Museo di paleontologia e preistoria Piero Leonardi
University museum in Palazzo Turchi di Bagno with fossils of vertebrates and invertebrates, human palaeontology and prehistory; the exhibition is currently closed.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The museum was founded in 1964 by Piero Leonardi, the first holder of the chair of geology at the University of Ferrara, as the teaching museum of the Institute of Geology and Mineralogy. Leonardi himself later donated his private collection to the museum. The collections have grown over time through field recoveries, exchanges with other institutions and purchases.
The exhibition occupies the piano nobile of Palazzo Turchi di Bagno, in Corso Ercole I d'Este, and is part of the Sistema Museale di Ateneo (university museum system). The route is organised into four sections: vertebrate palaeontology, human palaeontology and prehistory, invertebrate palaeontology and historical geology. Alongside the original fossils, some of which are unique in Italy, casts, rocks, illustrations and captions are presented.
Every year the museum welcomes school groups with guided tours and runs workshops in collaboration with the student association Prehistorica. The Museomix app offers a virtual visit designed to be usable also by people with motor or sensory disabilities.
Highlights
- Original fossils of large mammals, including titanotheres and Smilodon
- Specimens of Lystrosaurus, rare in Italy
- Section on human palaeontology and prehistory
- Collections of invertebrate palaeontology and historical geology
- Virtual visit with the Museomix app
Permanent exhibition
- Esposizione permanente – Four sections on vertebrate palaeontology, human palaeontology and prehistory, invertebrate palaeontology and historical geology, with original fossils, casts and rocks.
- Founded
- 1964
- Operated by
- Università degli Studi di Ferrara – Sistema Museale di Ateneo
- Visitors per year
- approx. 7,000
Admission & discounts
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible: no information
- Elevator: no information
- 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 Museomix app offers a virtual visit designed to be accessible also to people with motor or sensory disabilities.
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 |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Before the exhibition closed, the museum organised guided tours for schools and workshops with the student association Prehistorica. Consulting the collections requires an appointment. |
