Signed in as
Museum of Waldensian history in Torre Pellice, with a historical section, an ethnographic section and a visitable storeroom with African and archaeological collections.
October 2, 2026 – April 25, 2027
Original objects, stories and archive sources from the Pinerolese area and the French Queyras show everyday life in Alpine communities between the 19th and 20th centuries, with the wolf as a common thread of fears and of the relationship with nature.
August 17, 2026 – November 29, 2026
A selection of photographs from the Protestant community documents the 1980s in the province: community life, meetings, debates and mobilisations, with brief commentary by the authors.
July 4, 2026 – November 29, 2026
Original plates donated to the museum by Umberto Stagnaro, produced between 1979 and 1997, tell in comic-strip form the persecution of the Waldensians, the reformers Luther and Calvin, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
The Museo Valdese in Torre Pellice is run by the Fondazione Centro Culturale Valdese and is located in Via Beckwith, in the heart of one of the main historic and cultural centres of the Waldensian world. It is part of the Sistema Museale Eco-storico delle Valli valdesi, which comprises eleven museums and six places of memory spread across the territory.
The historical section takes visitors through eight and a half centuries of history: from the conversion of Waldo of Lyon in 1174, to his excommunication and the spread of the movement across Europe, to the adoption of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century, to the persecutions and survival in the valleys of western Piedmont, up to the attainment of civil and political rights in 1848 and the 1984 Intesa (agreement) between the Italian State and the Chiesa Evangelica Valdese.
The ethnographic section tells the story of a 19th-century peasant family in an Alpine setting, with a reconstruction of a farmhouse and four reading routes: peasant civilisation, the life cycle, culture and education, and the specific features linked to the history of the area. A visitable storeroom holds more than a thousand objects not on display, including a collection of African objects linked to the work of Waldensian missionaries between the 19th and 20th centuries and the archaeological collection donated by Marquis Ippolito.
Since 2014 the museum has run the educational project “Apriti Museo!” on communicative accessibility, and in 2023 it was recognised as a “highly communicative” place.
| Adults | €7 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €5Over 65s and university students aged 19 to 25 |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 18 · Free admission for ages 0 to 18. |
| Seniors | €5Over 65. |
| Visitors with disabilities | freeFree admission for people with disabilities. |
| Students & apprentices | €5University students aged 19 to 25. |
| Groups | –Groups and schools with a guided visit from the museum and compulsory booking. |
| Temporary exhibition | €3 |
Same-day re-entry: supplement of €2 or €1. Admission is also free with the Abbonamento Torino Musei pass, for two adults accompanying a child aged 0 to 12 months holding a Passaporto culturale, Waldensian and Methodist Sunday school teachers and pupils, accompanying staff of organised groups, journalists, staff and volunteers of the Foundation, and ICOM members. The museum takes part in the Abbonamento Musei circuit.
All floors can be reached by ramps and lift, except the tower, which is accessible only by stairs. With a pushchair or wheelchair, some doors may be difficult to open; staff can be asked for help. Toilets on the three main floors, with wheelchair-accessible facilities in the basement and on the first floor. Indoor parking for people with mobility disabilities on request. High-legibility lettering, objects to touch, panels in easy-to-read language and symbols (Italian and English), and augmentative and alternative communication materials on request.
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 18 |
|---|
Guided tours and workshops for families; changing tables in the toilets on the basement and first floors, and a nursing and relaxation area on the ground floor.
Parking available · 50 m to the entrance
The museum is on a pedestrian street; parking is available about 50 m away.
Museum bookshop; bags and backpacks are left in the lockers at the entrance.
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| Audio guide | yes |
| School programs | yes |
| Photography | Photographs and video recording are allowed; public use requires written permission from the Foundation. |
| Good to know | Guided tours for schools, groups and families every day of the week, in Italian, English, French, German and Spanish, by booking (e-mail il.barba@fondazionevaldese.org). Audio guide for the ethnographic section. Groups of more than 8 people who have not booked are asked to book; entry is staggered every 15 minutes. Food and animals are not admitted; drinks are not admitted either, except water bottles. Access to the panoramic tower is limited to 15 people at a time. |
