Museo della gente dell'Appennino Pistoiese

The Museo della gente dell’Appennino Pistoiese (Museum of Everyday Life in the Pistoia Apennines) takes you on a journey through the lives of this area’s inhabitants, from centuries past to modern times, by means of work tools and everyday objects, images, sounds, stories and interactive rooms, which invite visitors to lose themselves in the idea of “making it with your own hands”.

The museum

The principle themes are “to be born in the mountains” and to “collect and carry”, in other words, ways of treating and facing the complexity of life in the Apennines. The space dedicated to the coalman demonstrates how he used to use complex technical skills, which contrast with the idea we have of pre-industrial ways of working with simple and rudimental techniques.

Visitors are invited to take part in the toy laboratory where they can experiment by using creativity and dexterity, building simple toys with ‘poor’ materials; while in the wool section which holds a large, early 20th century loom with its relative accessories, you can try your hand at weaving, as local inhabitants used to do in the past.

The village of Rivoreta

The Museum is closely linked to the village of Rivoreta and gives importance to the dialogue between experts’ research and and locals’ knowledge. A dialogue that comes to life once a year in a very special way when, on the last Sunday in July, the Day of the Living Museum is celebrated, and local people bring back to life movements and rituals belonging to ancient crafts, the same ones that are on show and conserved in the Museum.

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Ecomuseo della Montagna Pistoiese