Museo Paleontologico e Preistorico di Sant'Anna d'Alfaedo
Small museum of western Lessinia with marine fossils from the Pietra di Prun and finds from the Palaeolithic to the Iron Age.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
As early as 1961 the municipality of Sant'Anna d'Alfaedo housed, on its ground floor, a small room with fossils and prehistoric finds, displayed without any scientific order. In 1997 the association in charge of managing the collection was founded, and in 1998 the museum opened in its current premises, spread over two floors. The scientific project was curated by Lorenzo Sorbini and by the technicians of the Museo di Storia Naturale di Verona.
The collections were enriched thanks to the quarrymen of the area and to the work of Don Alberto Benedetti, a scholar of the natural history of the Monti Lessini, who saved many finds from quarrying and excavation works; the museum is dedicated to his memory. The palaeontology room houses the fossils of an ancient tropical sea floor, now raised to about 930 metres above sea level, while the prehistory room documents human presence in the Lessinia with flint tools and other artefacts.
On the upper floor a teaching room has been set up with a reconstructed hut and replicas of finds, where workshops for schools and families are held. The museum is now run by Archeovea and by the Associazione Culturale Benetticeras APS.
Highlights
- Marine fossils extracted from the Pietra di Prun quarries
- Skeleton of an Upper Cretaceous shark more than 5 metres long
- Finds from the Grotta di Fumane (cave) and the Riparo Tagliente (rock shelter)
- Palaeolithic, Neolithic and Iron Age flint tools
- Teaching room with reconstructed hut and workshops
Permanent exhibitions
- Sala di paleontologia – Fossils of an ancient tropical sea of the Lessinia, including fish, marine invertebrates and a large Upper Cretaceous shark.
- Sala di preistoria – Palaeolithic, Neolithic and Iron Age artefacts, mostly in flint, documenting human presence in the Lessini Mountains.
- Sala didattica – Reconstructed hut and replicas of finds for workshops in painting, clay, archery and flint knapping.
- Founded
- 1998
- Operated by
- Archeovea / Associazione Culturale Benetticeras APS
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €5 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €4Groups of more than 5 people, children aged 6 to 12 and people over 65 |
| Children & teens | €4free up to age 5 · Reduced admission for children aged 6 to 12. |
| Seniors | €4Reduced for over-65s. |
| Visitors with disabilities | freeFree admission for people with disabilities. |
| Groups (6+ people) | €4 per personReduced admission for groups of more than 5 people. |
Accessibility
- Partially wheelchair accessible
- 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 ground floor is accessible to people with disabilities; the museum spans two floors.
Kids & families
Great for kids & families
| Kids’ admission | free up to age 5 |
|---|
- Family tours & workshops
- Hands-on stations
In the teaching room on the first floor, with a reconstructed hut, workshops in painting, clay working, archery and flint knapping are held.
Getting there & parking
By car
Parking available
Parking directly in front of the entrance and along the main road.
The village lies at about 930 metres above sea level in western Lessinia; from Verona you arrive through the Valpolicella, and from Trentino along the road that climbs from Peri.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
Outside the museum there are benches with stone tables.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | The museum organises guided tours, educational workshops and projects for schools and groups; visits outside the summer and autumn opening period require booking. |
