"Pietra Viva" Stone Museum
This is not your usual museum. Pietra Viva, the labour of love of twin brothers Pallaoro, offers a curious awe-inspiring collection of minerals, rocks, metals and much more, spread over four floors. Inside, the focal point is a reconstruction of the biggest “geode”, a rock cavity covered in crystals, discovered by the brothers in the Nineties: as you peek through the gaps in the rock a kaleidoscopic world opens before your eyes.
The museum takes you on a captivating journey through the ancient world of mines, 400 years of history that saw the mining business thriving and then disappearing in this valley that shows strong German heritage. Beside the exhibitions, there are bundles of activities: guided tours, practical workshops, evening talks, themed excursions and many other initiatives.
How to get there: follow the Valle dei Mocheni in the direction of Sant’Orsola. As you reach a big rock boulder (what else?) sitting on the side of the road, you will see the sign for the museum entrance.
