The Chestnut Ecomuseum in Raggiolo, belongs to the Cosentino Ecomuseum Network and aims to protect and enhance the culture, testimonies and landscapes related to the chestnut.
Visiting the Chestnut Ecomuseum means rediscovering places and atmospheres of the "chestnut culture" by walking into the interpretation center, the dryer and into the still working ancient mill as well as by getting lost in the Raggiolo stone made streets.
Raggiolo is an ancient village, once inhabited by arms manufacturers and transhumant shepherds and today it is one of the most beautiful hamlets in Italy.
THE ECOMUSEUM
The Raggiolo Chestnut Ecomuseum stems from the close link between the Teggina valley populations and the peculiarities of the landscape. The chestnut tree, thanks to human care, has become a domestic tree over time and an indispensable resource for the feeding of the Casentinesi populations.
In this environmental context, people have always valued a particular chestnut species known as "Raggiolana", from the place of origin, which was distinguished by the copiousness of the fruit, small and not of excellent quality, but once dried and reduced in flour, suitable for long storage.
The human activities related to the cultivation of the chestnut tree constitute the identity of Raggiolo, as they have determined its life, uses and customs.
The Ecomuseum proposes itself as active custodian of this ancient knowledge of mountain people, preserving and presenting the collective memory of a geographically bounded community.
The Raggiolo Chestnut Ecomuseum is articulated through a series of spaces, signs and architecture spread throughout the territory of the Teggina Valley, with particular reference to the village of Raggiolo.
- Interpretation Center - It is the reference point of the whole system. Through work tools, models, panels and a multimedia section, it is possible to retrace a journey around the "chestnut civilization" and acquire tools and information for visiting the route. The space houses another precious fragment of the identity of the town: the Map of the Community of Raggiolo made with the direct contribution of the inhabitants.
- The Course Room - In the same building, it is the place of reference for the socio-cultural activities of the country.
- The Stone Hamlet - From the interpretation center, the journey continues through a series of episodes, result of enhancement interventions (the wall of forgotten words, the room of time), carried out over years. A special tourism-cultural paneling, distributed in the town, allows visitor to carry out some insights on the history and local stories. In the town there are also a restaurant and a scattered hotel as well as a recreational club and a shop, other important references for visiting Raggiolo.
- The Cavallari Dryer - Located at the exit of the village and still used today for chestnuts dry out, in autumn it becomes a theater of stories and fairy tales with "vigils in the dryer".
- The Morino Mill - The factory, which is the object of a structural and functional recovery project, has been reactivated and it is possible to attend the different stages of milling. From the mill, the "chestnut path" continues parallel to the stream to go up towards the village through the "Mercatella path".
OPENING TIME:
April/June: Sundays and holidays from 16 to 18;
July: Saturday, Sunday and holidays from 16 to 19;
August: Saturday, Sunday and holidays from 10 to 12 and from 16 to 19;
September/November: Sundays and holidays from 15 to 17.
Other openings on request