Trentino history museum foundation, the Tunnels of Piedicastello - Trento
Le Gallerie are not a traditional museum, perhaps not even a museum.
They are more a workshop and a participatory place; a cultural space where different languages interact in order to promote an awareness of history, excite the curiosity and raise questions.
The Trento Tunnels are just what the name suggests: two former highway tunnels reconverted into a history museum. They were built in the early 1970s to permit the speedy traversal of the city along the provincial North-South highway, running from Verona to the Brenner Pass, as part of the development of the Trento ring road.
They are less a museum than a space dedicated to history. A space primarily devoted to the local and regional: to be precise, to the Trentino’s history and population, to the reasons for its autonomy.
But without forgetting broader horizons: other histories, both larger and smaller.
The Black Tunnel hosts large and evocative installations which have a strong visual impact. There are 300 metres of non-stop stories and histories with a deep emotional impact. Walking through the Black Tunnel is a step-by-step immersion in history.
The White Tunnel provides facilities for events and descriptive installations. This is the place where the emotions raised in the black tunnel are described. The White Tunnel is as well a space dedicated to meetings, congresses and temporary exhibitions.
source: www.legallerie.tn.it
Notes on the accessibility to the site
There is ample parking near the entrances. The two former highway tunnels (Black Tunnel and White Tunnel) are 300 m long and barrier-free. Portable disabled toilets are provided during the events at the north exit of the Tunnels. There is a safe corridor betweem the two tunnels, that has an average width of 170 cm and ends with a 67 cm long inclined surface (average slope: 18%). The access to the corridor is via 95 cm long ramps (slope 7%) and there are one 3 cm high step to the White Gallery and a 7 cm high footpath to the Black Tunnel. The emergency doors are 85+85 cm wide and the second door is located at a distance of 110 cm.
Information collected by the staff of the Cooperative Handicrea
organized by Fondazione museo storico del Trentino (Trentino history museum foundation)
