The tomb the crucial links between works and is situated face-to-face with a contem- architectural spaces. A museum is not porary art work entitled Tempi prospet- just the sum of its contents; it is also tici (Perspective Times) by Carlo Alfano, the container. This can be appreciated made specifically for this place, for this irrespective of “modern” technologi- room, for this tomb. It is a dialogue be- cal layouts and displays. Arguably, it is tween antiquity and the contemporary easier without an unwieldy museum world which, at the time of its instal- apparatus. If the above considerations lation (1972), was visionary. In this case are accepted, every museum is also, to too, there is a mixture of architecture a certain extent, the museum of itself. and museology, of structure and in- At Paestum it is the “temple” of the me- stallation which cannot be eliminated topes and the Room of the Diver that without eliminating the work of ar- mark the distinction between container chaeologists, architects, artists and mu- and contained; in other places, it is the

8 GABRIEL ZUCHTRIEGEL page 6 2. Hypothetical reconstruction 1. Museum façade of the east side of the thesauros with the metopes, from Krauss

light, the breadth, the wall decoration, racks), there are relatively recent exam- the sequence of rooms that house the ples such as the small Archaeological collections and that frequently become Museum of Teano in northern Campa- one with them. This is also true in the nia, built within a medieval religious case of museum spaces which were complex. In this case too, the architec- not originally designed for the purpose ture, the space and the architectural but have taken on this function over “fabric” form part of the museum as in- time. Besides famous cases such as the tegral elements of the display, the pres- Louvre (a former palace of the king of entation and the story. This observation France) or the National Archaeological leads to another extremely important Museum of Naples (a former army bar- point. A temple, an installation or a

CECI N’EST PAS UN MUSÉE 9 piece of medieval architecture cannot teractions. These places “are not a mu- be perceived along a “museum tour”. seum” in the sense that they represent Architecture should be experienced in much more than what is traditionally order to be perceived. Indeed, no muse- associated with a museum. Going on a um is a museum if this means restrict- guided tour of a museum undergoing ing the experience in space to pursuing refurbishment may therefore make a standardised, prescribed museum some sense. What better opportunity tour. Each museum, as a work of archi- exists to discover all the various aspects tecture, somehow avoids just being the of a museum that go beyond the display pure and totalising display of the con- and layout of the collections: first and tents; each museum also appears as a foremost, a work of architecture, but container. There is nothing wrong with also the potential for interaction be- this, it should be added! tween various groups and individuals. Because this is where the multiplicity of All individuals, in one way or another, a museum’s functions emerges, a key are people with special needs who have concept in the debate about museolo- a different vision of the world. Their vi- gy since the 1970s. A museum cannot sion which, in a museum which “is not a just be a pre-determined, standardised museum”, or rather, is not a museum in “museum tour”. If a museum is also the traditional sense - makes an active an archive that can be consulted by contribution to the transformation of the public, a cultural and social centre, the displays by exchanging ideas with a meeting place - a “cultural machine” archaeologists, art historians, museolo- as it has been defined by Lanfranco gists and architects. In a certain sense, Binni and Giovanni Pinna- then this im- the Museum of Paestum will remain plies that it has a life that goes beyond dismantled even after the work has fin- the educational-museum story in the ished. This is not because there will no strictest sense. Paradoxically, it is the ar- display cases or objects, but because we chitecture, the most unchangeable ele- have planned the layout so that it can ment of the museum, that serves as a be constantly updated and continuous- reminder of this multiplicity of shifting ly changed. In other words, it could be functions since an architectural space, said, slightly altering the sense of Mag- such as a mock “temple” or a “fountain” ritte’s quotation, “This is not a museum, in a courtyard/garden, is naturally suited but rather many museums which its us- to the multifunctional nature of social in- ers are able to imagine for the future”.

10 GABRIEL ZUCHTRIEGEL 3. René Magritte, La trahison des images (Ceci n’est pas une pipe), Los Angeles, County Museum of Art

CECI N’EST PAS UN MUSÉE 11 the museum of paestum from 1952 to the present maria antonietta brandonisio university of salerno

There is a story of the “container”, as well as the story of the exhibits housed within it, which is often overlooked, even though the space itself is a part of the display.

Before the Museum Let’s proceed in an orderly fashion. What is the history of this museum? Given the pressing need to protect the finds that were being brought to light from the first systematic excavations conducted in the early twentieth century, between 1925 and 1926, work began on the layout of theAntiquarium in the eighteenth-century Palazzo de Maria, adjoining the Early Christian Basilica of the Annunziata. Very soon, how- ever, the small rooms proved to be inadequate for containing so much material. An exceptional discovery was made in 1934 when Paola Zancani Montuoro and Umberto Zanotti Bianco identified the extra-urban sanctuary dedicated to Hera Argiva (the He- raion) at the mouth of the river Sele and brought to light the oldest cycle of metopes in the western Mediterranean. This provided new impetus for creating a suitable museum: the future museum was designed above all as a Museum of the Heraion.

The creation of the Museum of Paestum The first part of the museum, clearly reflecting the influence of rationalist architec- ture, was designed in 1938 by Marcello De Vita, an architect of the Directorate Gen- eral of Antiquities and Fine Arts. It consisted of a lower gallery arranged around a central body (the so-called “cella”) designed to display the metopes (carved panels

THE MUSEUM OF PAESTUM FROM 1952 TO THE PRESENT 13 that ran along the frieze) discovered at The Chiurazzi design and the mouth of the river Sele. In terms of the museum layout by De Felice the plan and dimensions hypothesised The work, which began in 1959 and was at the time, it was supposed to repro- financed by the Cassa per il Mezzogiorno, duce the temple to which the metopes underwent several stops and starts until had been attributed. From the privi- the end of 1961. Several new parts were leged position of the upper gallery, it added to the ‘old museum’: a floor with would have been possible to admire the workshops and storerooms, a small of- entire sculptural cycle. fice building and a new part that consist- The museum, which was funded by ed of a first room and a complex of three the Italian Ministry of Public Works and more rooms arranged around a court- built by the Public Works Office of Saler- yard. From 1960 Renato Chiurazzi was no, was opened on 27 November 1952; joined in the direction of the work by the to celebrate the opening, the ribbon architect Ezio Bruno De Felice, who was was cut by Mrs Segni, the wife of the in charge of the museum layout and was then Minister of Education. subsequently appointed sole director of In the first layout, the lower gallery the works in 1962. Although numerous was devoted to the extra-urban sanc- design proposals devised by De Felice tuary of Hera Argiva while the central never came to fruition, his work, also re- body (fig. 2) and the upper gallery con- lated to the arrangement of workshops tained displays related to the evidence and storerooms, achieved significant for the city of Poisedonia. results, especially in the first room of However, the archaeological discov- the new building, known as the Metope eries increased to such an extent that Room (fig. 1). In 1964, De Felice designed the Superintendent Sestieri made a the support beams for this room in order request, in a letter sent on 29 January to display the other metopes discovered 1957 to the Cassa per il Mezzogiorno in the extra-urban sanctuary of Hera Ar- (Southern Italy Development Fund) for giva: one beam was suspended from the funding to enlarge the museum. The ground while the other was anchored to architect Renato Chiurazzi, an official the ground by a single pier. The arrange- of the Superintendency of Naples, had ment of the metopes in an elevated posi- already been commissioned by the Di- tion drew on the display design adopted rectorate General for Antiquities and by De Vita for the first museum building. Fine Arts to undertake the work. However, in this case, the support was

14 MARIA ANTONIETTA BRANDONISIO page 12 2. Interior of the central building 1. Metope Room, Archive of the (the“cella”), Historical archive Fondazione De Felice, no. 4929 of Ernesto Apicella

stripped down to focus on the exhibits. De Franciscis’ museum intervention The roof of this room was also designed Following the discovery of the Tomb by the architect De Felice using a system of the Diver in 1968, the architect Gio- of metallic trusses on which a skylight of vanni De Franciscis was commissioned sheets of plexiglass and a lower curtain to design a new museum layout which of square perspex sheets were placed. once again incorporated the complex of For the remaining complex of rooms, De three rooms arranged around a court- Felice planned a layout that highlight- yard and which constituted the third ed the Lucanian slabs which had never and largest section of the museum, de- been displayed before. voted to the religious life of the ancient

THE MUSEUM OF PAESTUM FROM 1952 TO THE PRESENT 15 city and ancient painting. The first room the transparency of water that he in- was devoted to urban sanctuaries (fig. 3) cluded it in all his architectural designs, while the second room was set aside, achieves a striking effect due to the con- as is the case still today, to house the tinuous play of reflections. Tomb of the Diver. In this case, De Fran- The third room resembled an art gallery ciscis made several alterations, such as where the slabs were arranged accord- closing off one means of access to the ing to the various typologies of tombs: courtyard and creating an antechamber chamber tombs, tombs with flat roofs or to the third room in which the Lucanian tombs with pitched roofs. slabs were displayed. To give greater emphasis to the sensa- The museum today tional discovery of the Tomb of the Diver, From the 1990s onwards, the display was Mario Napoli commissioned a work reinvigorated by the opening of the Ro- made between 1970 and 1972 by the Ne- man section in 1999 and the prehistoric apolitan artist Carlo Alfano in the open section in 2007. space in front of the second room. The The story of the museum of Paestum has aim was to create an installation that now arrived at a crossroads and the lay- symbolically re-established a connec- out will undergo a further change in the tion with the famous scene of the dive near future. The so-called cella, a room portrayed on the covering slab of the which has had various functions during tomb. The result was the art work Tempi the history of the various layouts of the prospettici (Perspective Times): a marble museum, is now used for temporary ex- pool containing flowing water. Inside hibitions and conferences. Unlike the pre- the pool is a slab with a black and white vious interventions, the refurbishment optical mosaic on which, just covered by will, for the first time, involve the whole water, five cylindrical selectors of vary- museum; it is hoped that a homogene- ing heights were arranged: two made of ous and coherent museum layout will be steel and three of plexiglass filled with created. In view of the work that will be glycerine. A sixth cylinder, made of steel, carried out in 2019, and following the dis- was positioned “off-screen” together mantling of the exhibition “L’immagine with a drum of an ancient column, like invisibile. La tomba del Tuffatore” (The a metaphor for the viewer. The work, Invisible Image. The Tomb of the Diver) in which recalls the creations of Carlo Scar- the eastern wing of the museum, a new pa, a Venetian architect so fascinated by section has been prepared that explores

16 MARIA ANTONIETTA BRANDONISIO 3. Sanctuary Room, Archive of the Fondazione De Felice, no. 9442 Back of the photo: “De Franciscis layout, new wing of the Museum”

the history of the Greek city told through and the Mario Napoli Room, undertaken its necropolises. The tour includes the in 2016 with the support of the Palmieri display of the oldest grave goods from family, and the recent restoration of the the tombs which reflect the arrival of the internal garden sponsored by the Asso- Achaean colonists and the relationship ciazione Amici di Paestum, the Park will with the local inhabitants. There is also continue its activities designed to en- space for the grave goods from small hance the site, also involving its architec- necropolises such as the “Ponte di Ferro” tural heritage, with two important pro- necropolis which tell intriguing stories of jects: a project to refurbish the museum ‘less important’ people. Following the layout and another project to restore the restoration of Carlo Alfano’s Fountain former Cirio factory.

THE MUSEUM OF PAESTUM FROM 1952 TO THE PRESENT 17 the virtual museum of the mouth of the river sele bianca ferrara university of naples federico II

The Virtual Museum (Museo Narrante) opened in a farmhouse along a small country road almost twenty years ago in October 2001. It still keeps all the se- crets of having safeguarded and preserved the extraordinary metopes and the first artefacts found by Paola Zancani and Umberto Zanotti Bianco. It is a unique exhibition space, without original exhibits but with exciting and gripping stories, films, video and audio installations, real and virtual 3D reconstructions. It was not easy to tell the story of the most important sanctuary of ancient Paestum, set in a fascinating, enchanted place, frozen in time but largely un- known to the general public. The only surviving architectural structures con- sist of foundations, mainly covered by grass, and are difficult to understand for visitors in search of the sacred area. It was therefore necessary to find another way of enticing and involving visi- tors and finally making them aware of the incredible story of the discovery of the sanctuary, its excavations (still underway), and the extent to which it has proved possible to reconstruct the lives of the Greeks who lived in this area. The creation of this museum has been a difficult challenge and only thanks to the huge efforts of a team of archaeologists, geologists, architects, engineers and computer scientists working side by side has it proved possible to overcome the “intellectualist” isolation that often typifies archaeology. The project has been underpinned by enthusiasm and the sharing of ideas which have made it possible to create a structure that will intrigue and fascinate visitors.

THE VIRTUAL MUSEUM OF THE MOUTH OF THE RIVER SELE 19 page 18 2. 3D view of the Sanctuary of Hera 1. The world of Hera at the mouth of the river Sele (Greco, Ferrara 2002, entry no. 27, fig. 164) (Greco, Ferrara 2002, entry no. 15, fig. 84)

They will be encouraged to reach a site more direct language, and architects that lies about 8 km from Paestum in had to learn about stratigraphy, im- order to immerse themselves in the merse themselves in the excavation, stories, videos and sounds that enliven and to feel it strangely as their own in the Virtual Museum. order to communicate this using new However, can a story which is main- words and images. ly narrated be revealed solely with The itinerary starts with a beautiful written word? Without sounds, im- photo of the river Sele; the long can- ages and reconstructions, it is hard vas that greets visitors underlines the to recreate the magic, but at least it importance of the river in the choice is possible to arouse the curiosity of of the foundation of the Sanctuary of readers and convince them to go and Hera. It marked the boundary between visit the museum. During the creation two different territories: on the one of the museum, archaeologists expe- side, the territory of the Etruscans of rienced the emotion of working in a Pontecagnano and, on the other, the film studio, finally using a simpler and territory of the Greeks of Poseidonia.

20 BIANCA FERRARA In the first room devoted to the terri- emphasised. Information is provided tory, a large panel depicting the Medi- about the results of scientific research terranean describes Greek colonisation (geological surveys, sedimentological, as the movement of peoples who, microfaunal and palynological analy- travelling in their ships, transported ses) which has led to the reconstruction not only goods but also different ideas of the surrounding watery environ- and cultures. Emphasis is given to the ment and the vegetation that alter- cult of the goddess Hera, both from nated between tall trees such as elm, the mythical perspective, with the leg- poplar and willow and low-growing end of the arrival of the Argonauts led marshland vegetation. by Jason, and from the historical per- At the centre of the room, the first spective, with the arrival of the inhab- video tells the exciting story of the itants of Sybaris in the plain of Paestum discovery. It recounts the fascinating during the early 6th century BC. The undertaking of Umberto Zanotti Bi- relationship between the sanctuary of anco and Paola Zancani who, based Hera and the city of Poisedonia is also on the Greek historian Strabo’s de-

THE VIRTUAL MUSEUM OF THE MOUTH OF THE RIVER SELE 21 scription, ventured into the marshes ogy of the structure. The story is told of the river Sele in the early 1930s to through the notebooks of Umberto make one of the most sensational dis- Zanotti Bianco during the 1930s ex- coveries of the period. The video was cavation while a young archaeologist made using numerous archive docu- illustrates new excavation methodol- ments, photos, notes, sketches, plans, ogies and the continued enthusiasm reports, letters, lists of expenses and for research in recent years. private donations to fund the excava- Through a narrow corridor, visitors en- tions and also documents the various ter the world of Hera (fig. 1), her cult problems encountered by the two ar- and the ceremonies held in her hon- chaeologists, especially the hostility our. The goddess is represented in a of the Fascist regime. circular fashion with her numerous Immediately afterwards there is a attributes: initially she is a girl/virgin, small dark room where a screen is then she becomes the bride of Zeus positioned on the floor on which a re- and lastly a widow when, out of jeal- construction of the various phases of ousy, she leaves, hides and becomes the excavation is projected. Visitors a virgin once again, after bathing in feel as though they are on the edge the waters of the sacred river, sym- of an archaeological excavation dur- bolising the continuity of life and its ing the discovery of one of the most cyclical nature. Screen-printed imag- beautiful and important metopes to es on large white canvases depict a have been unearthed: the metope procession of girls carrying gifts for portraying the suicide of Ajax. the goddess with a reconstruction of There is a juxtaposition of older and the various cult sites, the first altar of more recent excavations, including ashes, and votive deposits, such as the the excavation of the so-called square bothros (sacrificial pit) where sacred building in 1958 and the discovery of a objects were preserved. drainage channel during the 1990s be- The following room is devoted to the neath the foundations of the so-called history of the sanctuary from the thesauros, previously considered to 6th century BC to the 5th century AD. have been Archaic. The excavation of Thanks to a virtual model with 3D re- the channel brought to light material constructions (fig. 2), visitors can see of Hellenistic date, thus completely al- transformations of the landscape, the tering the interpretation and chronol- forms of population of the area and the

22 BIANCA FERRARA 3. Metope Room (Greco, Ferrara 2002, entry no. 5, fig. 36)

THE VIRTUAL MUSEUM OF THE MOUTH OF THE RIVER SELE 23 architectural structure of the sanctuary two silos, surrounded by hundreds of over the centuries, viewed from differ- reproductions of Hera and the women ent perspectives (from the river, the who bring offerings to the goddess, sea, the city or from the countryside). A visitors step back in time and are im- virtual voyage through time is thus cre- mersed in the sound of the ancient ated which enables the various phases Greek litany that recites the women’s of the sanctuary to be reconstructed. invocations to the goddess. Visitors ar- However, the most exciting story con- rive in the room devoted to the square cerning the discovery of the metopes building, but not before passing a (fig. 3), is projected in the dark of the small belvedere from which they can next large room in what used to be admire the remains of the sanctuary the old farmhouse stables. It seeks to of Hera Argiva and glimpse the river shed light on the mystery surrounding Sele in the distance. The building was the metopes, presenting the various used for girls’ initiation ceremonies hypotheses about their original posi- and contains reconstructions of the tion and arrangement. The characters four looms used for weaving the pep- portrayed in the metopes – the myth- los for the goddess, the large main en- ical heroes – are brought back to life, trance and everyday objects, cooking revealing the story of their own myth vessels, small vases for perfumes, a at first hand and with the help of at- coral branch, earrings, vases used for mospheric lighting: Heracles describes religious ceremonies and astragals his labours through the words of He- (knucklebones) used for dice games. siod, Sophocles or Apollodorus; Achil- The tour ends by going down through les, Hecuba and Ajax present their the second silo, devoted to the trans- stories through the passages of Hom- formation of the cult in the Roman pe- er’s Illiad or the choruses of Aeschylus, riod and the spread of Christianity. The Jason and Ulysses talk of their feats account becomes more complex and, through the verses of the Odyssey or for the first time, an alternative inter- the passages from the Argonautica; pretation to the hypothesis of religious simultaneously, all the other ancient continuity between paganism and depictions of the myths are projected Christianity is presented. Visitors are ac- continuously on a screen. companied through the main phases of But the magic does not stop here! the spread of Christianity at Paestum, Going up the staircase of one of the from its first appearance, documented

24 BIANCA FERRARA in around 374 AD, to the transformation Assumption of the Virgin/Mother of of the city into a bishopric in 431 AD un- God, there is a procession of the faith- til the 6th century AD when Christianity ful who carry a special votive gift, a became the official religion. wooden structure with 100 candles Voice-overs and illustrative panels, (hence the name centa) adorned with with the addition of multimedia, tell ribbons and flowers, to the sanctuary the story of the stages in the crea- on the mountain above Capaccio. tion of a Christian iconography. The They can be round, square, ring-shaped, account follows the writings of the in the form of a sanctuary, a lily or a Church Fathers which state that Chris- ship, like the ones offered during the tians, unlike Pagans, should not have twentieth century to Our Lady with the simulacra to worship because their Pomegranate. The cente in the form of God is invisible and therefore cannot a boat have led to the suggestion of be represented. The account contin- an ancient link with the ritual, known ues through the silos, showing how from ancient sources, of the transport the image of Mary was constructed on by boat of a wooden simulacrum of the basis of stereotyped representa- Hera, with her close relationship to the tions of the great goddesses of antiq- sea and her status as the goddess who uity, highlighting the clear discontinu- protects navigation and safe landings. ity between Hera, wife and sister of Another relationship of continuity with Zeus and Mary, the mother of Jesus. the ancient world has thus been creat- Lastly, a video illustrates how the ed, although there is no evidence either idea of the continuity of cult practice in the material or literary evidence; it between Our Lady with the Pome- is probably a learned construction pro- granate at Capaccio and the Hera of duced later on to emphasise continuity the river Sele was created, following with a glorious past. the various stages of gradual building work which, over time, transformed a chapel dedicated to the Holy Mother of God into a sanctuary of Our Lady with the Pomegranate. Among the ritual ceremonies held in honour of Our Lady with the Pome- granate on 15 August, the day of the

THE VIRTUAL MUSEUM OF THE MOUTH OF THE RIVER SELE 25 the excavations at the mouth of the river sele: in search of the greeks during the twenty-year period of romanisation daniele rossetti archaeological park of paestum

The rivers in ancient Italy divided territories and marked boundaries but they were also important routes for connecting different peoples, for encouraging trade between them and, as a consequence, cultural contamination. This is the case of the river Sele which dominates the plain of Paestum and contributes to its fertility and rich soils. It separates the Greeks from the “mixed” community of Etruscans and local populations, linking the sea to the mountains (fig. 1). The sanctuaries situated outside the large settlements (extra-urban sanctuaries) marked the limits of the territory controlled by the city, and protected them with their sacredness; they often became wealthy mainly because of their location in key points along trading routes. This was the case for the sanctuary situated at the mouth of the river Sele, one of the most important of the areas occupied by the Greeks in Italy, marked by imposing buildings but, above all, by the exceptional nature of its decoration, in particular the sculptural cycles that were concentrated in the spaces of the metopes. It is almost a unique example in archaic Italy, which resembles the sanctuary at Selinunte, in Sicily, also located outside the city, on the boundary between Greek-controlled and Punic-controlled areas. According to many scholars, the presence of such complex sculptural cycles in these places may not be a coincidence: the populations that the Greeks considered “barbarian” lived only a few hundred metres away, distinct in terms of different customs, languages and be- liefs, and observed them. The aim may have been to impress the “barbarians” through the Greeks’ capacity to create such extraordinary and diverse artistic works. Indeed, the stories narrated in the reliefs are dominated by the figure of Heracles, the civilising hero

THE EXCAVATIONS AT THE MOUTH OF THE RIVER SELE 27 who founded cities, and who, according Paestum during this period, and were si- to myth, had travelled as far as Italy as a multaneously excavating the ruins of the result of his numerous labours. The sanc- city, viewed the work being undertaken tuary at the mouth of the river Sele was at the mouth of the river Sele with suspi- dedicated to a goddess, as was often the cion, and only gave permits for excavation case in the archaic world: Hera, the wife of as a result of private donations, without Zeus, one of the most important deities any state funding. The two archaeolo- in the Greek pantheon, was worshipped gists were looked upon with disdain, both here with her attributes as the protec- politically and scientifically. The archaeo- tress of the life cycle, from birth until logical research sponsored by the regime death. All the quintessential values of the during this period was intended to find feminine world, such as the fertility not evidence for the glory of Roman civilisa- just of humans, but also of fields and ani- tion, in order to elevate it above any other mals, crucial for the survival and wealth of cultural expression of the past, including the city, were gathered around her. It may Greek civilisation, for evident propaganda be no coincidence that the rediscovery of motives. Zanotti Bianco had been one of the sanctuary in the modern era was the the signatories of the anti-Fascist mani- work of a woman, moreover during the festo written by Italian intellectuals, and extremely complex twenty-year period was forced to abandon all the activities of Fascist rule, just a few years before the he had previously been engaged in, fall- outbreak of the Second World War. Aged ing back on archaeological studies, until just over thirty, Paola Zancani Montuoro he was arrested by the authorities a few left in search of the sanctuary in the plain years later. It is not hard to imagine the of the river Sele mentioned by ancient impact of the discovery when, shortly historical sources, with the help of her after the first excavation campaign in friend Umberto Zanotti Bianco (fig. 2). 1934, the finds including the first me- The story of an archaeological discovery, topes demonstrated the validity of the which was to be one of the most impor- two archaeologists’ hypotheses (fig. 3). tant to be made in southern Italy during The uniqueness and wealth of the finds the twentieth century, also turns into the forced the regime to highlight the excep- account of a challenge, almost a form of tional nature of the discovery. At the time, silent, unarmed resistance to the Fascist the archaeological museum was housed regime. The Fascist authorities, which in the neighbouring building - the bish- were draining the marshes in the plain of opric - but it had become too small to

28 DANIELE ROSSETTI page 26 3. Paola Zancani Montuoro and Umberto 1. The river Sele in the area Zanotti Bianco on the river Sele of the Sanctuary of Hera

2. Paola Zancani Montuoro and Umberto Zanotti Bianco

display all the material; the heart of the for the whole design, were arranged on new museum, designed in 1938, therefore its upper part. The area considered in an- became the layout devised especially for tiquity to be the most sacred, inaccessible the metopes of the Heraion. Its façade place, reserved only for the statue of the reflects the ‘monumentalist’ architectur- deity and priests, has now become the al language, one of the typical styles of heart of the new archaeological muse- the Fascist period: it was inspired by ne- um for contemporary visitors. The “cella” oclassicism whose roots lay in classical ar- is the starting point of the tour - echoing chitecture. Its interior also contains clear with the sounds of music and children’s references to ancient structures, with an laughter, or the voices of academics dur- attempt to reconstruct the splendour of a ing conferences- to explore archaeologi- Greek temple. The centre of the museum cal research which is in a state of constant is occupied by the so-called “cella”, consid- flux, continuously enriched by new dis- ered by the ancients to be the house of coveries and new ideas for projecting into the deity. The “cella” dominates the space the future a heritage for which everyone and the archaic metopes, the inspiration should feel responsible and proud.

THE EXCAVATIONS AT THE MOUTH OF THE RIVER SELE 29 the diver in the art work of carlo alfano raffaele d’andria restorer architect

Who are you? And where are you from? – I am the son of Earth and Starry Heaven [Gold tablet found in Thessaly]

Right from the moment of its discovery on 3 June 1968 in the necropolis of Tempa del Prete, situated to the south of Paestum, the Tomb of the Diver has been at the centre of a debate regarding its interpretation which still remains the subject of live- ly discussion. As part of the exhibition held to mark the fiftieth anniversary of its discovery, engaging in a sort of ‘archaeological investigation within archaeology’, Gabriel Zuchtriegel summarised the main cultural positions of this debate underly- ing the iconographic and philological complexity of the tomb. He also emphasised its historical significance, and eventually focused on its influence in the artistic field. On the same occasion, Maria Emanuela Oddo explored the same stances with re- gard to bibliographical references, making a distinction between interpretations of the tomb that focus on mystery and those that focus on reductive hedonistic aspects. The latter interpretation was supported in particular by Ranuccio Bianchi Bandinelli and Massimo Pallottino, who regarded them as the expression of local art, of “inferior quality”, based on “repertoire figures”. The interpretations of Band- inelli and Pallottino were questioned by Mario Napoli, the discoverer of the tomb, who, in the first publication about the burial, declared the tomb to be a ‘masterpiece of great Greek painting’. According to Oddo, he proposed “viewing the dive as a pu- rificatory action and the banquet as the promise of eternal bliss, linked to the [de-

THE DIVER IN THE ART WORK OF CARLO ALFANO 31 ceased’s] membership of mystery cults, different densities, accompanied by the in particular Orphic or Pythagorean same number of refractions of light. cults”1. To back up this hypothesis, Mario The whole work was devised by Alfano Napoli, who was not just an archaeolo- to respond to the slightest movements gist but also knowledgeable about con- of viewers, calibrated through optical temporary art, decided to commission a matrices. Obviously, Alfano’s work – in- work of art to be made while the display fluenced by the theoretical research of area of the tomb in the new section of Gestaltpsychologiee and semiology, as the museum was being prepared. Car- well as by the work of Gerges Vanton- lo Alfano (1932-1990), a Neapolitan gerloo, Alberto Biasi, Getulio Alviani and artist of international standing, was Bridget Riley – involves solutions with commissioned to make the work: he varying degrees of spatiality, marked by was one of the few people capable of the ‘threshold value’2. Works that can be using his “penetrating gaze” – to use a ascribed to this value include, on the one term coined by the art critic Achille Bo- hand, Tempi prospettici (delle distanze nito Oliva – in a creative relationship della rappresentazione) (Perspective with the tomb. With a background in Times [of the distances of representa- abstract expressionism and European tion]) presented at the exhibition Vital- Art Informel, Alfano experimented with ità del negativo nell’Arte Italiana, 1960- optical and kinetic language during the 1970 (Vitality of the Negative in Italian late 1960s and, during the same period, Art, 1960-70) held at the Palazzo delle explored the temporal dimension of Esposizioni in Rome in 1971; and, on the representation. It was during this phase, other, the work related to the Tomb of between 1970 and 1972, that the artist the Diver. Placed below the exhibition created the work that reflected on the area that houses the work, separated Tomb of the Diver, including it in the from it by large panes of glass, the work cycle of works entitled Tempi prospettici is arranged in a pool full of gently flow- (Perspective Times). The thread running ing water, with a raised plane within it, through the cycle is the assessment of made up of an optical mosaic of black the image in the effects of variability and white tesserae (fig. 1). Covered by a in its refractions, exploring the percep- few centimetres of water, the plane has tive relationship between space and five cylinders of varying height installed time: in particular, the effects created upon it. Two of the cylinders are made by the arrangement of materials with of gleaming steel while three are made

32 RAFFAELE D’ANDRIA page 30 2. Detail of the mosaic in the pool 1. The work of Carlo Alfano with the Archive of the Fondazione De Felice Tomb of the Diver in the background page 34 3. Detail of the pilasters, Archive of the Fondazione De Felice

THE DIVER IN THE ART WORK OF CARLO ALFANO 33 34 RAFFAELE D’ANDRIA of plexiglass filled with glycerine; a third self-portrait. The artist has entrusted steel cylinder is situated close to the this column drum with the first and pool. The impressive visual effect stems last sequence of the perceptive maze, from the interaction of multiple reflec- sequences in which the symbolic uni- tions: the reflection of the tomb on the ty of the tomb is ‘broken’; the tomb cylinders and on the quivering surface of has now become an element of a wid- the water, and the reflections produced er context, transformed into a part of on the cylinders by the optical mosaic nature on the ‘invisible’ return of its (fig. 2). The latter is almost an element own image. for measuring the reflections, except Nevertheless, even though this is the for the deformations in the water of the result, it would certainly be partial if elements surrounding the work, already it were not completed by a further merged with the colours and mobile observation. “By being in a specific forms of the greenery and the sky. point, on the edge of the pool, when The scene is witnessed by the corrod- the sky is clear and the idea of death is ed drum of a column, the third steel far from the viewer’s mind, the viewer cylinder which, by seemingly eaves- can glimpse the figure of the Diver – no dropping on what is happening in longer static but vibrant – in one of the the pool, not only acts as an atmos- steel tubes”3. This is a figure which is pheric comment, but introduces the freed from its formal relations, wheth- figure of the other, the metaphor of er immediate or remote, suspended the spectator/author, of the portrait/ only in a game of poetic illusionism.

1 M.E. Oddo, La Tomba del Tuffatore. Una biblio- that Alfano’s work should be defined as ‘works grafia Ragionata, in L’immagine invisibile. La Tom- of doubt’ “which, if he had had to group them all ba del Tuffatore nel cinquantesimo dalla scoperta, under a single title, then it would have been ‘on exhibition guide (Paestum, Museo Archeologico, 3 the threshold’, a reference to the ‘symbolic line’ June-17 October 2018), G. Zuchtriegel (ed), Naples that divides two spaces that belong to each oth- 2018, p. 140. er yet are separate. The ‘threshold’ lies between 2 the concept of the ‘threshold’, like that of the day and night, between wakefulness and sleep; ‘break’, stems from the ideas of Michel Foucault, a the threshold between life and death is the most philosopher of crucial importance for the under- important”, in La Repubblica 7 April 2001. standing of the work of Carlo Alfano. In an arti- 3 R. D’Andria, Il Tuffatore di Carlo Alfano. Restauro di cle published in 2001, written for the exhibition un’opera dei ‘Tempi prospettici’ a Paestum, Salerno held at Castel dell’Ovo, Vitaliano Corbi argued 1995, p. 40.

THE DIVER IN THE ART WORK OF CARLO ALFANO 35 rethinking the museum of paestum: notes on a design for a new display maria boffa archaeological park of paestum

The year was 1952 and Antonio Segni, the Italian Minister for Education, cut the ribbon to open the museum of Paestum. The word “MVSEO” written in large lettering clearly identifies the building as a place devoted to culture. Today, after going through the main door, visitors can read, on the front of the “cella” the words written in neon “Ceci n’est pas un musée – This is not a museum” (fig. 2). Is this a contradiction? No, we like to think of it as an evolution, a story that has been created over the years and that reflects alterations, changes of mind, changes of direction and openings towards new opportunities. The present is a summa- ry of the narrative in the refurbishment and reorganisation of the display that will take place over the next few years. By adopting the principles of the latest debates about museology, the Museum of Paestum is rethinking itself and its goals are inexorably linked to an architectural design capable of expressing a new identity in the best way possible. From a more strictly material perspective, the work that needs to be carried out can be justified by the serious structural problems of the building and the inadequacy of the museum display and layout. In particular, the series of repeated enlargements of the space and the contin- uous transformations of the displays have given the Museum of Paestum an uneven and fragmentary character which, like a large patchwork, impairs the use and understanding of the whole complex. The aim is therefore to solve the structural problems and devise a uniform display policy in all the rooms to give the museum the coherence and homogeneity that it currently lacks.

RETHINKING THE MUSEUM OF PAESTUM 37 This is what the museum will be- the sanctuary of Hera at the mouth of come. Let’s go together through the the river Sele. The tour continues with main entrance and begin the tour of the “De Felice Room” (formerly the the new museum through the eyes of Metope Room) where the city and the the people who have devised this dis- public spaces take centre stage in the play. The idea is to present the history display. Pride of place is given to two of a city and its territory through the important monuments unearthed in materials found over a hundred years the archaeological site: the Heroon, of archaeological exploration in the the tomb of the founding hero accom- ancient Greek, Lucanian and Roman panied by a rich array of grave goods settlement of Poseidonia-Paestum. (bronze and ceramic vases) and the The entire ground floor is devoted to Ekklesiasterion (fig. 1). Poseidonia, the Greek polis founded The Ekklesiasterion was the public by the Aechaeans of Sybaris in 600 BC space of the Greek city used for citi- and then occupied by the Lucanians zens’ assemblies; it is one of the main from the second half of the 5th centu- symbols of political activity and re- ry BC. The tour is organised into large flects the political changes that took thematic sections where the spaces place in Poseidonia during the early and history of the ancient city come Classical period. In this light, there is a back to life. The first room is devoted reconstruction of the original so that to temple architecture and the Doric it can once again act as a space that order, from the origins to its classical brings people together, a place for canonisation. This section will be dis- the general public, both on an every- played around the “cella” in the lower day basis and for major events. The gallery: the spaces will not undergo following room is devoted to craft any change, a decision taken in order products: the artefacts made locally to safeguard the oldest part of the in pottery workshops and mints are museum. In the lower gallery, closely on display. The next room focuses on related to the metopes mounted on necropolises. By examining the grave the upper part of the “cella”, there will goods, the section illustrates funer- be a section devoted to ritual practic- ary ideology: the customs and rituals es in the main sanctuaries of the city used at Paestum during the Greek – the southern and northern sanctu- and Lucanian periods. Along the cor- aries – and the surrounding territory – ridor that faces eastwards, with large

38 MARIA BOFFA page 36 2. Tomba della Finanza 1. Detail of the Ekklesiasterion (Tomb rescued by the Guardia in the archaeological site di Finanza, the Italian financial and customs police), detail

RETHINKING THE MUSEUM OF PAESTUM 39 windows overlooking the landscape where the oldest artifacts are found in of the plain of the river Sele, there the lower layers and the more recent is a display of archaeological mate- ones in the upper layers. The second rial from the hinterland, evidence floor of the museum of Paestum hous- from the areas surrounding the city es the “Roman Room” with the fasci- of Paestum. This is followed by the nating finds related to the Roman col- “Mario Napoli” Room which contains ony of Paestum dating to the period the slabs from the Tomb of the Diver, after 273 BC. Following the same logic, one of the main symbols of the muse- the underground room is designed to um of Paestum. The room, which has contain the prehistoric section of the recently been refurbished, will not museum: it tells the story of the Gau- undergo major changes because, like do culture and the populations of the the “cella”, it is a cornerstone of the territory of Paestum before the arrival museology of Paestum and therefore of the Greeks. linked to its original identity. It could The museum storerooms also deserve not occupy another position: this is special attention: the space designed also reflected by the presence, in the to house archaeological material not outdoor area in front of the tomb, of on display has recently been included the work of contemporary art by the in the tour so that it is part of the cul- artist Carlo Alfano, intimately con- tural tour available to visitors on a daily nected to the symbolic significance basis. It is an innovative decision that of the dive into the afterlife. The tour makes the Museum of Paestum one of continues with another room and the first Italian museums to provide the evidence of a new culture: the Luca- public with this opportunity. nians. The “Room of Lucanian paint- In terms of access and use, the new ings” contains a display of the paint- museum display complies with the ed slabs and the reconstructions of highest international standards of cist tombs with grave goods, careful- management, communications, ed- ly re-assembled to give a clear idea of ucational and technological innova- their original structure and function. tion which ensure an effective and The tour continues on the upper floor significant experience as well as one devoted to the Roman period. The dis- that is enjoyable for the public. The play retraces the classic stratigraphic new layout and display have been sequence of archaeological excavation designed to make the tour safer and

40 MARIA BOFFA 3. Young visitors observe the Tomb of the Diver

RETHINKING THE MUSEUM OF PAESTUM 41 more accessible for everyone: there museum by a heterogeneous public in are no physical obstacles, such as nar- terms of demographic, socio-econom- row spaces, or cognitive impediments ic and educational backgrounds. which could prove confusing for visi- The Archaeological Park of Paestum tors. Considerable attention is devot- has promoted a variety of projects on ed to the system of verbal, symbolic, these themes. One outstanding exam- technological and textual communi- ple is the project “Paestum per tutti. cation to make sure the tour provides Architetture senza barriere” (Paestum an effective experience for learning for everyone. Architecture without and cultural development. barriers) which literally makes it pos- A key feature of the design of the sible to enter the house of the gods, museum refurbishment regards the namely the oldest temple of Poseido- theme of accessibility, in accordance nia, the “Basilica” or the “Open Paes- with the high level of interest in this tum” project aimed at creating a tac- topic generally encountered within tile tour for the partially sighted and the Italian museum system, so that it visually impaired. becomes one of the main aspects of The “Dive into the Blue” tour (Un tuffo the mission of the Archaeological park nel Blu) was designed for children and of Paestum. From this perspective, young people with autism spectrum dis- two different but complementary pro- orders. The museum storerooms have files can be recognised. Firstly, acces- also been made completely accessible sibility means breaking down archi- to the public as from January of this year. tectural barriers. The aim is to enable A new social role for museums has re- people with special needs to enjoy the cently emerged which seeks to meet museum experience in a completely increasingly difficult challenges. The safe and autonomous fashion. contemporary museum is gradually The second aspect concerns accessi- becoming less closely tied to its col- bility in a cultural sense. The museum lections or the building in which it thus becomes an inclusive place, open is housed. Rather than just being a to everyone, which seeks to extend container of artefacts, the museum forms of participation and access. needs to be an institution capable of Emphasis is placed on encouraging creating new social meanings. encounters with the “other”: cultural It is a ‘museum for the public’ with a mediation and understanding of the responsibility to act and bring about

42 MARIA BOFFA change through the targeted, con- scious and personalised use of net- works of relationships that already exist or that it intends to construct. In this context, the future role of the Museum of Paestum, following its re- furbishment, is to acquire the central role that it ought to play: an active role, an attraction, a participatory and inclusive institution. It is not a static institution for celebrat- ing archaeological collections. Quite the contrary; it is a place for meetings and constructive discussions of cultural and social significance.

RETHINKING THE MUSEUM OF PAESTUM 43

…so what exactly is it? mariajosè luongo archaeological park of paestum

This is not a museum: it is a theatre! Just as in a theatre, the rooms of a mu- seum have props which are necessary for the layout and the display, in oth- er words the story chosen by the curators to present to the public. There are many artifacts available to us and they can be used to tell multiple stories. They are kept in the ‘dressing rooms’ of the museum: the storerooms. Let’s focus on an artifact on the ‘stage’: a red figure krater by the famous vase painter Assteas whose workshop was situated at Paestum. The decoration shows a naked woman with drapery around her hips and a bearded satyr who holds a handful of pellets (fig. 2).This silent encounter has lasted from 370 BC and continues to this day. How did the vase end up in this specific display case? Following the ‘journey’ of this krater from the excavation to the display case is possible because access to the storerooms at Paestum has been a decisive stra- tegic decision for safeguarding and protecting the artifacts contained within it. The answer lies in the basement, in other words, a ‘behind-the-scenes’ look at the museum, a place of invisible artifacts and professional expertise. Learning often involves diving deep into a subject: it is no coincidence that Alice has to descend into a tunnel to reach Wonderland. However, the basement of the mu- seum of Paestum is not a claustrophobic place: during the first few decades of this century, a system of trolleys was invented to store and move the stone slabs of the tombs in order to avoid, quite literally, trampling over centuries of history given that the slabs had been laid out haphazardly over the floor (fig. 1).

…SO WHAT EXACTLY IS IT? 45 In the storerooms, the krater rediscov- ends meet, notes to send to the direc- ers the whole of its history and thus its tor, errors and hopes. The faded pages, identity. It emerges that it was one of with occasionally wavering handwrit- the grave goods from tomb no. LXIV, ing, reveal the man behind the archae- discovered on 22 October 1959 in the ologist’s notes. When he discovered necropolis of Laghetto to the north tomb LXIV, Giuseppe Barattucci was east of the city, dating to 370-360 BC. worried about the exact position of It was found by Giuseppe Barattucci, the various grave goods: a jug, two ky- an assistant of the then director Pel- likes, a skyphos, a patera, a lekane, an legrino Sestieri. At this point, visitors oinochoe, four small cups, three clay can enjoy a unique experience: they tablets, four clay masks, an iron strigil, can attribute a name to the traver- fragments of a belt, a spearhead and a tine tomb slab, a name such as that of round lekythos. We are lucky because Barattucci whom they would other- there are plenty of grave goods. The wise never have known. At Paestum, burials often have no grave goods it is possible to consult the excavation because tomb-robbers have stolen diaries, the original notes made by ar- them and left the heavy travertine chaeologists to describe the most sig- walls: this is a terrible blow for schol- nificant events of the day. The diaries ars because the relationship between do not just contain measurements, the various parts and between these lists of objects or geographical indi- parts and the original context is lost. cations. They are full of the emotions However, the exceptionally rich burial of a person who is about to discover assemblage poses the question of why something after months of hard work. a single artifact, and in particular this The diaries convey these emotions specific artifact, was chosen for dis- and also offer an insight into everyday play. What Barattucci saw and what life. Some diaries contain drawings, has not survived is the skeleton of calculations of the payment for work- the deceased. Until the 1970s, human men, notes about cough medicines, remains were generally disposed of. or anxieties about new buildings that Only subsequently was a systematic would culminate in a special law to study of the skeletons at Paestum car- safeguard the site of Paestum. They ried out by the ‘invisible figures’ who reflect the minds of people worrying contribute, with their expertise, to the about distant families, how to make show: the palaeopathologists. Besides

46 MARIAJOSÈ LUONGO page 44 1. The Museum’s storerooms

2. Asteass, red figure calyx-krater, from Laghetto, tomb LXIV

…SO WHAT EXACTLY IS IT? 47 the variation in height over the years, painting running, signs of the ropes the widespread presence of malaria used to lower the painted traver- and thalassemia (Mediterranean ane- tine slabs, traces of pottery on damp mia) also emerged. After unearthing plaster and bubbles caused by water the tomb and the grave goods, the leaking into the travertine which are next step is restoration. Restoration still visible. What the slab silently re- is not designed to restore the object veals is far in excess of what it shows to its original condition, but aims to when it ‘speaks’: there is a form of preserve it while respecting historical serendipity in the field of archaeol- truth. The travertine slabs are delicate- ogy which is on a par with the most ly washed with sponges and distilled important medical discoveries (such water, then the stone is reinforced and as Fleming’s discovery of penicillin) the colours are restored. One of the and geographical discoveries (such as oddest objects used by restorers is a the ‘discovery’ of America). Moreover, mundane toothbrush! At this point the tomb slabs preserve traces of the tomb LXIV is studied and inventoried. ancient paints which elsewhere have Publication is another extremely im- been lost. The information gleaned portant step: without it, it is as though from the tombs also helps to under- the research had never happened, be- stand the nature of the temples: the cause it is only at this moment that the temples were also extremely colour- information that has been gathered ful, decorated with red, white and enters the public domain. blue, although weathering has re- Paestum is a nerve centre of research: moved virtually all traces of them. On specialists from Cambridge Universi- this note, it is worth mentioning the ty are currently analysing the remains anxiety of Mario Napoli, the discov- of mineralised textiles attached to erer of the Tomb of the Diver. He left the plaster of the Tomb of the Wom- the slab of the Diver in this storeroom en Mourners, displayed in 2017 during for 23 months in the dark to ensure the exhibition Action Painting. Rito & that the painting gradually became arte nelle tombe di Paestum (Action ‘accustomed’ to a room above ground Painting. Ritual and Art in the tombs and to prevent the precious frescoed of Paestum). Many of the things that paints from fading due to the light. have been discovered about the stone However, let’s return to tomb LXIV slabs are due to ‘little accidents’: from the Laghetto necropolis. At this

48 MARIAJOSÈ LUONGO 3. Behind the scenes at the Donizetti theatre

…SO WHAT EXACTLY IS IT? 49 point in the story, once it was restored, on figure-ground and ambiguous the slabs and the grave goods could images, Gabriella Bartoli, Anna Ma- follow different and interchangeable ria Giannini and Paolo Bonaiuto have trajectories: the could be displayed demonstrated how, in the context in the museum, loaned or kept in the of museum visiting, visitors may be storerooms. In 2019, for example, the affected by varying degrees of tol- tomb slabs left Paestum for an exhi- erance of homogeneity (order, unity, bition in China while the krater from simplicity) and heterogeneity (disor- the grave goods of tomb Laghetto der, multiplicity, variety), according LXIV found its place in the limelight. to specific indicators of perceptive This takes us back to the initial ques- saturation. This is deemed to affect tion: what leads to the decision to the preferences for contemporary or choose a specific artifact for display classical art works by visitors. The in- rather than another? How does a mu- teresting finding is that aesthetic ex- seum display take shape? A museum perience emerged as the only human is a cultural device capable of acti- experience in which there is simul- vating specific psychic and emotional taneous satisfaction in the viewer’s processes rather than others for most dominant motives. While the satis- observers. Making a choice is neces- faction of a motive may be relevant sary due to the sheer number of ar- to the concept of the ‘experience tifacts in a museum, some of which of usefulness’ and the ‘experience are extremely repetitive, such as the of pleasure’ (food, clothing, social clay statuettes of Hera at Paestum. In recognition), only the simultaneous the past, display cases tended to be satisfaction of several needs, above filled with artefacts whereas nowa- a specific threshold of importance, days the emphasis is on rooms that is correlated to aesthetic experience. are not crammed with objects but The sensation experienced is equiva- have more representative elements. lent to the feelings that Manfredi ex- Museum communication involves presses in Dante’s Purgatorio: “Then, many different cognitive processes when anything is heard or seen/ such as perception, emotions and which keeps the soul steadily drawn motives. Through a series of experi- to it, Time passes on and we are un- ments conducted during the 1990s at aware” and that Goethe’s character Università Roma Tre in Rome, based Faust also expresses: “Stay a while,

50 MARIAJOSÈ LUONGO 4. Platform realized for the initiative ‘Paestum for all’

…SO WHAT EXACTLY IS IT? 51 you are so beautiful!”. Experiencing mental impact of the initiatives put this type of feeling is a daily challenge into effect. The slogan Ceci n’est pas in Bauman’s society of liquid moder- un musée (This is not a museum) has nity, aimed at satisfying ephemeral been chosen because it is not just a whims. The rigid, hierarchical, closed space devoted to the conservation and abstract languages of Marshall and identity of the past but also a McLuhan’s Gutenberg Galaxy: The place of possibilities which is in touch Making of Typographic Man have with contemporary life and its issues. been joined by increasingly immer- The project designed to open up the sive, reticular, fluid and rapid media. museum storerooms has had many This has led to a new epistemology effects on the community: it has ena- of complexity, the idea of knowledge bled the general public to have access and being as places of continuous to spaces that were previously only negotiation and mediation, prob- accessible to a few scholars and has lematic spaces in a state of constant increased accessibility and socio-cul- movement. At the Museum of Paes- tural inclusion. Ever since he was tum, the decision was taken to avoid appointed, Gabriel Zuchtriegel, the using many interactive supports in director of the Archaeological Park of the storerooms to preserve the au- Paestum, has made museum acces- thenticity of the tour. What visitors sibility a characteristic feature of his appreciate is this ‘genuineness’ made work. One of the first projects set up up of everyday anecdotes of security by the Park was entitled ‘Paestum per staff gathered over time, without the Tutti’ (Paestum for all) and consists sophistication of augmented reality. in providing people in wheelchairs On this point, we are not afraid of be- with the unique possibility of visiting ing ‘out of fashion’. On the contrary, the interior of a Greek temple thanks in a period filled with numbers and to a platform that is both removable percentages, quantity at all costs, and has no negative environmental the Archaeological park of Paestum impact (fig. 4). The storerooms can has decided to adopt a social balance also be visited by people in wheel- sheet, a document that provides not chairs. But that is only half the story: just information of an economic and tours are currently available in Italian financial nature, but also informa- Sign Language (LIS) and braille tablets tion about the social and environ- made using special inks that enable

52 MARIAJOSÈ LUONGO visitors to perceive frescoes and their tre is not real but it is always credible state of conservation. Physical bar- and this generates a form of disorien- riers are visible and are so evident tation at the end of the tour. But now that it is impossible to ignore them. let’s all go back upstairs, definitely However, the cognitive, emotional with a greater awareness: the show is and communicative barriers are sub- about to begin! tler and more difficult to overcome. The blue of the water over which the famous Diver of Paestum is eternal- ly suspended is also the symbol of a growing phenomenon: autism. Peo- ple with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are often considered ‘trouble- some’ visitors because they are diffi- cult to manage. Due to their very na- ture as places of contamination and experimentation, the storerooms are wonderfully suited to autism-friendly tours, monitored by the Parthenope University of Naples, in order to cre- ate a replicable and commonly agreed model. Emotion is therefore not just the aim of aesthetic experience but a form of learning with vast potential. This awareness is making ‘Paestum a place for all’, a place that is increasing- ly tailored to everyone. Each individual arrives at a different conclusion after the tour. When they leave the storerooms, coming into contact with daylight, many visitors rub their eyes. It is like Alice reawak- ening, the return to reality. Who has been dreaming? The storeroom-thea-

…SO WHAT EXACTLY IS IT? 53 the museum, the architecture and the characters maria boffa, maria antonietta brandonisio archaeological park of paestum

The planned modernisation and redevelopment of the Museum of Paestum will inevitably bring about structural changes for the rooms: the intervention, which will sometimes be radical and sometimes less drastic, will give the entire museum complex a new appearance. However, the architectural and museographic refur- bishment cannot avoid considering what the museum was like in the past, how the spaces were organised, the various displays; above all, it cannot ignore the memory of the characters who put ideas and projects into practice. We shall begin a brief journey through the rooms of the Museum of Paestum, as it would have appeared from 1952 to the present, and partly before the beginning of the work. A rich selection of photos will provide food for thought about the muse- um as a ‘container’, not in the negative sense that the term might conjure up, but as a place for bringing together and inspiring dialogue between stories, projects, fashions, concepts and publics. Far too often, the history of the architecture of Paestum has been neglected in favour of the archaeological collections: this in- terpretation seeks to do justice to this undisputed container of equally important information about the history of Paestum.

The first incarnation of the museum We have just entered the museum. Look in front of you: two galleries, a lower one (fig. 2) and an upper one (fig. 3) and, in the middle, a structure that replicates the innermost part of a Greek temple (the “cella”). When the Museum of Paestum was

THE MUSEUM, THE ARCHITECTURE AND THE CHARACTERS 55 page 54 2. Lower gallery, Historic archive 1. Layoutof the Sanctuary Room, Archive of Ernesto Apicella of the Fondazione De Felice, n. 9448 3. Upper gallery (Sestieri 1955)

opened in 1952 (fig. 4), it only consisted Paestum. The design had already been of these few rooms and nothing else. completed by 1938. The creation of a structure suitable for But who was Amedeo Maiuri? Previous- housing the archaeological finds being ly a student of the Italian Archaeological unearthed in the city and the surround- School at Athens, he was appointed Su- ing area was actively supported by perintendent of the Antiquities of Cam- Amedeo Maiuri, the then Superinten- pania and Molise, with its headquarters dent of Campania and Molise. In 1936 in Naples, in 1924. He was mainly active he pointed out to the Italian Ministry of at Paestum from 1926 onwards, when National Education the need for a suita- he began coordinating the restoration ble place to house the excavation finds. of the three Doric temples and sub- After getting the approval of the min- sequently directed the excavations in istry, the superintendent chose the ar- the northern sanctuary between 1928 chitect Marcello de Vita as the creative and 1939. It was Amedeo Maiuri who mind who could design a museum at gave his approval to the request for

56 MARIA BOFFA, MARIA ANTONIETTA BRANDONISIO 4. Paola Zancani Montuoro and Umberto 5. First floor designed by the architect Zanotti Bianco observe the construction Ezio Bruno De Felice of the Museum of Paestum, 1952

an excavation permit put forward by built for this purpose, beginning in Paola Zancani Montuoro and Umberto 1959. This room encapsulates the muse- Zanotti Bianco on behalf of the Società ographic work of a famous Neapolitan Magna Grecia to explore the Heraion architect, Ezio Bruno De Felice (fig. 5), at the mouth of the river Sele. This re- an expert in museum design and archi- search, which began in 1934, represent- tectural restoration. The following are ed the real precondition for the creation some of his most important designs: of the museum. the conversion of the Palace of Capo- dimonte in Naples into National Gal- Metope Room or the De Felice Room leries (INARCH National Prize 1961 for After the opening of the museum, ar- the Conservation and Enhancement of chaeological discoveries continued Architectural Heritage), the restoration apace to the extent that it was deemed of the four-sided portico of the Abbey of necessary to enlarge the display space. San Benedetto at Salerno and its con- You are in the first of the new rooms version into a museum (INARCH Na-

THE MUSEUM, THE ARCHITECTURE AND THE CHARACTERS 57 6. Roof of the Metope Room, Archive 7. Layout of the Sanctuary Room, Archive of the Fondazione De Felice, no. 4928 of the Fondazione De Felice, no. 9442

tional Prize 1966 for the Conservation beams, a linear display solution that did and Enhancement of Architectural Her- not impede the vision of the finds and, itage), the restoration and fitting out of at the same time, communicated har- the Certosa (Charterhouse) of Padula, moniously with ancient artefacts. the extension of the National Gallery in Palazzo Abatellis at Palermo, the res- Sanctuary Room toration of the Flavian amphitheatre in The creation of the Sanctuary Room Pozzuoli, and the restoration of the Au- was part of the project to enlarge the ditorium of Victor Hortàin Brussels. museum. Between 1968 and 1970, it De Felice was an architect who had underwent an important museographic the capacity to capture light, as he has intervention by the architect Giovanni rightly been defined: he designed a sky- De Franciscis which can be reconstruct- light roof and a ‘velarium’ for this room ed from the photographs kept in the (fig. 6). To support the metopes of the Archive of the Fondazione De Felice. This 5th century BC, he chose a pared-down room marked the beginning of the third support made up of stainless steel section of the museum which, in its

58 MARIA BOFFA, MARIA ANTONIETTA BRANDONISIO 8. Mario Napoli during an inspection at 9. Detail of the work Tempi prospettici the building site of the Museum of Paestum (Perspective Times) by Carlo Alfano

turn, was thematically divided between (fig. 1). The same can be said for the religious life and ancient painting. In this grave goods of the heroon displayed on room visitors could admire the votive a platform situated before the entrance material together with the architec- to the Mario Napoli Room. The decision tural elements of the urban sanctuar- may seem unusual and rather reckless ies of Paestum (fig. 7). Contemporary in view both of the precious nature of photographs make it possible to trace the artefacts and modern museological the history and evolution of the display principles. However, one plausible ex- solutions that were implemented. It can planation may lie in the preference for thus be seen that the clay statue of Zeus complete unobstructed access for ar- enthroned, which is now in a display chaeological finds that are of unrivalled case, was once displayed without pro- importance in Magna Graecia. tective devices or barriers, but placed in a pre-eminent position gazing at the Mario Napoli Room landscape of the plain of the river Sele This room marked the beginning of through the large windows of the room the section devoted to ancient paint-

THE MUSEUM, THE ARCHITECTURE AND THE CHARACTERS 59 10. Layout of the Room devoted to Lucanian painting, Archive of the Fondazione De Felice, no. 4941

ing. The ‘Mario Napoli’ Room takes its name from the famous archaeologist who discovered the Tomb of the Diver on 3 June 1968 (fig. 8). The scholar, who at the time was Superintendent of the Provinces of Salerno, Avellino and Ben- evento, wanted to give the monument an exclusive space, already achieved as part of the museum enlargement pro- ject; to mark the occasion, the muse- um underwent refurbishment accord- ing to strict museographic criteria. The architect Giovanni De Franciscis was The storeroom floor commissioned to design the museum During the 1960s, the architect De Felice display. Between 1970 and 1972, in came up with two designs for the store- order to highlight the tomb slabs, the room floor (fig. 11): the first concerned Neapolitan artist Carlo Alfano was the layout of the rooms while the sec- commissioned to design Tempi pros- ond was related to the redevelopment pettici (Perspective Times), a contem- of other rooms, although unfortunately porary work of art that was symboli- it was never implemented. In the first cally linked to the famous scene of the design, besides the rooms suitable for dive depicted on the covering slab of the conservation of archaeological ma- the tomb (fig. 9). The next room, just terial, other rooms were planned such like a real art gallery, contained a dis- as changing rooms, toilets for employ- play of the Lucanian tomb slabs (fig. ees, a restoration laboratory, carpen- 10), a rich selection of images that il- ter’s and smith’s workshops. The base- lustrates the culture and traditions of ment rooms still continue to be used an Italic people. for the same functions for which they

60 MARIA BOFFA, MARIA ANTONIETTA BRANDONISIO 11. Plan of the storerooms, Archive of the Fondazione De Felice

were designed by De Felice but, unlike a storerooms have become a regular fea- few years ago, they are now accessible ture at the museum. The storerooms and usable for all visitors. Since 2016, can be seen as they really are, in their the doors of the storerooms have been most authentic guise, without any at- open to the public and this has brought tempt to create a museum display or the history of the artefacts and the peo- superstructures of any kind. They ex- ple who have always worked in these press all their potential for those who rooms to the attention of everyone. wish to find out what lies behind a ‘ma- A tour entitled “Il Museo dietro le quin- jor’ archaeological museum which – it te” (a behind-the-scenes look at the should be emphasised – does not just museum) opened in late December involve the displays in the rooms, but 2018. It has ensured that tours of the also includes many different variables.

THE MUSEUM, THE ARCHITECTURE AND THE CHARACTERS 61 map

BOOKSHOP TICKET OFFICE ENTRANCE EXIT

WC

WC

62 MAP second floor roman collection

first floor prehistoric collection

mezzanine floor crafts cella room painted tombs work by carlo alfano the sanctuaries and the city the tomb of the diver the sanctuaries and the city garden of hera the necropolises the sanctuaries and the city basement educational activity room

MAP 63 bibliography

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64 BIBLIOGRAPHY GUIDE TO THE [DISMANTLED] ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM OF PAESTUM ceci n’est pas € 3,00 un musée