Exhibition route
The spaces of Elsewhere
The spaces of 'Elsewhere
The realms of play and fantasy as an escape from everyday life
Fairs and amusement parks are always a novelty. They interrupt the monotony of daily life and become a collective and recreational space that goes back to the ancient tradition of the town square. The opportunity to meet and interact is revived, and the space opens its doors to an evocative “Elsewhere” full of magic and promises: happiness, transgression, fun, wonder, strong emotions, the diabolical...
Fairs and amusement parks are a part of our culture and should not be underestimated as a fleeting thing, made up only of lights, music and noise, but as a phenomenon that deserves to be explored and understood in its multifaceted reality, beyond appearances and stereotypes.
A thousand-year journey of imagination through faraway worlds
The Bergantino Museum is a research centre, the only one of its kind in Italy, focused on the complex cultural world of the travelling show or street theatre. This thousand-year journey is divided into three historical periods: the Medieval and Renaissance market-fair, the 19th-century pleasure garden with its traditional travelling shows (the Masked Theatre, the Puppet and Marionette Theatre, the Equestrian Circus, and the first 19th-century hand-operated rides) and the rise of today's hyper-technological amusement parks and their dizzying attractions.
In short, the Museum tells the story of the evolution of the Fair as a great collection of games and shows with ancient origins which have continued up to the present day.
The 18th-century Palazzo Strozzi in Bergantino,
home of the Museum of Amusement rides and Popular Entertainment.