Casa Museo dell'Alta Valle del Cervo
Ethnographic house museum in Rosazza dedicated to popular culture, the stonemasons of syenite and emigration in the Upper Cervo Valley.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The house museum grew out of research begun in the 1960s by a group of people who collected testimonies, photographs and objects of everyday life and work of the inhabitants of the Upper Cervo Valley (the “Valit”), and in 1964 set up an ethnographic exhibition at the sanctuary of San Giovanni d'Andorno. Building on that experience and with the support of the Comunità Montana, the present house museum was founded in 1987; since 2000 it has been one of the units of the Ecomuseo del Biellese.
It is housed in a traditional 18th-century dwelling in Rosazza, renovated in 1876. More than fifteen rooms on four floors, plus the attic, recreate living environments and themes linked to the history of the valley: the cowshed, the kitchen, the working of syenite, the old vocational schools for masons, the mutual aid workers' societies, the long emigration of the men and the role of the women.
The museum is run by a voluntary cultural association and holds more than a thousand objects, accompanied by period photographs. It is also a point of reference for themed itineraries on the public works of the philanthropist Federico Rosazza Pistolet and on popular religiosity.
Highlights
- More than fifteen rooms over four floors in an 18th-century house
- The cowshed, the kitchen and traditional living spaces
- Section on syenite working and the stonemasons who emigrated
- Collection of more than a thousand objects and period photographs
- Themed routes on the works of Federico Rosazza Pistolet
- Founded
- 1987
- Operated by
- Associazione di volontariato culturale «Casa Museo dell'Alta Valle del Cervo»
- Visitors per year
- approx. 1,000
Admission & discounts
Admission is free.
Free admission; donations to the association that runs the house museum are welcome.
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Rosazza Municipio
By train to Biella San Paolo station (Santhià–Biella or Novara–Biella lines), then bus line 340 Biella–Piedicavallo to the Rosazza Municipio stop, then about 80 m on foot.
By car from Biella via Andorno Micca and Piedicavallo (SP 100) as far as Rosazza, 16.5 km; after the church and the bridge turn left and after 50 m take Via Pietro Micca, which is pedestrian. On foot along the Grande Traversata delle Alpi.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Volunteers from the association accompany visitors. Groups and schools: booking required on +39 338 387 6595 or by email. A virtual tour and a visitor guide in English are available on the website. |
