Museo Paleontologico Rinaldo Zardini

About the museum

The Museo Paleontologico “Rinaldo Zardini” was opened in August 1975 and belongs to the Regole d’Ampezzo, the community that has collectively managed the woods and pastures of the basin for centuries. It arose from the passion of Rinaldo Zardini (Cortina 1902–1988), a self-taught naturalist who in 1935 found a fossil coral on the bed of the Boite river and from then on collected over a million specimens in the Dolomites around Cortina, recording the name and place of discovery of each one.

The collection includes shells of marine invertebrates, corals, sponges and many other fossil animals and plants, most of them from the Triassic. The fine limestone silt that covered them protected them, and some have even kept their original chemical structure. Scholars from around the world have consulted the material, and over time other enthusiasts have enriched the collection with new specimens, including plants.

The route offers an ideal journey through time, with descriptions, photographs and drawings of the rock formations in which the fossils were preserved, from the Dolomia dello Sciliar to the Formazione di San Cassiano, from the Formazione di Raibl to the Dolomia Principale. It shows how the Cortina area, about 230 million years ago, was a stretch of tropical sea with reefs and atolls. The museum is a living institution, updated with new finds.

Highlights

• Triassic fossils of the Dolomites, including megalodons, corals, sponges and marine invertebrates
• Rinaldo Zardini collection, catalogued specimen by specimen
• Ammonites and amber, among the oldest known
• Route through the geological time of the Dolomites
• Audio guide “Viaggio sonoro nel Museo Paleontologico”

Permanent exhibition

• Collezione paleontologica Rinaldo Zardini – Triassic fossils of the Dolomites of Cortina: marine invertebrates, corals, sponges and fossil plants, with a route through the geological history of the area.

Founded

1975

Operated by

Regole d’Ampezzo

Admission & discounts

The €8 ticket is valid for the ethnographic museum and the palaeontological museum. Free admission also for regolieri (members of the Regole), journalists with identification, Friends of the museums of the Regole d’Ampezzo, holders of the Carta Giovani of the Municipality of Cortina, CAI Cortina members and members of some partner museums.

Accessibility

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Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

The Thursday guided tour is also suitable for children; free admission up to 10 years of age and a family ticket for €15.

Getting there & parking

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Amenities & dining

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Events & venue rental

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