national museum of carousel and the popular tradition

This museum has a first-rate collection of music machines on the ground floor and an introduction to the inner psychological meaning of entertainment on the upper floor. The music machines are a lot of fun, but what lies above could blow your mind.The displays first give you a recent (last 150 years or so) history of amusement parks. There is much to be learned, like that roller coasters began as winter toboggan/bobsled runs in Czarist Russia. The development of amusement park rides from that time till now is beautifully presented.But somewhere along the way the narration slides from history to psychology and the human need for escape and entertainment, and this is where the museum really takes off. Leaping back to ancient Grecian theatre and then moving forward thru Roman times, Commedia dell'arte, and modern drama, the displays explore the human need for recreation.The museum benefits enormously from being in the same town as the Fabbri Group, one of the absolute top-end creators and manufacturers of high-octane thrill rides. So it is not all about the psychological story. There is much here that appeals viscerally as well.Really, if you're here you should not miss it. If you're nearby, you should detour to get here.Plus Begantino has a nice piazza where afterword you can take a lunch or snack and compare notes.