Minerals,
fossils, botanical and ethnographical collections
related also the Paleo-Veneto.
At the end of September 2003 the reopening of
the Dinosaur's Room and of a new Aquarium, the
biggest in the Veneto region.
Open on Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 4pm.
Built in the 13th century, the Fontego dei
Turchi is one of the most interesting palaces
on the Grand Canal.
Purchased in 1381 by the Duke of Ferrara, it
was used from 1641 as a warehouse by Turkish
merchants trading in the lagoon. Gradually falling
into a state of disrepair as commerce declined,
it was restored to its former splendour thanks
to the interest of the poet and art critic John
Ruskin, at the beginning of the 19th century.
The rooms on the second floor house the Museum
of Natural History (temporarily closed for restoration)
with an interesting collection regarding the
lagoon’s fauna and flora.
The collection of shells and fossils is curious
as are the herbs and ornithological and ichthyologic
collections
