Wool and Textile Heritage Exhibition at Mirasole Abbey near Milan

Curated by Elisabetta Viganò, the exhibition 'Humilis lana, le fibre naturali tra necessità e bellezza' at the Abbazia di Mirasole in Opera, near Milan, explores the history of wool processing by the Umiliati religious order. The show features 150 paintings by Luisa Carminati (1927–1986), founder of the Museo della Civiltà Contadina, created between 1979 and 1986, alongside tools, artifacts, and documents from the early 20th century. Carminati also contributed to the creation of the Parco Agricolo Sud Milano in the 1970s. The exhibition runs from November 9 to December 21, open every Sunday. Viganò emphasizes the importance of natural fibers for local development and critiques fast fashion. The abbey, built between the 12th and 13th centuries, was a grangia of the Umiliati, recognized by Pope Innocent III in 1201. After the Black Death, it was leased to Milanese nobility. In 1482 it became a commenda, and in 1571 Pope Pius V suppressed the Umiliati after a failed assassination attempt on Saint Charles Borromeo. Around ten years later, Mirasole passed to the Collegio Elvetico. In 1797 Napoleon donated it to the Ospedale Maggiore di Milano. From 2013 to 2016 it hosted the Premonstratensians, then in 2016 management transferred to the Fondazione Progetto Mirasole.