The birth of the museum is due to Enrico Morelli’s passion, who has, over time, collected many objects related to the daily life of the people of Valle Sabbia, but not only. Inaugurated in 1992 on the occasion of the Decennial Feasts of Madonna della Rocca, the collection is managed by the cultural association “Museo della civiltà contadina e dei mestieri” and is composed of Morelli collection, recently donated by the Municipality, and other objects from private citizens.
The museum is located in a small but suggestive location. The ethnographic heritage, in fact, is exhibited inside the former church of San Nicola, on the slope that leads to the sanctuary of Madonna della Rocca, in the historic center of Sabbio Chiese, and offers a cross-section of the trades practiced in the valley, at least since the 19th Century.
The collection offers the opportunity to learn more about the exits and traditions of our grandparents, through the exhibition of objects used in the houses of the 19th Century, but also tools related to the work activities that took place in the valley.
In the nave are arranged, according to a progression of themed areas, the objects relating to agriculture, livestock, textile arts and to trades like carpenter, blacksmith, shoemaker, butcher, bricklayer, postman, tinsmith, innkeeper, tanner, beekeeper, etc. In a loft room there are typical objects of the domestic life of peasant families, from the kitchen to the bedroom. In the porch below there are other tools of farmers and a cart (horse-drawn carriage), while in an adjacent room there are tools for the home production of wine and dairy products. There is also a loom for the production of household linen; how it works is shown to the visitors by weaving wool rugs. Each object has its own exhibition card which illustrates, in addition to the names in Italian and dialect, also the place, the method of use and the donor. Vintage images allow, for some objects, to contextualize their use. The museum attracts hundreds of visitors every year, especially during the summer season. It is also a destination for the primary schools of the area that are interested in studying aspects related to the trades of the past.

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