Museo di mineralogia di Pavia

About the museum

The origins of the museum go back to the late 18th century, when the abbot Lazzaro Spallanzani set up the Museo di storia naturale in Pavia; the section on the mineral kingdom is the oldest core of today’s collections. Since 2005 the museum has been part of the university museum system of the University of Pavia and is housed in the Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra e dell’Ambiente.

In the 19th century agates, carnelians and worked materials were added, along with jaspers from Eastern Europe and minerals from Freiberg in Saxony and Banská Štiavnica in Slovakia. In the early 20th century the collection of minerals from Val Devero assembled by Angelo Bianchi entered the collections, along with a regional collection with representative minerals from every Italian region and a systematic collection.

Also on display are a small collection of meteorites, including a fragment that fell near Siena in 1794 and was collected by Spallanzani; Siberian jaspers donated in 1802 by Duke Melzi d’Eril; Mediterranean ornamental stones; and scientific instruments from the first half of the 20th century.

Highlights

• Systematic mineralogy collection
• Angelo Bianchi collection of minerals from Val Devero
• Meteorite collection, including the Siena meteorite of 1794
• Siberian jaspers donated in 1802
• Ornamental stones from the Mediterranean

Permanent exhibition

• Collezioni storiche di mineralogia – Systematic mineralogy, minerals of regional interest and large specimens, the Bianchi collection and meteorites.

Visitors per year

approx. 85

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Accessibility

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Kids & families

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Getting there & parking

The museum is in the Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra e dell’Ambiente of the University of Pavia, in Via Ferrata.

Amenities & dining

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Events & venue rental

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Plan your visit