From baby pit stops to readings: Lombard museums increasingly child-friendly

In 2026, the Lombardy National Museums Regional Directorate ’s participation in the Born with Culture project is further strengthened with the entry of the National Archaeological Museum of Lomellina in Vigevano into the circuit of affiliated museums. The facility thus joins the state museums of Valle Camonica and Palazzo Besta in Teglio, which are already involved in the project and managed by the Lombardy National Museums Regional Directorate.

Born in Piedmont in 2014 from the collaboration between the Fondazione Medicina a Misura di Donna and Sant’Anna Hospital in Turin, the project is based on the idea, supported by several scientific studies, that cultural participation and museum attendance have positive effects on people’s wellbeing from early childhood, while also favoring informal and locally-related forms of learning.

The goal of the initiative is to transform museums into increasingly welcoming spaces for families and children, through dedicated environments, staff training courses and activities designed for different age groups, including animated readings, workshops, thematic guided tours and meeting opportunities. Thanks to the Cultural Passport, moreover, newborns and their parents can access participating museums free of charge for the first year of the child’s life.

The National Archaeological Museum of Lomellina, housed in the Renaissance stables of the Vigevano Castle and custodian of important archaeological evidence that tells the story of the territory from Prehistory to the early Middle Ages, joins the initiative thanks to an agreement signed with the ASST of Pavia. The intent is to develop new activities aimed at children and families, promoting inclusive, shared and continuous cultural participation.

The launch of the project in Vigevano is also part of a broader collaboration with the Municipality of Vigevano and the Gianni Cordone Children’s Library, with which the museum has recently signed a multi-year agreement aimed at organizing educational activities and reading meetings for children and young people.In this context, the calendar of readings dedicated to young children (the library already adheres to the Nati per leggere project) hosted in the museum spaces also continues. The next event, the last before the summer break, is scheduled for Saturday, May 23 at 10:30 am.

As evidence of its attention to the needs of families, the museum has also recently equipped itself with a baby pit stop inaugurated last December, complete with a breastfeeding chair and changing table, designed to offer new parents a reserved and equipped environment for child care. The intervention was made possible by a donation from the Rotary Club of Vigevano Castello.

In the museums of Valle Camonica, the MUPRE - Museo Nazionale della Preistoria della Valle Camonica and the Museo Archeologico Nazionale della Valle Camonica, the project continues in collaboration with the Azienda Socio Sanitaria Territoriale Valle Camonica and the Associazione Leggo per te - Valle Camonica, which organizes children’s reading activities together with the Capo di Ponte municipal library and local preschools.

Also at Palazzo Besta, where the project has been active since 2021, the initiatives that have involved numerous families over the years continue, consolidating the museum’s role as a place for meeting, growth and discovery. In this case, the project is developed thanks to the collaboration with the Azienda Socio Sanitaria Territoriale Valtellina e Alto Lario, the library and the Municipality of Teglio, supporters of the Family Portrait initiative, which offers families the opportunity to be portrayed free of charge by a professional photographer, as well as other scheduled events.

From this year, in addition, both Palazzo Besta and MUPRE - National Museum of Prehistory of the Camonica Valley and the National Archaeological Museum of the Camonica Valley have joined the UNICEF Baby Pit Stop project, providing protected spaces dedicated to the promotion of breastfeeding.

From baby pit stops to readings: Lombard museums increasingly child-friendly

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