Ponti Museum of Memories: an open-air museum in the alleys of memory

In the heart of the Oltrepò Pavese mountains, the small hamlet of Ponti, in the municipality of Brallo di Pregola, is home to a unique place: the Ponti Museum of Memories, an open-air, diffuse museum where stone streets tell the story of life in the past. No large museum structure, but an exciting itinerary made up of alleys, houses, courtyards and objects that bring to light the peasant and mountain soul of this land.

Cover image taken from the Pro Loco Brallo website

Walking through history

The uniqueness of the Museum of Memories lies in its open structure, integrated into the village. Visitors do not pass through traditional exhibition halls, but immerse themselves in the everyday life of the past as they walk through stone streets and rural buildings, discovering tools and evidence that tell of the agricultural and craft activities of the Apennines.

Ponti has always been a place of charcoal burners and builders of wooden iceboxes (a rarity, since they were usually made of masonry), but also a centre of food production and preservation thanks to its mill, which is still in excellent condition and functioning today.

Reviving traditions

This heritage has been enhanced by the Circolo Ponti Arte, with the support of the Pro Loco, which has initiated the recovery and setting up of the museum. The objective is clear: to transmit the memory of the mountain people, through objects, tools and memories that evoke a simple life, made up of work in the fields and authentic community relations.

The museum is constantly being expanded, enriched by new donations and cultural projects. Every corner of the village is transformed into an exhibition space, making the entire hamlet an experience to be enjoyed at a leisurely pace.

Useful information

📍 Museum of Memories
📌 Ponti, hamlet of Brallo di Pregola (PV)
📞 Contact and visits: via Circolo Ponti Arte or Pro Loco di Brallo
📅 Can be visited all year round, preferably during events
♿ Accessibility: partial, as it is a mountain hamlet with stone streets
🛣️ Can be reached by car going up from Varzi or Voghera, along the SP186

Museum of Memories, Brallo di Pregola locality Ponti

The Oltresentieri channel of Giovanni Portinari