Geological Garden Museum

The "Sandra Forni" Garden & Museum is a project set up by the Geological, Seismic and Soil Survey of Emilia-Romagna Region to offer people a space where they can meet up but also further their knowledge of the territory. Regional policies support the need to develop a culture that views the environment and the territory as our collective heritage, encouraging individual behaviour guided by respect for the environment and sustainable development. These are the guiding principles behind the Garden & Museum, which aims to educate visitors on our region’s territory, the outstanding beauty of its landscapes and its rich geological heritage.
The Museum houses an impressive collection of minerals, rocks, soils and fossils taken from across the region. The guided tour of the collection illustrates the principal notions of Earth Science and the key stages in the geological history of Emilia-Romagna.
Visiting the geological garden, which overlooks the Third Tower (Terza Torre) of the Region, visitors can enjoy a virtual stroll back in time thanks to the various stages marked by the rocks of the Emilia-Romagna Apennines, tasked with recounting the geological history of the region; a history which, starting some 250 million years ago, led to the formation of the Apennine chain, the Po plain and the Adriatic coast.

How to get to the Museum

• Location on Google Map

• by bus: from the Central Train station (Bologna Centrale):
  Bus n°35 get off at "Viale della Fiera" bus stop
  Bus n° 28, n°39 get off at Piazzale Aldo Moro, 5 minutes walking

Bus timetable: http://www.tper.it/

• by car: Motorway A14:
  from Milan, Florence and Ancona
  exit "Bologna Fiera";

Opening time

The “Sandra Forni” Geological Garden & Museum is open from 7.30 am to 7 pm.
Visitors can enjoy free access to the site, but are asked to show some formal identification at the welcome desk beforehand.
Guided tours are available for groups and school groups and can be arranged with the Admin Office of the Geological Survey, by phoning 051-5274792 or, by e-mail, at segrgeol@regione.emilia-romagna.it

• What you can see at the museum

Publications

• Geological Garden Museum
• Memorandom
• Errandom - a brief tour on Bologna's urban geology
• The Stones of Bologna. Lithology of a city.

More info

• Facebook - GeologiaEmiliaRomagna
• Geological heritage
• Fossils collection - Geological garden museum, indoor section
• Minerals - Geological Garden Museum - indoor section
• Geological garden Museum, outdoor section