The Toy Museum in Milan is located in the small town of Santo Stefano Lodigiano (about 3 hours by car from Milan).
The museum allows visitors to get acquainted, albeit not with ancient, but with vintage toys made as far back as the 18th century. They will be interesting not only to children.
For the younger generation, the museum is interesting for the opportunity to learn about the world of vintage toys, while adults will enter a childhood world filled with wooden soldiers and homemade boats. The Milan Toy Museum is housed in an old building on the banks of the Po River. Once, it was a regular post office, and after the restoration, the building was honored to become a museum. Three exhibition halls, a presentation room where a film about the origin and history of Italian toys is shown, a laboratory, a café, and a souvenir shop where postcards and various trinkets can be purchased in memory of the museum have been set up here.
The first exhibition is dedicated to the history of toys. More than 2000 various toys and children’s entertainments made in different European countries between 1770 and 1960 are presented in this hall. All exhibits are divided into five sections: for toddlers, for playing ‘war’, educational, circus, and, of course, Italian toys. Moreover, the museum staff did not hide the vintage exhibits behind thick glass or hang them on stands. Entire compositions were created from the most diverse toys. Additionally, here you can see toy trains and many mechanical exhibits that are regularly started for the amusement of visitors.
The second exhibition hall is dedicated to children’s literature, of course, Italian. The history of the emergence of comics and world-famous fairy tale characters will be well remembered by children, as the guide’s lecture will be supported by illustrations from books and magazines on three large screens. Pinocchio is particularly cherished by Italian kids. The first stories about the adventures of the wooden puppet were printed in Florence in a children’s newspaper in the late 19th century.
In the third hall, visitors will see works by painters and graphic artists whose theme is toys. A separate exhibition is dedicated to the drawings of Antonio Rubino, an artist who created the first Italian comics.
The laboratory here provides kids with the opportunity to learn how to make various toys from improvised materials on their own. A visit to the toy museum in Milan undoubtedly falls into the category of educational experiences. Children will learn a lot about such everyday toys and receive a wealth of positive emotions.
The museum is open every day except December 24 and 25.
