The Antigone Observatory on the 'Ndrangheta is a cultural association in Reggio Calabria that seeks to build a way of thinking alternative to mafia culture and mentality, based in the Croce Valanidi area in a building confiscated from organised crime.
What to see
Founded in 2007 as an association for research, analysis and documentation on the 'Ndrangheta phenomenon in Calabria, Italy and abroad, the Antigone Observatory was inaugurated in its present form in December 2009, following an agreement between the Prefecture of Reggio Calabria, the Calabria Region, the province, the Municipality and the ethnology chairs of Sapienza University of Rome and the University of Calabria. The confiscated building that houses it is itself a symbol: from an asset seized from organised crime, it has become a place of education and culture open to the community.
The association works with educational agencies and juvenile social services to run theatre, creative writing and music programmes, and hosts thematic exhibitions on organised crime in collaboration with the Academy of Fine Arts of Reggio Calabria; it directed the «Un Ponte per la memoria» project with Casa Memoria Felicia e Peppino Impastato and runs two national projects devoted to the reuse of confiscated assets and to the memory of 'Ndrangheta victims. For its grassroots awareness-raising work across the region, the Observatory was recognised by the President of the Republic with the award of a gold medal.
Visiting
The Observatory can be visited by appointment, with hours and arrangements to be checked on the association's official website.
Our editors' tip
Before going, check what activities are currently under way: the exhibitions and meetings held in the confiscated building change periodically and often directly involve local schools and community groups, making each visit different from the last.
