Museo di storia naturale di Trieste

About the museum

The museum was founded in 1846 on the initiative of private citizens, with the Society for the Study of Natural History, and on 17 August of that year the Museo Zoologico was established, then called the Gabinetto Zoologico Zootomico. On 9 February 1852 the institution passed to the Municipality of Trieste, which ensured its continuity. In 1855 it took the name Civico Museo Ferdinando Massimiliano.

For over 150 years the museum occupied an additional floor above the Biblioteca Civica, in today’s Piazza Hortis 4. The collections, born as zoological, were enriched with botanical, geological and palaeontological finds, also thanks to donations and to the fruits of expeditions such as that of the frigate Novara. In May 2008 the historic seat was closed, and in 2010 the museum was inaugurated in the new seat in Via dei Tominz 4.

The collections number about 4 million specimens. Among the best-known pieces are the dinosaur Antonio (Tethyshadros insularis), the largest and most complete dinosaur found in Italy, a human jawbone over 6,400 years old with a dental filling in beeswax, and the great white shark Carlotta, 5.4 metres long.

Highlights

• Dinosaur Antonio (Tethyshadros insularis)
• Great white shark Carlotta, 5.4 metres long
• Human jawbone over 6,400 years old with a beeswax filling
• Acynodon adriaticus, a fossil crocodile
• Sala dei Giganti del Mare and Teatro degli Scheletri

Permanent exhibitions

• Dinosauro Antonio e Dinosauro Bruno – Rooms dedicated to the dinosaurs of the Karst and to fossilisation, with the skeleton of the dinosaur Antonio.
• Giganti del Mare e squali – Whales, sharks and the great white shark Carlotta, with marine environments and corals.
• Ambienti e microcosmi del Carso – Section dedicated to the nature of the Karst, alongside minerals, hominids and the Quaternary.

Founded

1846

Operated by

Comune di Trieste – Musei Civici

Admission & discounts

Free admission: Free admission on the first Sunday of each month and on 3 November (Santo Patrono).

Prices valid from 1 January 2026. Free admission also for tour and nature guides, journalists and holders of the FVG Card.

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 “Museo accessibile” project, developed with the social cooperative Trieste Integrazione, offers two simplified informative routes and downloadable materials to make the visit accessible also to people with communication difficulties.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

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