Museo "Cultura e musica popolare dei Peloritani"
Demoethnoanthropological museum in Gesso (Messina) with over 150 Sicilian folk musical instruments, carnival masks and a herb garden.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The museum is dedicated to the culture and folk music of the Peloritani mountains and presents itself as a dispersed museum in the territory, with a display that is constantly being updated. Its scientific curation is entrusted to the Messina-based researcher Mario Sarica. The museum is located in the village of Gesso, near Messina.
Four rooms house musical and sound instruments of the Sicilian tradition, in particular flutes and pastoral bagpipes (zampogne) of the Peloritani, together with ceremonial figures and carnival masks. Information panels, illustrations and videos explain the use, ritual function, construction and tuning of the individual instruments, which are classified as aerophones, chordophones, membranophones and idiophones. The route also includes agricultural and pastoral tools and everyday wooden objects.
Outside are a herb garden recalling medieval cloisters and a pagghiaru, the shepherd's hut. The visit is completed by a room for musical activities, a library of Sicilian culture with multimedia workstations and listening stations for ethnomusicological sources, and a bookshop. The museum organises events linked to the seasonal festivals (Christmas, Carnival, Easter), workshops, seminars and exhibitions, and works with the university and the Biblioteca regionale di Messina.
Highlights
- Over 150 folk musical and sound instruments, the only collection of its kind in Sicily
- Pastoral flutes and bagpipes of the Peloritani
- Ceremonial figures and carnival masks
- Herb garden and the pagghiaru, the shepherd's hut
- Library of Sicilian culture with listening stations
- Visitors per year
- approx. 3,000
Admission & discounts
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Getting there & parking
A paid shuttle service (bus) is available on request.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Museum shop
Bookshop with publications, folk instruments, medicinal plants and gifts.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| Good to know | Educational visits along the exhibition route and guided tours of the Casale di Gesso are available. On request, performances by singers and musicians of the tradition are possible, including for events, as well as a paid shuttle service for children and adults. |
