Ecomuseo della Pietra da Cantoni

The Ecomuseo della Pietra da Cantoni in Cella Monte explores the stone, buildings and underground spaces that help define Monferrato. Based in Palazzo Volta, it connects a local building material with the lives and skills of the communities that worked it.

Why it matters

Pietra da cantoni is both a geological resource and a cultural material. It shaped houses, agricultural buildings and the chambers known as infernot. The ecomuseum treats these features as parts of a living territory, bringing natural history together with craftsmanship, wine culture and local memory.

What to notice

The infernot are small underground rooms carved directly into the rock, usually connected with a cellar. Their lack of natural light and ventilation helped create conditions suitable for keeping bottled wine. Tool marks, carved shelves and the forms of the chambers express the practical knowledge of the people who made them. Above ground, the same stone contributes to the texture and colour of village buildings.

Context and history

Founded in 2003, the ecomuseum promotes knowledge of Monferrato's material and immaterial heritage. Its subject extends beyond a single collection to the relationship between geology, settlement and agriculture. The infernot are also part of the cultural context of the vineyard landscapes of Piedmont recognised by UNESCO in 2014, linking the underground spaces with the history of their surrounding villages and vineyards.