The
museum:
an innovative layout for an interactive approach
Piacenza’s Civic Museum of Natural
History has recently moved to the old Ice Factory in
the former town slaughter house. The careful restoration
of the building has been extended to some of the old
machinery, which is now on display in the large entrance
hall and in the galleries.
The new layout of the Museum has been designed to give a fresh approach to
the display of various topics and specimens from nature, highlighting the naturalistic
aspects of the Piacenza area in order to stimulate the visitor’s sensory
perceptions.
The exhibition displays is dedicated to the characteristics of the natural
habitats typical of each of the different environments found in the province
of Piacenza: plains, hills and mountains. In order to increase the visitor's
involvement, many exhibits are not behind glass and can be touched. This means
that the experience is not only visual but also tactile, which is especially
useful for the visually impaired visitor. In addition to this feature, short
videos reproducing natural sounds and typical images of each of the environments
described are screened in each gallery, in order to further stimulate the visitor’s
imagination and curiosity.
The design of the Museum’s new home has also allowed for the provision
of didactic workrooms, galleries for temporary exhibitions and an auditorium
where specific initiatives for school parties and the general public can be
held.
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