The museum of the Historical Landscape of the Apennines

The museum is housed in the historical rooms of the Vallumbrosan Abbey Moscheta. It presents the main phases of transformation of the Apennine landscape, from ancient to modern times

The museum is organized in three areas. In the first, Moscheta, a thousand-year old abbey, we find an account of the history of the Abbey and the effect the interventions carried out by the Vallumbrosan monks had on the organization of the forest and social process.

The next section, The perceived landscape, is dedicated to cognitive-perceptual experiences in nature (geology, fauna, flora) which includes videos and pictures on how to explore the landscape and recognize the traces left by those who are part of it, for example, traces of animals and trees.

The last hall in the museum is called landscape in memory and identity. It is a temporal itinerary in which the signs of the influence of man on the territory are presented through the works of artists of the time. It is a journey that takes us through 5 different environments that relate to the 5 historical eras in which the most important changes in the use and organization of the territory took place. The itinerary starts in the year 1000, era in which the Moscheta Abbey was founded, passes on to the moment of diffusion of agriculture and the dominance of the Medici in the territory, and, finally, to the era of the great transformations in the settlements and landscape under the Grand Duchy of Tuscany.
In more recent centuries, the agricultural organization of the landscape and sharecropping produced changes in the landscape, which was followed by the progressive depopulation and abandonment of the mountain, and then again, today, the reconsideration of the cultural values.

A guided visit of the Museum is included in the entrance fee.
The itineraries which the Museum offers have been enriched by Ciaf, Centre for children and families, a multifunctional environmental learning lab in which we find technical equipment, educational tools and games for children. Students and researchers can find a place in which to hold lessons, workshops, conferences and labs.

A wing of the Abbey holds the new multifunctional halls with video projectors, audio system, chairs and desk. The halls, recently restored and particularly suited for conventions, seminars, reunions and press conferences, overlook the ancient cloister, offering a splendid view for exhibitions, theatrical and musical presentations. There is also an area dedicated to groups and retreats.