The Museum is housed in the fifteenth-century rooms of the Palazzo Baronale (baronial building), which, from the start of the Twentieth century, became the site of a typographic school managed by Pious Worker nuns.

The exhibition, organized in eight showrooms, pieces together the rural life of the local community, placing at its core the memories and experiences of the rustic society of Gavignano. In this respect, some of the artifacts displayed gained a strong symbolic and identifying role.
The plow is introduced as a symbol of the relationship between man and land, while the church clock and bell which punctuated the long hours of work, rest, prayer and anniversaries, become a metaphor for the cyclical nature of life.

The first room is divided in five thematic sections dedicated to different production activities: field work, farming, traditional crafts, viticulture, olive growing and fire, an essential element both for work and for the hearth, symbol of family cohesion. The second room holds the reconstruction of a domestic environment focused on female activities with everyday objects passed down from generation to generation. This space reflects the museum’s approach to involve visitors and instill them with emotional family memories.

On the upper floor, two areas are dedicated to recreational activities and musical expression of the community: music tied to religious events, marching bands and the local polyphonic chorus prove the importance of music as a collective language and social glue. The second space preserves the instruments, machines and characters of the historic typographic school, where many young people from Gavignano studied in the early 900’s.

The exhibition recently expanded, adding new sections dedicated to soundscape and pastoral music. This workshop space, inspired by the principles of ethnomusicology and the safeguarding of intangible heritage, allows visitors to listen to traditional recordings and encourages them to learn more about the oral and musical culture of the Sacco Valley.

Campagna fotografica realizzata nell’ambito del progetto “Oltre Roma” e finanziata dalla Regione Lazio, Avviso Pubblico “La cultura fa sistema 2021”