The Museum as research
Organization
Organizing Secretary
Organized by Scuola Normale Superiore, in collaboration with the Italian Archaeological School at Athens, the school is funded by the PNRR through the MERITA, the network for talent project*.
Date: 26 - 31 May 2026
Location: Italian Archaeological School at Athens
Total hours: 48
Max participants: 15
Language: English and Italian
Application deadline: 23 February 2026
Target audience: specialization students, PhD candidates, young researchers
The School aims to offer direct field experience with Greek museums, in which the critical observation of museums and their installations becomes an opportunity for enhanced dialogue between archaeology, history, art history, architecture, and the sciences of communication. In recent decades, Greece has become a laboratory for museographic reflection and experimentation of great interest to the international scientific community. From the foundation of the first archaeological museums in the 19th century - instruments for constructing the historical consciousness of the new State - up to the most recent experiences of architectural and curatorial renewal, the Greek museum landscape reflects a continuous tension between conservation, communication, and public participation.
The initiative stems from the collaboration between the Italian Archaeological School at Athens and the Scuola Normale Superiore, with the aim of fostering integrated training that combines the study of materials with the analysis of practices for the exhibition, narration, and valorisation of cultural heritage. The Greek experience, articulated between Athens, Attica, and Euboea, will allow participants to follow the evolution of the very concept of the museum: from the 19th-century institution, conceived as a “temple for antiquities”, to contemporary museums, conceived as spaces for shared knowledge, dialogue, and cultural experimentation, capable of narrating the past and stimulating new forms of understanding of heritage.
Applicants must submit an application using the form no later than February 23, 2026 and attach a motivational letter (300-500 words long) and a short biographical note outlining the study interest.
In case of login or access issues, please visit the official SNS portal. Once on the homepage, navigate to the dedicated section titled 'CORSI ALTA FORMAZIONE', where you will find the specific form required for submission.
Every day consists of approximately 8 hours of lectures and/or visits (9:00-13:00, 15:00-19:00), with 2-hour lunch breaks.
Tuesday, May 26
Italian Archaeological School at Athens – Acropolis Museum
09:30 – 10:00. Italian Archaeological School at Athens
Emanuele Papi (Director, Italian Archaeological School at Athens)
Gianfranco Adornato (Scuola Normale Superiore)
Greetings
10:00 – 13:00. Acropolis Museum
Raphaël Jacob (Curator, Acropolis Museum)
13:00 – 15:00. Lunch break
15:00 – 17:00. Italian Archaeological School at Athens
Nikoletta Saraga (Director, Directorate of Archaeological Museums, Exhibitions and Educational Programmes)
Preserving and Presenting the Past: Archaeological Museums in Greece and Contemporary Challenges
Eleftheria Douma (Head, Department of Archaeological Museums)
The Hellenic Museums Accreditation System: Institutional Framework, Priorities and Practices
17:00 – 17:30. Coffee Break
17:30 – 19:00. Keynote Lecture
Francesca Cappelletti (Director, Galleria Borghese)
Research, conversation, generosity. The future of public museums and their collections
Wednesday, May 27
Museum of Cycladic Art – National Archaeological Museum
09:00 – 10:30. Museum of Cycladic Art
Panagiotis P. Iossif (Academic Director, Museum of Cycladic Art)
The Museum of Cycladic Art and its exhibitions
10:30 – 13:00. Visit to the Museum of Cycladic Art
13:30 – 15:00. Lunch break
15:00 – 17:00. National Archaeological Museum
Konstantinos Nikolentzos (Director, National Archaeological Museum)
Extension and upgrading of the National Archaeological Museum
10:30 – 13:00. Visit to the National Archaeological Museum
Thursday, May 28
Attica
08:30 – 11:00. Museum of Brauron
Eleni Andrikou (Director, Ephorate of Antiquities of Eastern Attica)
The new exhibition in the Archaeological Museum of Brauron
11:00 – 13:00. Travel and lunch break
13:00 – 15:30. Archaeological Museum of Marathon
Irini Charitaki (Ephorate of Antiquities of Eastern Attica)
16:30 – 20:00. Italian Archaeological School at Athens: meeting of the working groups
Friday, May 29
Euboea
08:30 – 11:30. Archaeological Museum of Chalkida “Arethousa”
Dimitrios Christodoulou (Director, Ephorate of Antiquities of Euboea) – Greetings
Olga Kyriazi (Ephorate of Antiquities of Euboea)
Garyfallia Kitsou (Ephorate of Antiquities of Euboea)
11:30 – 13:30. Travel and lunch break
13:30 – 15:30. Archaeological Museum of Eretria
Olga Kyriazi, Garyfallia Kitsou
17:00 – 20:00. Italian Archaeological School at Athens: meeting of the working groups
Saturday, May 30
Corinth
09:00 – 11:30. Archaeological Museum of Ancient Corinth
Ioulia Tzonou (Associate Director, American School of Classical Studies at Athens - Corinth Excavations)
11:30 – 13:00. The Bookidis-Bouzaki Center for Research and Conservation
Roberto Nardi, Andreina Costanzi Cobau (Centro di Conservazione Archeologica)
The conservation of the roman wall paintings from Corinth
13:00 – 15:00. Lunch break and travel
Italian Archaeological School at Athens
15:00 – 17:30. Round Table
Chairmen: Gianfranco Adornato, Alessio Galli (Scuola Normale Superiore)
Introductory presentation: Vassiliki Skaraki (Ephorate of Antiquities of Eastern Attica)
The concept behind the re-display of the Archaeological Museum of Brauron
Speakers: Raphaël Jacob, Eleftheria Douma, Panagiotis P. Iossif, Konstantinos Nikolentzos, Dimitrios Christodoulou, Olga Kyriazi, Garyfallia Kitsou, Ioulia Tzonou, Roberto Nardi, Andreina Costanzi Cobau, Vassiliki Skaraki, Maria Concetta Parello (Parco della Valle dei Templi di Agrigento), Piero Guicciardini, Marco Magni
17:30 – 18:00. Coffee Break
18:00 – 20:00. Keynote Lecture
Piero Guicciardini, Marco Magni (Guicciardini&Magni Architetti)
Guicciardini&Magni Projects for Antiquity
20:30. Social Dinner
Sunday, May 31
Italian Archaeological School at Athens
09:00 – 11:00. Working groups presentations
11:00 – 11:30. Coffee Break
11:30 – 13:00. Working groups presentations
13:00 – 13:30. Closing remarks
Participation in the School does not entail enrollment fees.
Admission to the School includes participation in all lectures and museum visits, four lunches, one social dinner, accommodation in single or double rooms at partner facilities, and transportation for visits outside of Athens (museums in Attica, Euboea, and Corinth).
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