Museo dell'Arte del Passato

The Museo dell'Arte del Passato at San Lorenzo a Vaccoli preserves objects donated by local families. Agricultural tools, clothing and household belongings form a community collection devoted to rural and domestic life in the Lucca area.

Why it matters

The museum grew from residents' decisions to preserve familiar objects rather than from a single collector's purchases. Its holdings bring work, family life and local associations into the same account of the village's past.

What to notice

Hand-pulled seed drills, harrows, well equipment and an irrigation wheel document different tasks of farming. Tools for carpentry and masonry broaden the working landscape beyond the fields. Linen, silk stockings, hats, suitcases and washing equipment shift attention to domestic routines and special occasions. Documents include an 1827 authorisation associated with work on the Rio Guappero and a 1922 agreement of the local workers' society.

Context and history

The initiative developed around 2014 through donations from San Lorenzo a Vaccoli and neighbouring communities. Parish premises provided space for the collection, and an extension opened in 2017. Its history reflects the preservation of material culture during changes in rural work and household life, keeping individual objects connected with the community from which they came.