Description of the attraction
The Archaeological Museum of Giardini Naxos occupies three buildings of a former factory building at the tip of Cape Capo Schiso, two of which are devoted to exhibition activities, and the last one houses a depository. Building "A" was converted into a museum in the 1970s immediately after the establishment of a cultural enterprise, while building "B" is the main fortress tower of a small fort of the 16th century, of which only the walls remain.
The museum contains objects that tell the history of the Greek colony of Naxos, as well as prehistoric artifacts that testify to the fact that the territory of modern Giardini Naxos was inhabited even during the Neolithic period. The city itself was founded in the 8th century BC. immigrants from the Greek Chalcis. Most of the museum's exhibits were found during excavations that began in the middle of the 20th century and are intermittently carried out to this day at the site of an ancient settlement. Some items discovered in the late 19th and early 20th centuries were brought from the Archaeological Museums of Palermo and Syracuse, as well as from the Museum of the University of Heidelberg.
Numerous ceramics reflect the different stages of the city's development, its commercial ties and its material culture. Terracotta figurines and figurines tell of the prosperity of Naxos as early as the beginning of the 7th century BC. Finally, various handicrafts testify to the city's survival during the Byzantine era. Part of the collection consists of items collected from the bottom of the bay - anchors and amphorae.
After visiting the museum, you can go to the extensive archaeological park, and, following the route laid on the site of the city street of the 5th century BC, walk to the southern city wall.
