Centro visitatori del Parco Nazionale Gran Paradiso – Antichi e nuovi mestieri (Locana)

The Gran Paradiso National Park centre in Locana, housed in a former church, interprets the traditional trades and industrial history of the Orco valley.

Why it matters

The exhibition connects seasonal work and migration with the economic changes brought by hydroelectric development. It recalls itinerant occupations such as chimney sweeping, chestnut selling and knife grinding, then considers how dams and power stations changed the valley's relationship with its water resources.

What to notice

A reconstruction of an Alpine domestic interior evokes dairy work, while displays about chimney sweeps present one of the region's best-known itinerant trades. A model explains the hydroelectric system of the Piantonetto valley. The exhibits occupy the nave of the former church of San Francesco, juxtaposing industrial and rural subjects with the building's religious history.

Context and history

The centre forms part of the park authority's network of valley museums. Its themes reflect the history of the Orco valley, where seasonal migration provided work beyond the local economy and twentieth-century hydroelectric plants transformed the use of water and the region's employment.