ECOMUSEO DELLE GUIDE ALPINE ANTONIO CASTAGNERI

Located in the ancient seat of the Municipality, the Ecomuseum of the Alpine Guides in Balme is an interesting stop for those who want to combine culture with nature.
The small but rich museum documents the origin and development of the mountain village which became the protagonist of Turin’s mountaineering during the previous century.
The introductory part of the Museum tells the story of the Balmese settlement: its founding by Savoy shepherds, the medieval immigration from Bergamo and Valsesia, the birth of smuggling as a resource after the exhaustion of the mines, the transformation of smugglers into Alpine guides during the nineteenth century, up to the current activities related to tourism, crafts, breeding, industry (mineral water).
The Museum has its central core in the beautiful collection of vintage photos, reproduced in large format, which tell about the excellent figures of local mountaineering and their activities, also through a collection of equipment, memorabilia, posters and documents. To complete the itinerary, the Museum has some sections devoted to the environment (flora, fauna, minerals) and the local Franco-Provençal culture, and it includes a historical-naturalistic itinerary in the area.
It constitutes an interesting center of documentation of the life experiences of the inhabitants of Balme who dedicated themselves to the profession of mountain guide to discover the highest Piedmontese peaks. Vintage photos, mountaineering equipment and authentic clothing help to recreate the social context of a small 19th-century Alpine village.

SAFETY RULES:
- visits by reservation
- physical distancing
- sanitizing gel available