METS - Trentino Folklife Museum

In 1968 the METS - Museo etnografico trentino San Michele, the museum of the customs and traditions of the Trentino people, was founded by Giuseppe Sebesta (1919 - 2005), a Trentino writer, artist and ethnologist. It is accommodated - then as now - in the venerable walls of the old Augustinian monastery in San Michele all'Adige. The museum offers an extensive permanent exhibition that runs in a spiral course through 43 rooms, divided into 25 sections on 5 floors: Around 12,000 exhibits tell of agricultural progress and the life of the mountain farmers. The focus is on mountain pasture farming in the mountains of the Trentino and on the agricultural resources that are available for this.

The museum tour starts on the ground floor with the theme of agriculture: a mill, a smithy and a nail smithy are shown. Other rooms are dedicated to livestock breeding, wrought iron and copper production. On the first floor we can discover ancient wedding customs and textile fibres, alpine farming and beekeeping, woodworking and wood processing and various carts and wagons. A so-called Venetian saw, which is a sawmill that is operated with water, is also shown here. On the second floor tiled stoves and ceramic handicrafts can be admired, while the third floor explains the annual customs, popular beliefs and hunting. The cellar with the Sebesta Halls, the wine and brandy room and the vault is the last stop of the museum experience.

It is a true journey through time, offering the opportunity to get closer to the way of life, the past and the customs of the Trentino people. The Museo degli Usi e Costumi della Gente Trentina also offers theme trails and workshops. This makes a visit to the museum an adventure for the whole family!