Museo etnografico e naturalistico Val Sanagra

About the museum

The Ethnographic and Natural History Museum of Val Sanagra officially opened on 22 February 2001, although the municipal council of Grandola ed Uniti had been discussing it since 1986, when the municipality bought Villa Camozzi to use it as a conference centre, museum and cultural venue. To realise it, the volunteer association Storia Natura e Vita was set up, which still runs it today.

The museum preserves the historical and natural memory of the peoples who have inhabited the valley and was created in close dialogue with the territory and with the Parco locale di interesse sovracomunale (PLIS) della Val Sanagra. In 2007 Regione Lombardia officially recognised it and included it in the Lombard museum network.

The villa, an 18th-century building with frescoes, stuccoes, marble fireplaces and a large panoramic garden, houses thematic rooms devoted to fauna, fossils, fungi, ethnography, dioramas, music and the former Menaggio–Porlezza railway, including an interactive installation. According to the museum, the fossil room holds the only complete collection of Carboniferous finds in Italy. The MuseoInteract project introduced an accessible gamification route.

Highlights

• Villa Camozzi, 18th-century residence with a panoramic garden
• Fossil Room with Carboniferous and Triassic finds
• Interactive exhibition on the former Menaggio–Porlezza railway
• Rooms devoted to fauna, fungi, dioramas, ethnography and music
• GiocaMuseo: accessible playful and educational route

Founded

2001

Operated by

Comune di Grandola ed Uniti, gestito dall'associazione Storia Natura e Vita

Visitors per year

approx. 2,614

Admission & discounts

Prices, valid from 1 June 2026, apply to the museum and the Fornace Galli. Admission is also free for teachers and group escorts, qualified tour guides, accredited journalists, members of the Storia Natura e Vita association, holders of the Lombardy regional museum card and holders of the ICOM card. A donation is always welcome.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• 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

Thanks to the lift, the museum is accessible to people with reduced mobility and wheelchair users. The Sala Diorami and the Sala Etnografica are the exceptions: they are not yet fully accessible for structural reasons, and illustrated videos are available for them. The gamification route was also designed with young people with cognitive disabilities.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

The museum offers itineraries for families and the playful and educational route GiocaMuseo – Avventura in Val Sanagra; the rooms feature animals, fossils and an interactive exhibition on the railway.

Getting there & parking

The museum is located at Villa Camozzi, in Piazza Luigi Camozzi, which also houses the town hall of Grandola ed Uniti; the Fornace Galli is a few minutes away.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

There is a bookshop.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit