MACO – Museum of Oriental Art and Culture

The Maco (Museum of Oriental Art and Culture) is a splendid cultural landmark showcasing Eastern art. It offers a unique cultural journey through documents, panels, videos, multimedia and interactive installations, and soundscapes to discover and delve deeper into the Orient. The museum was inaugurated in 2016 in Arcidosso at the eighteenth-century Palazzo della ex Cancelleria, part of the medieval complex of Castello Aldobrandesco. The renovation of the structure, the project, and the museum’s setup were funded by the European Union, the Tuscany Region, the Municipality of Arcidosso, and private donations.

The theoretical and scientific framework of the museum for developing various interconnected themes and sub-themes across its 9 gallery spaces is primarily based on over 250 publications and continuous research conducted by Professor Namkhai Norbu (December 8, 1938 – September 27, 2018).

The Namkhai Collection connects the five traditional Tibetan sciences: arts, medicine, language, logic, and spiritual research, as expressed in the museum’s logo. The collection is curated and displayed along a sensory journey through 9 thematic galleries, guiding visitors through diverse cultural and ethnographic realities using panels, videos, multimedia and interactive installations, and soundscapes. The museum explores various themes related to the environment and the preservation of multicultural heritage, including the preservation of ancient Tibetan civilization, communicating its value and the history of interaction and encounter between the West and various Eastern peoples.

In the central atrium, a reproduction of the Portal of the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa is exhibited, featuring a copy of the Jowo Sakyamuni statue at its center, considered the most sacred image of the Buddha in Tibet. Visitors approach this centerpiece through a video installation enveloping them in the atmosphere of dances, landscapes, and ancient temples.