User:Burgmaestro/Eyewear Museum

The Eyewear Museum (Museo dell'Occhiale) is an Italian museum about eyewear and objects related to optics. The museum is located in Pieve di Cadore and opened in 1990.

History
The history of the commune of Pieve di Cadore is deeply rooted in the eyewear industry. In 1956, the commune organized its first Eyewear Exhibition through the ages. Three years later, in 1959, Enrico De Lotto suggested the creation of a national Eyewear museum in the commune.

Thanks to Vittorio Tabacchi, the museum opened in 1990. Its management was transferred to the Onlus Eyewear Museum Foundation in 1996. In 2007, the museum moved to a modern new building. In 2023, Tabacchi announced the intention of the museum to collect all eyewear worn during exceptional historical times or by world leaders.

Collection
The Eyewear Museum exposes eyewear and objects related to optics from the Middle Ages to the 1900s. Its inventory contains more than 4,000 units: Glasses of all kinds, pince-nez, cases with hidden glasses, binoculars, walking sticks with glasses, ... The museum is curated by Elena Maierotti. In 2022, a pair of glasses that belonged to Pope Francis was donated to the museum.

The exhibition is split into two floors: 1. Evolution of eyewear and 2. The development of the eyewear industrial district in the province. In April 2023, an initiative was launched to connect the museum with the historic eyewear institutions in the region to offer a tour to its visitors.

The museum also contains a library specialized in eyewear-related publications.