IDRO - THE RIDRACOLI WATER ECOMUSEUM
IDRO is a ‘museo diffuso’ — an open-air museum spanning multiple locations that unfolds across the landscape surrounding the Ridracoli Dam, in the heart of the Foreste Casentinesi National Park. It is the ideal place to spend a day immersed in nature while discovering the world of water, the Park, and the delicate balance between the dam’s engineering and its natural environment.
Far from a traditional museum, IDRO is a museum of both time and space: of time, because it embraces past, present, and future; of space, because it recognises the entire territory as a heritage to be safeguarded, like a true open-air museum.
Open to visitors since 2004, IDRO stands where the workers’ village once rose during the construction of the dam. An ecomuseum is an institution that studies, manages, and presents the natural and cultural heritage of an area. Through it, a community introduces itself to visitors, sharing and enhancing both its tangible and intangible identity.
The ecomuseum’s main building, located in the village of Ridracoli, offers four floors of traditional and multimedia exhibition rooms. Here, visitors can explore the distribution of water on our planet, its vital importance for life, and its essential role within natural ecosystems. A key part of the visit focuses on the journey of water in Ridracoli — from the hydrographic basin to the dam, from the drinking water treatment plant to our homes. You can also discover the wildlife of the Bidente Valley and the species that inhabit this unique area.
Admission to IDRO is included in your dam ticket, valid for the entire day with unlimited entry. Our suggestion: visit IDRO before heading up to the dam — it provides the perfect introduction to fully appreciate what you will see. Leave behind the idea of a classic museum… come discover and be surprised!
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