Ridola museum

Ridola Museum was born and developed thanks to the curiosity of a man after whom the Museum is named: Domenico Ridola, a doctor and archaeologist who explored and studied the history of the city of Matera and its land. His discoveries enriched the Museum, together with the findings from Timmari and Montescaglioso and, more recently, with the Rizzon collection and with exhibitions and trails like “Tiresias. The myth in your hands”. The whole museum collection has a leitmotiv: passion for history and archaeology. Throughout the halls a sequence of findings and objects used in every day life are shown, followed by animal bones, a reconstruction of neolithic villages, magnificent decorated vases from different ages: a complete overview of the history of Matera and its land, entirely housed in one single museum.

The “Museo per tutti” guide for Ridola Museum offers a trail focused on discovering archaeological findings. Its descriptions, together with the images, lead the visitors to a step-by-step approach to the objects, their function and history. Some deep-in boxes inside the guide focus on learning how the exhibited terracotta vases were made, on understanding what is an archaeological museum and on the figure of Domenico Ridola. Ridola Museum is accessible thanks to lift facility and offers a sensory trail with touch, smell, sight and hearing experiences, described on the Guide pages. Inside the Museum a resting area is available at the Refreshment Room.