Museo dell'occhiale
Museum in Pieve di Cadore on the history of eyeglasses and the Belluno eyewear manufacturing district, housed in the COS.MO building.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The museum's origins go back to the “Mostra dell'occhiale attraverso i secoli” (exhibition on eyewear through the centuries), devised by Enrico De Lotto and presented in Pieve di Cadore on the occasion of the 1956 Winter Olympics, and shown again in Padua in 1959. Vittorio Tabacchi, a collector and president of Safilo, then turned that idea into a public collection for educational purposes. The museum opened in 1990, the Fondazione Museo dell'Occhiale was founded in 1996, and the current display dates from 2007.
The venue is the COS.MO building (Centro Operativo Servizi), loaned by the Province of Belluno and the local health authority, and restored by the Municipality and the Comunità Montana.
The first route, on the first floor, traces the birth and evolution of eyeglasses and optical instruments: corrective lenses, frame shapes, protective goggles, cases and instruments for seeing at a distance. The second, on the second floor, illustrates the development of the Belluno eyewear district, from Venice to Cadore and from craft to industry, with materials and manufacturing techniques. The collections derive mainly from the collections of the Belgian optician Georges Bodart, Luca Moioli, Jean Bernard Weiss, Giuseppe Del Favero and the De Lotto family.
Highlights
- Historical route on the evolution of eyeglasses and optical instruments
- Georges Bodart collection
- Section on the Belluno eyewear industrial district
- Machinery and tools for eyeglass production
- Specialist library with over a thousand volumes
Permanent exhibition
- Storia e cultura della vista – Two routes: the evolution of eyeglasses and optical instruments, and the development of the Belluno eyewear industrial district.
- Founded
- 1990
- Operated by
- Museo dell'Occhiale ETS (già Fondazione Museo dell'Occhiale)
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €8 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €5children aged 6 to 18, over-65s, student groups, teachers, FAI members, Touring Club members, Belluno libraries and AreaArte |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 6 · Free up to age 6. |
| Visitors with disabilities | freecompanion free · Free admission for people with disabilities and a companion. |
| Groups | €3 per personReduced rate for school groups on trips. |
With the standard ticket you get a discount, valid for one week, for a visit to the MARC and Casa Tiziano. Free admission also for journalists with a press card and licensed tourist guides.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible: no information
- 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
The museum does not publish details on accessible facilities; free admission is provided for people with disabilities and a companion.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Getting there & parking
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Amenities & dining
- Museum shop
The website has a bookshop section.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 50 min |
|---|---|
| Good to know | Paid guided tour (€70 per visit, about 50 minutes), advance booking recommended a few days ahead; available in Italian, English, German, French, Spanish and Russian, with brochures to download. |
