The Museo del Merletto - Tuoro sul Trasimeno - The Museo del Merletto - Tuoro sul Trasimeno

Wide view of a room in the Lace Museum, showcasing various textile works, including fine lace and embroidered fabrics

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Lace Museum - Tuoro sul Trasimeno

The Lace Museum of Tuoro sul Trasimeno is located within the village on the western shore of Isola Maggiore, the only inhabited island of the three in Lake Trasimeno, inside the Palazzo delle Opere Pie. The museum exhibition houses a precious collection of artifacts created by the skilled hands of the island's women during the 20th century, made in the so-called “Irish lace”.

This technique, born in Irish monasteries in the second half of the 19th century, developed as an alternative to needle or bobbin lace. Thanks to the use of crochet, Irish lace allowed for the creation of artifacts more quickly, while maintaining the lace's delicate beauty and refinement.

The introduction of Irish lace on Isola Maggiore dates back to the early 1900s, thanks to the foresight of Elena Guglielmi, daughter of Marquis Giacinto, and her sister-in-law, Duchess Grazioli Lante della Rovere, lady-in-waiting to Queen Elena. In 1904, the two noblewomen founded a school-workshop to teach the art of Irish lace, aiming to provide new economic opportunities for the women of the island. These women, daughters and wives of fishermen, already skilled in making fishing nets, quickly learned the secrets of this new craft, producing high-quality lacework that provided employment for many women and became a valuable resource for the local economy.

Exhibition room of the museum

Close-up detail of a finely crafted embroidery, featuring a delicate semicircular structure.

Embroidery detail

Under the guidance of islander Elvira Tosetti de Sanctis, who had herself learned from a teacher from Turin, the number of lace makers grew rapidly: from nine workers in 1904 to twenty in 1906.

The artisanal products created at the school on the island quickly became fashionable among the noblewomen of the early 1900s. They were sold in Perugia, at the permanent exhibition-market “Italian Decorative Arts” on Corso Vannucci, and were regularly sent to Rome, where they were appreciated by the “Italian Women’s Industries”.

The school of Marchesa Guglielmi closed in the 1930s, but the production of Irish lace on the island resumed in 1963 when Maria Vittoria Semolesti established a workers' cooperative for the production and sale of lace. In 1996, thanks to the initiative of some of Semolesti’s students, the P.ES.CO. women’s cultural association was founded in Tuoro sul Trasimeno, with the aim of rediscovering, promoting, and preserving the Irish lace technique of Isola Maggiore.

Useful information and accessibility

Useful information:

Email: isolamaggioreaggiore.proloco@gmail.com

Phone: 3314071605

Guided tours are managed by the Proloco of Tuoro sul Trasimeno.

Free admission for people with disabilities and their companions.

How to reach the property:

The museum can be reached by taking the ferry from the Tuoro sul Trasimeno Pier to Isola Maggiore.
The ferry is accessible for wheelchair users with a companion; it is recommended to contact the ferry staff in advance. Upon reaching Isola Maggiore, a 13% ramp must be overcome to disembark. The path to the museum from the landing is about 250 meters long and mostly flat: the surface along the pier is concrete, then changes to brick with a uniform surface, with a slight 5% slope at the beginning. Once past the pier, the museum is already visible to visitors. After the square, the path continues through the island to reach the Lace Museum.

Moving around the facility:

At the museum, the entrance door, with a passage width of over 75 cm, has a wooden ramp with a 14% slope that leads directly into the atrium. Here, you will find the ticket office, an information kiosk showing various Trasimeno routes, and a staircase leading to the upper floors. The building has two levels, but the Lace Museum exhibition is only set up on the first floor. To access the exhibit, a staircase with 18 steps must be climbed, without intermediate landings and with a handrail only on one side. The steps are slip-resistant and 28 cm deep. The museum exhibition is arranged in two rooms on the first floor, which have no level changes. The interior walkways are flat, with passage spaces over 90 cm, with one narrow point at 74 cm. The route follows a circular pattern, and the exit requires retracing the stairs. The museum has a single entrance that serves as both entry and exit.

Use of contents:

In the two rooms, there are several display cases enclosed by glass panels containing various lace items, along with descriptive panels and exhibits with photographic documentation. It is possible to book tactile guided tours for blind and visually impaired visitors by contacting the Proloco of Tuoro in advance.

Toilet features:

The museum does not have restrooms inside. There is a public restroom accessible to people with disabilities located next to the museum, which can be reached after traversing a 19% inclined path about 18 meters long. This restroom does not have support bars, but its size allows for lateral and diagonal access to the toilet.

Lace Museum - Tuoro sul Trasimeno