Palazzo dei Musei - Varallo Art Gallery and Calderini Museum

Palazzo dei Musei is a place steeped in history where Art and Nature coexist.
The Pinacoteca was created at the end of the 19th century and recounts the richness of the Valsesian artistic tradition, nourished over the centuries by the prestigious Sacro Monte di Varallo site, of which the museum exhibits some of the oldest sculptures and frescoes. Between the 15th and 20th centuries, the itinerary follows the course of time, from the masterpieces of Gaudenzio Ferrari and Tanzio da Varallo, whose greatness transcends the borders of Valsesia, to the collections of Palazzo D'Adda, an influential family that arrived in Varallo from Milan in the mid-16th century. From the eighteenth to the nineteenth century in Valsesia, the fervour of which emerges from generations of artists passing through the Varallo schools, the oldest of which is Drawing and that of wood carving founded by Marquis Carlo Tancredi Falletti di Barolo. This heritage is enriched by two private collections, the Remogna collection, with works by Moncalvo, Camillo Procaccini, Giambettino Cignaroli, and the Francesco Franchi majolica collection, about 200 pieces that tell the story of ceramic art in Italy from the 14th to the 18th century, through the most prestigious manufactures.
The Natural History Museum opened in 1867 and bears the name of its founder, the Valsesian priest Pietro Calderini. It was born as a place of education, whose naturalistic materials were used as teaching aids for technical schools. It became the beating heart of scientific studies in Valsesia, and over time the scientific collections were joined by archaeological and demoethnoanthropological collections that transformed the museum of its origins into a Wunderkammer. In 2017, 150 years after its foundation, the new hall dedicated to natural sciences reopened to the public. It is a journey of discovery of the Earth, from minerals and rocks to evidence of life in the past, the fossils, to continue on an evolutionary journey that touches on the animal kingdom. The Museum is part of the MUVV network - Museums of Vercelli and Varallo.