One of Florence’s oldest scientific museums is set to reopen after a programme of works aimed at making its collections more accessible to a wider public.
The Museum of Geology and Palaeontology, part of the University of Florence’s museum system, will reopen on 19 June 2026 following upgrades designed to remove physical and cognitive barriers and improve access to exhibits and information.
Located in Via La Pira, near the university’s historic campus, the museum houses important collections documenting the geological and natural history of Tuscany and beyond. Among its best-known exhibits are the skeletons of prehistoric proboscideans, including ancient mammoths and elephants, as well as fossils of extinct species that once inhabited the region.
Visitors will once again be able to explore displays illustrating a very different prehistoric Tuscany, when parts of the region resembled a savannah inhabited by large mammals such as sabre-toothed cats. The collections also include marine fossils that help reconstruct the environment of around three million years ago, when an extinct species of whale lived in the sea that covered much of what is now central Italy.
Accessibility Improvements
The works were financed through Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) under a programme aimed at improving accessibility in museums, libraries and archives.
The project introduced new tools and services intended to make the museum easier to navigate and understand for visitors with different needs. A new multimedia guide has also been developed to support the visitor experience.
The reopening ceremony will take place on 19 June at 3 p.m. in the Strozzi Hall of the University of Florence. Following a presentation of the completed works, visitors will be able to tour the museum free of charge with the assistance of curators and the new multimedia guide.
The programme will continue at Florence’s Botanical Garden, where a tactile exhibition featuring three-dimensional reproductions of prehistoric animals will be inaugurated inside the garden’s Cold Greenhouse.
Free Weekend Admission
To mark the reopening, the University of Florence Museum System will offer free admission to both the Museum of Geology and Palaeontology and the Botanical Garden on 20 and 21 June from 9 a.m.
Special activities planned during the weekend include tactile guided tours, tours accompanied by Italian Sign Language (LIS) interpreters, family-oriented activities and workshops for children and teenagers using Augmentative and Alternative Communication tools.
The initiative forms part of a broader effort by the university to make its scientific and cultural heritage more accessible and inclusive while encouraging wider public engagement with Florence’s museum collections.
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