View source for Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Milano

{{Short description|Museum in Milan, Italy}}
{{Infobox museum
| name        = Milan Natural History Museum
| image       = Museo scienze naturali milano improved version.jpg
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| established = 1838
| location    = Corso Venezia, 55 - 20121 [[Milan]], Italy
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| director    = Domenico Piraina
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| website     = [https://museodistorianaturalemilano.it/ Official website]
}}
The '''Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Milano''' (Milan Natural History Museum) is a museum in [[Milan]], Italy. It was founded in 1838 when
naturalist [[Giuseppe de Cristoforis]]  donated his collections to the city.   Its first director was [[Giorgio Jan]].
The  Museum is located within a 19th-century building in the [[Giardini Pubblici Indro Montanelli|Indro Montanelli Garden]], near the historic city gate of [[Porta Venezia]]. The structure was built between 1888 and 1893 in [[Neo-Romanesque]] style with [[Gothic Revival|Gothic]] elements.
The museum is divided into five different permanent sections: Mineralogy (with a large collection of [[minerals]] from all over the world); Paleontology (with several [[fossil]]s of [[dinosaur]]s and other prehistoric organisms); Natural History of Man (dedicated to the origins and evolution of humans with a particular attention to the relationship of the latter with the environment); Invertebrate Zoology (dedicated to [[mollusks]], [[arthropods]] and [[entomology]]); and Vertebrate Zoology (dedicated to vertebrates, both exotic and European).<ref name="Permanent Exhibitions">{{cite web |url=https://museodistorianaturalemilano.it/esposizioni-permanenti/le-esposizioni-permanenti-del-museo-di-storia-naturale |title=Le esposizioni permanenti del Museo di Storia Naturale |publisher=Comune di Milano |access-date=2 January 2024}}</ref>
The museum exhibits the largest Italian collection of over 100 full size [[dioramas]]. These allow visitors to observe many aspects of faraway ecosystems.<ref>''Le città d'arte: Milano'', Guide brevi Skira, ed. 2008, various authors</ref>
== Mineralogy section ==
[[File:9133 - Milano - Museo storia naturale - Zolfo - Foto Giovanni Dall'Orto 22-Apr-2007.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|[[Sulfur]] crystals]]
The mineralogy section showcases several minerals from all over the world including the world's largest [[sulfur|sulfur crystal]] (from the [[province of Pesaro-Urbino]]) and an 8,000 carat Brazilian [[topaz]] crystal. Also displayed are examples of [[Borate minerals|londonite]], [[quarz]], [[phosgenite]], [[fluorite]], [[malachite]] and other minerals.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://museodistorianaturalemilano.it/esposizioni-permanenti/mineralogia-minerali |title=Minerali |publisher=Museo di Storia Naturale di Milano |access-date=2 January 2024}}</ref>
== Paleontology section ==
[[File:01 20121227museostornatMilano-236.JPG|thumb|180px|Fossil of [[Vomeropsis|Vomeropsis triurus]]]]
The paleontology section explains the basics of [[paleozoology]] and [[paleobotany]]. Displays include fossils of several plants and animals. Among the most valuable pieces are a [[Spinosaurus]] snout, the skeletons of two [[Palaeoloxodon falconeri|pygmy elephants]] (''Palaeoloxodon falconeri'') from [[Sicily]] and the only existing fossil of the [[coelurosauria]]n theropod [[Scipionyx|''Scipionix samniticus'']]. The museum also houses several other casts of dinosaur skeletons such as ''[[Allosaurus]]'', ''[[Stegosaurus]]'', ''[[Dromaeosaurus]]'', ''[[Plateosaurus]]'', and [[Stan (dinosaur)]], the fifth most complete [[Tyrannosaurus]] ever found.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://museodistorianaturalemilano.it/esposizioni-permanenti/paleontologia-dinosauri-e-fossili |title=Dinosauri e altri fossili |publisher=Museo di Storia Naturale di Milano |access-date=2 January 2024}}</ref>
== Natural history of man section ==
The natural history of man section is dedicated to the origins of [[human]]s from early [[primate]]s to ''[[Homo sapiens]]''. Human evolution is described from the [[phylogenetic]], [[Morphology (biology)|morphological]] and [[Ecology|ecological]] points of view with several archaeological objects and realistic plastic models. One of the most valuable pieces is the cast of an ''[[Australopithecus afarensis]]'' skeleton.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://museodistorianaturalemilano.it/esposizioni-permanenti/storia-dell-evoluzione-umana |title=Storia dell'Evoluzione Umana |publisher=Museo di Storia Naturale di Milano |access-date=2 January 2024}}</ref>
== Invertebrate zoology section ==
The invertebrate zoology section is divided in two exhibitions. The first is about [[Mollusca|mollusks]] and [[arthropod]]s: displays include a [[giant clam]], which is the largest living [[Bivalvia|bivalve]], two [[Japanese spider crab]]s (male and female), ''[[Scolopendra gigantea]]'', and [[arachnid]]s like many [[spider]]s and [[scorpion]]s from all over the world. The second exhibition is dedicated to [[entomology]] and displays many insects.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://museodistorianaturalemilano.it/esposizioni-permanenti/zoologia-animali |title=Invertebrati  |publisher=Museo di Storia Naturale di Milano |access-date=2 January 2024}}</ref>
== Vertebrate zoology section ==
[[File:Cranio di elefante africano - African elephant - Museo civico di storia naturale (Milan).JPG|thumb|[[African bush elephant]] cranium]]
On the second floor of the building is the [[vertebrate zoology]] section. It displays many [[taxidermied]] animals from both Europe and abroad, and many animal skeletons including that of a [[sperm whale]] that measures approximately twelve metres in length. There are also many full-scale [[dioramas]] with mounted specimens displayed in realistic settings.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://museodistorianaturalemilano.it/esposizioni-permanenti/animali-vertebrati1 |title=Animali vertebrati |publisher=Museo di Storia Naturale di Milano |access-date=2 January 2024}}</ref>
The collection is notable for about 30 primary [[Holotype|types]] of [[Reptile|reptiles]],<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Uetz |first=Peter |last2=Cherikh |first2=Sami |last3=Shea |first3=Glenn |last4=Ineich |first4=Ivan |last5=Campbell |first5=Patrick D. |last6=Doronin |first6=Igor V. |last7=Rosado |first7=José |last8=Wynn |first8=Addison |last9=Tighe |first9=Kenneth A. |last10=Mcdiarmid |first10=Roy |last11=Lee |first11=Justin L. |last12=Köhler |first12=Gunther |last13=Ellis |first13=Ryan |last14=Doughty |first14=Paul |last15=Raxworthy |first15=Christopher J. |date=2019-11-12 |title=A global catalog of primary reptile type specimens |url=https://www.biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.4695.5.2 |journal=Zootaxa |volume=4695 |issue=5 |pages=438–450 |doi=10.11646/zootaxa.4695.5.2 |issn=1175-5334|hdl=10141/622594 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> many of which have been described by the museum's first director, [[Giorgio Jan]], who is also one of the most prolific herpetologists of all time with about 100 reptile species described.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Uetz |first=Peter |last2=Stylianou |first2=Alexandrea |date=2018-01-24 |title=The original descriptions of reptiles and their subspecies |url=https://biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.4375.2.5 |journal=Zootaxa |volume=4375 |issue=2 |pages=257 |doi=10.11646/zootaxa.4375.2.5 |issn=1175-5334|doi-access=free }}</ref>
== Directors ==
[[File:Statue of Antonio Stoppani, Natural History Museum, Milan.jpg|thumb|upright=0.6|Statue of Antonio Stoppani, third director of the Natural History Museum, Milan]]
* 1838–1866 [[Giorgio Jan]]
* 1866–1882 [[Emilio Cornalia]]
* 1882–1891 [[Antonio Stoppani]]
* 1892–1911 {{ill|Tito Vignoli|it}}
* 1911–1927 {{ill|Ettore Artini|it}}
* 1928–1951 [[Bruno Parisi]]
* 1951–1964 [[Edgardo Moltoni]]
* 1964–1981 Cesare Conci
* 1981–1994 Giovanni Pinna
* 1994–2001 {{ill|Luigi Cagnolaro|it}}
* 2001–2010 Enrico Banfi
* 2010–2012 {{ill|Mauro Mariani|it}}
* since 2012 Domenico Piraina
== Gallery ==
<gallery mode=packed>
File:Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Milano - Il ragazzo di nariokotome.JPG|[[Turkana Boy]] (''[[Homo ergaster]]'')
file:Cranio dell'uomo di cro-magnon - quaternario (Francia) - Museo di Storia Naturale di Milano.JPG|A [[Cro-Magnon]] skull from France
File:Museo di storia naturale milano 01.JPG|[[Palaeoloxodon falconeri|Pygmy elephant]] skeletons
File:Museo di scienza naturale milano - eryops megacephalus.JPG|[[Eryops|Eryops megacephalus]]
File:Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Milano - scipionyx samniticus.JPG|[[Scipionyx|''Scipionyx samniticus'']]
File:Tirannosauro milano4.JPG|A ''[[Tyrannosaurus rex]]''
File:DSC01699 Gliptodonte - Quaternario - Museo di storia naturale, Milano - Foto di G. Dall'Orto - 20-12-2006.jpg|A ''[[Glyptodon]]''
File:Scheletro di capodoglio - Museo civico di storia naturale di Milano.JPG|[[Sperm whale]] skeleton.
File:Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Milano - Granchio gigante del giappone.JPG|[[Japanese spider crab]]s
File:DSC01675 Diorama orso Groenlandia, Milano - Foto di G. Dall'Orto - 20-12-2006.jpg|Mounted [[polar bear]]s in a diorama
</gallery>
== See also ==
* [[Giuseppe De Cristoforis]]
* [[List of museums in Milan]]
* [[List of natural history museums|List of natural history museums in the World]]
== References ==
{{reflist}}
== External links ==
* [https://museodistorianaturalemilano.it/ Official website of the museum] {{in lang|it}}
*{{Commons category-inline|Museo civico di storia naturale (Milan)}}
{{Portal bar|Contents/Natural and physical sciences|History}}
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{{Milan landmarks}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Museo Civico Di Storia Naturale Di Milan}}
[[Category:Natural history museums in Italy]]
[[Category:Fossil museums]]
[[Category:Anthropology museums]]
[[Category:Museums in Milan]]
[[Category:Paleontology in Italy]]
[[Category:1838 establishments in the Austrian Empire]]
[[Category:Museums established in 1838]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Milan]]