Museum of the sea and ecological identity. Rethinking museums in Milazzo

Siso is the skeleton of a sperm whale that hangs from the vaulted ceiling of a deconsecrated church in the castle of Milazzo, a coastal city in the North-East of Sicily. Siso was stranded below the cliffs along the Milazzo peninsula in 2017 and its skeleton was rescued and reconstructed by a small group of volunteers in the deconsecrated church that would soon become the site of MUMA, Museo del Mare (https://www.mumamilazzo.com/site/). Siso's huge body with its tail helplessly entangled in one of the many illegal fishing nets abandoned in the sea shack, tugged on the local population's conscience and changed their vision of museums, tourism, and ecology. Starting as a private endeavour, MUMA has now established various forms of collaboration with local institutions and offers experiences to visitors that include, but go beyond, digitalisation, virtual and augmented reality. In particular, MUMA identifies as an inspirational and educational site where visitors, children in particular, participate, experience, and undertake a Dantesque path towards a novel awareness of the need to protect the sea and its creatures. MUMA is now a partner of the Chersoneso D'Oro ecomuseum, a community-based heritage project that supports sustainable development and offers tourists with experiential opportunities. The chapter concludes with some reflections on how grassroots realities such as ecomuseums can shape the perception people have of the place where they live or they visit. Such participatory realities encourage further cooperation and foster the improvement and appreciation of the natural environment and historical heritage.