Museo della paglia e dell'intreccio
Civic museum in Signa devoted to straw and woven hats, with tools, materials and hats from the 19th century to the present day.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The museum opened in 1997 and is named after Domenico Michelacci, who in 1718, after various experiments, chose to sow wheat densely (marzuolo wheat) to obtain long, soft, pale straw suitable for weaving. In Signa wheat began to be grown not for food but to produce hat straw: an innovation that made the Florentine area the first Western producer of quality straw hats, known worldwide as “leghorns” because they were shipped from the port of Livorno.
In 2023 the museum moved to a municipal building that had housed the carabinieri barracks, on Viale Mazzini. The rooms host permanent displays and themed exhibitions, with various types of straw and wheat, plaits, decorations, a selection of hats from the late 19th century to the 1970s, and the tools used for working straw by hand.
The collections include raw materials, finished products, sample books, iconographic material and archive documents from firms that document the whole straw-hat supply chain, as well as woven objects from around the world. The museum also offers a visual and tactile workshop on weaving materials and a study room for scholars.
Highlights
- History of the Florentine straw hat (leghorn)
- Selection of hats from the late 19th century to the 1970s
- Tools for working straw and making hats by hand
- Woven objects from around the world
- Visual and tactile workshop on weaving materials
Permanent exhibition
- Collezione permanente sulla paglia e sul cappello – Straws and wheats, plaits, decorations, hats from the late 19th century to the 1970s, and tools for working them.
- Founded
- 1997
- Operated by
- Comune di Signa
- Visitors per year
- approx. 820
Admission & discounts
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- 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 is also accessible to people with reduced mobility; please contact it by telephone beforehand, including on the day of the visit.
Kids & families
- Family tours & workshops
- Hands-on stations
The visual and tactile workshop lets visitors experiment with the differences between weaving materials.
Getting there & parking
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Amenities & 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
| School programs | yes |
|---|---|
| Good to know | The museum offers an educational project for schools, with a visual and tactile workshop on weaving materials; the educational programme can be downloaded from the website. |
