Casa Besta
The Smuggling and Town Museum of Brusio
Casa Besta is the cultural centre of lower Poschiavo valley. This magnificent building, which developed from a farmhouse in the 18th century, today houses a library and archive. The museum uses these synergies in communicating the local history. An emphasis is placed on subjects such as smuggling and wine and tobacco cultivation while there is also a collection of musical instruments. The smuggling exhibition is an unusual topic. It illustrates how coffee from Brusio was illegally smuggled to the Valtellina valley in Italy, and how rice and other goods were smuggled from Italy into Switzerland during the Second World War. Thus the exhibition provides a fascinating view of social history that is essentially locally characterised but also transcends borders. The Museo Casa Besta shows original objects from the local world of smuggling, and presents the cultivation of wine and tobacco in lower Poschiavo valley, as well as the village history of Brusio. The cultural presentation is extended by various events. The documentation centre of the Valposchiavo historical society is domiciled in the same house.
Museo Casa Besta Brusio
Le Canve
Borgo 276
7743 Brusio
Tel. +41 (0)81 846 56 33
https://musei.gr/category/casabesta/
For the latest information on opening hours, admission prices and guided tours, visit the institution's website.