Museo Paleontologico di Montevarchi

About the museum

The museum was founded in the early 19th century within the Accademia Valdarnese del Poggio. It is housed in the Renaissance premises of the cloister of San Lodovico in Montevarchi and was reopened in 2014 with a new display designed for all types of visitors.

The collection comprises more than 3,000 finds, mostly from the Upper Valdarno and of Plio-Pleistocene age, ranging from about 3 million years ago to 200,000–100,000 years ago. The museum’s emblem is the complete skull with the enormous tusks of Mammuthus meridionalis, an elephant that has been extinct for about a million years, which greets visitors at the entrance.

The route develops over two floors around the cloister, with thematic display cases and panels placing each find in its time and environment. Remains include plants, mastodons, tapirs, rhinoceroses, the southern elephant, sabre-toothed tigers, giant hyenas and Canis etruscus, whose skull is the type specimen of the species. The route closes with traces of prehistoric hunter-gatherer communities and an archaeological section with Etruscan and Roman finds from the Valdarno.

Highlights

• Complete skull of Mammuthus meridionalis with its large tusks at the entrance
• Type skull of Canis etruscus
• Plio-Pleistocene fauna of the Valdarno: mastodons, rhinoceroses, sabre-toothed tigers, giant hyenas
• Replicas of hafted flint tools used to butcher elephants and casts of prehistoric human skulls
• Archaeological section with Etruscan and Roman finds
• Renaissance rooms of the cloister of San Lodovico

Permanent exhibitions

• Sezione paleontologica – More than 3,000 fossil finds from the Upper Valdarno, displayed over two floors around the cloister of San Lodovico.
• Sezione archeologica – Valdarno finds from the Etruscan and Roman periods, an ideal bridge after the prehistory of the palaeontological sections.

Founded

1819

Operated by

Accademia Valdarnese del Poggio

Visitors per year

approx. 6,974

Admission & discounts

Free admission also for members of the Accademia Valdarnese del Poggio, for children under 14 enrolled in the museum’s “Piccoli Grandi Amici” campaign, for teachers with an Edumusei card, for tourist and environmental guides, journalists, and ICOM and ANMS members. Tickets can also be purchased online.

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 museum organises guided tours and workshops for people with autism spectrum disorder (project M.I.R.A. – Musei in Rete per l’Autismo), led by trained staff; a self-guided visit and materials based on augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) principles are also available.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

The museum offers workshops, animated tours and games for children and families, the “Piccoli Grandi Amici” campaign for under-14s (free admission and discounts on activities), and a family ticket.

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.

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