The Oltrepò of Museums

Oltrepò is a land rich in history from prehistoric times to nowdays and there are several museums that are witness of this.

Museums to visit in Oltrepò Pavese

Museo della Civiltà Contadina

The “Museo della Civiltà Contadina” was born in Montalto Pavese in 1981, thanks to donations from the town’s habitants.

The Museum was created to preserve objects and tools used in rural civilization, rediscovering and valorizing peasant culture.

The internal path has been divided into two sections: the cycle linked to the cultivation of wheat and breeding and the one linked to viticulture and wine production . These are the pillars of the peasant world in our territory.

Images taken from the website of the Oltrepò Pavese Integrated Library System

This Museum is the historical memory of the local culture, of the ancient crafts of rural life, our roots, in fact.

Fun Fact: the tools on display are indicated with their Italian and dialect names.

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Museo della Ferrovia

Train enthusiasts, in Ponte Nizza, in the Staffora Valley, there is a place for you: a museum dedicated to the old railway right where the old Voghera-Varzi railway station of 1931 once stood.

The building houses the archive of the history of the railway and some objects from the period.

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Museo del Cavatappi

This is a recent museum, inaugurated in 2006. We are in the upper Valle Versa. The “Museo del Cavatappi“ was set up in Montecalvo Versiggia , inside the old rectory of the parish church of Sant’Alessandro.

The exhibition features around 200 tools spanning the centuries: single-lever and double-lever corkscrews, with butterfly handles, bell handles and other models.

Images taken from the website of the Municipality of Montecalvo Versiggia

After all, Oltrepò has a great winemaking tradition: the taste for wine has always been well-rooted here and it is our ancestors who have passed down this passion to those born and raised in Oltrepò Pavese! Production first and tasting later and, without a corkscrew, it would be rather complicated to honor the winemakers!

Images taken from Museo dei Cavatappi Facebook page

The exhibition certainly attracts the interest of wine lovers , but it is a curious and interesting collection even for those who are not passionate about wine.

Furthermore, the view from the Museum terrace is always a fascinating sight for everyone!

The Museum, spread over two floors, is open from June to September every Sunday, from 3:00 pm to 6:30 pm.

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Museo di Scienze Naturali “Giuseppe Orlandi“

This Natural Science Museum is located in Voghera : it preserves and exhibits the assets of the Oltrepò Pavese area and also carries out research activities.

The oldest section is that of paleontology. It is followed by that of mineralogy and in more recent years a rich zoological section has also been introduced. The archaeological section is currently being arranged.

Images taken from the Museum’s Facebook page

The entrance to the Museum is free, while guided tours, which must be booked, have a small cost (€2.00 per person – €1.00 for groups of at least 15 people).

The Museum is open from Monday to Wednesday and on Friday.

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Museo Storico “Giuseppe Beccari”

Museo Storico di Voghera “Giuseppe Beccari”
Also in Voghera, the “Museo Storico di Voghera “Giuseppe Beccari”” preserves relics, documents, weapons, medals and military uniforms from the Napoleonic period to the present day.

The collection is really large and varied.

Uniforms of Italian and foreign Armed Forces are preserved.

In the archive of paper documents are preserved letters, diaries and memoirs of Soldiers and Officers at the front, thousands of military and civil postcards. Many of these postcards retain the postage, so they also have a notable philatelic value.

Images taken from the website of the Historical Museum of Voghera “Giuseppe Beccari”

There are also military calendars, prints, paintings and posters, photographs and the extraordinary collection of original tempera paintings by Tino Vescovo, a protagonist of military graphics.

And again, there is a copious collection of medals and a very rare collection of military badges of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

The finds also include objects of civil and military value linked to the history of the city of Voghera, the Oltrepò Pavese and Italy.

The Museum is open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 3:00 pm to 5:30 pm.

Full admission costs €5.00; reduced admission costs €3.00 for members of Armed Forces Associations, TCI and students in organized groups. Only the rooms on the ground floor can be visited.

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Museo della Fisarmonica Mariano Dallapè

For the Accordion Museum of Stradella, we refer to the in-depth article already published in our Magazine.

Images taken from the Facebook page of the Accordion Museum of Stradella

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Museo Civico Naturalistico “Ferruccio Lombardi“

We remain in Stradella, where the Civic Naturalistic Museum displays bone remains of prehistoric animals, plant fossils and evidence of settlements along the banks of the River Po.

Images taken from VisitPavia

The route is divided into sections of Geology and Paleontology.
A section is also dedicated to the life of bees and silkworms.

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Museums that please everyone, young and old, not only in the great cities of art, but also among the rolling hills of Oltrepò Pavese. Surprised? No, we are not!