Type:

Luoghi della cultura; Ente/Istituzione

Category:

Museums of natural history and natural sciences

The Museo civico di Storia naturale di Morbegno housed in a splendid 18th century building in the historical centre of the city, has the largest natural history collection of local specimens in the Province of Sondrio, located in the Central Alps of the Region of Lombardy, Italy; for example: - Rocks and Minerals (c. 1500 samples) - Fossils (a few local examples, the most important of which is Cassinisia orobica) - Herbarium (over 3000 sheets) - Insects (over 40,000 specimens) - Amphibians (134 specimens) - Reptiles (152 specimens) - Birds (954 specimens) - Mammals (1194 specimens) Permanent exhibitions occupy two floors of the Museum and are divided into two sections: Earth Sciences and Fauna. On the round floor, the Earth Sciences section is spread over three rooms, where 24 separate displays guide visitors through the most significant morphological and geological aspects of the Province of Sondrio. Here, 80 examples of rocks and more than 200 minerals are grouped according to age and/or transformation type. The Fauna section is divided between the first and second floors, beginning with the Amphibians and Reptiles (under renovation), bird displays, and large dioramas of natural ecosystems, such as riparian habitats, deciduous and coniferous forests, and alpine tundra, where representative species of the rich local bird and mammal fauna can be appreciated. The exhibition ends with an attractive room dedicated to the insects, with recently installed, custom-designed panels. The Museum's staff is particularly dedicated to promoting cultural and naturalistic knowledge in the community.