Museo Civico di Fontanarosa

The Civic Museum of Fontanarosa is located just a few metres from the historic part of the town centre, along the road that once joined the towns in the valley of the river Fredane.

This place of historical interest is also known as the Museum of the “3 P": Pietra, Paglia e Presepe (Stone, Straw and Nativity). Inside, we find parts of a straw cart, stone sculptures and an 18th-century Nativity scene, made from elm and olive wood. The Museum tells of the artistic life, popular crafts and ancient traditions of Fontanarosa, combining past, present and future to create new identities.

The Civic Museum comprises three floors: the basement, the ground floor with the municipal library, conference room, the rooms housing the straw cart and sculptures, and then the first floor which is home to the Nativity scene with a splendid view of the surrounding valley.

The large garden overlooking the Fredane Valley introduces visitors to the stoneworking tradition that produced the modern sculptures telling the history of Fontanarosa. The stone works on display include the stunning reproduction of the “Nike of Samothrace” and the beautiful “Gift from Heaven”, a fountain made from Carrara marble by the Japanese sculptor Yoshin Ogata.

Inside the Museum, visitors can admire works by artists from the town and also from the rest of Italy, including the travertine marble and iron “Contenitore di Orizzonti” (Horizons Container) by Andrea Galvani; “Narcissus” by Francesco Finotti and “Sun and Sunset” by Stefano Reggiani. Other exhibits include the huge stone mortars made by stonemasons from Fontanarosa and the impressive Nativity, a sublime example of woodworking. The museum also houses the straw cart, an imposing obelisk that is clearly a totemic in nature and evokes an ancient rural world with its intricate panels skilfully worked by craftsmen's hands. Finally, the

Intended as a rediscovery of humans, their emotions and their quest for beauty, the Civic Museum of Fontanarosa tells of times gone by and the bond of the people with materials crafted since time immemorial by the local craftsmen.