Waldensian Museum

ethnographical section

The 1991 arrangement of the ethnographical section was centred around furnishings and farming equipment left in their legacy by a 19th century peasant couple from Prarostino, the Gardiols.

The Museum of the Waldensian Valleys, while principally an ethnographical museum illustrating an alpine environment, differs in certain ways on account of the specific history of these Valleys.

It is possible to explore its heritage following four closely entwined themes.

1. Peasant civilization . The territory of an alpine valley is the natural background for the ethnographical heritage of the Museum: together with the reconstruction of a peasant cottage, the exhibits illustrate the main aspects of the economy of a mountain community.

2. "Life cycle". The daily life of a nineteenth century peasant, like ours today, was marked by those moments that from birth to death accompany a person along their path within a social community. In this light some similarities and differences emerge between the life of a Waldensian believer and the rest of inhabitants of the territory in the surrounding areas.

3. Culture and instruction . For centuries the Valleys were an integrated and structured world, socially, economically and culturally self-sufficient: a key role in each hamlet, even the most remote, was played by the presence of a little school. It was a witness to the effort made to provide the extensive educational network that distinguished the Waldensian world of the 19th century.

4. The pluralism of languages . The Waldensian Valleys are in an area where the langue d'oc has been spoken for many centuries and their inhabitants used it in their everyday lives, while on the plain the usual language was Piedmontese. The two dialects have been dramatically elbowed out by Italian; while the fourth language was French, with its links to Waldensian history. In the Museum the objects are labelled both in Italian and in the local dialects ( patouà ).

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• Round the exibition

opening times

• museum
• Thursday, Saturday, Sunday
  3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
  July and August:
  every day 4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
  Annual closure:
  December and January
• info and promotion office
• Monday to Friday
  9:00 p.m. - 12:30 p.m.