Founded in 2003 within the Scuola Primaria dell’Istituto Comprensivo “F. Gonzaga” (“F. Gonzaga” Elementary School), the “C’era una volta la Scuola” Lab-Museum (“Once Upon a Time There Was School” Lab-Museum), invites visitors to discover and experience the history of local education.

The museum recreates two classrooms from different eras: one from the early 20th century, and another from the post-WWII period. Here, original furniture and teaching tools are preserved, along with school documents spanning from 1843 to 1970. Through its collections and interactive workshops, the Museum seeks to keep the memory of the past alive, engaging children and young people with both local and national history. Life in the classroom becomes the starting point for an emotional journey that moves from small, everyday stories to the broader sweep of History. Among the items on display are late 19th-century textbooks on pedagogy, pupils’ notebooks and essays, teachers’ year-end reports, secretarial documents and correspondence. Visitors will also find photographs, maps for history, geography and science, as well as school furniture, such as cupboards, abaci, blackboards, desks for students and teachers.