Museo Italiano dell’Immaginario Folklorico
Museum of folk tales in San Michele di Piazza al Serchio, with a storytelling room, the storyteller's bench, an archive of oral tradition and a room for the maggio drammatico; free admission.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Museo Italiano dell’Immaginario Folklorico, in San Michele di Piazza al Serchio in the Garfagnana, is a museum of stories: fairy tales, legends, bogeymen for children and beliefs about animals, plants, waters, rocks and atmospheric phenomena, that is, the stories that for centuries described the geography of the territories as their inhabitants saw them. It is promoted by the cultural association La Giubba.
The material comes from the Centro di Documentazione della Tradizione Orale (Oral Tradition Documentation Centre) of Piazza al Serchio, which has collected stories and beliefs in many Italian regions, especially thanks to the work of its director, Alberto Borghini of the Politecnico di Torino, and his students: more than 700 research papers for exams, over 70 degree theses and more than 60 research projects by Italian schools make up one of the largest national archives of the genre.
The route revolves around the storyteller's bench (scranno del narratore), a symbol of the oral and intangible character of the museum, and includes the storytelling room, the room of plaiting and weaving with objects of material culture, the archive and library room, and the room of the maggio drammatico, the popular sung theatrical tradition. Visitors can consult the material on tablets, listen to live stories and bring their own tales.
Highlights
- Storytelling room for talks, presentations and meetings
- Storyteller's bench, where visitors can leave their own testimony
- Archive of stories with research papers and theses on oral tradition
- Room of plaiting and weaving with objects of material culture
- Room of the maggio drammatico and school of maggio singing
- Free admission
Permanent exhibition
- Percorso museale sull’immaginario folklorico – Storytelling room, storyteller's bench, room of plaiting and weaving, archive of stories and room of the maggio drammatico.
- Founded
- 2019
- Operated by
- Associazione culturale La Giubba
- Director
- Alberto Borghini
- Visitors per year
- approx. 376
Admission & discounts
Admission is free.
Free admission; the museum can be supported with 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
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 teaching programmes for schools, training and a school of maggio singing. |
