The Natural History Museum is in the Fontego dei Turchi, one of the most well-known civil buildings overlooking the Grand Canal. It houses many naturalistic and ethnographic collections, a study center on Venice lagoon and a well equipped library.
The building of the XII-XIII century was a marketplace and a commercial hub for Turkish merchants until 1838, when it was bought and restored by Venice Municipality to become the head of the Correr Museum. However, in 1922 the art and history collection were moved to Saint Mark’s Square and in the fontego just remained the naturalistic and ethnographic collections. Thus, in 1923 the Natural History Museum was established, with some precious collections of the Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti (Venetian Institute for Science, Humanities and Arts). The museum was open to public only in 1928.
Inside the museum, numerous zoological and botanical collections: birds, mollusks, insects and the old herbariums, the L'Algarium Zanardini and a mycological collection, besides a collection of fossil plants and fishes from Bolca, the most famous Italian fossil site in the world, whose finds dated back more than 50 million years ago.
Among the 19th century collections, besides the mineralogical one, you can see also the anatomical wax models collection, the well-known paleontologist and ethnographer Giancarlo Ligabue’s collection. The museum is also office for monitoring and surveying Venice lagoon and its fauna and has also a well-stocked library.
Useful Information:
Opening Hours:
Open daily (closed on Mondays)
- Summer (June 1st – September 30th): 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
- Winter (October 1st – May 31st): 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Special Evening Openings (May 1st – September 30th): Every Friday and Saturday / 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Tickets:
First Option: Single Ticket
- Full Price: €10.00
- Reduced Price: €7.50
Available at: https://muve.vivaticket.it/en/tour/museo-di-storia-naturale/579
Second Option: Museum Pass
The Museum Pass includes access to all Civic Museums of Venice, such as the Museums of St. Mark’s Square, Ca’ Rezzonico, Ca’ Pesaro, and the Natural History Museum.
For more information: https://www.visitmuve.it
- Full Price: €40.00
- Reduced Price: €22.00
Contacts:
Phone: +39 041 270 0303 // Email: nat.mus.ve@fmcvenezia.it
Booking and ticketing (from Italy): 848082000 // From abroad: +39 041 42730892
Email: prenotazionivenezia@coopculture.it
For more information, visit: http://www.msn.visitmuve.it
Address: Santa Croce 1730, Fondaco dei Turchi – Venice
How to get there: Vaporetto stop “S. Stae”
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