Museo di Storia Naturale (Natural History Museum), Siena

The Museo di Storia Naturale, or the natural history museum, contains geological and paleontological exhibits from around Tuscany. Some of the objects date back to the Jurassic age.

The Museo di Storia Naturale was founded by the Siena Academy of Sciences in 1691. It was first located in the library of the Hospital Santa Maria Della Scala by the eminent Professor of Medicine and Botany of the university of Siena, Pirro Maria Gabbrielli. It was moved to a former Camaldolensian Monastery after the devastating earthquake that shook the city in 1798. The present collection at the museum dates back to mid 18th century.

The Museo di Storia Naturale has three major sections dedicated to zoology, geology and paleontology. Notable exhibits include the collection of eminent scientist, Paolo Mascagni, consisting of books and specimens, and the Francesco Valenti-Serini collection, consisting of models of edible and poisonous mushrooms. The zoological section features specimens native to Tuscany, especially skeletons of marine mammals. The geological section has rocks and other objects collected in Tuscany and donated by eminent geologists to the museum in the 18th and 19th centuries. There is also a collection of rare meteor rocks catalogued by Ambrogio Soldani in 1764. The museum has an extensive archive of books and handwritten documents relating to the natural history of Siena.