Museo Etnografico delle Regole d'Ampezzo

The Museo Etnografico delle Regole d’Ampezzo in Cortina d’Ampezzo explains how the valley’s collective land institutions shaped its woods and pastures, alongside the domestic arts of the community.

Why it matters

The Regole d’Ampezzo are collective ownership institutions through which families jointly regulated the use of woods and pastures. The museum, run by the Regole, presents this system and its continuing role in the valley.

What to notice

The exhibition is arranged over two floors: the first presents the Regole as a collective institution, while the second explores the territory and the shared management of woods and pastures. A semi-basement gallery hosts thematic exhibitions. The collections include domestic and rural objects, traditional Ampezzo costumes, a miniature of a local house, and work in cabinetmaking, silver filigree, wrought iron, inlaid wood and ebony.

Context and history

The Regole d’Ampezzo’s documented history reaches back to 1226, the year marked by the institution’s 2026 anniversary programme. The Regolieri jointly used and guarded the valley’s woods and pastures under rules against sale and division. Their lands remain inalienable, and the institution continues to administer forests, pasture and timber, manage the Parco Naturale delle Dolomiti d’Ampezzo and operate the valley’s civic museums. The ethnographic museum documents the customs, rural and domestic life, religious practice and artistic expression of the Ampezzo community.