Museo etnografico della Lunigiana
Museum of rural life in a historic mill on the Via Francigena, with tools, cradles and a reconstructed traditional Lunigiana kitchen.
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About the museum
The museum was founded in 1977 through the activity of the cultural association “Manfredo Giuliani” in Villafranca. The association, founded by Germano Cavalli, had for a decade been engaged in ethnographic research on the Lunigiana, covering economic and social conditions, traditions, customs and habits. Research on the area has a long history: as early as the beginning of the 20th century, in La Spezia, Giovanni Sittoni and Giovanni Podenzana had founded a journal devoted to Lunigiana ethnography.
The seat is a 16th-century building on the Bagnone stream, which was used as a mill until the 1930s. The original water mills and the three millstones, in different stones for chestnuts, maize and wheat, are still present. In 1993 the displays and the systems were renovated, with more exhibition and service spaces.
The collection revolves around the “objects in use” studied by Giuliani and reflects the three ethnographic areas of the Lunigiana: the lower, middle and upper valley. The route presents farm work, the processing of chestnuts and flours, livestock and cheese production, fishing and crafts, together with domestic life, including a reconstructed traditional kitchen and a large loom.
Highlights
- 16th-century former mill with its original millstones
- Reconstructed traditional Lunigiana kitchen and a large loom
- Beechwood cradles, including the cradle from Bratto
- Fertility amulets and Holy Week rattles (raganelle)
- Objects of farm work, fishing and crafts
Permanent exhibition
- Percorso etnografico – Objects of rural life in the Lunigiana: field work, chestnuts and flours, livestock, fishing, crafts and domestic life.
- Founded
- 1977
- Operated by
- Associazione culturale «Manfredo Giuliani»
- Visitors per year
- approx. 2,500
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €4 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €2School groups, groups of at least 15 people and children aged 6–14 |
| Children & teens | €2Children aged 6 to 14. |
| Groups (15+ people) | €2 per personGroups of at least 15 people. |
Standard ticket (€4) for adults and young people from 15 years old.
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 located in the former mill on the outskirts of Villafranca in Lunigiana, along the Via Francigena.
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
| Good to know | Visits by appointment. |
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