The carnival culture of the Mediterranean region is built on a dense network of shared suggestions and inspirations, common to areas that appear geographically and culturally distant.

The Mediterranean Masks Museum of Mamoiada is divided into two thematic areas, where the ritual arts of Barbagia are compared with those of a broader Mediterranean area:

• Ritual Art of Barbagia: Masks and complete costumes of Mamuthones and Issohadores from Mamoiada, Boes, Merdules and Filonzana from Ottana, and Thurpos from Orotelli, along with a collection of the oldest artisanal wooden masks (viséras) from the Mamoiada and Ottana area.
• Ritual Art of the Mediterranean Basin: Masks and complete costumes featuring unique specimens from Alto Adige, Friuli, Portugal, Spain, Bulgaria, Greece, Slovenia, and Croatia.

The strong connection of the Mamoiada community with the ancient rite of Mamuthones and Issohadores is portrayed through a large-screen multimedia presentation.
Guided by the voice of Bachisio Bandinu, a scholar of Sardinian culture and language, you will be immersed in the contemporary tradition that still lives on through men who transform, artisans who shape wood, and young people who follow in the footsteps of their fathers.

The MATer is housed in the manor house of one of the aristocratic families of the town. The museum layout, designed by Studio Azzurro, uses multimedia technologies to provide an overview of the most significant sites in the territory.

Through a multimedia and interactive pathway, spread across three thematic rooms, you will discover the archaeological heritage of the Mamoiada territory and listen to direct testimonies, where the voice and face of men and women reveal the identity pride of a people who have historically resisted any form of cultural, social, political, and economic contamination.