Museo LA MANERA
Museum | Borgomanero | Piemonte | Italy
The "Museo della Civiltà Agricola 'La Manera'" in Borgomanero, Italy, is a museum dedicated to rural life and agriculture. It is located in the former Palazzo Bono, a building from 1605 that was originally built for a priest congregation and later served as a seminary. The entrance of the museum is located in the square in front of the parish church of Santa Cristina da Bolsena, from where visitors can enjoy an impressive view of the surrounding countryside.
The museum was founded in 1992 with the aim of preserving the memory of a hardworking and humble past, based on knowledge, respect for nature, solidarity, hard work, the ability to waste nothing, and the appreciation of simple things.
The exhibitions in the museum include reconstructed rural environments such as a kitchen, a bedroom, and a classroom from the late 19th century. Bulletin boards, clothing, tools, furniture, and dishes tell the story of life in those times within the family, at school, in workshops, and in the countryside, supported by numerous photographs and other testimonies.
Other exhibits include the stables, the well, the oven, and the washbasin, which is now used to recreate the moment when women washed laundry together. The museum also houses an accurate replica of the old water mill of the San Marco fraction, operated by an electric motor, as well as a 1:40 scale model of the Cascina Colombera, depicting scenes from rural life.
On the ground floor, there is a wine cellar that also serves as a multifunctional space for projections and meetings. The museum organizes thematic workshops and tours upon request, including visits to the Cascine of Santa Cristina, in particular the Cascina Caristo, with very ancient origins and hosting an oratory from the 12th century decorated with a 17th-century fresco of the Holy Virgin with Child.
The "Museo della Civiltà Agricola 'La Manera'" provides a deep insight into rural life and agricultural traditions of the region, contributing to the preservation of the cultural heritage and history of rural Piedmont.
