Small Museum of Dolls and Toys, Ravenna
The Small Museum of Dolls and Toys (Piccolo Museo delle Bambole e dei Balocchi) is a tiny childhood world which is familiar to every adult. This museum helps visitors to dive into their past and offers to discover how kids from different times and of different nations used to live and play. The central theme here is the most popular toy in the world – a doll.
Museum’s history and collection
This small and very young museum has just as little history. It was founded in 2006, Its base collection consisted of private exhibits that belonged to Graziella Gardini Pasini. The collection grew throughout the decades and the collector finally put it on display for the public. The exhibition included various dolls and other toys as well that were made in 1860–1950. The main part contained Italian dolls, however, there were also handmade artworks from all over the world.
Materials that were used to create these exhibits are impressive: fabric, plastic, paper, porcelain, wood, tin. Many of those pieces were manufactured by world-known companies, such as Jumeau, Armand Marseille, Lenci, Kathe Kruse, Furga, Tartaruga, Minerva. Parts of toy houses that were especially popular in the first half of the 20th century can be found in other showcases. The dolls themselves can be found inside them too as if living in kitchens, lounges, bedrooms and other rooms created specifically for them.
The museum is also divided into 2 small parts:
- one educates the world about a school by exhibiting some books, notebooks, canes, feathers, and inkwells;
- the other is filled with vintage clothing for children and infants.
And, of course, the museum houses own small library of children literature.
How to get
The museum is located in the historical center of Ravenna, on Via Marco Fantuzzi, 4. There are other buildings where exhibitions are held, for example, the Dante Museum, TAMO Museum and Archiepiscopal Museum. The bus stop called Piazza Kennedy is 100 meters away from the venue. You can catch the bus № 70 there.
Opening hours: from May to September from 10:00 till 12:30 and from 16:00 till 19:00. During the period between October and April from 10:00 till 12:30 and from 15:00 till 18:00. Closed on Mondays. Contact number: (+39) 331 266 3331.
Admission: a full ticket will cost 4 euros per adult and 2,5 euros per child. People in groups can pay 2,5 euros (for adults) and 1 euro (for children.)
The information is relevant for 2018.
