Collezione ornitologica Andrea Fiori

19th-century ornithological collection of the naturalist Andrea Fiori with 634 specimens of Italian birds, housed in a school in Sassuolo.

Temporarily closed

Website Directions

Temporarily closed. According to the municipality of Sassuolo’s page, the museum is currently not open to the public; for information, please contact the culture office.

About the museum

The ornithological collection was formed towards the end of the 19th century by the naturalist Andrea Fiori (1854–1933), born in Scandiano, who graduated in medicine and then in natural sciences and taught at secondary schools in Catanzaro, Bologna and Modena. A keen collector of birds and insects, he left almost 700 bird specimens at his death.

In 1935 the collection was transferred to the municipality of Sassuolo. Today it comprises 634 specimens of 271 species of Italian birds: most come from Emilia, in particular from the Modena area, but there are also birds caught and prepared by Fiori in Calabria, in Valtellina and in the Marche, as well as specimens donated by enthusiasts and hunters.

The current location, at the lower secondary school Francesco Ruini, has explanatory displays, including multimedia ones, and spaces for teaching. The promotion of the collection and the opening to the public are managed together with the Gruppo Naturalistico Sassolese, which is responsible for popularising the natural sciences. For the time being, the municipality’s page indicates that the museum is not open to the public.

Highlights

634 specimens of 271 species of Italian birds
Birds collected and prepared by Andrea Fiori himself
Multimedia explanatory displays and spaces for teaching