Museo del Picapréda
Small museum in Novate Mezzola on the history of the stonecutters and Sanfedelino granite, with photographs and period tools; free admission.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The museum commemorates the activity of the “picapréda” (stonecutters), who for about two centuries were the main trade of the people of Novate Mezzola. They quarried and worked Sanfedelino granite, so named because the first quarry was opened in the last two decades of the 18th century almost next to the small temple of San Fedelino, built in the 10th century on the site where the remains of the martyr Fedele had been found, victim of the persecution of AD 298.
The granite was used to pave streets and squares in cities such as Milan, Como, Pavia and Bologna: in the five years before the First World War, more than 82,000 tonnes of material left from Novate station. The quarries reached their peak between the 1920s and the mid-1930s, with around twenty worksites and hundreds of workers; by the end of the 1960s activity had almost stopped, and today only one quarry remains active.
The museum, small but well documented, displays period photographs, original tools used to extract and work the stone, panels on the history of Sanfedelino and a section devoted to the Romanesque church of San Fedelino.
Highlights
- Period photographs of the life of the stonecutters
- Original tools for extracting and working granite
- Panels on the history and spread of Sanfedelino granite
- Section on the Romanesque church of San Fedelino
Permanent exhibition
- Collezione sul mestiere del picapréda – Period photographs, original tools and panels on the history of quarrying and working Sanfedelino granite in Novate Mezzola.
- Operated by
- Comune di Novate Mezzola
- Visitors per year
- approx. 100
Admission & discounts
Admission is free.
Free admission. The museum participates in the Biglietto Unico Museale della Valchiavenna (a €10 booklet for 12 museums).
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
Stazione di Novate Mezzola
Milan–Colico–Chiavenna railway line, Novate Mezzola stop.
The museum is in Piazza Europa, opposite the Municipio (town hall); from the centre of the village it can be reached on foot following the signs for the Municipio.
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 |
|---|---|
| Good to know | For guided visits outside opening hours, contact the municipality of Novate Mezzola at least 3 days before the visit. |
