Museum of Natural History of Alpago

The Museum of Natural History, conceived 25 years ago by Ivan Fossa, passionate naturalist from Puos d'Alpago, is located in the former elementary school of Chies d'Alpago. It has been open to the public since 2002 and it is owned by the Mountain Community of Alpago (Comunità Montana dell'Alpago).

The museum hosts rich collections in all sections of natural science related to the Province of Belluno. Of remarkable interest, among these, are the dioramas, the abundant collections of mushrooms (fungi) and wood in section (xylotheque) and, among the exhibited finds, a mandible of Odontocetus (toothed whale, a cetacean similar to dolphins, which once populated the ancient sea of Alpago) and the well-known Sampierolo, an endemic fish of Lake Santa Croce.

It also contains a large section of vertebrate zoology (where all faunal groups in the province of Belluno are well represented and stored); collections of insects, spiders, butterflies and molluscs; materials that testify the geological history of the Alpago area and the Dolomites. Large areas are reserved for archaeology, palaeontology and human anatomy.

Opening hours:

Open Saturdays and Sundays