If you are a fan of Italian traditional dress, one museum to dip into is Sulmona’s Museo Civico Santissima Annunziata.
It was built in 1320 as an orphanage and a hospital and the building is stunning and houses 4 main exhibitions, archaeology, medieval-modern, Roman and Abruzzo-Molise traditional costumes, and the transumanza.
Each room is designed to give an impression of the Valle Peligna through the ages. The traditional dress watercolours range from 1790 to 1861 and it includes a 19th century collection of women’s clothes and accessories from Scanno, Sulmona and Introdacqua.
Books on Traditional Abruzzese Dress & Costume
If you cant get to the museum but would love to delve into a book that explores local Abruzzo traditional dress and costume we recommend ‘Peasant Art in Italy’, Charles Holme
Author: Sam Dunham
Sam is a freelance SEO content creator and IGCSE Geography and English teacher in Rome. She also runs the Life In Abruzzo Cultural Association, sharing stories and insights about this captivating region. Alongside raising a teenager, Sam hosts guests at her family’s traditional home, the Little House of the Firefly in Abruzzo, offering a warm welcome and insider tips on local culture, food, and hidden gems.
Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful costume museum in Sulmona! I was there in 1986 but this makes me want to go back and visit the museum again to see how it’s been updated! The drawings are exquisite and it’s wonderful that you supplement the information with a book selection and related articles. This website is so beautiful and rich in the life and traditions of Abruzzo!! Thank you for all your work and dedication to it!!
Happy to hear it rekindled memories, and thank you on behalf of all the contributors for the lovely comments about the blog!