Museo del merletto
Museum of Irish lace in the Palazzo delle Opere Pie on Isola Maggiore, with lace made by the island's women in the twentieth century.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The museum is located in the Palazzo delle Opere Pie, in the small village on the western shore of Isola Maggiore, the only inhabited one of the three islands of Lake Trasimeno. It displays a large collection of works made by the island's lacemakers during the twentieth century using the technique known as Irish lace, crocheted with a hook.
The technique originated in Irish monasteries in the second half of the nineteenth century as a faster alternative to needle lace or bobbin lace. It was introduced on the island in the early twentieth century: in 1904 Elena Guglielmi, daughter of the marquis Giacinto, and her sister-in-law, the duchess Grazioli Lante della Rovere, lady-in-waiting to Queen Elena, founded a school-workshop to offer new economic opportunities to the island's women, daughters and wives of fishermen who were already skilled in working nets.
Under the guidance of Elvira Tosetti de Sanctis, the lacemakers grew from nine in 1904 to twenty in 1906. The laces were sold in Perugia and sent to Rome, where they were appreciated by the “Industrie femminili italiane”. About half a century later some women reopened the old school, which also won international recognition.
Highlights
- Collection of Irish lace crocheted by the women of Isola Maggiore
- History of the school-workshop founded in 1904 by Elena Guglielmi
- Located in the Palazzo delle Opere Pie in the village of Isola Maggiore
Permanent exhibition
- Il merletto irlandese di Isola Maggiore – Collection of the laces made by the island's lacemakers in the twentieth century.
- Visitors per year
- approx. 18,805
Admission & discounts
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Accessibility
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Kids & families
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Getting there & parking
The museum is on Isola Maggiore, reached by boat, for example from the Punta Navaccia harbour (Tuoro sul Trasimeno).
Get directionsAmenities & dining
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Events & venue rental
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