Museum
The museum opened on September 10th, 1972 in the Borgonuovo of Piuro school building thanks to the Italian Swiss association for excavations. In 1977 was moved to the ´700 parish church, the church of St. Abbondio from Piuro, and in 1994 it was reorganized in the sacristy of the church itself.

In the small chapel, at the entrance, there is the bell melt from 1398 by Giovanni Enrico di Lorena, one of the French founder who travelled along our valley in the ´500 and ´600. It belonged to the church of St. Maria from Piuro and was found in 1639. Put in the bell-tower of Sant´Abbondio in Valledrana, it was then given to the nearby museum once broken.

There is a stone seat, found in the Piuro area, close to an ancient circular basin made of pot stone wtih embossed mask.

On the right of the entrance three panels are shown, as well as inside, representing Piuro before 1618, after the landslide and today.

In the interior there are finds from the two excavations in the ´60s such as pot stone tools, knives, spoons, terracotta, coins, jewels, etc. There are as well, some of the 53 pot stone canes more than 51 metres long, found in 1988 with a small basin; they probably belonged to the water main in the Vertemate Franchi garden near the collegiate church. Other pot stone elements are also present, i.e. a 1555 tondo and 1754 gravestone.
Other remains are shown from the 1988 excavation: wooden, iron, leather and copper objects as well as pewter and iron kitchen tools, saddle bits, spurs, weapons.
Beyond the panels before mentioned, there are some important prints coming from different European countries from 1618 onwards representing Piuro before and after the landslide.

Piuro before the landslide
It stood south to the existing Borgonuovo. Coming from Chiavenna there was first, on the left, the collegiate church of San Cassiano. Behind the apse there was the rich Vertemate Franchi palace with colonnades, courtyards, garden, aquarium, statues and plays of water. Rooms were decorated with gold, paintings, sculptures, wainscoat. The chapel of San Francesco was next to it.
The main bridge, made of stone, led to the Pretorio Palace and, further to the church of Santa Maria. Soon after the bridge on the left, a road went up towards Ecilano hill, to the church of San Giovanni and to the castle. Upstream there was another bridge, called Defendente´s because of its builder, Master Ponzoni´s name.
There were other palaces which belonged to rich families such as Beccaria, Brocchi, Scandolera, Lumaga, etc.
There were also a couple of taverns, a hotel (The Corona), two butcheries, and outside the village, the crotti.

September 4th l6l8: the landslide, a thousand deads
It was on September 4th, 1618 or on August 25th, according to the old not-revised calendar. At nightfall a landslide plunged down from the Conto mountain in the south, burying the village of Piuro and its thousand inhabitants: 957 according to the still existing list, to which foreigners there at that moment, had to be added up.
The landslide news spread all around Europe because of the great number of victims, but also because of the Piuraschi family, which migrated for trade with a position of prestige. This is the reason why more than around 80 reports about this theme were found, published in different European countries during the ´600.

Excavations
Soon after the landslide the Grigione Commissioneer of Chiavenna Fortunato Sprecher, replacing the podestà of Piuro, who died as a result of the tragedy, had to organize the search for survivors, but only dead bodies were found.
After eight days, eight teams of eight people each, began excavations. Each excavator earned 2 liras and 10 cents per day, and part of the find. Only finds belonging to churches fully came back to them.
Excavation was then appointed to the Municipality, without the superintendency of the three Grigioni Commissioneers: at least 100 people dug every day and finds came back to their owners, on ransom.
Half the proceeds went to the Municipality, the other half to the Griogioni Governement.
According to Luigi Vertemate Franchi´s heirs, the family lost 12.000 ducatoons; there were rumours of buried gold worth about 2 millions at that time. The objects of the parish church of San Cassiano that were found two years after the landslide include: a 1588 chalice that is now in the church of Prosto and a chasuble in golden brocade on red velvet, given by Giovan Antonio Lumaga in 1586, now displayed in the Treasure Museum of Chiavenna. Five bells were found still intact: one, from the end of ´500, is now displayed at the entrance of the Museum of Piuro; the other is in the bell-tower of Prosto, where the big bell of the collegiate church of Piuro was also hoisted in 1767 and remelted in 1811 and in 1814.
There were individual finds, more or less accidental, in ´800 and the first half of ´900. At the end of 1960, an Italian Swiss Commitee for the excavation of Piuro was instituted in Berna, becoming an association the year after. It organized an exploration campaign in 1963 and in 1966 in the now visitable area beyond the bridge to Scilano they found: a piece of paved route, five skeletons and a piece of wall of a turnery shop.



OPENING HOURS 2024

June-September
Saturday and Sunday: 15-17

Possibility of extraordinary openings by reservation only, to be made within 24 hours before the visit. Min. 5 participating.



PRICES

Full ticket: € 2,00

Reduced ticket: € 1,00
- children;
- students,
- groups with at least 25 people;
- over 60 years.