Museo di Antropologia Criminale Cesare Lombroso (Cesare Lombroso Museum of Criminal Anthropology), Turin

The Cesare Lombroso Museum of Criminal Anthropology offers visitors a fascinating and somewhat macabre window into the history of criminology. Founded in 1876 by the pioneering and controversial criminologist Cesare Lombroso (1835–1909), the museum emerged from the private collection he meticulously assembled over decades. It officially opened its doors in 1898 as part of the University of Turin’s medical faculty.

Housed today in the Palace of the Anatomical Institutes (Palazzo degli Istituti Anatomici), the museum reopened to the public in 2009 following a major restoration and reinstallation. The displays bring to life Lombroso’s once-groundbreaking-but now discredited-theory that criminality could be identified through physical stigmata. Visitors encounter anatomical specimens, drawings, photographs, crime‐related objects, and handcrafted items made by inmates in asylums and prisons.

While many of Lombroso’s ideas have been debunked, the museum thoughtfully contextualizes his work within its period of origin. The contemporary exhibition design encourages reflection on how scientific thinking evolves-as well as on the ethical boundaries of research-and invites visitors to engage with the broader implications of labeling and othering. It stands not only as a historical archive of early criminological study but also as a catalyst for dialogue about the evolution of science, morality, and humanity.