The exhibition is dedicated to the fossils of large mammals, mollusks, and plants that illustrate the history of paleontology and are precious witnesses of the Earth's past.
Of great impact are the skeletons of southern mastodons and mammoths. There are also skeletons of a cavern lion, a leopard, a saber-toothed tiger who lived millions of years ago in Tuscany when the area was a savannah. Visitors can also admire skeletons of sirenians, large ancient herbivorous aquatic mammals, distant relatives of the elephants, and progenitors of the Dugongidae and the Lamantines still present in the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean. The exhibition wraps up with the modern Sala della balena (the Whale Room), an immersive space in which the visitor can walk "on the bottom of the sea", next to the 10-metre long skeleton of a Balenopteridae lived three million years ago and today exhibited with the remains of the animals that have fed on the carcass, from the great sharks to the very small bone-eater worms.
The museum's website provides the schedule for guided tours and activities for families with children.
Museo di Storia Naturale dell'Università di Firenze - Geologia e Paleontologia
Via Giorgio la Pira, 4, 50121 Firenze FI, Italia
The entire collection is exhibited on one level, without any barriers. The restrooms are wheelchair accessible and are located before the exhibition route. The ticket office also serves as an information point. Introductory brochures with a map of the museum and the visit route are available free of charge, including in Braille and large print.
In the gallery of large fossil mammals from Tuscany, there is a selection of original touchable specimens with labels in Braille and large print. At the beginning of the exhibition route, there is a tactile map of the museum indicating these specimens. Accompanying persons of blind or visually impaired visitors may also request a special card from the ticket office staff to help locate them. Additionally, tactile guided tours with workshops, including the handling of 3D reproductions of fossils, as well as workshops suitable for people with Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia, can be requested.
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).
