Museo etnografico «Franco Leoni»

Ethnographic museum with reconstructions of rural interiors, over a hundred vintage tractors and farm machines and about a thousand finds from the Oltrepò.

Opening hours unknown

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About the museum

The collection arose from the idea of a group of volunteers who wanted to pass on to future generations the customs, dress, history and traditions of peasant civilisation, from work in the fields to everyday life. The museum carefully reconstructs the way of life of an era that came to an end in the last decades of the 20th century.

The ethnographic exhibition is arranged in about fifteen thematic sections devoted to craft and farming activities, with reconstructions of traditional settings such as an old kitchen. The finds, more than a thousand, come exclusively from the eastern Oltrepò and nearby areas.

A large section is devoted to antique tractors and other farm machinery. The collection, which ministry sources describe as one of the most important in Italy, exceeds a hundred pieces. Among the rarities are tractors from Argentina and Australia, a unique example from the Orsi factory, a mini tractor “Topolino” from the 1930s, steam traction engines from the early 20th century and a working machine for peeling chestnuts.

Highlights

Collection of over a hundred vintage tractors and farm machines
About fifteen sections on crafts and rural life
Reconstructions of traditional settings, such as an old kitchen
Unique Orsi tractor and the “Topolino” mini tractor from the 1930s
More than a thousand finds from the eastern Oltrepò