Museo di Val Verzasca

About the museum

It began in 1974 with the exhibition "Tradizioni popolari verzaschesi", which Angela Maria and Franco Binda opened in the Genardini house in Sonogno. In 1979 this grew into the Museo di Val Verzasca, supported by numerous volunteers and public and private sponsors. In the following years, temporary exhibitions, historical research, publications and ethnographic hiking trails were added; the museum also took over the mill with its small power plant in Frasco and the small wild hay museum in Odro.

The main site consists of two buildings in Sonogno: the historic Genardini house and a new building opened in 2017, the "Laboratorio degli antichi gesti". Since 2021, the permanent exhibition "Infanzia spensierata?" has told the story of the chimney sweep children of the Verzasca Valley, who were sent to Lombardy and Piedmont in winter, and asks about child labour today. A walk-in kitchen, a bedroom and a classroom bring life around 1900 to life; illustrations for the novel "I fratelli neri" accompany the tour.

In the new building, a 3D model of the valley shows how the landscape has changed and how the inhabitants made a living between the valley and the alpine pastures. The museum preserves around 2,000 objects from houses, barns and attics of the region and sees itself as a place of dialogue between past and present.

Highlights

• Permanent exhibition on chimney sweep children and child labour
• Historic Genardini house with kitchen, bedroom and schoolroom
• Walk-in 3D model of the Verzasca Valley landscape
• Mill and small power plant in Frasco, wild hay museum in Odro
• "Sentiero delle leggende" legend trail for families

Permanent exhibitions

• Infanzia spensierata? Il caso dei bambini spazzacamino verzaschesi e il lavoro minorile oggi – In the historic Genardini house, with its kitchen, bedroom, schoolroom and fireplace, the exhibition tells of the fate of chimney sweep children and of child labour today.
• Modello 3D della Verzasca – A three-dimensional terrain model of the valley with projections shows how the landscape and the lives of its inhabitants have changed over time.

Founded

1979

Director

Veronica Carmine

Admission & discounts

Free admission with museum membership, Raiffeisen membership, ICOM/AMS-VMS, the Swiss Museum Pass, AG Kultur and KulturLegi.

Accessibility

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

For wheelchair users, only the ground floor of the new building (3D model of the valley) is accessible; the attendants keep the keys to the access, register on +41 91 746 17 77. The historic Genardini house (narrow, steep stairs), the mill in Frasco (very narrow passages) and the museum in Odro (mountain path) are not equipped for wheelchairs. Objects may be touched; there are no Braille texts; audio stations with touchscreens, transcriptions of the audio on request, tours and the legends of the legend trail are also available in Italian Sign Language (LIS).

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Hands-on stations

The museum describes itself as child-friendly, offering hands-on stations and objects to touch as well as family activities and workshops. The "Sentiero delle leggende" legend trail in Gerra Verzasca is part of the European Fairy Tale Road and is intended for families.

Getting there & parking

The museum is located on the village square of Sonogno, the last village in the valley; in high summer, according to the tourism portal, travelling by PostBus is the best choice.

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