The Aosta Valley craft museum
In Fénis, seven rooms and nearly 750 objects in wood, iron, stone and cloth
The MAV, or Museum of Traditional Aosta Valley Crafts, is in Fénis, a short walk from the castle. It tells the story of the daily life of the valley’s inhabitants through the objects they made.
Nearly 750 objects
The museum holds nearly 750 pieces. They show how craftsmanship in the Aosta Valley has developed over the centuries. There are farming tools, household objects and works of folk art. The materials are those of the mountains: wood, iron, stone and textiles. People learned to make the most of what they had to hand.
The seven rooms
The visit is divided into seven rooms, each on a theme:
- Raw materials. The materials worked by craftsmen: wood, stone, iron, textiles.
- The interior. A reconstruction of an Aosta Valley house, with its furniture and wooden tableware.
- The exterior. The valley’s farm buildings: barns, cowsheds, cellars.
- Social life. The places where the community gathered, with reconstructions of a school, a chapel and a dairy.
- Poetry. Sculptures and objects in which craftsmen expressed their feelings, beyond practical use.
- The Saint-Ours Fair. A whole room, with images and sound, is devoted to Aosta’s great craft fair.
- The temporary space. It hosts exhibitions that change regularly.
Who is it for?
The MAV will interest anyone who wants to understand how people once lived in the valley. The reconstructions give a concrete idea of the inhabitants’ lives several centuries ago. The museum also helps to preserve local crafts and make them better known.
