Spartan Museum of Taranto - Ipogeo Bellacicco

It is the hidden treasure of Palazzo De Beaumont, a splendid 18th-century residence in the heart of the ancient town of Taranto, overlooking the Mar Grande. The fantastic Ipogeo De Beaumont Bonelli Bellacicco is an extraordinary architectural space where the city’s ancient past remains visible.\n\nThe various spaces extend up to 12 meters below the road surface, witnessing every different anthropic occupation phase of the site, visible thanks to the various architectural structures dating back to different geological and historical phases, spanning a period from prehistory to the modern era.\n\nOf particular importance is the water supply system present on the fourth level, consisting of cisterns and conduits carved into the limestone rock, used to collect freshwater from a karst river. There are also late medieval masonry structures and architectural elements from the Byzantine era, likely reused.\n\nOn the second floor of the palace, careful restoration has brought to light the ancient Casa della Marchesa De Beaumont, with its rich 18th-century decorations.\n\nThe Spartan Ipogeum Museum is a unique structure in the entire historical-artistical landscape of Apulia, as it documents all eras and historical periods from the founding of Taranto by the Spartans in 706 BC to the 17th century AD, the construction date of the overlying Beaumont Bonelli noble palace.\n\nThe Museum is divided into four halls ranging from five to eight meters high, covering an area of approximately 800 square meters, and in 2007 received recognition as a “cultural property of national interest” by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities. By 2014, it had amassed a total of 40,000 visitors.\n\nIn addition to the historical structures, visitors can admire art exhibitions and historical reproductions related to the history of Taranto.