The Museum of Rural Civilization of Castel San Lorenzo dates back to 1997, when it was born as a school project at the local middle school. Since then, it has constantly enriched its collections thanks to the research work carried out by the students themselves in the country's countryside, in the cellars and in the artisan factories. This search for the past has concentrated on bringing to life, through objects, smells, flavors and memories, the experiences of joy, bitterness, pain, misery and wealth of peasant civilization. Castel San Lorenzo, over the centuries, has been and remains a territory known above all for the production of oil and wine, a vocation that is reflected in the finds exhibited in the Museum: from the quarto to the wineskin, from the tina to the tinieddu, from the vottacchio to the mastieddu, just to name a few. However, peasant life was not limited only to these resources. Characterized by a certain autarky, it required that every necessity, from pasta to meat, be produced locally.
In retrospect, although only a few decades ago, the town had only one butcher's shop offering goat meat, mainly during holidays. The Museum therefore contains a variety of tools and equipment, from scythes for harvesting wheat to mouse traps, from equipment for processing pork to the setup for patronal festivals, with drums, trumpets and trombones.
Local craftsmanship is another fundamental component exhibited in the Museum: from wicker weaving to create baskets and chairs, to wood, stone and iron crafts. This austere world comes to life through the exhibitions, offering precious lessons to modern generations, often trapped in consumerism and victims of globalization.
The Museum of Rural Civilization of Castel San Lorenzo continues to be a treasure of memories and traditions, a place that not only preserves the past, but also offers food for thought on the present and future of the local community.
