Museo del Malcantone

About the museum

The Museo del Malcantone association was founded in November 1985 with the aim of preserving, collecting and presenting the historical and cultural heritage of the Malcantone region. Its home is the old Scuola Maggiore of Curio, a neoclassical building from 1853 to 1855 designed by the architect Luigi Fontana, which once housed the first drawing school in Italian-speaking Switzerland. The Malcantone tourist association had acquired the building specifically to set up a regional museum there.

The museum opened to the public in 1989, and in 1991 the Grand Council of Ticino officially recognised it as a regional ethnographic museum, integrated into the network of Ticino museums. The building was later renovated, the façade repainted in its original colours, and the permanent exhibition redesigned in content and layout.

The collection documents the traditional economy of farming and crafts, social and religious life, and the migration movements of the region, with objects, photographs, sound recordings and manuscripts. The museum is run by an association; the curator is Damiano Robbiani, and the board is led by Luca Papa as president and Dante Morenzoni as vice-president.

Highlights

• Permanent exhibition in twelve sections on life in the Malcantone
• Recreated living kitchen “C’era una volta”
• “Malcantone-City” with buildings created by emigrants from the region all over the world
• Artworks by the emigrant Mercoli family
• Cabinet of curiosities and the “Spazzacá” attic with forgotten everyday objects
• Virtual 3D tour

Permanent exhibition

• Mostra permanente del Museo del Malcantone – Twelve sections on the ground floor about ancestors, housing, faith, school, administration, work, emigration and music in the Malcantone, from the attic to the cabinet of curiosities.

Founded

1985

Operated by

Associazione Museo del Malcantone

Director

Damiano Robbiani (Konservator)

Admission & discounts

Free admission for association members, with the Raiffeisen card and with a student ID; discount with the Ticino Ticket. School tour including introduction (90 minutes): CHF 3 per pupil plus CHF 50 for the tour.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Visitors with reduced mobility can enter through the rear entrance of the building. The exhibition is on the ground floor.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations

School programmes and hands-on cases with original tools; facilitators run lessons on topics such as energy, games, emigration and food.

Getting there & parking

By car, take the Airolo–Chiasso motorway to the Lugano Nord exit towards Ponte Tresa, and at the large Magliaso roundabout follow signs to Curio; the museum is at the entrance to the village, with signposts on site.

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