Sienese Sharecropping Museum
The Sienese Sharecropping Museum has a variety of displays about the old peasant way of life, which characterised the economy and life of the province of Siena for nearly a thousand years, where half the peasants’ produce went to the lord of the manor.
Inside the reconstruction of an old tinaia (wine cellar), you can see various aspects of the peasants’ life, the annual cycle of work and their hardship. The interior of a manor house has also been carefully reconstructed.
There are also videos and photos to place the museum’s contents in their historical context; these can be projected outside to help an ever-growing public know and understand the story.
There is an educational space for school parties.
The Museum is managed by the Siena Museums Foundation.
The exhibit features vintage photos, original objects, music, videos and archive documents, as well as a multi-media stationing explaining the typical figures of the farm, the protagonists of the sharecrop.
On the first floor, the rooms are dedicated to the landscape, the farm, the threshing, the mill and the rural village, while on the second floor, you can see rebuilt the setting of the typical farmhouse, where objects and activities of the peasant tradition are displayed.
The museum also offers educational workshops for children.
Info: museisenesi.org