MACA- Museum of Ancient Collections - Mantua

Today, in this post, I want to share with you a museum that I think is very interesting, that many travelers and art explorers should know if they plan to come to Italy, especially if you want to visit the city of Mantua, which is probably less known on a tourist level than Milan, Florence, Venice, Rome but in my opinion it is worth a visit Also because this city, like many Italian cities, was the cradle of the Renaissance.

I want to introduce you to the Maca museum, that is, the museum of ancient collections of Mantua housed inside the beautiful Palazzo San Sebastiano, just visiting this palace built between 1506 and 1512 for you, it was Francesco II Gonzaga's, is something truly unique because it was restored a few years ago, but it is something truly unobtainable not only in Italy in my opinion but also in the world.

Inside this museum there are four sections that refer to four people who were important for the Mantuan culture: Francesco II and Vespasiano Gonzaga let's say with their more classical collections while Giuseppe Acerbi with the Egyptian collection and Ugo Sissa with the Mesopotamian collection.

Let's say four collections that are united by the fact that these people were really important for this area of ​​Italy, but the importance of visiting these small museums is that you go to discover these traditions and this local culture that is probably less known but in my opinion much more interesting.
I'll share some photos that I took inside the museum during my visit, I don't want to make you discover too many things in case if you are a little more interested I made a video on my YouTube channel.

Many of you will wonder what struck me about this museum and why I recommend visiting here?

I was actually struck by the Egyptian collection, a truly strange thing to find in this town in the Po Valley such a coalition of very interesting finds including a mummy, but I discovered the figure of Giuseppe Acerbi this young Ambassador to Egypt for Austria, who is very famous in Finland, because he was one of the first Europeans to arrive at the North Cape, and certainly one of the first Italians. But then inside this museum I discovered figures such as Vespasiano Gonzaga, who had in mind to recreate a small Rome here right near Mantua, the famous city of Sabbioneta that I also invite you to visit and is located practically halfway between Mantua and Parma. Finally I was also very struck by Ugo Sissa practically an official of the government of Baghdad, who was passionate about archaeology so he participated in several excavations in Iraq and we know that in any case those lands there are rich in these finds and fortunately a part was brought here.

I am sharing some photos that I took inside the museum during my visit. I don't want you to discover too many things, in case you are a little more interested I made a video on my YouTube channel.
Below I leave you the official website of the museum, where you can consult the opening hours, but also other useful information for your visit to this place.

https://maca.museimantova.it/collezioni-antiche/

The visit to this museum was included in the 15 euros that I paid for Palazzo Te, the municipality of Mantua has decided to make a cumulative ticket that in my opinion is very interesting and that allows you to save a little money.

The visit to this museum lasts about two hours, it is not that big and therefore it is visited quite quickly, of course it is always better to visit it on weekdays because on weekends there are quite a few people.
They also provide you with an application, which you can download directly to your smartphone and basically serves as an audio guide, it explains room by room of the museum, What is inside and also the history of that room there, Since we must remember that it is an ancient palace.

I hope that my information has been useful, I hope that one day you can visit this museum and the city of Mantua, I greet you and wish you a good day.

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