Small museums towards the future: the need for interconnected narratives

Abstract

The contribution aims to investigate the phenomenon of the birth and diffusion of small museums and museum collections scattered on the national territory. Analyzing the conditions that generated their diffusion in Italy, considering the context of Bergamo’s valleys as a case study, in order to outline a future development model. These collections, integrating into museum networks or becoming the fulcrum of ecomuseums, or isolating themselves in the restricted territorial context that generated them, could represent privileged observers for understanding the territory and the various areas that concern it, and become promoters for a resilient development of these internal areas.
An interdisciplinary investigation of collections, knowledge and geographical contexts can be essential to generate economic, sociological, cultural and ecological changes in the territory. By creating an articulated narration, based on the stratification of interconnected stories, small museums can acquire higher structuring and increase their dialectical capacity and attraction towards the public, inviting people to a better involvement.