Museo del Fiore

The Flower Museum occupies an underground room of the convent of San Colombo and presents the plant diversity of the Gran Sasso through images and animations, beside a floristic research centre.

Why it matters

The park conceived the museum to present plant diversity across the protected territory, the factors that shaped it and the reasons for conservation. At San Colombo di Barisciano, it stands beside the Centro Ricerche Floristiche dell'Appennino, run jointly by the University of Camerino and the park.

What to notice

The exhibition presents park ecosystems and plant landscapes through images, films, animations and material of plant origin. The adjacent research centre keeps a herbarium and carpological collection. The convent stands within an ancient wood described by the park as one of central Italy's best-preserved oak woods.

Context and history

The museum occupies an underground room of the convent of San Colombo, a monastery complex in the territory of Barisciano on the L'Aquila side of the Gran Sasso, within the district the park calls Terre della Baronia. The museum is connected to the floristic research programme developed by the park and the University of Camerino. The adjacent Centro Ricerche Floristiche dell'Appennino was established to study Apennine flora. The park's educational work also includes a floristic teaching programme.