The Stone Speaks 2025: From Picasass to Stonecutter! - Baveno

The exhibition offers a historical and documentary journey retracing the saga of the stonecutters from Baveno who emigrated overseas. It recounts their long and adventurous voyages, their arrival and integration into the economic and social fabric of Barre, Vermont—known as the granite capital of America—and highlights several key figures who played an important role in early trade-union movements and in defending workers’ rights.

A special section focuses on the migration stories of ordinary people. Gathered through the voices of several witnesses, these accounts offer a moving insight into the everyday life of quarry workers more than a century ago.

The material presented in the exhibition is the result of a reworking of the studies and testimonies collected in October 2024 during the conference held for the tenth anniversary of the GranUM Museum (authors: Alberto Ceffa, Patrizia Balzarini, Alessia Martini, Italo Tomola and Francesco Rossi). It has been further enriched with new contributions by Leonardo Parachini, Guido Canetta and Emilio Landi.

Opening: Saturday, 17 May 2025, at 4:30 PM
Presentation of the publication Emigration to America. Proceedings of the Conference for the 10th Anniversary of the GranUM Museum (Baveno, 23 November 2024).

Contributors and witnesses: Patrizia Balzarini, Guido Canetta, Alberto Ceffa, Emilio Landi, Alessia Martini, Leonardo Parachini, Francesco Rossi, Italo Tomola.