What is there
to see?

The museum’s collection is displayed on the second floor, which is a rather unusual choice — but it works brilliantly!

You enter the first room through a fairly inconspicuous doorway, only to find yourself transported back to the 1973 expedition to the Ténéré Desert, where two dinosaur skeletons greet you! During the expedition, archaeologist Giancarlo Ligabue discovered an Ouranosaurus nigeriensis, which is now displayed here at full size. The information panels and a film explain how this and another skeleton were discovered, excavated and prepared for display.

The following rooms focus mainly on fossils. And in one of them, you can even touch them! This was a real highlight for the children! (More things to do in Venice with children)

The exhibition then moves on to a small section exploring human evolution, from Homo habilis to Homo sapiens.

After that, things take a rather curious turn. We begin in a room filled with all sorts of objects from African cultures, including a mummy!

We then make our way through several rooms packed with hunting trophies, from lions and gorillas to elephant heads. This certainly won’t be to everyone’s taste. Unfortunately, collecting such trophies was common practice during the colonial era. There’s also a rather unpleasant smell in this section…

Next, we step into a small cabinet of curiosities, featuring a truly bizarre collection: two-headed goats, unusual birds and other specimens that don’t quite look real. Things then become more scientific, with pinned butterflies, dissected eels and fish, followed by a display of various minerals and rocks.

We continue into a room showcasing marine life, including shells and different types of coral. The exhibition then moves on to land animals, more fish and, finally, the fascinating world of birds.

All in all, there’s plenty to discover, and the museum never gets boring! The children found it particularly fascinating, even if some of the exhibits did make them feel a little queasy…