History of the Museum

From project to reality

It was July 18, 2002 when the Association "Territory and Civilization of Crafts" was established in Pianoro. The desire to restore historical memory to a community, through the material and immaterial documents of a culture that has now passed away, was the spirit that animated, and still animates, its associates. Among them Pietro Lazzarini, a citizen of Pianorese, who in years of patient and passionate research has collected a wealth of objects that documents, almost entirely, the human activity of a community in the hilly territory of the Savena valley between the late 1800s and early decades of the 1900s.

And Adriano Simoncini, writer and local history expert. So on 11 March 2002 Pietro Lazzarini wrote to the Mayor of Pianoro Simonetta Saliera: "For years I have collected and stored in my home tools, instruments, machinery and artifacts that document the history and material culture of our territory. As you have seen, it is a vast collection. The interest that many citizens and scholars have shown for my collection it makes me think that the material testimonies that I have put together over all these years can constitute a wealth of knowledge for our community, especially for the youngest. With the contribution of the Municipality of Pianoro and others cultural institutions of the Province and the Region, my collection could be appropriately enhanced and become an effective tool for the dissemination of our history and our roots. With this I communicate my willingness to get in touch with the institutions in charge, with which I have already had a first indirect and informal contact, so that they can evaluate the possibility of proceeding to the schedatu ra and the cataloging of the material from my collection. I look forward to hearing from you. "

Having obtained the technical judgment of Institutes of excellence in this matter on the documentary value of the collection to legitimize the future commitment of the Municipality of Pianoro, a rustic farmer, a stable / barn was identified and proposed to the municipal administration as a possible museum space in Gualando for allocate the P. Lazzarini collection and other materials acquired over time, so that they could be exposed to public use. In December 2002 the Mayor Simonetta Saliera, having ascertained the passion of the proponents, publicly took on the commitment to follow up on the museum project put forward by the Association "Territory and Civilization of Crafts". In September 2004, based on the architectural project of dr. Paolo Merlo Pich and Dr. Emilia Cuzzani, the yard for the renovation of the Gualando barn / barn was being opened. The cultural sensitivity, the passion for local history and the desire to restore identity to those who live in this area of ​​the Mayor Simonetta Saliera allowed that the Museum of Arts and Crafts of Pianoro could be open to the public on March 17, 2007. Here the material evidence collected can continue to tell, especially to young people, the daily life of the rural world.