Museo di Antropologia – Museo della Natura e dell’Uomo – Università degli Studi di Padova

The Museo di Antropologia of the Università di Padova was established in 1882 on the initiative of Giovanni Canestrini, one of the first supporters of Darwinism in Italy and professor of anthropology at the university. Founded as a Gabinetto di Antropologia, the museum initially reflected the nineteenth-century scientific approach, focused, above all, on physical anthropology and on the classification of human “races” through the study of skulls and skeletons. Over time, the collections were enriched with ethnographic, archaeological, and documentary materials from all over the world, often acquired through scientific expeditions or contacts with the colonies.

The Museo di Antropologia of the Università di Padova also preserves a collection consisting of several Sioux artifacts, gathered by Enrico di Borbone in 1889 during his journey around the world. These are in fact the property of the Museo di Arte Orientale di Venezia, but since 1935/1942 they have been on loan to the museum in Padova.

Today the Museo di Antropologia is part of the new Museo della Natura e dell’Uomo, which opened in June 2023 after several years of closure to the public.