In the thirteenth-century Clavesana castle at Cervo, above the Ligurian riviera, an ethnographic museum of nineteenth-century life and a permanent display of over 250 dressed dolls telling the history of the Ligurian woman.
At a glance
- Type
- Castle with ethnographic museum and permanent display
- Where
- Cervo, Province of Imperia, Liguria, Italy
- Coordinates
- 43.9270623° N, 8.113241° E
- Castle
- Thirteenth century, of the Clavesana family
- Second display
- La Donna Ligure, over 250 costumed dolls
Overview
The Polo Museale «Castello Clavesana» is at Cervo, in the Province of Imperia, in western Liguria. It occupies the thirteenth-century castle of the Clavesana family — a marquisate whose name the building keeps — and holds two displays: the ethnographic museum and the permanent exhibition on the Ligurian woman.
History
The ethnographic museum presents a lively cross-section of nineteenth-century life — the house, the crafts, farming and seafaring — with tools brought to life by life-sized mannequins in period costume. The archive entry calls it the most valuable and complete record of its kind in the whole of western Liguria.
The permanent exhibition on the Ligurian woman was assembled by the Associazione Culturale ARCADIA of Diano Marina.
What you see
The exhibition is made up of more than 250 dolls dressed in the fashion of their time, in clothes and lace made by hand. Through them it tells the traditions, the customs, the work, the leisure and the social gains of the Ligurian woman across a century.
Practical information
- Address: Piazza al Castello 2, 18010 Cervo (IM), Liguria.
- Opening times are seasonal; it is advisable to check before travelling.
Sources
- Cultural Heritage Online historical archive — original Italian entry (beniculturalionline.it), transposed and corrected 2026.
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