Museo di Storia Naturale Faraggiana Ferrandi

About the museum

The museum originates from the collections created by Caterina Faraggiana Ferrandi and her son Alessandro in the park of Meina on Lake Maggiore, where there was a menagerie and a small museum. Local and exotic animals raised at Meina were joined by specimens brought from Africa and Asia by Alessandro Faraggiana and those donated by the explorer Ugo Ferrandi.

The collection was donated to the city of Novara, which in 1959 housed it in the family palazzo in Via Gaudenzio Ferrari. Over time the collections have been enlarged by donations from private individuals, parks and nature reserves, as well as by purchases; today they number about 2,400 specimens, largely mammals and birds, alongside an entomological collection of nearly 10,000 insects.

The route, spread over several rooms, coherently illustrates the zoogeographical regions of the world: the first floor is devoted to the temperate and cold environments of the northern hemisphere, while tropical environments are being developed on the ground floor. The museum also offers a multisensory route with tactile, sound and smell installations.

Highlights

• About 2,400 specimens, largely mammals and birds
• Rare species such as snow leopard, lesser panda and musk ox
• Display by zoogeographical regions
• Entomological collection of nearly 10,000 insects
• Multisensory route with tactile, sound and smell installations

Permanent exhibition

• Collezione zoologica permanente – Mammals and birds from around the world, displayed by zoogeographical regions, with temperate and cold environments of the northern hemisphere on the first floor and a section dedicated to insects.

Operated by

Città di Novara

Visitors per year

approx. 13,974

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Admission is always free for everyone.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

There are no architectural barriers: all rooms can be reached by lift, and a stairlift is available for wheelchair users. The multisensory route includes tactile, sound and smell installations. A guide in CAA (augmentative and alternative communication) is available free of charge at the museum to follow the exhibition route.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Kids’ birthday parties

The museum organises workshops and educational activities for schools and families. Birthday parties can be booked through a private company that works with the museum. In the internal garden there are dinosaur replicas.

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