The Specola Museum, part of the Natural History Museums of the University of Florence, has been completely renovated and reopens on the occasion of the institution's 249th birthday.
The Museum's collections are directly descended from the Medici collections, which did not only cover art but also exhibits of naturalistic interest and mirabilia. The Specola takes its name from the astronomical observatory established here by Grand Duke Peter Leopold of Lorraine in the in the observation tower (specola).
Among the museum halls that can be visited by appointment is the Tribuna di Galileo, dating back to 1841, decorated with frescoes and marbles illustrating Italian scientific discoveries from the Renaissance to Alessandro Volta.
The museum is unique because of its collections: an extraordinary zoological collection that offers an almost complete view of existing animals, as well as extinct ones; the anatomical wax halls made in the museum's workshop in the 18th-19th centuries include the works of Gaetano Zumbo and Clemente Susini; and the Hall of Skeletons, an evocative space dedicated to vertebrates large and small. These exhibitions are complemented by two new visit routes - Botanical Waxes and Mineralogy.
A science-themed museum that boasts an extraordinary wealth of interest, both for adults and children, for the zoology section and for the minerals, some of them large, from all over the world.
Museo di Storia Naturale dell'Università di Firenze - Zoologia, Ceroplastica e Mineralogia – La Specola
Via Romana, 17, 50125 Firenze FI, Italia
The ticket office and the bookshop are located on the ground floor, while the exhibition halls regularly open to the public, which contain the mineralogical and zoological collections, paintings, botanical waxes, and part of the anatomical waxes, are on the first and second floors. These rooms are accessible through an elevator and are free of architectural barriers. However, the complete anatomical wax display has an entrance with 3 steps and no ramp and can only be visited with a guided tour.
The Hall of Skeletons is located on the ground floor, has no architectural barriers, and can be visited by reservation. The Galileo Tribune and the Astronomical Tower can only be visited with a guided tour. The Tribune is located on the first floor and can be reached by elevator. The first floor of the Tower is accessible by elevator, while the upper floors can be reached by a narrow staircase.
Wheelchair-accessible restrooms are located on the ground floor, with access from the courtyard, and on the first floor. This museum belongs to the network Musei Welcome Firenze who organises guided tours, workshops and meetings for all types of publics (information and reservations at edu@sma.unifi.it).
