At a time when organic food produced according to traditional methods, which were often naturally biodynamic, is very sought after, do we know how they used to produce it?
The Trivigliano Museum of Peasant Life is one of the places where you can see the tools of the past and learn the ancient methods of cultivating the land and preparing food.
Set in a stately palace right at the entrance to the historic centre of Trivigliano overlooking the Piazza del Belvedere, the museum's content and layout is designed to strike the visitor's heart.
Along with the tools and utensils, portraits and tales by famous writers are displayed about the history of life in the fields. These poets and writers have underlined in their works the profound bond between man and the earth, between the life cycles of man and those of nature.
The tools are arranged according to the different seasons and different processes: from ploughing and sowing to harvesting. Finally, one part is devoted to the preservation and processing of products: production of flour, oil, jams and production of dried bread and biscuits.
The equipment and utensils for cooking, both for immediate consumption and preservation, are displayed in a kitchen setting and some names will bring back memories from stories told by your grandmothers.
Preserving vegetable and orchard products meant having food during the winter that could be long in Trivigliano, as in the snowfall of 2012 when the population was isolated for 4 days with 2 metres of snow.
Yet in the past, the cycles of nature and the rotations of crops were respected, and they knew what the plants were for fighting fungus and, for example, those that protected orchards and vineyards from parasites.
Getting closer to nature with respect and knowledge, with care and professionalism, is one of the new lifestyle paths that define the Italian approach to experiential tourism. In addition, the variety of garden fruit and vegetable species that Italy has thanks both to its microclimates and the rediscovery by agronomists and ‘new age peasants’ have reinforced ‘made in Italy’ among world famous food.
A small museum like this one in Trivigliano that combines stories of the peasant past and tools and utensils of that lifestyle is perfect for bringing to new generations of youth the love for cultivating fields in a natural and respectful environment.
For further information, please contact the Mayor, municipal administration or the Pro Loco.
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