The Alessandria Museum of Masks was born in Alessandria del Carretto, in the heart of the Pollino National Parkintended to host history, stories, folklore and testimonies of the most important and ancient traditional carnivals in Italy, with particular attention paid to the Alexandrian carnival and its characteristic masks: the Połëcënellë Bielle, the Połëcënellë Brut’, the Coremme and the Ursë.
The Museum, which will be inaugurated in spring, was born from the will and work carried out by the municipal administration led by Mayor Domenico Vuodo and from the commitment of the Połëcënellë Association, chaired by Antonio Arvia.
The two entities, for years, engaged in a communion of intent capable of producing important results, have built a project aimed at enhancing the territorial and cultural identity of Alessandria del Carretto, which has in its ancient carnival one of the strongholds of local identity memory and anthropological research, to be valued and preserved. At the same time, an activity has been implemented to strengthen the tourist offer which allows temporary citizens and travelers to discover a place immersed in uncontaminated nature and the magic of time such as Alessandria del Carretto, also thanks to its carnival, unique and full of suggestions.
The design of the Alessandrino Museum of Masks, housed within the walls of Palazzo Chidichimo, is entrusted to Piano B srls, which also takes care of the organization of the first inaugural exhibition financed with resources from the PSC Development and Cohesion Plan 6.02.02 provided at the end of the ‘Notice “Cultural Activity 2022” from the Calabria Region – Department of Education, Training and Equal Opportunities – Culture Sector.
The inauguration event will reveal to visitors a place rich in history, strong with a movement of the soul typical of the Alexandrian cultural essence, in which masks and costumes from traditional carnivals throughout Italy will be preserved. One room will be entirely dedicated to the Carnival of Alessandria del Carretto and will host some ancient historical pieces, in a constantly growing museum collection.
But there are still many surprises linked to this cultural attractor and they will be revealed in the coming months: to stay up to date on the many new features that will follow one another, you can follow the dedicated social networks.
“We are thrilled to announce the birth of this important cultural infrastructure that is about to be born in Alessandria del Carretto – declared Domenico Vuodo, mayor of the village that will host the museum – for what it represents from an ethnological, cultural, folkloristic and tourist point of view, but above all because it materializes a vision of our city reality that we care a lot about: the valorization of our history and our identity, so that it can become a driving force capable of projecting us towards the future. A future in which Alessandria, also thanks to the tourist flows linked to visitors to an extremely rare museum of its kind, can be discovered and appreciated not only by those like us who have it in our hearts having been born there or have already lived there, but even by those who have not yet had the fortune of discovering its infinite beauties and suggestions, including those of its traditional carnival”.