The University of Pisa has played a key role in the evolution of the botanical sciences. It was here that, in the 16th century, Luca Ghini (1490-1556), the founder of the Botanical Gardens, started the habit of drying and preserving plants for educational and scientific purposes, thereby supplanting, in part, the older tradition of classical drawing.
Today the museum preserves plant collections relating to the research work conducted by scientists over the centuries. Particularly worthy of note among the collections is the herbarium, counting some 300,000 specimens. It consists of dried plants fastened to paper sheets and accompanied by information about where, when and by whom they were collected. The sheets, ordered according to suitable criteria, document travels, herborizations, researches and explorations that have increased the knowledge of the flora of the different regions of Earth and led to the discovery of new plant species.
Opening hours:
November to February, from Monday to Friday 8.00am to 5.00pm , Saturday 8.00am to 1.00pm; March to October, from Monday to Friday 8.00am to 5.30pm, Saturday 8.00am to 1.00pm. Closed on Sundays and holidays. Admission: free. Closed on 1 January and 25 December.
From the railway station: bus no. 4.
For further informations:
Ph: +39 050 911350/911356
Fax: +39 050 551345
E-mail: hhbp@dsb.unipi.it
Web site:
Apt Pisa
