Museo di Leventina
Description
Founded at the initiative of Diego Peduzzi in 1966, the museum has been permanently housed in Casa Stanga since 1972.On May 28, 1991, the Museo di Leventina was recognized by the State Council as a regional ethnographic museum according to Articles 3 and 4 of the Law of June 18, 1990, and it was made eligible for the financial assistance provided by the same law. Since then, together with the other nine ethnographic museums recognized in 1991, it has contributed to the formation of the coordinated ethnographic museum system, which is now directed by the Centro di dialettologia e di etnografia (CDE), based in Bellinzona.
Today, the Museo di Leventina offers permanent and temporary exhibitions, as well as activities and events related to the history and culture of the Valley. For several years, it has been working with the aim of opening up to visitors and the public through participatory projects developed within the different museum sectors. Participation ranges from engaging visitors during their visit to involving the local population in the creation of certain exhibitions, to the participation of volunteers as guides or reception staff.
The Location Located along the old route of the Via Francigena, just south of the two bridges crossing the Ticino River, the Museo di Leventina is housed in the 16th-century Casa Stanga and the adjacent Casa Clemente. These two buildings form a prestigious architectural complex of great historical and artistic interest, listed in the Swiss Inventory of Cultural Properties of National and Regional Importance and the Inventory of Cultural Properties of Cantonal Importance. Casa Stanga served for centuries as a residence and inn. The significance of the architectural complex is evidenced by the frescoed façades painted in 1588-89 by Giovanni Battista Tarilli and Domenico Caresana, depicting the family crests of illustrious travelers from across Europe who stayed there.