The Museum of Natural History, housed since 1816 in a XII century Camaldolese monastery, comprises a Geology Section, Zoology Section, Anatomical Section.
The collections are mainly displayed in the galleries of the cloister, arranged on two floors around a courtyard with a XVI century well: ancient display cabinets maintain the charm of XIX century exhibition practices.
The original nucleus of the Museum was probably formed around the end of the XVII century and beginning of the XVIII century, in the early years of the Academy of Physiocritics (physiocritic, from greek: student of nature), by the founder Pirro Maria Gabbrielli who "put together a good collection" of plants and minerals. Because of the mainly regional character of the collections, the Museum constitutes a unique window from which to observe the natural history of southern Tuscany in the last three centuries.
The Geology Section includes collections of minerals, rocks and fossils. Many specimens are in their original containers, such as glass jars, tubes or ampoules made in the XIX century. Particularly important are the collections of minerals and related metallurgical products from various mines of southern Tuscany, worked since the Etruscan age but now exhausted.
Other important collections: Collection of microforaminiferal fossils, collected by the Camaldolese Abbot Ambrogio Soldani in the second half of the XVIII century and preserved in the original, characteristic containers; Collection of natural and manufactured bolar soils; Collection of ancient marbles. Finally, there are numerous collections of shells and mammalian fossils representative of the Sienese Pliocene Epoch.
The Zoology Section gradually took form during the XIX century thanks to the embalming of animals in the taxidermy laboratory, which is still active. The origin and development of the Section was due mainly to the contributions of Abbot Francesco Baldacconi, the great Sienese naturalist Apelle Dei, Sigismondo Brogi and Lazzaro Bonaiuti.
Important collections of birds and insects were donated by Baron Bettino Ricasoli (1853) and Apelle Dei (1887). This Section includes several specimens belonging to extinct or endangered species.
Important collections: Historical ornithological collection, Collection of marine mammals.
All the collections are constantly expanding, especially that of marine mammals: the continuous recovery of stranded specimens on the Tuscan coasts is an important contribution for the research activities of the Italian Center for Cetacean Studies, with which the Zoology Section collaborates.
The Anatomical Section is mainly represented by the room reserved to Paolo Mascagni (1755-1815) where are exposed: human anatomical preparations with lymphatic vessels displayed, the library, archivistic documents, life-size engraved coloured plates
Other Museum relevant collections: Collection of terra-cotta mushrooms, gathered by Francesco Valenti Serini (1795-1862). The collection is remarkable because of the representation quality as well as the items' number: out of 1800 objects 800 are exhibited;
Teratological collection including some animal monstruosities; Pale-ethnological collection with lithic manifactures as well as copper and bronze tools.
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