The museum exhibitions were created so as to provide an in-depth overview of each the themes covered, while bringing certain significant details to the fore, and in so doing, raising public awareness of the surrounding area, and encouraging visitors to explore nearby places of interest including Mount Pizzo di Campiano, the nearby house where Felice Pedroni was born, and local curiosities such as the “metati” or chestnut-drying sheds.

It all revolves, however, around one theme in particular: school. The building that houses the museum was indeed originally founded as a village school in the early 1900s, and continued as such until the 1970s. It is precisely the school theme that recurs throughout the museum, linking together the different sections.

This is the reason behind the creation of a special corner in the museum set up with a desk and blackboard.

A double timeline illustrating the main local and national events from 1910 to the early post-war period links together the sections dedicated to the 19th and 20th centuries, situated on the ground floor, and the war period, situated on the upper floor. The museum also has a multimedia conference room providing essential space for lectures and conferences.

The section ‘Stories of men at war on the Gothic Line of the Riva Mountains’ has two aims: firstly, to highlight the experiences of soldiers, partisans and civilians (there are over thirty biographies) and how these experiences often interconnected, and secondly, to display war items and memorabilia discovered by enthusiasts. Such items retain great sentimental value as they are ‘fragments of history’, which may have been damaged by the fury of war, or perhaps simply through general wear and tear, making them even more poignant when we consider that the history of an object is, ultimately, that of a person.

There are also two further sections highlighting particularly interesting themes which are not always given the attention they deserve. The first of these is the theme of food in wartime, illustrated through the reconstruction of a kitchen of the period, representing the stratagems used by both civilians and soldiers, in order to survive even when there was no food around; the second is the exhibition room devoted to secret agents, which tells the stories of agents who were responsible for maintaining contact between the Allies and the resistance behind the lines. This section is completed by the “Donation Room”, where objects donated by private citizens are on display.

The section ‘Felice Pedroni, an Italian emigrant in the Alaska gold rush’ tells the extraordinary story of this legendary character, and, in so doing, aims to touch on more general themes closely linked to his personal vicissitudes: poverty in the Apennines, emigration, adventure, tenacity, the myth of the last American frontier, relationships with Alaskan natives and society. Even though it took place between the 19th and 20th centuries, his story gives us plenty to think about, and can still teach us a lot today.

The section dedicated to ‘Daily life in Trignano in the 19th century’ offers an insight into a former way of life based on a subsistence economy, and invites us to reflect on society at the time, comparing it with that of today. The tools on display bear witness to a system of working the land, which, although extremely hard work, was respectful of the surrounding environment and favoured social relations.

Virtual tour

Clic hereto enjoy a virtual tour of the museum!

Opening times:

June, July and August: Saturdays and Sundays from 3pm to 6pm

Open other days for groups by appointment.

Guided tours of the Museum and the famous Gothic Line are available for groups of at least 10 people

For information: Fanano Tourist Office +39 0536-68696; Alessandro +39 335-434713, Massimo +39 335-7209899.