Museums
A rich and varied cultural treasure can be discovered in the museums of the Varaita Valley!
BELLINO
Museum of Time and Sundials
The museum offers a key to the sundials that are painted on houses or religious buildings all over the municipality. Interesting are the photo panels that suggest an ancient concept of time. Documents and tools used by the gnomon makers of Bellino can be seen as well as a film of a whole day’s duration...
Celle village, in the building of the former elementary school. Entrance fees: full price € 3.00; reduced price € 2.00 for groups of more than ten persons; free entrance under six years.
Info: Municipality of Bellino, tel. 0175/95.110 - comune.bellino@tiscalinet.it
BROSSASCO
Ethnographical Exhibition
A trip down memory lane Housing and agriculture in the Varaita Valley and the working of wood before mechanisation.
Installed in the building of the public scales.
Open on request, for reservations call: 0175 68260
CASTELDELFINO
Documentation centre on folk religiousness
The centre, which is also used for conventions, concerts and screenings, is housed in the ancient Romanesque chapel of Saint Eusebius, the only building that survived the flood that destroyed the old Villa S. Eusebio at the end of the 14th century.
Permanent exhibition The Saints of the People. Free entrance.
Chapel of Saint Eusebius:
Info: Comunità Montana Valle Varaita, tel. 0175/977.152 info@vallevaraita.cn.it
Ethnographical Museum
Working tools; reconstruction of an ancient kitchen, façade of a house; portal of the parish church; bobbins; traditional costumes. Free entrance.
District Casermette: the museum is run by the Associazione culturale Ier a la Vilo.
Info: tel. 0175/95.126 (municipality); 0175/95.242; cell. 333/18.61.331.
Centre Alevè
The visitors' centre of Casteldelfino reproduces a part of the Alevè Forest at a natural scale in a big, open, accessible diorama. The itinerary follows a trail, accurately reproduced on canvas, which enters in the stone pine forest, passing a rock face, typical of the higher areas of the forest. Between the trees, in this magnificent setting, an eagle owl grips its prey with its talons. In the second part of the installation the trail guides the stunned visitor between Lake Bagnour, with a watering doe, and a slope populated with marmots. In the faithfully reproduced underbrush, some of the typical animals of the Alevè appear, wild boars and hares, while at the edges there is a group of black grouse. Between the rocks the Alpine fauna finds its environment.
The museum is conducted by the Parco del Po, tel. 0175/46.505. Free entrance.
COSTIGLIOLE S.
Ethnographical museum
In the 18th-century manor ‘L Palas more than six thousand working tools are collected, in particular for the cultivation of vines and the production of wine; a reconstruction of an ancient kitchen and a living room are also present. Free entrance.
Azienda Agricola Chiotti Ambrogio, Via Ceretto 76, Costigliole S. Tel. 0175/230.825.
PIASCO
Harp Museum Victor Salvi
This is the first and only museum in the world that is entirely dedicated to the harp.
CURRENT EXHIBITION: THE HARP; FROM THE CONGO TO CHICAGO. Click here to visit the website.
Download the pdf document with the information about the exhibition.
Opening hours: from Sunday to Friday, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. and 2p.m.-5 p.m. Last admission at 4:30 p.m. Closed on Saturdays, with the exception of reserved groups.
For schools and groups there are guided visits and practical demonstrations of the instruments.
Entrance fees: full price € 5.00; reduced price € 2.50 (from 6 to 12 years and over 65 years). Free entrance under 5 years, harpists, students of the harp class and disabled persons. Price reduction for groups, reservation obligatory.
Via Rossana 7, tel. 0175/270.510, info@museodellarpavictorsalvi.it
www.museodellarpavictorsalvi.it
PONTECHIANALE
Museum of traditional costumes, Capuchin mission, hamlet Chianale. It is housed in the prestigious rooms of the former Capuchin mission of Chianale, built in the 17th and 18th centuries and recently restored.
The collections on show display above all women’s costumes of the valley, paying particular attention to the upper Varaita valley. Here the dress, among the richest of Western Alps, was the product of various skills, such as the lace-pillow art, the horsehair manufacture, the use of special looms to create ribbons.
Visitors will be struck by the vivid shades of babies’ caps, aprons and bibs, handkerchiefs, ribbons... In effect the holiday costume was rich in bright colours whereas everyday clothes were restrained and unadorned.
You can discover further details of this mountain life in a large mezzanine dedicated to canvas, linsey-woolsey and drap, ordinary materials of everyday life. Comitato per S. Lorenzo Fraz. Chianale 120 12020 Pontechianale CN.
Museum of furniture of the upper Varaita valley, hamlet Castello; tel. +39 348.7125650
ROSSANA
Eco-museum of the Resistance
The museum has found its location in a lovely village, where the surrounding mountains have been witnesses of the continuous actions of the partisans and the cruel raids of the Nazi fascists. The latter, with their inhumane undertakings, caused dramatic episodes for the resistance fighters. The civil population was forced to endure violence, deprivation and serious material damages because of the brutality of the German invaders and the ignominious deeds of the Italian fascists. Since the first days after the armistice of September 8th, 1943, the Varaita Valley witnessed the forming of groups of young volunteers, who instead of reinforcing the ranks of the fascist government of Salò, preferred to go into the mountains and take up the armed fight to bring freedom and democracy to Italy.
To be visited from spring to late autumn. Furthermore it is possible to organize school visits in the months of September, October, November, April and May.
Free entrance.
Grossa village - district Lemma
Those who would like to get a more profound knowledge of the most important episodes of the long months of fight, may ask to be accompanied to the most characteristic places of the Resistance in the valley.
Info: tel. 011.9610601 – 0175. 64453 – 333 949 1445
SAMPEYRE
Ethnographical museum
In about ten rooms the museum displays tools for vive agricultural work, for bakery and vive working of wool; a reconstruction of an old class-room with benches and blackboard; workshops of a farrier and a smith as well as traditional costumes and a collection of models showing the characters of the Baia and the authentic drapery of the four Baie of Sampeyre. Free entrance.
Via Roma, 27
Info: tel. 0175/977.148 (Comune).
SUMMER OPENING 2008:
JUNE 28th and 29th on occasion of the saint’s day
From July 5th to August 31st
Opening hours: from10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Shows and exhibitions in summer 2008:
- June 28th and 29th and July 5th to 11th “Sampeyre: Italian-Russian railway show”, train models in scale 1/87,1/120 and 1/160, books, journals and much more, curator Mr Isoardi Alberto
- From July 13th to August 2nd: “The rediscovery of manual skill in fretwork caskets and wood sculptures” curators Mr Busso Matteo and Mr Fornero Roberto
- From August 3rd to 17th: “Farewell, Cuneese landscape”, curator: Associazione Pro Natura di Cuneo
- From August 18th to 31st “Get to know the volcano to live with it” in collaboration with the University of Turin – Earth Sciences
Info: tel. 0175/977.148 (Municipality).
During summer, meetings and activities are organized; for further information see the page “events” of this website.
VENASCA
The Sound Factory
This is the first Italian theme-park that is dedicated entirely to sound and music. An itinerary leads to the discovery of SOUND and NOISE, using the parameters of velocity, pitch, intensity and timbre, it offers the experience of VIBRATION of sound and acoustic wave propagation in space and the possibility to get to know MUSIC INSTRUMENTS from all over the world.
via Marconi, 15
Tel. 0175/567840 – fax 0175/560.963 mail: info@lafabbricadeisuoni.it
www.lafabbricadeisuoni.it
Opening hours:
First and third Sunday afternoon of the month - guided visits at 3p.m. and 5 p.m. Please reserve by Friday morning. For groups of more than 15 participants a reservation is obligatory.
The Sound Factory is opened on reservation daily all year round, for groups of at least 15 persons.
Entrance fees:
Adults: € 7.00
Reduced (from 4 to 15 years): € 5.00
Children under 4 years: FREE ENTRANCE
VERZUOLO
Centre of the network project "The Trails of Freedom" and "Museum Drago"
Via Marconi 13
Tel. 0175/88390.
Opening hours:
Always opened during the opening hours of the library:
Closed on Mondays
Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Wednesdays from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Fridays from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. and from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Closed on Sundays
Outside opening hours of the library please contact the adjacent restaurant and winery of Palazzo Drago at 0175/87850 or the municipality 0175/255111
UNDER CONSTRUCTION:
FRASSINO, in the town hall, Museum of Stonemasons.