The Museo del Truciolo (Shavings Museum) - also known as the Museo della Treccia (Braid Museum) - is a recently opened institution created through the redevelopment of the ancient Chiavica di Villarotta (Villarotta Drain), originally built around 1484.

Within this restored space - where a 15-th century fireplace still stands -, visitors can see several historical machines, such as a lathe and a shavings trimmer, once used to produce thin strips of poplar wood (paioli). These strips were then handed to women, who wove them into braids. By sewing the braids together, they created the typical straw hats that made Villarotta (a district of Reggiolo) renowned in the 18th century as the “Villa dei Cappelli” - the “Town of Hats”.

Along the road leading to the Museum, at the intersection of Via Carboni and Via Veniera, artist Davide Ghiacci painted the mural “La villa dei cappelli” on the wall of a building owned by the Municipality. The mural was commissioned by the Museum itself and by the Gruppo Fotografico Treccia (“Braid” Photographic Group) to depict the most significant elements of the district’s history and to preserve and pass down its traditions.