"Olimpio Cammelli" Alta Garfagnana Identity Museum
In Gorfigliano, a collection of objects and machinery that tell the history of the territory
The "Olimpio Cammelli" Alta Garfagnana Identiy Museum is located in Gorfigliano, in the municipality of Minucciano. It's located on top of the Colle di Casa, where the castle once stood, and the historic village of Gorfigliano.
Inaugurated on May 16, 2009, the museum is located inside the Ecomuseum of Alta Garfagnana, and houses equipment and commonly used objects collected by Olimpio Cammelli, one of the volunteers who from 1983, took part in the renovation of the Old Church of Gorfigliano.
After his death in 2005, his wife Emma Orsi wanted to make his collection (over 1300 pieces) public so that she could speak to people, as Olimpio would have liked. This heritage was donated to the Cultural Association of the Historic Village of Gorfigliano, which manages the museum. Over time, it has been enriched with other artifacts that reveal the identity of the territory. In fact, today there are over 3000 objects on display.
The museum itinerary
The path begins with a historical reconstruction of Gorfigliano, both before and after 1900, when the excavation of marble began here.
Continuing on, we arrive in a video room where the story of the volunteers "heroes" is told. Then we reach the heart of the Olimpio museum where objects related to the historic trades and tools realted to domestic life can be found. Occupations explored include: marble quarrier, blacksmith, farmer, shepherd, shoemaker and woodcutter.
Upstairs, you can visit “the carpenter's world”, a collection donated to the museum by Gianfranco Paolinelli Vitali. There's also a library (with over 500 volumes, many of which are linked to the territory) with a reading/meeting room.
Upon reservation, it's also possible to organize free guided tours for schools, small groups, associations and tourists.
