Among the most surprising places visited during my on-the-road trip to Sicily, there is definitely Mazara del Vallo. In this small town, whose architecture is very clearly reminiscent of the Arab world, you can visit the museum of the Dancing Satyr.
Visiting the Dancing Satyr Museum in Mazara del Vallo
The Dancing Satyr is the main attraction of Mazara del Vallo and is of inestimable archaeological value. The dating of this bronze statue fluctuates between the 4th and 1st centuries B.C., attributed by some to the famous sculptor Praxiteles, by others to the early years of the Roman Empire. What we do know is that the statue depicts a dancing Satyr, caught in the moment of greatest ecstasy of the orgiastic dance, resting on his right leg, now lost, and possibly holding a thyrsus and a chalice, symbols of the Dionysian cult. The head appears badly damaged and even the arms have not survived to the present day. What immediately catches the eye, however, is the face of the Satyr, which still retains its alabaster eyes. All elements that contribute to its fame between history and myth.
I must admit that learning of the presence of the Dancing Satyr statue was a real surprise. I had come to Mazara del Vallo without great expectations and, after the short visit, I left full of wonder.
Finding the statue
The Dancing Satyr statue was found at two different times. In the spring of 1997, during a fishing trip, the fishing boat Capitan Ciccio found the left leg in a stretch of sea particularly rich in archaeological evidence. Then, about a year later, the body was also ‘fished out’ in the same way, without the arms and the other leg. The exceptional nature of the discovery was immediately clear and the statue was entrusted to the care of the Central Institute for Restoration in Rome. After a long and complex campaign of interventions, the Dancing Satyr statue underwent a corrosion inhibition and consolidation treatment.
Dancing Satyr Museum
The statue was moved to today’s building in 2005 when restoration work was completed. The museum is housed inside the Church of St. Egidio, built in the late 1500s and considered to be of high architectural value. It can be visited from Monday to Friday, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and the ticket price is €6.
