"The Scent of the Past" is a fascinating cultural event curated by the Promocuneo association and hosted in the evocative setting of the Casa Galimberti Museum. The initiative is a series of lectures and informative meetings aimed at rediscovering and enhancing the historical, artistic, and social roots of the local community. Through dynamic narratives, insights from historians and experts, and the screening of archival images, the event takes the audience on a journey through time. "The Scent of the Past" is divided into the following three events.
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Thursday, October 1, 2026, 5:15 PM
The triumphal entry of Christina of France into Cuneo in 1642. Engraving by Giovenale Boetto.
The Baroque era was also a time of the ephemeral, of spectacular occasions concentrated in a few days, during which dazzling displays were constructed, destined to be dismantled, dispersed, or destroyed. This was the case with a triumphal arch and other displays—which also included music, dance, and fireworks—erected at the entrance to what is now Via Roma to celebrate the arrival in Cuneo of Duchess Christine of France, recognized as Regent of the Duchy of Savoy. Her presence sealed an agreement with the Princes-in-law who, after the death of Victor Amadeus I, wished to assume the regency of the state until the infant Charles Emmanuel II, the legitimate son of the ducal couple, came of age. The fierce determination of Christine, daughter of Henry IV of France and Maria de' Medici, sister of Louis XIII and aunt of Louis XIV, asserted her legitimate power. Giovenale Boetto, court architect and excellent engraver, captured, with a careful gaze, the Duchess's triumphal entry with an engraving dense with celebratory details, showing us how, from one of his drawings, an ephemeral apparatus commissioned by the City of Cuneo to welcome the illustrious guest and the Court was created.
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Thursday, October 15, 2026, 5:15 PM
Silk production and trade in the Greater Province between the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. Piazza Galimberti in Cuneo was the privileged stage.
In centuries past, the Province of Cuneo was a privileged location for the production and marketing of silk; the product—produced by the numerous spinning mills and silk mills—was considered among the finest in quality, consistency, and luster, so much so that it enjoyed strong demand nationally and throughout Europe. The French market in Lyon absorbed much of the production, which, in the 18th century, constituted the primary source of income for the Savoy State. It involved a large number of workers, from mulberry cultivation and silkworm care to processing and finally the manufacture of organzine: peasants, bourgeois, and aristocrats traded in the lustrous silk thread. Cuneo, also due to its geographical location, was one of the most important centers for the collection and distribution of silk products: the silk market, protected by the government and the municipality with precise and stringent regulations, had, over time, steadily expanded and was considered one of the most important in all of Northern Italy.
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Thursday, October 29, 2026, 5:15 PM
The Museums of the Province of Cuneo. The Malle' Museum in Dronero, as told by Ivana Mulatero.
The historical, artistic, and cultural heritage of the Province of Cuneo is vast and complex. Beginning with the landscape, and passing through archaeological sites, castles, churches, palaces, and historic centers, it paints a picture that illustrates the unique characteristics of a vast territory. Museums dot the landscape, spanning mountainous, hilly, urban, and plain areas, each with its own unique character, and Alessandro Abrate will explore some of them.
Ivana Mulatero, director of the Mallé Museum in Dronero, will illustrate this important piece of the provincial cultural heritage, also highlighting the figure—Prof. Mallé—who with great determination and affection organized its creation.
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🎟️ Admission is free, but reservations are recommended by calling 0171/444.801