In San Gemini, inside the former church of the Misericordia, stands the GeoLab.

Born from an idea of ​​Piero Angela, the Geolab is the first example in Italy of an interactive museum dedicated to Earth sciences.

>> Do you want to visit the Geo Lab in Terni and stay in the facilities in the area recommended by Bella Umbria? Click here!

The museum is divided into five rooms that illustrate, through machines, panels and samples of rocks and fossils, the evolution of the earth from Pangea to the division into large plates, the internal structure of our planet and the main geological features of Umbria.

During the tour, the visitor is involved in the issues addressed through the use of particular three-dimensional machines such as the one that reproduces the interior of the Earth and which makes it clear how our planet is made up to the core, in addition to the mechanism that sets in motion the various plates between them.

More than a museum, it is almost a laboratory, with a series of interactive tools that guide the visitor to observation and experimentation.

Not only. The Geolab organizes a series of meetings and experiments to understand the physical phenomena that arise behind many of our daily gestures. A teapot full of boiling water? A bike ride? A dancer who can stand on pointe? Taken for granted actions that are explained to children in a scientific way.

Like the one related to Paleontology. The purpose of the laboratory is to understand the importance of fossil finds in reconstructing the history of the earth.

It starts with the explanation of what fossils are and why it is important to study them; through a first experiment the children learn the various phases of fossilization in the marine environment (mineralization).

Subsequently, the children have the opportunity to directly observe and “manipulate” a great variety of fossil evidence with particular attention to ammonites, fish and fossilized plants. We then arrive at the practical part of the laboratory through the creation of a plaster cast (a technique used by paleontologists to faithfully reproduce the original fossil) that children can take to school as a souvenir of the experience.

Another important phase of the paleontologist’s work is the paleontological campaign: the guys at the geolab can simulate a real excavation. Once all the finds have been found, they are given the cards for recognition and classification; the fossils are then placed on a sort of “carpet of time” divided with the geological eras.

>> Consult the farmhouses in the area and choose your stay to visit the Geolab and the Valnerina!

Practical advice

The entrance ticket is € 3.00. Despite the affordable price, there are reductions if you are young people between 14 and 25 years (€ 2.50), groups of 15 people, over 65 years, from 6 to 14 years, TCI members (€ 2.00), groups family consisting of 2 adults and 3 children between 6 and 14 years (€ 7.00), up to being free for children between 0 and 5 years and for the handicapped and their carers.

If you want to visit the museum with a guide, just send an email to callcenter@sistemamuseo.it.