Museo e Dintorni – Calosso's crotin open weekends
On selected weekends from early summer to early October, Calosso opens its village museum 'Memorie di Futuro' and a set of crotin, the cellars cut into the tufa under the old houses, with a welcome glass of Moscato or Calosso DOC and the panoramic stairways up to the castle park.
Why it's special
Outside the Fiera del Rapulé this is the easiest way to get inside the crotin. Each one comes with a small house or exhibition: Casa Irene is an early-1900s home, the 'Casa della Nonna' is a grandmother's house of old, and Roberto Montafia's 'Casa di plastica' is filled with work made from recycled plastic. The museum tells the village's story through photographs, films and recorded memories.
Programme · 2026
Open Saturdays and Sundays, 10:30–12:30 and 15:00–18:00.
- Start at the Museo 'Memorie di Futuro', which is the info point: pick up the leaflet and your welcome glass there.
- Opening hours on the open weekends are 10:30–12:30 and 15:00–18:00.
- The parish church of San Martino opens on request, depending on availability.
- The lanes and stairways are steep.
- The season ends with the Fiera del Rapulé on the third weekend of October.
Most of the houses in Calosso's old centre sit on a crotin, a cellar dug into the soft tufa. They are private, but on the 'Museo e Dintorni' weekends the Comune and the village associations open a handful of them, along with the little museum 'Memorie di Futuro', which belongs to the Fondazione Asti Musei network.
Start at the museum, which is the info point, with leaflets and a welcome glass of Moscato or Calosso DOC. Then follow the lanes and stairways around the old centre. The Crotin del Teatro on Piazza Umberto I holds permanent shows of painting, photography and sculpture. Casa Irene on Via Regina Margherita is an early-1900s house with its cellar, and the crotin of Zia Tina and the 'Casa della Nonna' are on Via Roma. On Piazza Mons. Bosio, Roberto Montafia has turned his crotin and house into the 'Casa di plastica', full of pieces made from recycled plastic. The parish church of San Martino opens on request. The stairways climb to the park of the castle, with a wide view to the Alps on a clear day.
Visits began in 2024 on the first and third weekends of the month. Since 2025 they have run as 'Museo e Dintorni', about two weekends a month through summer and early autumn, and the season builds up to the Fiera del Rapulé in October. See what else is on in Calosso.
More events in Monferrato in October 2026 →
Featured in our guides
Past editions
| Year | Dates | Programme |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 4 July – 4 October 2026 (14 days over 7 weekends) | Open Saturdays and Sundays, 10:30–12:30 and 15:00–18:00. July – Sat 4 and Sun 5; Sat 18 and Sun 19 August – Sat 1 and Sun 2; Sat 22 and Sun 23 September – Sat 5 and Sun 6; Sat 19 and Sun 20 October – Sat 3 and Sun 4, with a finale at the Fiera del Rapulé (16–18 October) Museo 'Memorie di Futuro' – images and films on Calosso's oral traditions and memories; info point, leaflets and a welcome glass The crotin – del Teatro, Casa Irene, Zia Tina, della Nonna, and Montafia's 'Casa di plastica' Panoramic routes and stairways – four stairways around the old centre's concentric rings, with access to the castle park Parish church of San Martino – scheduled openings |
| 2025 | 21 June – 5 October 2025 (16 days over 8 weekends) | First season of 'Museo e Dintorni', launched by the Comune and village associations on 21–22 June 2025, the weekend a new village trail opened and the Vespa rally ran. June – Sat 21 and Sun 22 July – 12–13 and 26–27 August – 2–3 and 23–24 September – 6–7 and 20–21 October – 4–5 Open 10:30–12:30 and 15:00–18:00, with a welcome glass of Moscato or Calosso DOC at the museum |