Calci | Natural History Museum

The Natural History Museum of the University of Pisa is hosted in the premises of the Certosa di Calci. Founded at the end of the 16th century, it boasts some of the oldest collections in the world and offers the opportunity to admire fossils, minerals, skeletons and naturalised animals.

Don’t miss the marvellous Cetacean Gallery, the most important in Italy, set up in the loggia of the Carthusian Monastery with a beautiful view over the Monte Pisano: a spectacular collection of skeletons of present-day cetaceans, as well as fossils of species that lived millions of years ago and life-size models of dolphins and whales. Among the specimens housed in the gallery is the blue whale, the largest animal ever to have existed. From its belly it greets Pinocchio, designed for children.

The Mammal Gallery is also remarkable: with around 300 specimens on display, it houses specimens from both the Museum’s historical collection and recent acquisitions, mainly from the Barbero collection.

The largest freshwater Aquarium in Italy, houses 36 tanks with over 100 species swimming in 60,000 litres of water, offering an overview of freshwater biodiversity in the world.

The permanent exhibitions are periodically flanked by temporary exhibitions.