A01 Migrations before the Unification of Italy

Moving to new lands has been part of the experience of mankind since its origin, regardless of the existence of States and borders. In the first area of the Mei exhibition itinerary, five multimedia stations allow visitors to explore examples of human mobility, from prehistoric times to the eve of the Unification of Italy. Insights cover

Homo Sapiens: a migrant species

Herders and Migration: transhumance

Migrant trades: pedlars and wanderers

Travelling merchants

Emigration and the Risorgimento

Driven by necessity and the search for new horizons, men and women left the place where they had been born to explore, to trade, to work, to learn, to live and to be free: herders, sailors, merchants, artisans and travelling artists, questers and pilgrims, expatriates for political reasons, children and adults, the poor and not so poor. In a thematic and chronological journey, the public approaches the date of the Unification of Italy, 1861, the watershed year after which emigration from our country began to be effectively referred to as “Italian”.