Museo mineralogico e paleontologico del Cenacolo Italo Mus
Museum of minerals and fossils run by the Cenacolo Italo Mus in Saint-Vincent, with finds from the Aosta Valley, trilobites and a display case of fluorescent minerals.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The museum was founded in 1978 by the Mineralogical Group of the Cenacolo “Italo Mus”, a cultural circle in Saint-Vincent named after the Aosta Valley painter Italo Mus, which still runs it. After a temporary location in Via Ponte Romano, from 2011 in display cases, the collection found a home in Piazza del Mercato. In 2018 two new pavilions opened: that of the Great Minerals of Humanity, devoted to copper, iron and gold, and that of the Green Stones, on oceanic rocks.
The collection comprises about a thousand pieces, including about 170 fossils and 750 minerals. The palaeontological section includes Palaeozoic fossils, especially trilobites, Mesozoic fossils (reptiles and ammonites) and Cenozoic invertebrates. The Aosta Valley minerals come mainly from the Monte Bianco area and include quartz, sulphides, rodingites with garnet, vesuvianite and epidote, high-pressure hydrothermal minerals such as jadeite and blue amphibole, carbonates, pyrite and native gold. There are also foreign specimens.
A dimly lit display case shows minerals that become fluorescent under ultraviolet light. The association also runs educational activities and the event “Borsa e Scambio del Minerale e del Fossile” (mineral and fossil exchange fair).
Highlights
- Palaeozoic fossils, especially trilobites
- Aosta Valley minerals from the Monte Bianco area
- Display case of fluorescent minerals under UV light
- Pavilion of the Great Minerals of Humanity
- Pavilion of the Green Stones
Permanent exhibition
- Minerali e fossili – About a thousand pieces, including minerals from the Aosta Valley and abroad, and fossils from the Palaeozoic to the Cenozoic.
- Founded
- 1978
- Operated by
- Cenacolo «Italo Mus» APS
- Visitors per year
- approx. 1,050
Admission & discounts
Admission is free.
Free admission according to the association’s website.
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
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 |
|---|---|
| Good to know | Guided visits outside opening hours for groups of at least 6 people, on request at +39 348 519 0517. |
