Ecomuseo Colombano Romean

The Ecomuseum is not a conventional museum divided into rooms with displays of artefacts. The objects of the ecomuseum are the connections between man and the environment: the landscape, architecture, know-how, and oral testimonies of tradition.The Colombano Romean Ecomuseum winds along a ring-route of about 7 km on roads and paths, between the village of Salbertrand and the Gran Bosco di Salbertrand Nature Park.Along the ecomuseum route, ancient buildings, artefacts, and tools used in daily life tell centuries of history and exploitation of the resources of the territory and constitute demonstration points of production activities carried out with traditional methods.The Hydraulic Mill of the Community of Salbertrand and the Wood-burning Oven in the hamlet of Oulme document the complete bread cycle from the sowing of cereals to its transformation. The 19th century Glacier and the wooden reconstruction of the Finnish Smoke-sauna, the Forestry Yard and the entrance to the Mine, the Charcoal Kiln with the different phases of the setting up of the Charcoal-burning Wood in the forest, the Calcara and the Forestry Yard bear witness to ancient trades and traditional working techniques. The Parish Museum of Treasures housed in the sacristy of the Parish Church of St. John the Baptist, the Chapel of the Annunciation of Oulme (with a unique 1534 fresco cycle dedicated to the life of Mary), the monumental 16th-century stone fountains and the Hotel Dieu - an ancient place of welcome and hospitality for pilgrims - document the importance of the village of Salbertrand along the historical itinerary of the Route de France. The section dedicated to the Glorieuse Rentrée recounts the vicissitudes of the Waldensian people and documents the importance of a recently recovered historical itinerary. In order to facilitate self-guided visits, an itinerary equipped with special signs and descriptive panels has been designed, which runs between the protected area and the ancient streets of the village of Salbertrand, and illustrated brochures, translated into French, English and German, have been produced and are available at the park headquarters and at the local tourist offices. In the absence of a guide, the sites can only be visited outdoors.