Museo Universitario di Chieti
University museum of Chieti in a rationalist palazzo in the centre: natural sciences, anthropology, palaeopathology, and the history of medicine and science.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
A first exhibition nucleus was opened in 1994 at the University “G. d’Annunzio”, in the seat of Palazzo De Pasquale. The museum, initially on the Madonna delle Piane campus, opened to the public on 21 January 1998. Since 21 March 2005 it has been housed in Palazzo Arnaldo Mussolini (formerly ENAL), in the historic centre of Chieti, a rationalist building inaugurated in 1934 as the Opera Nazionale Dopolavoro, with a double-ramp helical staircase designed by Camillo Guerra; in the basement, where the Garden Cine cinema-theatre once stood, is now the auditorium. In 2010 the museum changed from Museo di Storia delle Scienze Biomediche to a university museum with autonomy and a new statute.
The collections number over 19,000 records, of which only a very small part is on display; the storerooms are accessible to specialists. The museum deals with natural sciences and the history of science, with particular attention to the biological and medical aspects that emerge from archaeological, medical, anthropological and palaeontological research. It also has a specialised library and research and restoration laboratories.
The display extends over three floors. The ground floor hosts the sections on the origins of life, the origins of humankind, the history of diseases and the 19th-century “nature in a showcase”; the first floor is devoted to ethnomedicine, human settlement in Abruzzo, the Antonucci collection and mummies; the basement to the history of science (optics, acoustics, thermology, mechanics, electricity), tortoises, zoology and microscopy.
Highlights
- Section on mummies as a biological archive
- History of diseases and ethnomedicine
- Collection of history-of-science instruments
- Teresita Olivares Paglione collection of tortoises
- Rationalist palazzo of 1934 with helical staircase
Permanent exhibition
- Esposizione permanente su tre piani – Sections on the origins of life and of humankind, the history of diseases, ethnomedicine, human settlement in Abruzzo, mummies, the history of science, zoology and microscopy.
- Founded
- 1998
- Operated by
- Università degli Studi «G. d'Annunzio» Chieti–Pescara
- Visitors per year
- approx. 10,977
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €3 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €1.50Groups of at least 10 people and school classes |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 6 · Free admission up to age 6. |
| Seniors | freeFree admission for over 65s. |
| Students & apprentices | freeFree for students of the University G. d’Annunzio with a student card or record booklet. |
| Groups (10+ people) | €1.50 per personReduced rate for groups of at least 10 people. |
| Audio guide | €3.50In Italian, English, French, German and Spanish; can be used with your own smartphone with a QR-code reader and earphones. |
School classes with at least one accompanying teacher (who does not pay) pay the reduced rate. Free admission also for employees of the University G. d’Annunzio and for holders of ANMS and ICOM cards.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator
- Accessible restroom
- Accessible parking
- 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
Access is ensured by ramps and a lift; reserved toilets and car parking spaces for persons with reduced mobility; the exhibition rooms have seating.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Grande Albergo Abruzzo · 300 m
Trolleybus stop “Grande Albergo Abruzzo”, then about 300 m on foot to Piazza Trento e Trieste; from the railway station just over 10 minutes by bus; from the Via Gran Sasso bus terminal about 15 minutes on foot.
By car
Parking available
Paid and free municipal car parks nearby; spaces reserved for persons with reduced mobility.
- Accessible parking
By car: A14 motorway, exit Pescara Ovest, towards Chieti centre; or A25, exit Chieti, towards Chieti centre.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Events & venue rental
The museum has an auditorium (former Garden Cine cinema-theatre).
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| Audio guide | yes (IT, EN, FR, DE, ES) |
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Guided tours and educational workshops by appointment only (secretariat 0871 355 3502). The museum spreads over four levels covering about 2,190 square metres. |
