The Civic Museum is housed in the Palazzo Pretorio, which was built along with the underground prison during the first half of the 14th century. Palazzo Pretorio was the residence of the Podestà, the representative of Florentine power in Barga. The Podestà took part in council decisions, but his main role was to administer Law and Order. The Podestà lived and worked on the upper floor and what is now the entrance to the museum was then the main hall where trials were carried out and sentences passed.Those found guilty of crimes were either hung or taken below and imprisoned.
The entrance hall of the museum houses a reproduction of Leonardo Da Vinci’s map of the Arno valley and the surrounding towns which includes Barga (1502-1503) There is also the recently restored painting “Descent from the Cross” by the Florentine artist, Giovanni Bizelli, dated 1600.
On the small wall that separates the loggia from the stairs leading to the prison, are the old Florentine units of measure, “The Staio” and “Mezzo Staio” which were used to measure dry goods, the “Braccio Fiorentino” for length and the “Coltello” (literally the “knife”) which was the permitted length of a weapon that the townspeople were allowed to carry on their person.
The stone column with the coats of arms of the Florentine Medici family was erected in 1548 to honour the visit of Cosimo I de’ Medici, the first Grand Duke of Tuscany.
more info and images here
Indirizzo: Piazzale dell’Arringo del Duomo
Palazzo Pretorio s.n.c.
55051 – Barga (LU)
Telefono: +39 0583 711100 – +39 0583 724759
(ufficio musei Comune) – +39 0583 724743 (URP)
Cellulare: +39 0583 724259
Fax: +39 0583 723745 – +39 0583 724759
E-mail: biblioteca@comunedibarga.it
urp@comunedibarga.it Sito web: www.comune.barga.lu.it
www.cultura.toscana.it
www.provincia.lucca.it/cultura.asp
Prezzo biglietto: € 3,00 individuale; € 2,00 ragazzi dai 6 ai 14 anni; € 1,50 comitive sopra le 20 persone; € 1,00 scolaresche. Il biglietto consente l’ingresso gratuito alla Casa Museo Giovanni Pascoli
Visite guidate in italiano: su prenotazione presso l’ufficio Musei del Comune
Accesso disabili: parziale.
Servizi aggiuntivi: attività didattica, bookshop, visita guidata, parcheggio prima dell’ingresso al centro storico sul Piazzale del Fosso, servito da mezzi pubblici (Autobus linea Vaibus da Lucca).
Materiale informativo: depliant, opuscoli in italiano e inglese, cd rom
Nome e qualifica responsabile: Maria Luisa Livi, Comune di Barga, telefono: +39 0583 724755