Museo missionario cinese e di storia naturale, Ethnographic and natural history museum in Sava, Italy
The Museo Missionario Cinese e di Storia Naturale is an ethnographic, natural history, and religious museum in Sava, housed inside the historic Convent of San Francesco. It is divided into two main sections: one displaying objects from China and Taiwan such as coins, vases, weapons, paintings, and garments, and another dedicated to natural history with animal skeletons, insects, fossils, and minerals.
The museum grew from objects gathered by Franciscan missionaries on their journeys to the East over the centuries. It now occupies premises in the Convent of San Francesco di Assisi on Via Roma 127 in Sava, to which the collection was transferred. The collection continues to be enriched by donations and collaborations with the University of Salento, WWF and Legambiente.
The collection grew from objects that Franciscan friars gathered during pilgrimages to the East over the centuries. It includes tapestries, statues and musical instruments, and is continually enlarged by donations and by collaboration with the University of Salento, WWF and Legambiente.
Visits to the museum are by reservation, and entry is free, though donations are welcome. The modest size of the space means all the rooms can be explored at an easy pace without needing to plan a long visit.
The collection grows through donations and partnerships with the University of Salento, WWF and Legambiente, so the displays change over time. Among the natural history pieces are herbaria, shells, madrepores and examples of land and sea fauna, shown beside the Asian objects.
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