Museum of Folkloric Imaginary Festival

A festival for the museum of stories

In the small town of Piazza al Serchio, in the upper Garfagnana (Province of Lucca, Tuscany), lies a museum like no other: the Italian Museum of Folkloric Imaginary, established in 2019 by the Center for Documentation of Oral Tradition and directed by Professor Alberto Borghini. Here, you won't find paintings or artifacts, but thousands of stories: fairy tales, legends, scary tales for children, and beliefs about animals, plants, waters, stones, and atmospheric phenomena, collected directly from the voices of the local people.

Every year, around the date of its opening, the museum celebrates its anniversary with the Museum Festival, organized by the Associazione La Giubba APS. It is a day that weaves together memory and community: the morning is dedicated to meetings and reflection on the territory, while the afternoon focuses on live storytelling and folk music.

Among fairies, witches, and maggianti

The heart of the museum is the Narration Room, where visitors can listen to stories from the Garfagnana oral tradition. A special space is reserved for the Maggio, the ancient form of popular theater widespread between Garfagnana and Versilia, of which the museum preserves recordings, scripts, and costumes of the old maggianti (Maggio actors). During the festival, the rooms and the archive open to the public with guided tours, enlivened by tales, readings, and the experience of 3D virtual reality headsets.

A network of villages in the Garfagnana Lunense

The Museum Festival is not just an event for Piazza al Serchio: it is sponsored by the municipalities of Camporgiano, Minucciano, San Romano in Garfagnana, Sillano Giuncugnano, and the Union of Garfagnana Municipalities, a testament to the deep bond between the museum and the entire Garfagnana Lunense community. The museum is located in the village of San Michele, at Via Ducale 4, and offers free admission all year round.

Why it's worth visiting

• A unique museum in Italy, dedicated to popular imagination and oral tradition.
• Live storytelling and folk music from the Lucca region in an authentic mountain setting.
• An opportunity to discover the Garfagnana area away from mass tourism circuits.
• Free admission, suitable for families and curious visitors of all ages.