ORMA Museum and ArcheoLab
The architectural complex called Antico Broletto, in the hamlet of Mondaro houses the ORMA Museum: the only archaeological museum in Valle Trompia. The three-story museum space is divided into historical periods. The archaeological materials on display come from the “Soprintendenza Archeologia Belle Arti e Paesaggio” of Brescia and Bergamo and from the Civic Museums of Brescia.
Neolithic
Starting from the ticket office, where there is an info point with helpful information for planning your visit, the tour begins with the section dedicated to the Neolithic period, which contains a female tomb and objects used by the first farmers. You can also get a glimpse into the more ancient past, when men were hunters and gatherers skilled in stone making.
Bronze and Iron Ages
On the first floor, the Bronze Age and the Iron Age can be discovered with artefacts created by the first metalworkers, and, with the aid of interactive systems, it is possible to learn more about the materials and the discoveries made in the valley and the “hidden archaeological collection.”
Triumplini Collectors
On the same floor, a time window on the more recent past allows visitors to learn about the three Triumplini collectors: Pietro Paolo Cotelli, Pier Luigi Piotti and Costanzo Caim. The passion of the local people to preserve and protect the local culture has contributed to reconstructing the ancient and recent history of the territory and enriching a broader historical-artistic-cultural itinerary in the valley called “Collectors in Valle Trompia. A treasure to be discovered.”
Roman Era
The second floor is reserved for Romanisation and the Roman era, with a section dedicated to epigraphs. This section reveals the widespread occupation of the territory, the birth of sanctuaries, the exploitation of resources and how two peoples became one.
ArcheoLab
The museum space opens up to experimentation in the Archeolab: a new workshop to support the museum, where you can understand things by trying to make them, improvising yourself as an archaeologist, ancient potter, basket maker, hunter, farmer, breeder and artist. Created in 2021, the ArcheoLab is a new workshop that supports the ORMA Museum in Pezzaze.
The tower houses the “Costanzo Caim Ethnographic Collection”, which brings together numerous work tools dating from the mid-19th century to the first half of the following century. Most of the tools belonged to the Caim family and were used by Costanzo Caim, a farmer-worker born in 1925, who took care of preserving them after moving from his native village of Etto di Pezzaze to Villa Carcina in 1963.
The ORMA Museum is one of the stages of the “Sacred and Art Route” of the Ecomuseum of Valle Trompia – The Mountain and Industry, and is part of the Valle Trompia Museum System.