Malakos Malacological Museum of Città di Castello

Malakos Malacological Museum of Città di Castello

From the Pacific to the Indian Ocean, from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean: Malakos,with about 600,000 catalogued specimens, is the most extensive private collection of shells in Europe. 

 

The collection, displayed in Villa Cappelletti in Città di Castello, is a real exploratory journey through the shells of the seven seas.

The museum is the result of years of work of the biologist Gianluigi Bini, Florentine by birth but of Città di Castello by adoption, who collected and studied about 15,000 different species, from every corner of the planet.

The biology section introduces us to the world of molluscs with their incredible curiosities, while the Paleontology Hall helps us to understand how the Earth was formed, introducing some invertebrates of the distant past.

In the bio-geographical halls, each showcase reconstructs the fauna and life habits of each sea, and more: it is possible to discover unusual environments such as dangerous mangroves and areas in the furthest depths of the ocean, and get to know nice land snails of decidedly extra-large size and marine predators with deadly venom.

Malakos also hosts the reconstruction of a barrier reef, made up of materials coming from seizures by the State Forestry Corps, with species most visitors have never seen before.

Opening hours:

Malakos is open Tuesday to Saturday from 14:30 to 17:30. In the mornings it is only open by prior arrangement from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. On Sundays from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Opening hours may vary depending on the season. Please check the museum website.

The Museum is closed on Mondays, 25 December and 1 January.

For reservations and information, please contact the secretary's office at 349.5823613 or 075.8552119.

In addition to guided tours, it is possible to book numerous workshops for schools and families.

For further information: 

http://www.malakos.it/ 

 

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