Everyone to the Muse! The science museum in Trento
In Trento, a short distance from the historic city center, the Muse – Science Museum was inaugurated in 2013. It is one of the most innovative museums of its kind in Italy, both for its approach to dissemination and for the incredible building that hosts the exhibition.
The beauty of Renzo Piano's project
Let's start right from the building that welcomes visitors. The Muse, as well as the entire "Le Albere" district that surrounds it, was designed by the starchitect Renzo Piano. Its shapes, so angular and linear, recall those of the mountains surrounding the city. The materials are strictly sustainable, with extensive use of wood and stone.
The itinerary, between science and "mountain"
The museum is spread over 6 floors, 5 of which are above ground. The exhibition itinerary uses the metaphor of the mountain to tell the story of life on our planet. It starts from the fourth floor, where we can discover the geological and biological elements of the alpine environment, even touching a real glacier with our own hands. On the third floor, life blossoms, with an exhibition dedicated to the animal and plant species that inhabit the Alps. The second floor, on the other hand, tells the thousand-year history of the Dolomiti: a unicum in the world due to its geo-paleontological characteristics and landscape. To take a step back in time, however, you have to go down to the first floor: a spiral structure invites the visitor to enter the world of prehistory, from Neanderthal man to Homo sapiens. Let's move to the ground floor for a sensory discovery dedicated to the little ones: the Maxi Ooh! is a space designed for boys and girls from 0 to 5 years old. There they can move around in various protected environments, experimenting, playing and testing their sensations. But perhaps the most spectacular part of the Muse is the one in the basement, with a gallery of fossil remains and the skeleton of a whale suspended above the visitors' heads. That's not all: on the west side of the museum, projected outwards like a large shard of glass, stands the tropical greenhouse. Inside, a strip of the rainforest of the Udzungwa Mountains is reproduced, a center of diversity and endemism of Eastern Tropical Africa in Tanzania.
The location of the Muse is particularly strategic to use it as a starting (or arrival) point for an exploration involving other areas of the city of Trento. In the article "What to see in Trento" you can find some advice on what to see in the city and if you are interested click this link to its Christmas markets.
Where to park in Trento, near the Muse
The Muse has a paid underground parking lot where you can leave your car. A short distance away (about 10-15 minutes on foot) there is also a free public parking lot (via Monte Baldo – P8), connected to the city center by a specific parking shuttle (NP).
Opening hours and days of the Muse
The science museum is open from Tuesday to Friday from 10:00 to 18:00, on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from 10:00 to 19:00. The full ticket costs 11 euros, the reduced one 9 euros, but discounts are provided for families with children up to 18 years old. It is also possible to purchase entry to the Maxi Ooh! alone at the cost of 2 euros for one adult and one child.
To check all the information, we recommend taking a look at the official website: www.muse.it
