Museum of Our Land (Pieve Torina)

History of the Museum of Our Land in Pieve Torina

The museum, established in 1976, grew out of the first exhibitions organized in 1973 by the schoolteacher Fernando Mattioni, who then looked after it for about thirty years. The collections grew thanks to donations from many residents of Pieve Torina and the surrounding area.

The Sant'Agostino complex is medieval in origin and was founded by Augustinian friars.

The 2016 earthquake hit the complex hard. The church roof was torn open and part of the walls collapsed. In April 2024, eight years after the earthquakes, the bell of Sant'Agostino rang again. The museum of rural life returned to the ground floor, and the elderly residents of the care home returned to the upper floors.

The renovated museum was inaugurated on January 25, 2025. On that occasion Mayor Alessandro Gentilucci unveiled a plaque dedicated to Mattioni. About €63,000 were invested in the work. The immersive room was created by the Università Politecnica delle Marche. The management of the museum was entrusted to Antonella Marcaccini.

What to see in the Museum of Our Land

The route runs through 14 sections. It begins with the granary, the wine cellar and the cooper's workshop. Next come the rooms of the farmhouse, where the tools are displayed in the places where they were used. Photographs and documents also tell the story of the craft workshops of rural life.

The renovation brought new technology. An immersive room shows period films, and headsets let visitors see the collections in augmented reality. Guided tours accompany the route through the collections.

The final stretch of the itinerary leads out of the convent to the mill at Fiume. It is a medieval structure and a branch of the museum. It preserves the mill works, a first waterfall where the stream enters, and the small pond.

Visiting the Museum of Our Land

The museum has welcomed visitors again since it reopened in January 2025. The route includes the rooms of the convent and the mill at Fiume, which is a separate stop, so it is worth allowing time for both. Opening hours and contacts are in the information box on this page. Before setting out, check that the museum is open on the chosen day, since it is a small venue tied to post-earthquake reconstruction.

Those who want to explore the collections in more depth can ask for a guided tour. The multimedia part (immersive room and headsets) is designed to complement the traditional route.

Where the Museum of Our Land is located

The museum is in Pieve Torina, in the province of Macerata, in the former convent of Sant'Agostino. The town stands at 470 m above sea level, within the national park of the Sibillini Mountains. From Macerata it is less than an hour's drive, heading toward Visso. The exact address is in the information box on this page.

The building is the same one that houses the church of Sant'Agostino and the care home. The mill at Fiume, the museum's branch, is in the hamlet of Fiume, about 4 km from the main town.

Around the Museum of Our Land in Pieve Torina

The most natural next stop is the Fiume Mill, along the Sant'Angelo stream. Walking and cycling routes are possible in this area. Along the same stream there is also a Kneipp path, to be walked barefoot in the water.

To extend the visit to other museums in the area, the list is on the page about museums in the Sibillini Mountains. Among those devoted to the farming world are the Museum of Peasant Art in Caldarola and the Museo della Civiltà contadina "Stefano Cardarelli" in Montegallo, described on the page Museo della Civiltà Contadina Stefano Cardarelli, Montegallo.