Museo di Storia Naturale della Maremma
Stand in front of a selenite crystal nearly two metres tall and you get an immediate sense of what this museum is about: the Maremma at its most elemental. Housed in a former municipal kindergarten on Strada Corsini, the Museum of Natural History of Maremma spreads across three floors and twelve rooms, moving from volcanic geology to coastal wildlife to the deep, specific prehistory of this corner of Tuscany.
The centrepiece that stops most visitors is a life-size reconstruction of Oreopithecus bambolii — a primate whose fossils were pulled from the earth at Baccinello in 1958 — displayed alongside tools and artefacts from the Maremma's prehistoric communities. Nearby, a darkened interactive case lets you watch fluorescent minerals shift colour under ultraviolet light.
💛 What travellers fall for
People who come back tend to head straight for the reconstructed submerged cave of Argentarola Island, which rewards a second look once you know the geology. The ground-floor library is worth noting if you read Italian — it holds the only scientific periodicals collection in the province, and the catalogue is searchable online before you arrive.
The story behind Museo di Storia Naturale della Maremma
The story starts in 1961, when the Municipality of Grosseto gave naturalist Giuseppe Guerrini and his Maremma Speleological and Naturalist Society a building to house their growing collections. A decade later, in 1971, the Civic Museum of Natural History officially opened. From 1981 it occupied a small space on Via Mazzini before the collections outgrew it.
The museum eventually moved into a restored former kindergarten — the old 'Vittorio Emanuele' building on Strada Corsini — but sat closed to the public for an extended stretch before reopening on 14 November 2009 under its current name. The ceremony was preceded by a lecture from science communicator Piero Angela. Guerrini had led the institution until 1997; it is now directed by Andrea Sforzi under Fondazione Grosseto Cultura.
Good to know
The museum sits at the southeastern edge of Piazza della Palma, a short walk inside the Medicean walls from the Mura Medicee. Closed Mondays year-round. Saturday afternoons and Sundays run on afternoon-only hours in winter, so check the seasonal timetable before you go. Admission is €5; children under six enter free.
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What travellers say about Museo di Storia Naturale della Maremma
Pleasant place to visit. Takes about one hour. Reasonably good English signage. Buttons to hear the songs of various birds are an interesting feature. Inexpensive.
Very nice museum with good exhibition. It is not a big museum, but you dont pay a lot for the entry. I liked the sounds of the birds and animals especially.
I must note that the passion they put into setting up the exposition really stands out It is definitely worth a tour, both kids and adults will love it
Did not even manage to update their opening hours. Lousy customer service.
It's a museum. Of nature. Nothing outstanding, but good alright. It looks like they have changed the exhibits and their presentation quite a bit, though. Some things I remember from before are gone.
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