Musei dell’Accademia dei Fisiocritici

My youngest is obsessed with learning about animals. So to my delight, Siena had this little gem of a natural history museum. The man working there was super helpful and friendly. He gave a good explanation of the layout and helped us find the one section we missed. We appreciated him very much! The only thing I didn’t love about the museum was the lack of AC on a hot day as we were in Italy during a particularly hot heat wave. (But the cost to leave the AC running when it’s relatively empty wouldn’t make sense so I understand.) I did appreciate that the museum used little toy models of animals so those of us who can’t read Italian could quickly determine what we were looking at. They have quite the rock collection and my son pointed out malachite and other interesting rocks and uniquely colored marble. He was thrilled that they had a tusk fragment of a palaeoloxodon and also a tooth from a megaladon. Some highlights for him were seeing the taxidermy of a peregrine falcon, a cassowary, lions and seeing the skeleton of a giraffe. And while he was unfazed by the skeleton of a small human child (which freaked me out), he as disturbed by the animals preserved in jars under the section of oddities and deformities (Siamese twin calves and mutations of sheep or birds). All in all, would recommend a visit if you’re in Siena with kids who would find this interesting.

This special gem remains undiscovered by Siena’s many tourists milling about the Piazza del Campo. Do yourself a favor and take the time to explore its many offerings, from an extensive collection of preserved birds to an exceptional array of beautiful gemstones, rocks, and minerals. We really enjoyed our time. Plenty of places to sit and take it all in as well. The staff are kind and helpful. You should also pay the additional entry to visit the beautiful oasis that is the botanical gardens. Another quiet and serene corner of Siena for someone seeking peace and beauty. We visited the gardens on a different day but accessed them through the entrance of the museum. Both destinations are worth a visit!

Felt more of an archive than an exhibition museum. Nonetheless, I learned a lot especially on the human anatomy. Spent about 1 hr but you definitely need more time if you want to see everything

This museum is very interesting. My two girls, ages 9 and 12, loved it!

Absolutely magical place. We arrived 40 minutes prior to closing and were happily greeted and told “do not worry, take your time” They proceeded by saying that admission tickets were not required but a donation was welcomed. Truly awesome place all around; my 6 and 7 year old were fascinated, as were we (the parents) and both grandmas who were traveling with us; truly a place for everyone!

Amazing collection for anyone interested in zoology and more! The only remark I have is that there's not a lot of information in English and some specimens can't be viewed properly because of crowding. Apart from that it's still a lovely museum, absolutey worth the visit :)

What a hidden gem! This should be on every list of "what to do with kids in Siena". Great collection, very interesting! My kids loved it, I loved it. And the fact that it works with donations instead of tickets is just mindblowing.

100% the best place I’ve visited in Siena. We were lucky that we were absolutely alone in there and it was just amazing, I can’t believe it’s free. Definitely recommend!