Museum of Dancing Satyr, Archaeological museum in Mazara del Vallo, Italy
The Museum of Dancing Satyr is an archaeological museum housed in a church building in Mazara del Vallo, on the southwestern tip of Sicily. It holds a large bronze statue of a satyr caught mid-movement, with arms outstretched, head thrown back, and hair swept in the air.
The bronze statue was pulled from the sea off Sicily's southwestern coast in 1998 by local fishermen who found it in their nets. It had rested on the seafloor for over two thousand years before being brought to the surface.
The bronze figure is displayed inside the Church of Sant'Egidio, a former religious building in the heart of Mazara del Vallo that now serves as a museum space. The contrast between the ancient sculpture and the church walls is one of the first things visitors notice when they walk in.
The museum sits in the historic center of Mazara del Vallo and is easy to reach on foot from most parts of the old town. It is worth checking opening hours before you go, as they can vary depending on the season.
When the fishermen first hauled up the statue, they only brought the torso to the surface, not realizing what they had found. The left arm was recovered separately during a later diving expedition on the same seabed.
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