Iron Route

Furnaces and Forges

Tavernole Furnace Museum
The existence of the furnace in Tavernole, an industrial plant in wich siderite was transformed into cas iron, is documented since 1426. Having terminated activity at the beginning of the tewmtirth centur, it is now a museum; it is the only example in northern Italy of a fully preserved "bessana" furnace. The Furnace is now a historical museum, wich communicates with the visitor ad guides tourists in the reconstruction of the history of local labour. The Public Libray and the Municipal Historical Archive are located in the coal deposit adjacent to the museum.                                               Various historical documents mention a visit of Leonardo Da Vinci to the Trompia Valley. There is a mention of his visit in Brescia in 1497 and there is evidence that he travelled in the Brescia Valleys in 1508. Some of his writings are designs tell the story of the furnace's activity.   The museum also contains “Giuseppe Ganzola Collection” which include farmers’ tools, working tools, hand to hand weapons and fire guns, dating back from the XV to the XIX century, representative of the noble art of the “ferrarezze” (hardware and metalware).

Sarezzo Iron Forge Museum
The museum is created within an ancient forge where semi-finished iron was transformed into tools and utensils. The Sanzogni family, wich specialised the activity of the forge in the production of agricultural instruments, was the last owner, until 1984, the year when the activity definitively ended. The museum is the first in Lombardy to have its collection catalogued with memoirs by former workers. On the museum site, it is also possible for little visitors to enjoy the Children's Iron Forge. The visit is made more evocative by an original and innovative supply of interactive and multimedia installations recreating, throught the activaction of projections and sound fragments, the atmosphere of the original location.                                                                                                                              Averoldi Iron Forge Museum of Ome and the surrounding town  The earliest are historical mentions of the existence of te Averoldi mallet date from 1155. The forge worked iron according to traditional techniques until 1984, the year when it ended its activity conducted in the final period by Andrea Averoldi, the last "maer" to work there. In 1994 the mallet was recognised as a unique and important example of the art of "bruzafèr", a technique for working hot iron for the creation of tools, furnishings and sculptures. The iron forge, now a museum, still works through the commitment of specialist welders.