The Museum is housed in the dungeons of the Ancient Baronial Palace of Corte, which still have their vaulted ceilings supported by powerful sandstone columns, and was established in 2007 with a contribution from the Province of Rome after being selected as one of the best ideas from the small municipalities. The project managed by the Association Pro Loco Gavignano was set up to recover eye witness reports from the past and save a common heritage. Numerous objects were recovered, restored and repaired, and many more are continuously added, in the attempt to recreate the atmosphere and spirit of the pre-industrial culture of Italy and provide visitors with a precious journey back in time. Exhibits include implements and tools from times gone by while the daily needs of shepherds, peasant farmers, artisans and housewives are presented in four different rooms. The first room concentrates on work in the country, from the cultivation of vines and olive trees to raising cattle and sheep. The second room recreates the domestic hearth with objects from family life while the third holds tools, products, weights and measures used in various professions – ironworker, shoemaker, woodsman. The last room is dedicated to the arts, in particular to music which has been an integral part of family and religious celebrations in Gavignano since the earliest times and also with the establishment of the first town band in 1898.
Guided tours are available through prior booking. School tours are welcomed, and didactic workshops for the younger classes of elementary schools offered. Bookshop