Parco e museo vulcanologico di San Venanzo

About the museum

The Parco e Museo Vulcanologico di San Venanzo is built around three small volcanoes, about 500 metres in diameter and 30 metres high, active around 265,000 years ago: the Mar di San Venanzo, where the village stands today, the Pian di Celle tuff ring and the Celli lapilli ring. The park lets visitors see cones, craters and lava flows, as well as rare rocks and minerals, including venanzite, which made the name of the village known.

The museum was founded in 1999 to present the area’s geology in an accessible way and is housed in an early 19th-century building in the historic centre, near Villa Faina. The route is organised into four rooms with collections of rocks and minerals and thematic displays; among the most remarkable items are the venanzite, a dinosaur egg from China and the skull of an Elephas meridionalis found nearby. In one room a small antiquarium displays Etruscan and Roman finds from the area.

Since 2004 an educational trail of about 2 km has crossed the former venanzite quarry, where stones for millstones were extracted, and passes beneath the large lava flow, which was emptied in the 1970s. The park is recognised as a protected area by the Province of Terni. In October 2026 the municipality inaugurated the new hiking route “Anello dei 3 Vulcani”, a loop of about 5.5 km with 200 m of elevation gain and a duration of about three hours.

Highlights

• Venanzite, a very rare volcanic rock and symbol of the village
• Museum in four rooms with rock and mineral collections
• Educational trail of about 2 km beneath the lava flow
• Former venanzite quarry with traces of millstone extraction
• New loop route “Anello dei 3 Vulcani” (about 5.5 km)

Founded

1999

Operated by

Comune di San Venanzo

Visitors per year

approx. 2,518

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Free admission according to the Musei Italiani listing (2023).

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 park route includes an educational trail of about 2 km and a hiking loop; information on accessibility is not published.

Kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

Educational activities for schools.

Getting there & parking

The museum is on Piazza Roma, in the historic centre of San Venanzo; the guided loop hike “Anello dei 3 Vulcani” also starts from here.

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