In this room, coral tells an entirely Italian story that ideally links Genoa, Trapani, Torre del Greco, Naples, and many other centers across the peninsula. A living and “magical” material, long associated with myths, rituals, and folk beliefs, coral has endured through the centuries as a potent amulet, symbol of regeneration, protection, and life.

From the carved coral of Renaissance Trapani to the luxury workshops of Torre del Greco in the 19th century, and onward to the experimentation of the 20th and 21st centuries, the exhibition highlights how this natural element has been continuously reinvented: royal parures, “archaeological” jewellery, romantic floral motifs, and contemporary creations speak across time, capturing the ancient, and ever-relevant, fascination of coral in Italian jewelry.