The only House Museum in Italy dedicated to a representative of the Police Forces
That of Giuseppe "Joe" Petrosino, a native of Padula, is a story of emigration, revenge and return to his homeland to fight organised crime, even at the cost of losing his life.
Today, the sacrifice of this representative of the Police Forces is honoured in his house in Padula, which was specially converted into a museum of memory and resistance, dedicated to all those who have consecrated their existence to defeat the mafias.
History of the Museum
The museum set up in the birthplace of the Italian-American policeman Giuseppe "Joe" Petrosino, born in Padula on August 30, 1860, is unique within the Italian museum scene. It is in fact the only house-museum in Italy dedicated to a representative of the police forces .
Upon returning to his homeland from New York, where he had emigrated with his parents at the age of 13, Petrosino began to investigate the links between the American and Sicilian mafia, noble work that led him to be assassinated on March 12, 1909 in Palermo.
Heritage
The museum keeps the rooms of the Petrosino home unaltered, preserving the original furnishings and furniture. The bedroom contains original period photographs depicting Petrosino's family members , in addition to the baby cot covered with tulle and the toiletry items placed on the small cabinet with mirror.
In the dining room, furnished with Art Nouveau furniture, there is a table set with the family dishes and napkins bearing the monogram of the Petrosino family.
Upstairs, the multimedia section of the museum investigates the historical plots of the anti-mafia, also born from the pioneering impulse of Petrosino: starting from original films, which allow you to relive the investigations of the policeman from Padula, it continues with visual documents taken from the Rai Teche archives, moving on to today's testimonies, collected by the protagonists and victims of the fight against mafia crime.
