MUMAT – Museo delle Macchine Tessili
Museum in the former Meucci factory in Mercatale di Vernio, with nineteenth- and twentieth-century textile machinery and the history of rag recycling in Prato.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
MUMAT is housed in the former Meucci factory, a textile plant in Mercatale di Vernio founded in 1813, when Franco Meucci set up a fulling mill. A carbonizing plant was added in 1897, while the fulling mill ceased operating in the 1920s. The factory was damaged during the Second World War but remained active until 1988.
In the 1990s the Municipality of Vernio bought and restored the building, assigning one room to the museum of textile machines. The route displays tools and machinery from the late 19th century to the mid-20th century, including a rare restored wooden loom, a rag-recycling machine, a carding machine and the turbine with its electrical equipment.
The museum tells the industrial past of the Bisenzio Valley and the wool-recycling process that made the Prato district famous, with interactive stations on fibres. It also offers exhibitions, events and workshops for schools, children and adults.
Highlights
- Textile machines from the late 19th century to the mid-20th century
- Rare restored wooden loom
- Hydraulic turbine and electrical installations of the former Meucci factory
- Rag-recycling process of the Prato district
- Interactive fibre stations and educational workshops
- Founded
- 2008
- Operated by
- Comune di Vernio / Fondazione CDSE
- Visitors per year
- approx. 400
Admission & discounts
Admission is free.
Free admission according to local tourist guides.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom: no information
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome: no information
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
Museum portal listings indicate that the museum has access for people with disabilities.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Getting there & parking
The museum is in Mercatale, a hamlet of Vernio, in the Bisenzio Valley.
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 | Group visits at weekends require booking (tel. +39 0574 931065 or +39 0574 942476, 9:00–13:00; email info@fondazionecdse.it). The museum offers workshops for schools, children and adults. |
