MUST is born: Italy's first Museum of Natural History. Watch the video!
2024-11-13 08:00 - 2025-06-30 17:00 (Europe/Rome) | Museo di Storiografia Naturalistica, via Università 12, Parma, 43121
Italy’s first Museum of Natural History is being set up at the University of Parma: MUST.
A museum that is accessible to all, with special attention to those with sensory and mobility difficulties, and which aims to be a great natural history tale along the timeline. Work is ongoing and the opening is scheduled for June 2025.
On Tuesday 12 November, in the Aula Magna of the University, the presentation of the project was held, with speeches by the Rector Paolo Martelli, the Delegate for Museum Activities Donato Antonio Grasso, the Head of the Area for Relations with Society Riccardo Marini, the Scientific Director of MUST Davide Persico, the expert in exhibition valorisation Maria Amarante and Sandrino Luigi Marra, in charge of the MUST’s soft decolonisation process. Deputy Pro-rector Fabrizio Storti also spoke at the meeting.
Thanks to a PNRR grant from the Ministry of Culture, a process of complete renovation and rethinking of the University’s Natural History Museum has begun: at the end of this process, the MUST will be created.
In the Museum of Natural History, located in the University’s main building since the end of the 18th century, the accessibility of the museum’s holdings was limited by the spatial dispersion of the collections and laboratories over several buildings and several vertical levels, which particularly penalised visitors with mobility impairments. The new project will make it possible to create a museum organised to be accessible to all and sundry, with collections also set up to disseminate the principles of biodiversity, environmental protection and cultural exchange The project is also intended to be a driving force for the museum collections to intersect with debates on sustainability and the role of the scientific community in relation to society.
The collections will be integrated in a single location in the University’s main building, breaking down motor, cognitive and sensory barriers to allow all audiences to visit independently, and also enhancing educational activities. The intervention consists of the creation of an independent, barrier-free access route on two levels: ground floor and first floor. On the ground floor, a layout will be created along the perimeter corridor, where materials representative of the collections previously decentralised in various locations will be relocated. On the first floor, a single entrance will be created, also signalled by a tactile footpath, with stairs and a lift suitable for motor and sensory disabled people. Sensory and cognitive accessibility to the collections will be improved by using new display cases of a height suitable for children and wheelchair users, thus enhancing the quality of the visitor experience for the entire public. Digital explanatory aids will be used.
In MUST, the idea was to describe Natural History through a historiographical chronological path, represented by the personalities who founded and contributed to the growth and evolution of the Museum. From Father Fourcault, who will welcome visitors by recounting the time when he started a small collection of natural history exhibits in 1768, to Duchess Maria Luigia of Austria, who between 1816 and 1847 did her utmost to increase the collections and who will tell visitors about her love of the natural world: what enabled the original nucleus to be enriched with important exhibits, considered extremely rare and fascinating at the time, such as an ostrich specimen, a kangaroo, a narwhal tooth, birds of paradise and the precious San Donnino meteorite (Fidenza, 1808). Other guides of the museum will be other of its ‘fathers’: from Pellegrino Strobel to Alberto Del Prato and Angelo Andres.
At the opening of the tour, there will be a re-enactment of the wunderkammer, an exhibition hall ‘of wonders’ whose purpose was to stimulate the amazement of those who crossed its threshold: artefacts and objects of all kinds, heterogeneous and spectacular, will occupy all the surfaces of the hall, the inside of the cupboards and the barrel ceiling, just as happened in the Scholars’ Palaces from the 16th century onwards. And in closing there will be a new, modern wunderkammer: a cubic room that will welcome visitors in an astonishing immersive vision of a thousand colours, in the splendid collection of butterflies and beetles that belonged to Don Boarini and was acquired by the Museum in the 1990s.
There will be a section of human anatomy, with a room dedicated to the work of anatomist Lorenzo Tenchini and his wax masks made on commission by Cesare Lombroso, a room of comparative anatomy, an ethnographic section, and much more, in a tour that promises to be truly a journey of wonders.
The layout will be totally revolutionised compared to the Natural History Museum, and will be aimed at enhancing the heritage in a totally immersive approach.
Follow the presentation

"Intorno ai ’70: ideologie, progetti, linguaggi nelle collezioni CSAC":The exhibition at Palazzo Pigorini
2025-03-01 11:00 - 2025-05-04 18:30 | Palazzo Pigorini, Strada della Repubblica 29/A, Parma, 43121
It is a sort of ‘dissertation through images’ on the 1970s, the second exhibition of the triptych envisaged by the collaboration betweeCSAC – Centro Studi e Archivio della Comunicazione of the Parma Univertity and the Municipality of Parma – Assessorato alla Cultura. After the exhibition “Visioni (im)possibili” of 2024, which focused on the 1960s seen ‘from a Bauhaus point of view’, here we are with “Intorno ai ’70″, a journey through ideologies, projects and languages from the CSAC collections, which anticipates the final stage of the journey, a survey of the 1980s that will be staged in 2026.

Intorno ai ’70: ideologie, progetti, linguaggi nelle collezioni CSAC will be open on the first floor of Palazzo Pigorini from 1 March to 4 May.
Curated by CSAC Director Cristina Casero, lecturer in History of Contemporary Art at the University of Parma, and by CSAC, in collaboration with the City of Parma, it offers an in-depth look at a decade in which artists, photographers, stylists, designers and planners intercepted the tensions and social upheavals and in a broader cultural sense, that erupted during 1968 and interpreted the utopias that swept through civil society, often also giving voice to the increasingly widespread discontent in Italian society, caught between modernity and problems that, never dormant, are now overbearingly exploding.
These are years in which many certainties are being questioned, starting with some of the more traditional institutions. In this climate, those professionally involved in visual communication, art and design, are questioning their own role.
In a society that commodifies even the artistic act, the desire is to stimulate critical thought and reflection, interpreting the innovative season that the country is going through, and to renew languages in function of a more direct relationship with the public.
In the halls of Palazzo Pigorini, the works of artists, designers, photographers, illustrators and stylists dialogue with each other, giving visitors a mosaic rich in suggestions and food for thought and highlighting the plurality of visual languages that permeated Italy in the 1970s. From the photographs of Mario Cresci and the Publifoto Roma agency to the sketches of Walter Albini, Giorgio Armani, Brunetta and Krizia, from the design icons of Achille Castiglioni, Alessandro Mendini, Roberto Menghi, Alberto Rosselli and Ettore Sottsass Jr. to the satire of Alfredo Chiappori and Felis to the works of Enrico Baj, Emilio Isgrò, Ugo La Pietra, Mimmo Rotella, Mario Schifano and Emilio Vedova.
In autumn, a second exhibition dedicated to the 1970s will be set up at the Valserena Abbey, CSAC’s headquarters, with the aim of further exploring the themes investigated in the exhibition at Palazzo Pigorini.
INFO
Intorno ai 70: ideologie, progetti e linguaggi nelle collezioni CSAC
curated by Cristina Casero and CSAC – Centro Studi e Archivio della Comunicazione of the University of Parma
in collaboration with the Municipality of Parma
Palazzo Pigorini, Strada della Repubblica 29/A, 43121 Parma, first floor
Exhibition opening: 1 March – 4 May 2025
Opening hours: Wednesday – Sunday and public holidays 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. (last admission to the exhibition 6.30 p.m.). Open 20 and 21 April (Easter and Easter Monday), 25 April, 1 May.
Free admission
pigorini@comune.parma.it
www.comune.parma.it/cultura
THE THREE-YEAR COLLABORATION PROJECT
“Intorno ai ’70: ideologie, progetti, linguaggi nelle collezioni CSAC” is the second act of a three-year collaboration project between CSAC and the Municipality of Parma: in the three-year period 2024-2026 the project envisages six exhibition events, three in the CSAC premises at the Abbazia di Valserena and three in an exhibition space of the Municipality, to propose a reflection on recent history. The exhibitions have as their generating element the works and documents selected from the CSAC collections and aim to shed light not only on the major themes of the cultural debate of the identified period, but also on social and political dynamics, the transformations of the languages of communication and the complex and biunivocal relations between art and industry, design and mass culture, document and narration.

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Until 13 June ILIADE#1 CAVALLI by Lenz Foundation at the Veterinary Collection
2025-06-05 00:00 - 2025-06-13 23:59 | Museo Anatomico Veterinario “A. Lemoigne”, Via del Taglio, 10, Parma, 43126, Italia
From Thursday 5 June at 21. 00, in replication until 13 June, the spaces of the Veterinary Anatomy Collection of the University of Parma (via del Taglio 8) will host the debut of ILIADE#1 CAVALLI, the new site-specific performative composition by Maria Federica Maestri and Francesco Pititto, the first chapter of the anatomical/dramaturgical work on Homer’s Iliad and the central nucleus of the Atlas on Violence, the artistic project that over the next three years will engage Lenz Fondazione in a reflection on the structures that define the suffering of the human and non-human animal in an analysis of impiety, the destructive act, the hero and war.
Performed by Tiziana Cappella, Aldo Rendina, Sandra Soncini, Carlotta Spaggiari, with music by Andrea Azzali, the site-specific composition will be articulated in three different spaces of the museum, whose origins date back to 1845, together with the birth of the Veterinary School, in which 694 anatomical, normal and teratological preparations produced in the 19th and 20th centuries are preserved.
The artistic direction communicates that no harm was done to animals in the realisation of the performance, and the work aesthetically expresses the desire to restore dignity to all living things.
The creation was realised with the support and collaboration of the University of Parma – Department of Humanities, Social Sciences and Cultural Enterprises; Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences; University Museum System; MuDes Museo Diffuso delle Scienze – ‘Alessio Lemoigne’ Collection of Veterinary Anatomy of the Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences.
The project Atlas on Violence_Anatomies of the Landscape is supported by: Ministry of Culture, Emilia-Romagna Region, Municipality of Parma, Ausl di Parma, Cariparma Foundation, Chiesi Farmaceutici.
Notice to the public:
Some scenes of the performance may have a strong emotional impact and may shock the sensitivity of the spectator. The performance is itinerant on several floors. A lift will be available for people with mobility difficulties. Due to the limited number of seats, booking is compulsory.

ILIADE#1 CAVALLI
Dramaturgy, imagoturgy Francesco Pititto
Composition, installation, enclosures Maria Federica Maestri
Performers Tiziana Cappella, Sandra Soncini, Carlotta Spaggiari, Aldo Rendina
Music Andrea Azzali
Project care Elena Sorbi
Organisation Ilaria Stocchi
Lighting design Alice Scartapacchio
Production Giulia Mangini
Graphic design and dissemination Alessandro Conti
Communication and press office Giovanna Pavesi
For information on performances and bookings, contact Lenz Fondazione on 0521-270141 and 335 6096220 (also via WhatsApp) and info@lenzfondazione.it
press release Lenz Fondazione

Botanical Garden: second phase of restyling
2025-06-27 08:00 - 2025-12-15 17:00 | Orto Botanico, via Farini 90, Parma, 43121, Italia
The first renovation site of the Botanical Garden of the University of Parma, relating to works financed under the PNRR investment line “Programmi per valorizzare l’identità dei luoghi: parchi e giardini storici”, supported by the European Union – NextGenerationEU.

The work, in fact a first part of a larger restyling of the garden in Via Farini, involved the conservative restoration of internal pathways, fountains, stone flower beds and the gate and access staircase from Viale Martiri della Libertà, restored to its original colours. A lighting and irrigation system was also installed for all 11,000 square metres of the garden, with a recovery of the water used to feed the fountains.
The most important operation involved the construction of a new exhibition greenhouse to be dedicated to succulent plants, built according to the specific ecological requirements of high-altitude Cactaceae. The decision to create a small rock garden and a large dry garden, as well as the refurbishment of the wetlands, followed one of the most important guidelines for the future management of the Garden: to represent a sort of “urban embassy” of the most relevant and sensitive habitats in the area, in synergy with the framework agreement that the University has recently signed with the Ente Parchi del Ducato.

The work also laid the foundations for the complete redevelopment of the offer in terms of communication, education and accessibility, with the creation of new visitor routes based on the balance between the multimedia component and direct experience, increasing the dimension of the visual, olfactory, sound and tactile landscape. Finally, more historic trees were secured through modern arboricultural approaches aimed at prolonging their life, to be illustrated to the public as a correct management model for the urban tree component.
The closure of the PNRR funding activities now allows the start of a new phase in the parallel building renovation project involving the Botanical Garden’s historical buildings, including the Ferdinandee Greenhouses and the School of Botany. This second line of action, which has benefited from a fundamental impulse and active collaboration from “Parma, io ci sto!”, is co-financed by the University of Parma, the Ministry of University and Research, the Cariparma Foundation and the Chiesi Group.
The restoration project, developed in its executive phase by the companies Mazzei Architects srl, Faccio Engineering srl and SC Engineering srl starting with the final design by arch. Guido Canali, focuses on a conservative approach, aimed at preserving the historical and botanical structures while enhancing the existing spaces.

The intervention aims to guarantee maximum flexibility of use, which in the case of the 18th century Serre Ferdinandee will translate into the reconstruction of the roof and systems, the restoration of the historical glass windows and the recovery of the interior spaces, to be used mainly for the conservation of plants but also for educational and exhibition activities, maintaining flexibility for future changes. The greenhouse forecourt is preserved, preserving the existing vegetation, restoring the greenhouses, the characteristic balustrade and the warm beds intended for winter sheltering of the Parma Violet.

A new elevated walkway will be built, with a pergola to house new plant collections on the north side of the Ferdinandee greenhouses. The west end, a building erected in the 1960s next to the greenhouses themselves, will be rebuilt in a new contemporary look to house reception, cafeteria and bookshop activities. The structure will be characterised by green walls, which will also be placed along the eastern portion of the Serre Ferdinandee to screen the service rooms; the choice of the plants to be used, climbing and others, is the result of joint work between the Botanical Garden staff and the agronomist landscape architect Annachiara Vendramin.
The School of Botany, originally built in 1859, will instead undergo conservative restoration and consolidation; it will be refurbished to house a small botanical museum on the ground floor, dedicated to the collections of herbals, books, prints and other botanical objects belonging to the University of Parma and other institutions, in continuity with the cultural and popular line already set out in 2024 with the “Impronte – Noi e le Piante” exhibition. The upper floor will instead house the archive of herbaria and the rest of the historical book collections, allowing them to be consulted, which is currently precluded.
Finally, a technical room will be created in a portion of the basement of the Via Farini building for the district heating exchanger. The connection to the city grid replaces the construction of the originally planned geothermal plant, guaranteeing a significant reduction in interference with the existing vegetation, which is subject to protection.

The entire project is the result of the joint work of several competences present in the University, in total synergy with the lines that are inspiring the refurbishment of the Museum of Natural History. In both museum structures of the University of Parma, the intention is to express the depth of the relationship between people and nature in an integrated and user-centred key, amalgamating in a single voice botanical, zoological, naturalistic, landscape, cultural, historical, aesthetic and social aspects that are often illustrated and experienced separately. Once this intervention has been completed, the Botanical Garden will become a place of dialogue and aggregation, capable of hosting events and educational courses to raise awareness of environmental, cultural and scientific issues among the population.

The ultimate objective is to adapt the structure to the contemporary dynamics of scientific popularisation without losing its fundamental historical roots or botanical identity: from places for the mere conservation and exhibition of local and exotic plant species to platforms for communicating and discussing major issues with society, in a reciprocal growth, also through the dissemination of correct environmental education, seeking to attract audiences on both a local and national scale.

The MIPAM network is born, with the University of Parma among its founding members
2025-07-14 08:00 - 2025-12-30 17:00
MIPAM – Musei Italiani con Patrimonio dal Mondo (Italian Museums with World Heritage) is officially launched. This national network brings together Italian museums, including the museum system of the University of Parma, committed to the conservation and enhancement of collections from around the world, with the aim of promoting dialogue, sharing best practices and transparency in the management and care of this heritage.
On 10 June, the final meeting to establish the network was held at the Stibbert Museum in Florence. The network was created after four preparatory meetings held between 2023 and 2025 in Milan, Parma, Turin and Florence, involving institutions from all over Italy. The new network aims to be a point of reference for directors, curators, conservators and archivists from state, municipal, university, missionary and private institutions.
Italy is home to a huge number of non-European works and artefacts, which have been arriving in the country since the 15th century. Many of these collections are housed in little-known institutions with limited resources, which today, thanks to MIPAM, can count on a network of specialists and inter-museum collaborations.
The network includes institutions that are very different from each other in terms of their institutional, historical and collection-related characteristics. In some cases, they operate outside traditional museum circuits, but together they share the mission of promoting research, increasing accessibility and supporting the enhancement of non-European heritage and its complex cultural contexts of reference and origin.
These different institutions now have a stable reference point for developing collaborative projects, strengthening dialogue between the national and international spheres, sharing common problems and comparing their respective best practices.
MIPAM will organise regular meetings and propose joint projects such as exhibitions, publications, training activities and public programmes that promote shared tangible and intangible heritage.
MIPAM brings with it a new awareness: that of a more connected, informed Italian museum sector that is ready to face contemporary challenges related to history, ethics and the preservation of global cultural heritage.
The network, whose foundation was promoted by MUDEC, is always open to new members.
Founding Museums:
CAM Cultures and Mission, Polo culturale dei Missionari della Consolata – Torino
Castello D’Albertis Museo delle Culture del Mondo – Genova
Centro di Ateneo per i Musei Università degli Studi di Padova
Fondazione MIC Museo Internazionale delle Ceramiche in Faenza – Onlus
Gallerie degli Uffizi, Firenze
MUCIV – Museo delle Civiltà, Roma
MUDEC – Museo delle Culture, Milano
Musei Civici di Reggio Emilia
Museo Civico di Modena
Museo Civico di Scienze Naturali “Enrico Caffi” – Bergamo
Museo Civico – Tortona (Alessandria)
Museo Civico Etnografico “Giovanni Podenzana” – La Spezia
Museo d’Arte Cinese ed Etnografico dei Missionari Saveriani – Parma
MAO Museo d’Arte Orientale (Fondazione Torino Musei) – Torino
Museo d’Arte Orientale, Venezia
Museo d’Arte Orientale – Collezione Mazzocchi – Coccaglio (Brescia)
Museo d’Arte Orientale “Edoardo Chiossone” – Genova
Museo di Antropologia ed Etnografia dell’Università degli Studi di Torino
Museo Egizio – Torino
Museo Etno-Archeologico Castiglioni – Varese
Museo Etnologico Missionario di Colle Don Bosco – Castelnuovo Don Bosco (Asti)
Museo Popoli e Culture PIME – Milano
Museo Stibbert – Firenze
Palazzo dei Musei – Varallo (Vercelli)
Palazzo Madama – Museo Civico d’Arte Antica (Fondazione Torino Musei) – Torino
Sistema Museale di Ateneo, Università di Parma
The board of directors is composed of: Marina Pugliese (director of MUDEC – Museum of Cultures, Milan), Davide Quadrio (director of MAO Museum of Oriental Art, Turin), Andrea Viliani (director of MUCIV – Museum of Civilisation, Rome), Enrico Colle (director of the Stibbert Museum, Florence), Fr. Enzo Oliviero Verzeletti (Director of the Museum of Chinese Art and Ethnography of the Saveriani Missionaries, Parma).

Collections and Museums: Summer Closures
2025-07-15 08:00 - 2025-09-02 22:30
During the summer break, the Collections will observe a few days of closure:
Crystallochemistry Collection: from 1 to 29 August. Regular reopening from 2 September.
Mineralogy Collection: from 4 to 25 August. Regular reopening from 26 August.
Palaeontology Collection: from 1 to 31 August. Regular reopening from 2 September.
L. Tenchini Biomedicine Collection: closed due to relocation.
Normal Veterinary Anatomy Collection: from 21 July to 22 August. Regular reopening from 25 August.
Macedonio Melloni Physics Collection: from 9 to 24 August. Regular reopening from 25 August.
Mathematics and Computer Science Collection: from 9 to 24 August. Regular reopening from 25 August.
CSAC (Centro Studi e Archivio della Comunicazione): closed for flooding.
Botanical Garden: closed for restyling.
Museum of Natural History -MUST: closed for restyling.

Veterinary Anatomical Collection: new opening hours in September
2025-09-01 15:00 - 2025-09-30 18:30 | Private: Collezione Anatomico Veterinaria “A. Lemoigne”, Via del Taglio, 10, 43126 Parma, 43126, Italy
The ‘A. Lemoigne’ Veterinary Anatomical Collection extends its opening hours.
In the month of September, the Collection will be open from Monday to Thursday from 3 p.m. to 6.30 p.m.
Information and reservations.

Until 24 October: Giorgio Armani, a tribute by the University of Parma and CSAC
2025-09-22 00:00 - 2025-10-24 23:59 | Chiostro dei Paolotti, Strada Massimo D'Azeglio 85, Parma, Italia
The University of Parma and the CSAC (Centre for Studies and Archives of Communication) pay tribute to Giorgio Armani a few days after his passing.
From 22 September to 24 October, a selection of reproductions from the more than 8,000 drawings, sketches, and other material in the Giorgio Armani Collection, personally donated by the designer to the CSAC in the 1980s, will be on display in the Cloister of the University’s D’Azeglio Complex. The material selected covers the years from 1975 to 1980.
The title of this special initiative is a phrase that the great designer often used with his staff, and which he also repeated in several interviews: If I like it, you must like it too.
The inauguration was held on Monday 22 September, with speeches by Rector Paolo Martelli and Deputy Director of the CSAC Sara Martin.
Among those present was Barbara Lori, Vice-President of the Legislative Assembly of the Emilia-Romagna Region.
The reproductions, displayed in the cloister and accessible to all interested parties during the venue’s opening hours, offer a glimpse into the early stages of Armani’s creative process, highlighting the distinctive features of his style.
The original drawings, created using mixed techniques on paper and cardboard, are often accompanied by notes and fabric samples, and many bear the original stamp of the fashion house. This material is a valuable testimony to Armani’s working method and aesthetic vision.
The tribute celebrates the creative genius of one of the most iconic figures in Italian fashion worldwide. The slender, stylised female figures in the drawings recall the visual culture of the 1930s and the graphic inventions of artists such as Guido Crepax.
The representation of the female figure and the choice of materials express a new attitude, combining freedom of movement, elegance and awareness. Soft lines and flowing fabrics alternate with more structured materials, in a balance of contrasts that characterises the designer’s entire production.
The suit, reinterpreted through the famous unstructured jacket, becomes a symbol of contemporary feminine elegance, while the men’s proposals, far from classic rigidity, inaugurate an innovative vision of fashion, where gender codes intertwine and are redefined.
The inauguration on Monday 22 September was an opportunity to announce an exhibition of Armani’s original sketches, to be held at the University’s headquarters in the coming months.

26 September: Researchers' Night returns. Guided tours of the Collections
2025-09-26
Friday, 26 September marks the return of European Researchers’ Night.
The University Museum System Collections are also participating with numerous initiatives.
Mathematics and Computer Science Collection:
Visit to the ‘Interactive Exhibition on the History of Personal Computers’
for young people aged 15 to 19, adults
Activity by reservation only
Visit to the exhibition ‘Pythagoras and his Theorem’:
for children aged 12-14 and 15-19.
Activity by reservation only.
Crystal Chemistry Collection
Journeys into the nano-world of crystals: acrobatic geometries and splendid architectures
For everyone
The collection is a journey into the nano-world of crystals, where acrobatic geometries and splendid architectures are revealed.
“A. Lemoigne” Veterinary Normal Anatomy Collection
Guided tour of the “A. Lemoigne” Veterinary Anatomy Collection
For everyone
Activity by reservation only.
Reservations for events requiring registration for European Researchers’ Night are open until 24 September.
Promoted in the city by the University of Parma, co-organised and sponsored by the Municipality of Parma and Imem – Cnr, the European Researchers’ Night is the most important European event for scientific communication. This year it is scheduled for Friday 26 September.
The University will offer a wide range of events on that day: scientific games, workshops, experiments, demonstrations, guided tours, exhibitions and much more, for a broad and diverse audience aged 3 and above. The activities will take place from 5pm to 11pm at the Science and Technology Campus (with the usual evening Science Party) and from 3pm to 7pm at the Veterinary Campus in Via del Taglio.
Almost all activities are free to attend, but some require booking: this can only be done online until 24 September via the event’s official website.
Detailed information is published on the official website.
This year, the Parma event is once again part of the LEAF project, coordinated nationally by Frascati Scienza, with the participation of numerous Italian universities and research institutions. LEAF, which stands for “heaL thE plAnet’s Future”, is funded by the European Commission.
For further information, please write to comunicarelaricerca@unipr.it or follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

𝐌𝐔𝐒𝐓 - 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐨 𝐝𝐢 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐢𝐚 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚: i microtalk per le scuole
2025-10-20 08:00 - 17:00
𝐌𝐔𝐒𝐓 – 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐨 𝐝𝐢 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐢𝐚 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚
📅 Venerdì 31 ottobre
🕥 ore 9-13
Mattinata dedicata alle scuole con un fitto calendario di attività educative pensate per studenti di ogni ordine e grado.
L’accesso è consentito solo su prenotazione.
👨‍👩‍👧 un museo attento a visitatori e visitatrici di ogni età
📍 Sede centrale dell’Università di Parma, via Università 12 – Parma
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MUST, Italy's first Museum of Natural Historiography, opens its doors
2025-10-30 08:00 - 2025-12-30 20:00 | Main building, via Università 12, Parma, 43121, Italia
The MUST, the Museum of Natural Historiography of the University of Parma (Via Università, 12), has been inaugurated. Modern, immersive, sensory and inclusive: strongly desired by the University and financed by the PNRR of the Ministry of Culture, the new exhibition is the result of the redevelopment of the University’s Natural Historiography Museum – now housed in a single, fully accessible location – and is unprecedented in Italy, as the entire collection has been expanded and rearranged into a grand naturalistic narrative that, following a timeline, chronologically reveals its scientific, technological, historical and aesthetic development through the lives and collections of its protagonists. It is not a revolution, therefore, but a true evolution, since the exhibition is completely immersed in its historical context and, through evocative displays, shows how the vision of nature and, with it, the concept of exhibition design has changed over the centuries, from the first private collections to the museum as a public institution.
‘What we are proposing with MUST,’ explains Paolo Martelli, Rector of the University of Parma, “is not just a renovated museum but a new one: characterised by a new vision, a new approach, a new organisation of materials and a new underlying spirit. An inclusive, accessible, immersive space, not only for contemplation but also for interaction, not static but dynamic: a living space that aims to be a 360-degree cultural hub and an important point of reference for the city, the region and beyond. We strongly believe in this, not least because this museum is part of the city’s heritage and houses an extremely valuable cultural corpus: with this intervention, we have sought to enhance it to the fullest.
‘Rethinking the Natural History Museum was a fascinating challenge,’ says Davide Persico, Scientific Director of MUST. “The analysis of the collections and the continuous dialogue with the concept of time led us to favour a historiographical approach, capable of highlighting the protagonists who founded and transformed the museum. This vision gave rise to the Museum of Natural Historiography, a unique institution in Italy and abroad. The exhibition recounts the lives of the figures who have marked its history, the transformation of scientific knowledge throughout different eras and the evolution of natural history museums from their origins to the present day. The result is an innovative project that combines memory, research and dissemination, becoming a real feather in the cap for the University and a new cultural and educational destination for the city of Parma.”
The inauguration will take place on Thursday, 30 October. The first stop is in the Aula Magna, with speeches by Rector Paolo Martelli, Delegate for Museum Activities Donato A. Grasso, Scientific Director of MUST Davide Persico, and architect Maria Amarante, who curated the exhibition, followed by a lecture entitled “Uomini da quando? (Humans since when?)” by Guido Barbujani, geneticist and professor at the University of Ferrara. This was followed by the ribbon cutting and the inaugural guided tour.
Here is the programme for the coming days
31st October. This is an “educational day” dedicated to scientific dissemination and discovery at MUST, with a packed schedule of activities designed for students of all levels, but also open to the general public: meetings, conferences and guided tours taking place in the university classrooms and museum exhibition spaces, covering naturalistic, historical and museum-related topics.
1st November. The doors of MUST will open to the public with a day of free admission and guided tours available upon reservation: an opportunity to explore the collections and learn about the history, science and curiosities they contain.
The Museum of Natural Historiography
Contemplation, interaction, immersion and, above all, inclusion. These are the key principles that led to the creation of MUST, a lively space entirely geared towards visitors, capable of evoking the past as the cornerstone for the creation of the museum of the future. The term Naturalistic Historiography – most likely used for the first time – emphasises how, through a journey through time, it is possible to recount the protagonists, their work and their vision of Natural History in different eras. Thus, the intertwining stories of the figures who founded and contributed to the growth of the former Natural History Museum of the University of Parma, from the second half of the 18th century to the present day, and their collections are recontextualised and enhanced by a chronological, historiographical and sensory journey of great impact and modernity, in step with the evolution of knowledge and modern sensibilities. In a unique location at the University’s headquarters (the previous museum was fragmented into two locations), MUST also serves as a new space for scientific, anthropological and other types of research, with a focus on disseminating the principles of biodiversity, environmental protection and cultural exchange, and as a starting point for new intersections between museum collections and debates on sustainability and the role of the scientific community in relation to society.
From a museological point of view, this was made possible by comparing and implementing the different theoretical positions on exhibition design that have emerged in recent years, leading to the isolation and enhancement of three main values at MUST:

contemplation, guaranteed by the exhibition layout. The collection comprises around 6,000 items on display, many of which were previously inaccessible but have now been restored to their former glory and given new importance and prestige through their enhanced positioning;
Interaction, based on the presentation of concepts (display of knowledge, scientific approach, performance space, dialogic logic), with the introduction of multimedia elements that create a direct relationship between the visitor and the story being told. In this specific case, these are animated scenes, with the protagonists of the various sections – played by actors in costume – recounting their collections in the first person, but also describing the characteristics of the museum in its own era according to contemporary tastes and sensibilities;
the immersion, which stems from the exhibition of environmental installations, as is the case with the two spectacular wunderkammern, the salon of Maria Luigia of Habsburg and the studies of Pellegrino Strobel and Angelo Andres, capable of guaranteeing visitors a total aesthetic experience, catapulting them into the atmosphere of the time in a fascinating journey through the centuries.

In terms of accessibility, MUST far surpasses the previous museum, removing physical, cognitive and sensory barriers to allow all types of visitors to enjoy a fully independent visit. This has been made possible by creating a barrier-free access route on both levels of the museum building: on the ground floor, the single entrance, marked by a tactile floor path, benefits from a new ramp and lift adapted to the needs of visitors with motor and sensory disabilities; on the first floor, sensory and cognitive accessibility to the collections is guaranteed by the installation of new display cases at a height suitable for children and visitors in wheelchairs, the introduction of tactile maps and detailed audio guides for the visually impaired, and the use of digital explanatory aids that allow the deaf to enjoy videos in Italian Sign Language (LIS).
The stages of wonder
The extraordinary journey of MUST begins on the ground floor of the main building of the University of Parma and takes place on two levels. The collection is revealed to visitors through seven themed display cases dealing with highly topical naturalistic issues – anthropogenic and climatic extinctions; environmental protection and sustainability; museums and biodiversity; CITES and illegal trade; private collecting; geographical expeditions; evolution – which aim to introduce visitors to the more immersive and structured tour of the upper floor. Also on the ground floor is a palaeontology section, with significant and impressive finds, including a dolphin bearing the marks of predation by a great white shark – the only one of its kind in the world – and the extraordinary, almost complete skeleton of an eight-metre whale, both dating from the Pliocene epoch (2.6-5.3 million years ago), fossils from the Po floods and Pleistocene mammals.
On the upper floor, the promise of a primarily sensory journey through the past, present and future is revealed with incontrovertible clarity to visitors, who immediately enter a huge, spectacular purple wunderkammer, the historical ancestor of every natural history museum, created in classic Renaissance style with objects from the University’s various historical collections. Crocodiles, sea turtles, leopards, giant shells, colourful birds, strange deformed creatures, corals, sponges, skeletons, skulls… everything in this environment – where the exhibition space is maximised to occupy every surface of the room, from the walls inside the cabinets to the barrel ceiling – contributes to creating wonder and curiosity.
Proceeding on the left, the wunderkammer offers a digression – access is not mandatory, due to sensitive content – in favour of Lorenzo Tenchini‘s anatomical-clinical collection of wax models dating back to the late 19th century. Tenchini was a highly skilled physician who produced facial masks of criminals following the physiognomic and criminological theories of Cesare Lombroso, to whom he supplied them. At the end of the hall of wonders are the famous glass ampoules with stems by Father Jean Baptiste Fourcault, dated between 1760 and 1770: a collection of taxidermied animals, placed in bottles with necks too narrow to insert them, whose creation has remained a mystery for almost three centuries. It is the friar himself – the first founder of an ornithological cabinet in Parma commissioned by the Bourbons – who tells visitors his story from an animated painting, as does Maria Luigia of Habsburg in the next room, who expertly and elegantly introduces her delightful “period salon”, a room decorated in shades of blue, like a noble house, populated by the enormous quantity of artefacts that characterised her reign and her prolific acquisition work (1816-1847), of which the Egyptian goat, the narwhal tooth and the Borgo San Donnino meteorite, which fell in Fidenza in 1808, are particularly noteworthy. The largest section of the MUST collection dates back to the Louis period: crossing the threshold at the exit of Maria Luigia’s drawing room, visitors enter the ancient gallery of the Natural History Museum, a vast and dense exhibition of artefacts, including a section dedicated to comparative anatomy, which bears witness to a historical moment already characterised by a precise division of the sciences, but also by a display method that still reflects a strong aesthetic component.
The layout of the exhibition underwent a significant change in 1859, the year Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species was published and Professor Pellegrino Strobel arrived in Parma as a lecturer at the University and director of the Natural History Museum. A progressive and visionary figure, Strobel immediately understood Darwin’s evolutionary theories and applied them to the exhibition system of his museum, giving it a completely unexpected modernity. The MUST recounts the stages of this process through the specimens collected and observed by Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace, the zoological illustrations of Ernst Haeckel and the meticulous installation of Strobel’s own study. Turning right in the gallery, the MUST offers a substantial zoological and ethnographic collection – also created under Strobel – which recounts colonialism and ethnography thanks to collections from the Congo belonging to the soldier Emilio Piola and the magistrate Temistocle Ferrante (first room) and the section dedicated to Vittorio Bottego (second room), with a vast taxidermy collection from Eritrea and a documentary film that contextualises Bottego as a military man in the service of science, rather than the heroic explorer of the African continent historically portrayed by Italian regime propaganda.
Leaving this section, visitors return to the main gallery to view the Alberto Del Prato collection, a sort of flashback to the biodiversity of the province of Parma in the second half of the 19th century, with a rich series of vertebrates from the Parma area, some of which are very curious because they are now extinct. The exhibition then reaches its penultimate stage with a reconstruction of the study of Professor and Director Angelo Andres, who in 1925 was the architect of the last museum revolution before the birth of the MUST. a great expert in biology and marine fauna – whose photographs and coral collection can be admired – it is with him, through the canonical animated picture, that visitors take stock of the itinerary they have just completed.
The final act of the journey is a sort of abrupt and dreamlike return to the future, an intelligent circularity. An enormous Kubrickian monolith stands out in front of the visitor, inviting them to enter what is effectively a second wunderkammer, hypermodern and futuristic, where, free of any classification or information, in a riot of colours, there are almost three hundred entomological boxes: this is the collection of local and exotic lepidoptera and beetles created by Don Ezio Boarini and acquired by the Museum in the 1990s, now on display for the first time in all its spectacular entirety.

Large crowds at MUST: record-breaking debut for the University's Museum of Natural Historiography
2025-11-03 08:00 - 2025-12-30 17:00 | Main building, via Università 12, Parma, 43121, Italia
A truly grand debut for MUST, the Museum of Natural Historiography of the University of Parma. After the first two days by reservation only, today’s free admission opening was sold out. Large crowds gathered from the opening at 10 a.m. and remained throughout the day. Visitors greatly appreciated the new museum, which combines historiography and the natural world in a modern, immersive, sensory and inclusive approach: a great naturalistic narrative that follows the timeline through the lives and collections of its protagonists.
MUST is open Tuesday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Sunday, 16 November: second event in the series “Oltre le Opere / Dentro alla Musica” at the CSAC
2025-11-16 - 2025-12-07 | CSAC, Strada Viazza di Paradigna, 1, PARMA, 43022, Italia
Following last Sunday’s event with Museo svelato (The Museum Revealed), the CSAC continues its Oltre le Opere / Dentro alla Musica (Beyond the Works / Inside Music) series with three chamber concerts and narration, a project in which music meets
On Sunday, 16 November, at the Abbey of Valserena, starting at 10:30 a.m., the second event is scheduled, with free admission: Intrecci / ‘Le parole ivi raggrumate’ (The words gathered there), a concert performed by the Quartetto Dedicato, formed by Daniele Ruzza and Camilla Mazzanti on violins, Behrang Rassekhi on viola, and Adan Alejandro Gomez Dominguez on cello, with narration by Faustino Stigliani.
A highly regarded theatre actor and beloved radio voice, Stigliani will give voice to Luigi Magnani, here in the role of scholar of the Conversation Notebooks (the writings Beethoven used to communicate despite his deafness), which he himself commented on in the book Beethoven nei suoi Quaderni di Conversazione (Beethoven in his Conversation Notebooks, 1975). Part of these writings, with Beethoven’s reflections, will be read by Stigliani, particularly those relating to the music in the programme: the Quartet in A minor, Op. 132, and Große Fuge in B flat major, Op. 133, composed by Beethoven in the last years of his life, when he definitively chose the quartet as his privileged and exclusive means of intimate expression, experimentation and constant formal work. Beethoven entrusted these quartets with his most extreme thoughts, his anxieties, his deepest reflections, and a humour that was at times dark and sardonic, at times genuine and good-natured.
In Op. 132 in particular, he manages to reconcile sonata form, Gregorian chant (the Lydian mode of the Canzona di ringraziamento, the evocative title of the third movement), variation, folk dance (in the formidable trio of the second movement), march and rondo. The Fugue Op. 133, on the other hand, is an extraordinarily complex, even mysterious piece: ignored for a century and rediscovered in the 20th century, it is now considered one of the greatest and most surprising musical creations of all time.
The musical event will be preceded by a meeting dedicated to the venue, Intorno allo CSAC (Around the CSAC), curated by Mariapia Branchi, head of the CSAC’s Archival and Museum Unit. The topic will be Migliaia di Collezioni (Thousands of Collections), closely linked to Luigi Magnani, a great collector.
Info: csac@unipr.it ; tel. 0521.903649

Info: www.csacparma.it, csac@unipr.it, servizimuseali@csacparma.it

Giorgio Armani: the Genius on display until 15 February
2025-12-13 00:00 - 2026-02-15 23:59 | CSAC, Strada Viazza di Paradigna, 1, PARMA, 43022, Italia
GIORGIO ARMANI: THE GENIUS ON DISPLAY IN PARMA
At the Abbey of Valserena, over 100 original works drawn from materials donated by the designer to the CSAC in the 1980s.
The genius and creativity of Giorgio Armani on display in Parma, at the Abbey of Valserena, from 13 December 2025 to 15 February 2026. A comprehensive tribute organised by the University of Parma and CSAC – the University’s Centre for Studies and Communication Archives.
The exhibition is entitled Giorgio Armani Archivio CSAC and brings together over one hundred original works selected from the more than 8,000 items that make up the Giorgio Armani Collection, personally donated by the designer to the CSAC in the 1980s. Drawings, sketches and design materials belonging to the vast heritage preserved in the Media-Fashion section of the Centre, an exceptional collection of testimonies that allows visitors to retrace the formative years and the evolution of the creative language of one of the most iconic figures in Italian fashion worldwide.
In addition to the original materials on display, there will be a selection of press articles dedicated to Armani’s meteoric rise on the international fashion scene and his early relationships with Hollywood. The exhibition will also feature posters from the two films that marked the designer’s definitive consecration in the world of cinema: Woody Allen’s Annie Hall, in which Diane Keaton won an Oscar in 1978 wearing an Armani suit for the first time, and Paul Schrader’s American Gigolo, the film that revolutionised men’s fashion in 1980 thanks to the wardrobe created by the designer for the protagonist played by Richard Gere.
With this exhibition, CSAC continues its tribute to Giorgio Armani, who passed away on 4 September, offering the public the opportunity to discover the origins of a style destined to influence generations. The designs on display – fashion sketches, drawings and preparatory studies created using mixed techniques – convey the essence of Armani’s talent through his early works preserved in the Archive and dating from between 1975 and 1980. The representation of the female figure and the choice of materials express a new attitude, combining freedom of movement, elegance and awareness. Soft lines and flowing fabrics alternate with more structured materials, in a balance of contrasts that characterises the designer’s entire production.
Armani’s graphic style gave rise to slender female figures inspired by the figurative culture of the 1930s and the graphic sensibility of illustrators such as Guido Crepax; dresses conceived as fluid structures, where flowing fabrics interact with more substantial materials; the birth of the famous women’s suit and unstructured jacket, destined to become symbols of Armani’s new elegance. The exhibition also reveals the transformation of men’s fashion: softer lines, fabrics far removed from classic rigidity in an innovative vision that anticipates the almost interchangeability of men’s and women’s wardrobes, where gender codes intertwine and are redefined.
Giorgio Armani Archive CSAC
13 December 2025 – 15 February 2026
CSAC – Centre for Studies and Archive of Communication
University of Parma | Abbey of Valserena
Viazza di Paradigna 1, Parma
Opening hours: Friday 9am-3pm | Saturday and Sunday 10am-7pm
Contact details: servizimuseali@csacparma.it

MARIA LUIGIA’S GIFT. Support the restoration of a forgotten treasure
2026-02-03 09:03 - 2026-12-30 20:00
SUPPORT THE PROJECT
ART BONUS
“Il dono di Maria Luigia” is an Art Bonus project promoted by the Ministry of Culture, a permanent tax scheme established to encourage financial support for public cultural heritage. Donations made to this project, intended for restoration, maintenance and enhancement work, entitle businesses and professionals to a tax credit equal to 65% of the amount donated.
Individuals, non-commercial organisations and businesses may support the project. Donations made entitle the donor to a tax credit equal to 65% of the amount donated, to be spread over three annual instalments.
For individuals and non-commercial organisations, the benefit is limited to 15% of taxable income, whilst for businesses it is limited to 5‰ of annual turnover.
Payments must be made using traceable payment methods, in accordance with current legislation.
For more information, click here.
THE COLLECTION
In 1819, Marie Louise of Austria donated a splendid collection of wax fungi to the University, comprising over a hundred specimens of great artistic and scientific value. It is a unique collection, invaluable for mycological study and identification thanks to its faithful reproduction of details, dimensions and colours. For over a century, the city of Parma has been unable to appreciate the Duchess’s gift, which remained hidden from the public for a long time.
Time has taken its toll on the materials and the original craftsmanship, making a conservation restoration essential to restore Marie Louise’s mushrooms to their former glory. The restoration of the collection will allow it to be returned to the city, two centuries after the donation, enriching its accessible heritage.
WHERE TO FIND IT
Once the restoration is complete, the Museum of Natural History will house part of the collection within the section dedicated to Marie Louise’s Cabinet of Sciences. The remaining fungi will be housed at the Botanical Museum, which will open at the Botanical Gardens, displaying a selection of historical materials produced or preserved by the city of Parma over the course of more than five centuries.
WHY SAVE IT?
Wax modelling, the art form behind this collection, has an intriguing history. Originating within the tradition of votive offerings, its techniques soon extended to human anatomy and botany. The short lifespan of wax has, over time, had two contrasting effects. On the one hand, other techniques based on papier-mâché or plaster have taken over, whilst, on the other hand, the value of the extremely rare surviving collections has risen dramatically.
Contact
UO Rapporti con il Territorio, Sport e Public Engagement
e-mail: uopublicengagement@unipr.it
Manager: Magda Gandolfi
e-mail: magda.gandolfi@unipr.it
tel. +39 0521 034575

Download the brochure

At CSAC, the exhibition "Sguardi sull'Africa: le fotografie di Tito e Sandro Spini nelle collezioni CSAC"
2026-02-21 11:00 - 2026-04-26 18:00 | CSAC, Strada Viazza di Paradigna, 1, PARMA, 43022, Italia
On Saturday 21 February, the exhibition Sguardi sull’Africa: le fotografie di Tito e Sandro Spini nelle collezioni CSAC (Views of Africa: photographs by Tito and Sandro Spini in the CSAC collections) was inaugurated at the Abbey of Valserena, offering the public the opportunity to discover a photographic and documentary corpus of extraordinary historical, artistic and anthropological importance. The exhibition, created as part of the PRIN PNRR 2022 project Straniere: the reception of non-European arts and cultures in Italy (1945-2000), presents unpublished material related to field research and photographic campaigns conducted by Tito Spini (Milan 1923 – Chiuduno 2017) and Sandro Spini (Bergamo 1950 – 2005) in Mali between the 1970s and 1980s, a crucial period for the development of ethnographic and visual studies on West Africa.
The collection, preserved in the Photography Section and donated to the CSAC in the late 1970s by Sandro Spini, includes sixty-one prints documenting the travels of the two photographer-anthropologists, both trained architects, among the Bozo and Dogon peoples. Alongside the photographic works, a large collection of documentary material is on display: correspondence, invitations, press proofs, reviews and critical articles dedicated to their work; a heritage that allows us to completely reconstruct the context of the research and the working methods of the two authors.

With this exhibition, CSAC aims to pay tribute to a period of photographic and anthropological research that is still little known in Italy but of great international importance. The investigations conducted by the Spinis represent a turning point in the way of doing “field ethnography” in Africa, placing them among the leading authors in Italy to have continuously experimented with the use of photography as both an aesthetic and interpretative tool for ethnographic purposes.
Their approach, developed in part through engagement with the thinking of Margaret Mead, John Collier Jr. and the methodologies of visual anthropology, has made it possible to challenge established narratives about the Dogon and Bozo communities, offering more complex representations of the places and peoples they encountered. Through a careful and methodologically rigorous approach, the Spinis have constructed a visual dialogue that does not merely document, but problematises and restores the cultural richness of the contexts studied.
The Spini photographs are also characterised by an evident expressive power that has made them the subject of interest for art critics, gallery owners and photographers such as Arturo Carlo Quintavalle, Lanfranco Colombo and Mario Cresci, or anthropologists such as Marco Aime, who have recognised their particular aesthetic significance and their ability to renew the language of cultural reportage.
The exhibition, centred around themes such as different ways of living and the relationship between the Dogon and Bozo peoples and their respective domestic and working environments, allows visitors to rediscover the artistic and historical value of the Spini’s research, opening up a space for reflection on the relationships between photography, anthropology and visual memory.
The photographs on display from the CSAC collections are placed in close dialogue with a selection of documentary materials preserved at the Sandro Spini Archive in Bergamo, highlighting the processes of constructing ethnographic knowledge and the ways in which images become tools for research, narration and intercultural relations.
Sguardi sull’Africa: le fotografie di Tito e Sandro Spini nelle collezioni CSAC
curated by Alessandra Acocella and Alessandro Ferraro
21 February – 26 April 2026
CSAC Centro Studi e Archivio della Comunicazione dell’Università di Parma
Abbazia di Valserena
Strada Viazza di Paradigna 1, 43122 Parma
Museum opening hours
Friday 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Admission
Full price ticket: €10.00
For information and discounts: https://www.csacparma.it/visita/
Information and bookings
CSAC – Centro Studi e Archivio della Comunicazione dell’Università di Parma csac@unipr.it
servizimuseali@csacunipr.it
+ 39 0521 903500

23 and 24 February: two events on the relationship between omic technologies, biodiversity and phytochemistry
2026-02-23 08:00 - 2026-02-24 17:00 | Campus – Parco Area delle Scienze, via delle Scienze, Parma, 43125, Italia
Two meetings at the Pharmacy Complex of the Science and Technology Campus. Guest speaker: researcher Tito Damiani from the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, member of the international Earth Metabolome Initiative network.
The double event scheduled for Monday 23rd and Tuesday 24th February at the Science and Technology Campus (Pharmacy Building, Lecture Hall I). It is co-organised by the Department of Food and Drug Sciences, the “G. Casnati” Interdepartmental Services and Measurement Centre and the University Museum System, with the support of the FOODER network.
Omics Approaches for Studying the Chemistry of Life the title of the meeting on 23 February, mzmine for Mass Spectrometry Data Processing the one on the 24th.
Both events will begin at 9 a.m. and are aimed at researchers, doctoral students, and advanced students interested in the frontiers of natural product chemistry, metabolomics, and plant biodiversity.
The guest will be Tito Damiani, researcher at the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences and member of the international Earth Metabolome Initiative network. Dr Damiani is part of the research group led by Tomáš Pluskal, which has been working for years on the integration of mass spectrometry, metabolomics, bioinformatics and machine learning to develop innovative processes and workflows aimed at discovering bioactive natural molecules and understanding their biosynthesis.
The seminar on 23 February will focus on the role of omic technologies at the intersection of natural substance chemistry and data science. The latest strategies used to systematically explore the chemical diversity generated by plants during evolution and translate it into new application and study opportunities, from pharmacology to natural sciences, will be illustrated. The seminar will highlight the strategic role of botanical gardens as scientific infrastructures for research into natural substances. In addition to preserving biodiversity, these collections are effectively “living libraries”, which are essential for comparative studies on plant metabolomes and for the creation of global databases of terrestrial chemical diversity. This perspective is reflected in international initiatives such as the Earth Metabolome Initiative, which aims to systematically catalogue the metabolites produced by living organisms and build collaborative platforms for data sharing and accelerating scientific discovery.
The event on 24 February will be a practical workshop for teachers and PhD students, led by Tito Damiani, focusing on the use of the open-source software MzMine for importing, visualising, processing and annotating mass spectrometry data, specialising in untargeted analysis (metabolomics and proteomics).

Info
renato.bruni@unipr.it
chiara.dallasta@unipr.it

Poster

20 March: “Università Svelate”, events in Parma for National University Day
2026-03-20
20 March: “Università Svelate” (Universities Revealed), events in Parma for National University Day
On Friday, 20 March, the University of Parma will participate in the second edition of Università svelate (Universities Revealed), the National University Day promoted by the Conference of Italian University Rectors (CRUI) and sponsored by the Ministry of University and Research.
Università Svelate aims to be an opportunity to meet and share the scientific and cultural heritage that the academic community produces for society, through initiatives open to the public throughout the day.
From the outset, the basic idea has been to show the driving role that universities play in the development of the country and in promoting social cohesion.
The University of Parma has planned three initiatives for this edition.
From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., free admission to MUST, the University’s Museum of Natural History.

For the occasion, MUST will be transformed into a space for access, encounter and knowledge, offering the community a journey of discovery that will allow them to get closer to the museum’s collections and the symbolic places of the University, witnesses to the history of the University and the role it has played in the construction and transmission of knowledge. The Museum will be open free of charge for the entire day, encouraging wide and inclusive enjoyment of the University’s cultural heritage.
As part of this process of openness and dialogue between tradition and innovation, a 3D printer will be in operation throughout the day, producing gadgets inspired by the museum’s collections and the history of the University. The activity aims to highlight the processes of contemporary reinterpretation of historical heritage through digital technologies, emphasising the continuity between memory, research and innovation.
At 4 p.m. in the Cavalieri Hall, there will be a public meeting entitled The Enigmatic Collection of Father Jean Baptiste Fourcault: The Secret of the Animals in Bottles Revealed, during which the Scientific Director of MUST, Davide Persico, will guide participants in a reflection on the historical and cultural value of one of the most significant collections in the university’s heritage.
The initiative aims to highlight the role of the University as a dynamic public institution, capable of combining heritage protection with research and teaching activities, and to make the languages and tools of knowledge production accessible to the public, emphasising the role of universities as open, lively and participatory cultural centres, where history, research and innovation meet society.
At 6.30 pm in the Aula Magna, Insight, a show produced by CUT – Centro Universitario Teatrale (CAPAS di Ateneo) and directed by Beatrice Baruffini, is scheduled
The protagonists are CUT students from all disciplines at the University.
Insight is a study based on the relationship between human beings and digital devices. It draws inspiration from the text Le non cose (The Non-Things) by philosopher Byung Chul Han, who defines our era as that of phono sapiens, referring also to the mobile devices that have invaded our lives and now act almost as an “extension” of our bodies.
The result is a catalogue of terms, voices, actions, gestures and images that describe us as phono sapiens.
There is no judgement in what we have become. Rather, there are new images, scenarios, new
attitudes and postures, other types of relationships. As always when we experience epochal changes: something disappears, much is transformed, we evolve and with us our way of being or no longer being a society.
Admission is free until all seats are taken.

Visit MUST for the Open Day
2026-04-16 09:00 - 2026-04-18 17:00 | Museo di Storiografia Naturalistica, via Università 12, Parma, 43121
From Thursday 16th to Saturday 18th, “Studiare a Parma. L’Università in Open Day” returns.
The event is aimed at anyone who is about to embark on their university studies for the first time.
Three days with free admission, entirely dedicated to three-year bachelor’s degrees and single-cycle master’s degrees, as well as the services and opportunities the University offers to prospective students.
During the Open Day, our MUST – Museum of Natural History will be open to visitors, and if you are a prospective student, you can enter for free*.
Don’t miss a visit to the MUST for a sensory, inclusive and fascinating experience: a bridge between the past and future of natural history.
WHERE AND WHEN
Thursday and Friday: 10am–5pm (last admission at 4pm)
Saturday: 10am–6pm (last admission at 5pm)
Headquarters – Via Università 12.
*Any accompanying persons must purchase a standard ticket.
Guided tours will not be available during the three Open Day sessions.
For information on prices and concessions, click here.
Download the full programme for Open Day 2026

27 May: the final instalment of ‘Martedì...Orto che parla’
2026-05-27
The ‘Martedì… Orto che parla’ initiative is back for its 2026 edition!
The series of events, organised with the support of the Amici dell’Orto Botanico Association, will combine lectures, field trips and a theatrical performance.
On 28 April, Nicola Franchini from the University of Parma will speak about an extreme environment: the Chilean desert. On 5 May, Alessandro Petraglia, a lecturer in the Department of Chemical, Life and Environmental Sustainability Sciences, will discuss the effects of climate change on the mountain environment.
This will be followed by two field trips: a walk along the banks of the River Parma and a visit to the Iris Garden in Faviano.
The series of events concludes with Marina Coli’s recital ‘Albero custode’.
The programme:
28 April: Extreme environments: life, death and miracles in Chile’s Flowering Desert.
Nicola Franchini, University of Parma
4.00 pm – via Università 12, classroom B
5 May: The effects of climate change on plant biodiversity in mountain environments
Alessandro Petraglia, University of Parma
4.00 pm – Via Università 12, classroom B
12 May: Visit to the Iris Garden – Faviano sup.
Angelo Bolchi, University of Parma and Giovanni Montanari, Chiesi Farmaceutici
Meet at 4 pm – Famila car park, Via Langhirano
19 May: Botanical walk along the banks of the Parma stream
Michele Adorni, University of Parma and Luigi Ghillani, herbalist
Meet at 5.00 pm – Ponte Italia, corner of Via Varese
27 May: Recital “Albero custode” by Marina Coli
at the Casa nel Parco
5.30 pm – Strada Naviglio Alto 4/1, San Leonardo district
For information, please email amiciortobotanico@gmail.com.
The events are free of charge and open to all, subject to availability.
Download the poster

On Saturday 25 April, Liberation Day, the MUST is closed
2026-04-25 | Museo di Storiografia Naturalistica, via Università 12, Parma, 43121
The MUST (Museum of Natural History) will be closed on Friday 25 April to mark Liberation Day.
It will reopen as normal on Tuesday 28 April.

18 May: ‘Museums that unite a divided world’ at the University of Parma
2026-05-18
A morning of talks and a special free opening of the MUST to mark ICOM Day 2026.
On 18 May, the University of Parma will take part in International Museum Day – ICOM 2026, dedicated to the theme ‘Museums uniting a divided world’: the Sistema Museale di Ateneo is participating with a wide-ranging programme of initiatives aimed at promoting the role of museums as spaces for dialogue, inclusion and cultural exchange.
The highlight of the day will be a series of talks exploring the theme proposed by ICOM, offering food for thought on the contribution that museums can make to fostering social cohesion and intercultural understanding. The talks will be delivered by academics, experts and professionals from the museum sector, as well as representatives from local associations.
Attendance at the conferences is free of charge, but registration via an online form is required.
On the same day, the University’s Museum of Natural History (MUST) will be open for a special session from 10 am to 4pm, with free admission. You can also book a guided tour by emailing musnat@unipr.it.
All participants in the educational activities will be issued with a certificate of attendance upon request.
The initiative represents an important opportunity to bring the public closer to the museum’s heritage and to reaffirm the value of museums as places for people to meet and build communities.
The lectures will take place in the MUST Auditorium, at the University’s main campus (Via Università 12). At 9.30 am, an introduction by Donato A. Grasso, the Rector’s Delegate for Museum Activities. This will be followed by the various lectures: at 9.40 am, Renato Bruni Scientific Director of the Botanical Garden (The Green Paradox: biodiversity in the south, specimens in the north); at 10.00, the Scientific Director of MUST, Davide Persico (Ethnographic Collections within the MUST Museum Experience); at 10.20, Professor of Demo-Ethno-Anthropology Sandrino Luigi Marra (Gentle Decolonisation: The Case of the Piola and Ferrante Collections); at 10.40 am, Enathe Marekabiri, President of the Menya Association (Testimony on the experience of the genocide in Rwanda and Belgian interference following Congo’s independence); at 11 am, Andrea Bui, educator and researcher at the Centro Studi Movimenti in Parma (The explorer lost to oblivion: Vittorio Bottego between myth, history and colonial repression). At 11.30 am, a free guided tour of the MUST for participants.
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Presentation of the book "Raccontare la Biodiversità – Scienze umane e musei naturalistici" by Elena Canadelli, Luca Tonetti and Tiziana N. Beltrame
2026-05-25 17:00 - 19:00 | Aula F – Auditorium del MUST, via Università 12, Parma
Presentation of the book
Raccontare la Biodiversità – Scienze umane e musei naturalistici
by Elena Canadelli, Luca Tonetti and Tiziana N. Beltrame
Our guest, Elena Canadelli, will be in conversation with Renato Bruni and Davide Persico.
How do natural history museums engage with digital technologies and communicate biodiversity today?
The author presents her book “Raccontare la Biodiversità – Scienze umane e musei naturalistici” at an event exploring the connections between natural history, the humanities and digital tools. Through an exploration that weaves together scientific collections, material culture and technological innovation, the book offers a reflection on the role of museums as dynamic spaces for knowledge, dialogue and the interpretation of biodiversity.
From historical collections of herbariums and natural history specimens to the most advanced digital platforms, this book highlights how archives, libraries and contemporary tools help to shape new ecological and cultural perspectives, linking science, society and memory.
The presentation will take place in the MUST Auditorium, a new hall attached to the Museum of Natural History, a venue dedicated to public engagement, research and education.
The Museum and the botanical garden house valuable historical zoological and botanical collections, which bear witness to the richness of biodiversity and serve as key reference points for its future protection and conservation.
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2 June, Republic Day: the MUST is closed
2026-06-02
To mark Republic Day, the MUST will be closed on Tuesday 2 June.
It will reopen as usual on Wednesday 3 June.
Further information.
