Museo dei fossili di Bolca
Palaeontology museum at Bolca with Eocene fish, plants and other fossils from the famous Pietra di Bolca, and visits to the Pesciara gallery.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Museo dei Fossili di Bolca is located in Bolca, a hamlet of Vestenanova, in the Lessinia Regional Nature Park, and is dedicated to the fossils of the Pietra di Bolca, one of the most important palaeontological deposits in the world. The display covers about 700 square metres on two floors, in three large exhibition spaces, following modern museographic principles. The museum is linked to the Museo civico di storia naturale of Verona, which carries out its research, and to Lorenzo Sorbini, its longtime director and the driving force behind the institution.
The collections present more than one hundred and fifty species of fish, including sharks, together with crustaceans, reptiles, bird feathers, insects and more than two hundred and seventy species of plants; the route also includes two aquaria with live fish.
A short distance from the museum is the Pesciara, a tunnel quarry from which the rock layers with the fossils come, visitable on the days indicated by the museum; scientific excavation resumed in 2019. The museum offers guided visits and outdoor educational routes in the Pesciara mines.
Highlights
- Over 150 species of Eocene fossil fish
- Plants, insects, crustaceans and reptiles from the Pietra di Bolca
- Two aquaria with live fish
- Visit to the Pesciara gallery
- Hire of hammer and goggles for fossil hunting
Permanent exhibition
- Fossili della Pietra di Bolca – Eocene fish, plants, crustaceans, reptiles and insects over two floors, with two aquaria of live fish.
- Visitors per year
- approx. 75,000
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €4 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €3children and young people aged 7 to 14 and people aged 65 and over |
| Children & teens | €3Reduced for ages 7–14. |
| Seniors | €3Reduced from age 65. |
| Groups | €5 per personSchools and groups with a guide: museum and Pesciara €5 per person; Pesciara only €4; hire of goggles and hammer €1. |
| Pesciara (gallery and educational area) – adults aged 15 to 65 | €1.50Not included in the museum ticket. |
| Pesciara – young people aged 7 to 14 | €1 |
Full price €4 for ages 15 to 65; reduced €3 for ages 7 to 14 and over 65. Hire of tools for the Pesciara is not included in the ticket: hammer €4, goggles €2, gloves €2, goggles and hammer together €1.50. Categories of free admission are not listed.
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Kids & families
- Family tours & workshops
- Hands-on stations
In the Pesciara it is possible to hire a hammer, goggles and gloves to search for fossils; programmes and educational materials for schools.
Getting there & parking
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Amenities & dining
- Museum shop
The website links to an online shop (“Shop”).
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Guided visits for schools, tourist groups and other visitors in the museum’s two large rooms, and outdoor routes in the Pesciara mines. For weekday visits to the Pesciara, booking is required via the website. The website is available in Italian, English and German. |
Museums nearby
Museo della vita del soldato nella Grande Guerra
Museo etnografico sulla lavorazione del legno
Museo dell'arte serica e laterizia
Museo geomineralogico e del caolino
Ossario del Pasubio
