Museo del Lavoro

The Labour Museum is situated in the Municipality of San Potito Ultra, inside the basement of Amatucci Palace, which stands in Piazza Libertà, close to the Church of Sant'Antonio Abbate (Saint Anthony the Abbot).

The building that houses the Museum dates back to the 18th century, and has the characteristic features of 18th-century baronial palaces. In the 1980s, the building was bought by the municipal authority and was gradually restored. Today, it is the municipal seat.

The Museum is home to a collection of many different work tools used over the centuries. The collection was donated to the provincial authority of Avellino between 2001 and 2004 and was then transferred to the Municipality of San Potito Ultra by the architect Eirene Sbiziolo (1924-2003), wife of the architect and university lecturer Enzo De Felice (1916-2000) so that Irpinia could open its first Labour Museum.

The donation made by the De Felice-Sbriziolo family consists of a series of objects, notably the Neapolitan Nativity scenes, brought to life by the figurines of tradesmen such as a stonemason, typesetter, carpenter, plate-mender, barber and blacksmith. The minute detail in the clothing and the surprisingly lifelike scenes add a very special anthropological and artistic dimension to the Museum. The exhibition also includes the archives of the Baroni Amatucci family, through which the town represents the relations between the feudal lords and the many settlements they controlled.

A much-valued historical legacy, the Labour Museum of San Potito Ultra is still known for having one of the most extensive and diverse rural history collections in all of Campania.