In Manduria, the Museum of Primitivo Wine Civilization, located within the Winery of the Manduria Producers, was created with a strong focus on preserving memory — the desire to not lose the traces of a cultural world perceived as being in deep transformation and thus at risk of being forgotten. However, the search for objects and testimonies that told the stories of the worlds in which these objects were once alive, functional, and active was a quest for the present, for the contemporary world. These objects are showcased in an evocative underground route within the ancient cisterns of the 19th-century Cantina, now transformed into original thematic settings.
Indeed, the Museum of Primitivo Wine Civilization tells the story of a past world, but it does so for today, because it is today that we remember, or in some cases, discover, different and new ways of living and thinking. This journey into the past, with its ancient plows and carts, is not a nostalgic recall, nor a recreation of a time long forgotten, but a careful analysis of the cultural and heritage value of the farming world that the local community can recognize as its own. It highlights the characteristic features of cultural heritage, practices, and craftsmanship that still survive, somewhere, albeit in different forms from the past.
Agriculture as an identity of a community, as a connection to its native territory, preserving its traditions and enhancing its typical food and wine products: The Museum seeks to remember all of this through a path open to the public, also offering tastings of wine and traditional dishes, during which wine and food are illustrated and narrated as integral parts of the local history.
The museum thus becomes a bridge between the past and the present of agriculture, winemaking, and an entire world marked by the rhythm of the actions of farmers, both past and present.
