Museum of Peasant Civilization and Popular Traditions of Salento, Tuglie

“The Museum, founded in 1982, is located in the 17th-century ducal palace of Tuglie and preserves in 16 rooms a significant collection of testimonies of peasant civilization from the 17th century to the Second World War. On display are the working tools of the farmer, carpenter, cooper, blacksmith, farrier, joiner, everyday objects, and children’s toys. Several rooms have been furnished respecting their original purpose: pots, dishes, and various containers in a monumental cast iron kitchen; weaving tools and an 18th-century loom in the bedroom, as well as the wine press room, laundry, and private chapel.

The characteristic feature that makes the Museum of Tuglie surprising and evocative, despite being nestled in the historic center among a maze of alleys, winding streets, and courtyards, dominating the main square of the town, is the immediate surrounding countryside. It in fact has 10,000 square meters of green spaces, where visitors can explore: a cabbage garden, a biopark, a medieval rock settlement, a viewpoint, and a botanical garden.