Civic Museum of Archaeology, History and Art – Palazzo Traversa

Housed in a late Gothic building dating back to the 15^th century, Bra's Civic Museum preserves the memory of the town and the local area: archaeology, history and art come together in an exhibition that starts with ancient Pollentia and ends in the 20^th century. The Civic Museum of Archaeology, History and Art is hosted by the beautiful Palazzo Traversa, a late Gothic building dating back to the mid-15^th century, reshaped over the centuries and finally donated to the Municipality of Bra, which oversaw its restoration in the 20^th century. The museum is the successor to the “Museo Popolare di Storia e d'Arte Braidese” (Braidese Museum of History and Art), founded by Euclide Milano and opened in 1919, originally housed in the Craveri Museum. Today, it houses a rich heritage spread over three exhibition floors:

• Ground floor and second floor: archaeological section, dedicated to the Roman city of Pollentia, with finds from late antiquity and the Middle Ages, documenting the area's historical development.
• First floor: historical-artistic section, which collects local works of art from the 17th to the 20^th century, and heterogeneous objects related to daily life, popular devotion and civic events in Bra.

The loggia leading to the rooms contains a symbolic and significant object: the Tree of Liberty, erected in Bra in 1798, bearing witness to the political transformations of the Napoleonic era. The Traversa Museum is not only a place of conservation, but also a reference point for the knowledge and enhancement of Bra's cultural identity, capable of engaging visitors, schools and scholars.