Palazzo dei Musei

About the museum

The Palazzo dei Musei stands in via Spallanzani, on the site where the Franciscans settled in 1256. The building, transformed from a palace into a convent from 1272, took on its present appearance largely at the beginning of the 18th century. With the Napoleonic suppressions it became barracks and a stable, and later a school.

From 1830 the private collection of Lazzaro Spallanzani was displayed there, and in 1862 Gaetano Chierici founded the museum’s historic collections, beginning with palaeoethnology (paletnologia). Since then the palace has housed the Musei Civici, with sections on archaeology, ethnography, art history, natural history and the history of the city.

The upper floor was re-displayed in 2021 to a design by Italo Rota together with the curators. Four galleries arranged in a quadrangle retrace the history of the territory from prehistory to the Etruscan and Roman periods, the early Middle Ages and the Este period, up to the birth of the Tricolore flag; the route closes with the rooms on the 19th century and contemporary art, with a large photographic collection and works by Luigi Ghirri on rotation. The collections include Chierici’s prehistoric collection, the Portico dei Marmi (Portico of Marbles) with Roman inscriptions, the section on Roman Reggio, the zoology section with the fossil whale Valentina, and the Giambattista Venturi room.

Highlights

• Prehistoric and protohistoric collection of Gaetano Chierici
• Portico dei Marmi with Roman inscriptions
• Fossil whale “Valentina” in the natural history section
• Antonio Fontanesi gallery
• Photography section with works by Luigi Ghirri

Permanent exhibitions

• Percorso archeologico e storico-artistico – Four galleries retrace the history of the territory from prehistory to the Etruscan and Roman periods, the early Middle Ages and the Este period, up to the birth of the Tricolore.
• Storia naturale e Spallanzani – Zoology, anatomy, botany and geology, with local fauna and the fossil whale Valentina.

Founded

1862

Operated by

Comune di Reggio Emilia – Musei Civici

Visitors per year

approx. 87,231

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Free admission to the sites of the Musei Civici. Guided tours are paid and booked by telephone on 0522 456816.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

The Musei Civici offer activities for families and young people, such as “Il museo dei ragazzi” (the children’s museum), “Vacanze in Museo” (Holidays in the Museum) and “F@mu”.

Getting there & parking

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Amenities & dining

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Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

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