Why such a substantial investment in terms of time, but above all in terms of  money, to make a museum of an unused talc mine?

     The Bagnada Museum was born to bring to light and set off a historical heritage which has no equals. The reclamation of a reality which played a leading role for almost a century in Valmalenco and interlaced its roots with those of the mountain community enables us to reflect on its historical and social meaning. The mining activity permeated the culture of the valley and  can’t be forgotten.

The environment of Valmalenco has undergone great changes in the last 50 /60 years. The process of industrialization and a mass tourism  have deeply influenced the habits of the inhabitants of the valley; if on the one hand all this fostered a quick and substantial wealth, on the other hand it brought a sense of disorientation and even – if we can say so -  a loss of identity. This last aspect is particularly true for the past generations who have seen in some decades age-long traditions making room for modernity.

The reclamation of the mine, a reality closely connected to the territory, has got two aims: firstly it reminds the local community of a tradition which contributed to mould its identity and to increase a sense of belonging to the valley in contrast to the process of globalization; secondly it lets the tourists know the peculiarity of the historical heritage, which can also be found today in the economy, society and territory of the valley.

The visit to the mine should be considered as a pretext to discover the complex stories of the valley and of its protagonists, its settlement, the forms of adaptation of man to the environment and the conscious and  well-balanced  exploitation of natural resourses.

That’s not all. The thematic museum of Bagnada, which is divided into three structures- the galleries, the mineral museum and the mineralogical museum - is a way to get to know the extraction technology and the geological characteristics of this area.