Museo del Precinema – Collezione Minici Zotti
Padua museum devoted to the history of vision, with magic lanterns, painted glass and optical toys from before the cinema.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The museum was founded in 1998 by Laura Minici Zotti together with the Municipality of Padua and its Department for Culture and Tourism. It is today directed by the founder’s son, Carlo Alberto Zotti Minici. It is located on the top floor of Palazzo Angeli, a 15th-century building owned by the municipality overlooking Prato della Valle.
The collection documents the history of vision, from optical machines and popular shows to the birth of cinema. Its most important piece is the Mondo Novo of the Dolfin family of Venice (late 18th century), a neoclassical wooden cabinet shaped like a small theatre, restored and working, on display since 2018.
Magic lanterns are the collection’s strong point, accompanied by thousands of painted and movable glasses from the mid-18th to the early 20th century. Pre-cinema devices are also on display, such as thaumatropes, anamorphoses, phenakistiscopes, praxinoscopes and zoetropes, as well as stereoscopes and the megaletoscope by Carlo Ponti of 1864.
The collection also includes antique musical instruments, a late 19th-century Javanese shadow theatre and the reconstruction of a camera obscura.
Highlights
- Mondo Novo of the Dolfin family (late 18th century), restored and working
- Magic lanterns, including phantasmagoria lanterns
- Thousands of painted and movable glasses
- Thaumatropes, phenakistiscope, praxinoscope and zoetrope
- Megaletoscope by Carlo Ponti (1864)
- Javanese shadow theatre and camera obscura
Permanent exhibition
- Collezione permanente di precinema – Magic lanterns, painted glasses, games and optical instruments, with the Mondo Novo of the Dolfin family in the first room.
- Founded
- 1998
- Director
- Carlo Alberto Zotti Minici
- Visitors per year
- approx. 6,000
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €6 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €4students, under-18s, people over 65, Padova Card holders, FAI and Touring Club members, teachers and other categories listed by the museum |
| Children & teens | €4free up to age 5 · Reduced rate for under-18s; free under 6. |
| Seniors | €4Over 65s. |
| Visitors with disabilities | freecompanion free · Free admission for people with disabilities and companions. |
| Students & apprentices | €4 |
| Groups (11+ people) | €8 per personGuided tour for small groups (5–10 people): €10 per person, reduced €8. Large groups (11–25 people): €8 per person, reduced €6. |
| Guided tour, small groups (5–10 people) | €10Reduced €8 |
| Guided tour, large groups (11–25 people) | €8Reduced €6 |
Free admission also for ICOM members, journalists and staff of the Ministry of Culture.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible: not available
- Elevator
- Accessible restroom: no information
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome: no information
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
The museum is not currently accessible to people in wheelchairs: the 15th-century palazzo has architectural barriers, although a goods lift and a lift are present. Anyone with difficulty walking is invited to contact the museum in advance. The museum is working to restore full accessibility.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Getting there & parking
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Amenities & dining
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| Good to know | Guided tours can be booked by e-mail at info@minicizotti.it or by telephone on 049 876 3838. |
