Museo di Leventina

About the museum

The Museo di Leventina was founded in 1966 on the initiative of Diego Peduzzi; a year later the association that runs the museum was established. Since 1972 it has had its permanent home in the Casa Stanga in Giornico. On 28 May 1991 the Ticino Council of State recognised it as a regional folklore museum; since then it has belonged to the canton’s network of recognised regional ethnographic museums, coordinated by the Centro di dialettologia e di etnografia in Bellinzona.

The museum is housed in the 16th-century Casa Stanga and the adjoining Casa Clemente. The buildings stand on the old Via Francigena, just south of the two bridges over the Ticino, and served for centuries as a residence and inn. The façades are decorated with frescoes from 1588/89 by Giovanni Battista Tarilli and Domenico Caresana, showing the coats of arms of famous travellers from all over Europe. The house and the collection are listed in the Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property.

The collection is wide-ranging: popular piety and sacred art, household and crafts, transport, historical documents and photographs, plus the estate of the poet Alina Borioli. In 2021 a large collection of ice skates and winter sports equipment was added. The museum works with participatory projects involving visitors, residents and volunteers, and shows permanent and temporary exhibitions as well as exhibitions outside the museum.

Highlights

• 16th-century Casa Stanga with façade frescoes from 1588/89
• Collection on popular piety, everyday life, crafts and transport of the Leventina
• Exhibition “Una storia culturale dei disastri” as a walk-in game of the goose
• RSI totem with historical film and sound recordings from the radio and television archive
• Giornico as an “open-air museum” with the Romanesque church of San Nicola

Permanent exhibitions

• Una storia culturale dei disastri. Il gioco del rischio – A walk-in game-of-the-goose exhibition with 63 squares about risk and disasters since the 12th century and the strategies of local communities for dealing with danger.
• Totem Leventina – Multimedia station with film and sound recordings from almost eighty years of Swiss Radio and Television archives on the history and everyday life of the Leventina.
• Giornico, ein Museum unter freiem Himmel – Guided tour from the Casa Stanga to the church of San Nicola, the Romanesque bridges, the castle ruins, the church of Santa Maria and the monument to the Battle of the Sassi Grossi.

Founded

1966

Operated by

Associazione Museo di Leventina

Director

Diana Tenconi

Admission & discounts

Free admission for members of the museum association, with the Swiss Museum Pass, Raiffeisen cards, Quinto Card, ICOM, VMA/AMS and for blood donors on presentation of their ID; with the Ticino Ticket a 20 percent discount, with the Guest Card OTR and the Faido Card a 50 percent discount.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• 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

People with walking difficulties reach the museum via a side entrance and a lift; the toilets are on the ground floor to the right of the lift. Animals may not be taken into the exhibition rooms.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

The museum relies on participatory projects and play elements; the current exhibition is laid out as a walk-in game of the goose with 63 squares. The courtyard in front of the museum and the small park opposite invite a picnic; family tickets are available.

Getting there & parking

The museum is in the historic centre of Giornico and is reached via Via Fond la Tèra. By car via the A2, exit Giornico/Bodio, from both directions.

Amenities & dining

• Lockers

Lockers for bags and backpacks at the entrance. Food and drink are not allowed in the exhibition rooms; in good weather you can picnic in the courtyard in front of the museum and in the small park opposite.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events
• Weddings / ceremonies

Up to 50 guests.

Available for rent are the conference room with 50 seats (CHF 150), the hand-painted library for weddings and small groups (CHF 100), the courtyard by the river for aperitifs and celebrations (CHF 80) and the open attic with a view of the bridges (CHF 80).

Plan your visit