Museo della Civiltà Contadina Valle dell'Aniene

About the museum

The museum was established by the municipality of Roviano in 1975 under regional law no. 76, thanks to the commitment of volunteers and of the local teacher and historian Artemio Tacchia. The first exhibition opened in 1980 with the collaboration of the Lazio Region, the Museo nazionale delle arti e tradizioni popolari in Rome, the citizens and the schools; it is regarded as the first museum in Lazio devoted to the preservation and display of demo-ethnoanthropological objects.

After a period of neglect at the start of the 1980s, from 1990 a new phase led by Tacchia brought about its reopening in a small olive mill. In 2001 the museum joined the MedAniene museum system and moved to the Castello Brancaccio, where it now occupies the Palazzo Baronale in the centre of the village. Since 2015 it has been directed by the ethnomusicologist Emiliano Migliorini.

The collection holds about 2,000 objects of material culture, largely donated by the inhabitants of Roviano and of the Aniene valley. The route, spread over two floors, covers religious life, craft and mining trades, basketry, pastoralism, agriculture, olive and wine growing, hemp and textiles, domestic life, childhood and school. In the courtyard an archaeological section with milestones (cippi miliari) is set up. There is also a documentation centre with audio, video and photographic recordings. Among the most distinctive elements is the Pupazza, a female puppet linked to the late-summer festivals.

Highlights

• About 2,000 objects of peasant civilisation in 12 sections
• La Pupazza, a ritual puppet of the Roviano festivals
• Private chapel with 16th-century frescoes and ex-votos
• Reconstruction of a mine and of a school classroom
• Archaeological section with milestones
• Audio guide on IziTravel

Founded

1975

Operated by

Comune di Roviano

Director

Emiliano Migliorini

Visitors per year

approx. 935

Admission & discounts

For technical and administrative reasons, payment is possible only by card terminal (POS).

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

The museum is in the Palazzo Baronale dei Brancaccio, in the centre of the village. By car from Rome along the Via Tiburtina, or by the A24 Rome–L’Aquila motorway (exit Mandela-Vicovaro, then about 10 km towards Subiaco); from Abruzzo take the Carsoli toll exit and then the Tiburtina towards Rome.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent

On the ground floor there is a conference room and a teaching and exhibition room.

Plan your visit