Minerals, rocks and meteorites on display: the new exhibition at the Natural History Museum of Pisa.

The mineral gallery of the Museum of Natural History of the University of Pisa has been recently renewed and reopened, after more than three years of inactivity due to serious damage of the roof. In this occasion it has been renamed “Antonio D’Achiardi Gallery”, in honour of the ‘father’ of the mineralogical school at the University of Pisa, and first Director of the Museum itself. Within the new gallery, the visitors will follow a storytelling, by exploring the origin of the Solar System and the information given by the meteorite samples, by looking at the 'Tuscan rocks' exhibit and by admiring more than 500 mineral specimens displayed in 25 showcases. The meteorite collection on display includes the huge Bagnone siderite, the historical samples collected nearly 150 years ago by Antonio D’Achiardi, and the meteorites sampled by the researchers of the University of Pisa, both in Antartide and at the Kamil Crater. As regards the minerals, the exposition gives an almost complete sight of the main mineralogical localities and mining districts in Tuscany. Many items are of particular aesthetic and/or scientific relevance. Among them, there are the extraordinary jordanite crystals, originally classified as ‘geocronite’, which come from the Valdicastello mine (Pietrasanta, Lucca): the larger crystal weighs 1.9 kg, while the smaller one, weighing 470 grams, displays an uncommon morphological perfection. Another interesting specimen is the cinnabar of Ripa (Seravezza, Lucca). This wonderful specimen, considered “unique for its beauty” by important mineralogists during the 19th century, was shattered by the bombings that hit Pisa during the Second World War and just the remaining fragments are on display in a showcase. Other relevant specimens of the museum mineral collection are the stunning geodic crystallizations from the Bottino mine (Stazzena, Lucca), including the Cerpelli collection, and fine specimens coming from the pegmatite and iron-ore sites of the Elba Island. It is worth to note that the most part of the specimens coming from the Colline Metallifere localities which are on display in the Gallery, belongs to a private collection, following a fruitful tradition of collaboration and synergy between the museum and mineral collectors and amateurs. Besides the meteorite and mineral showcases, the visitors may visit several exhibits which allow for the exploration of interesting optical and physical properties of minerals. It is possible to discover the mineral abitus of micromounts by using the stereomicroscope, or to appreciate the different density of various minerals, or to give an insight into complex phenomena such as pleochroism, birefringence or fluorescence. To complete the visitor experience, two showcases have been devoted to show the instruments and devices used by mineralogists in the past two centuries. The new exhibition seems to be appreciated by specialists, children and tourists, in agreement with the goals of a modern museum.