Museo di Iola di Montese
Mountain museum in the former rectory of Iola, with sixteen rooms on rural life, geology and the Second World War along the Gothic Line.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
Iola is now a hamlet of Montese, in the Modena Apennines, and once belonged to the territory of Monteforte, a border locality between the Duchy of Modena and the Papal States. The building that houses the museum dates from 1683 and was the rectory of the parish church. After the bombings of 1945, when the Gothic Line ran through the area, it was partly damaged and then, after the church was rebuilt in 1950, remained abandoned for decades.
In 1990 the cultural group Il Trebbo, together with the parish, decided to recover the building to house the “Raccolta di cose montesine” (Collection of Montese things). From 1992 the rooms have housed objects, documents and testimonies linked to the territory, the result of loans and donations from residents and devoted guests: rooms of life in the past such as the kitchen, the bedroom, the cellar, the stable, the mill and the workshops of the carpenter and the shoemaker, as well as minerals and fossils from the surrounding mountains.
From 2001 the collaboration with the Gandolfi brothers, enthusiasts of military history, expanded the museum with the “Memorie d’Italia” collections devoted to the Second World War, with materials from the Italian, German, American and Brazilian armies. Today the route has sixteen thematic rooms over about 600 square metres, with more than 4,000 objects. The museum is run by volunteers from the association and lives on donations.
Highlights
- Sixteen thematic rooms over about 600 m²
- “Memorie d’Italia” collections on the Second World War
- Raccolta Cose Montesine on rural life from the 19th to the 20th century
- Restored Willys MB jeep from 1945
- Minerals and fossils of the Modena Apennines
Permanent exhibitions
- Memorie d'Italia – Collections on the Second World War on the Apennine front, with equipment, uniforms and documents of the Italian, German, American and Brazilian armies.
- Raccolta Cose Montesine – Reconstructed rooms and tools of rural life from the mid-19th to the mid-20th century, with kitchen, stable, loom and craft workshops.
- Founded
- 1992
- Operated by
- Gruppo Culturale Il Trebbo APS
- Visitors per year
- approx. 4,837
Admission & discounts
Admission is free.
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 10 · On guided group visits, children up to 10 do not pay. |
|---|---|
| Groups (6+ people) | €8 per personGuided group visit by reservation: €10 per person for up to 5 visitors, €8 per person for 6 to 12 visitors. |
Admission is by voluntary donation; the museum’s activity relies on volunteers and donations.
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 car
Parking available
Ample parking near the museum, in the village square.
Iola can be reached from Modena via the Fondovalle Panaro towards Montese and Maserno, and from Bologna via the Strada Statale Porrettana towards Castel d’Aiano.
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 · approx. 1.75 hrs |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Guided visits for groups and school parties by reservation at 320 439 7331; the guide to the museum’s rooms can be downloaded from the website. |
