The Museum of Dolls and Toys

The history of childhood throughout all the eras from the eighteenth century to the present day is preserved here, in the Doll and Toy Museum of the Rocca di Angera. A surprising journey of discovery that reveals games from distant eras, but also memories from our childhoods and those of today's children. The Museum was founded in 1988 by Princess Bona Borromeo Arese and is considered one of the most important of its kind in Europe due to the rarity, quality and variety of its collections. Prestigious donations contribute to expanding it and keeping it alive and current, completing the main nucleus of the Borromeo collection.

Over 1,400 dolls of every type and material are arranged across twelve rooms in the Visconti and Borromei Wings and in the oratory. The main collection is complemented by two monothematic sections: dolls and toys from non-European cultures, displayed in the stables, and an extraordinary series of automatons from the Petit Musée du Costume in Tours that get the wheels of fantasy and creativity turning in the three rooms on the first floor.

The Museum itinerary is punctuated by the rhythm of history and the alternation of the materials used, from hand-crafted to industrial toys. From the first wooden and papier-mâché dolls to wax dolls made in England and Germany; from porcelain and bisque models complete with an exceptional variety of accessories, to examples of baby dolls and open-mouthed dolls like the Gibson Girl, produced in the 20th century with adult features. There is no shortage of board games - even very unique ones, like games for mass or fishing -, miniature tea services, puzzles and vintage tombola. Modern times are those of dolls made of fabric, felt and metal, vinyl and various latest-generation materials. And iconic dolls, among them the famous Shirley Temple doll and Lilli, which in all respects can be considered the forerunner of Barbie. Speaking of, the Samantha Cristoforetti Barbie - among the latest arrivals - is proof of the beating heart of this collection.