“Patrizio Rigoni” Natural History Museum

The idea for the museum dates back to 1999, but it was first completed in 2002, when the first organic didactic and tourist activity proposals began. Over the years, the project has continuously evolved and grown, adopting innovative solutions, implementing content and visitor tools, improving and evolving: in 2012 there was a major implementation and in 2014 the multimedia section was added.

The Educational Nature Museum was named after Maestro Patrizio because of his great and strong contribution to its creation. Teacher, researcher, writer, embalmer and photographer, Patrizio Rigoni (1939-2008) was above all an unforgettable educator. Ever since he was a child, he explored the natural environment of the Plateau in all its depth, and of this enormous heritage he was then one of the greatest disseminators. His research contributions can be found in many works dedicated to the Altopiano dei Sette Comuni.

The Museum is the result of this authoritative contribution and is an instrument for the promotion, knowledge and defence of the natural, environmental and historical heritage of the Altopiano dei 7 Comuni. In addition to its traditional function of conservation and permanent exhibition, the Museum offers other services such as the environmental education and refresher centre at the Laboratory, equipped with the main laboratory instruments and samples of material to organise educational activities for children and teachers, and an information and reference service for educational and tourist excursions.

Its organisational headquarters is the Heritage and Environment Office of the Municipality of Asiago. The operational headquarters is the Didactic Naturalistic Museum of Asiago. For these reasons, the Didactic Naturalistic Museum is part of a more complex and articulated Environmental Didactic Laboratory, which includes, in addition to the Museum, the Great War Open Air Museum in the locality of M. Zebio, the first example of arrangement and enhancement of the testimonies of the First World War on the plateau; Didactic Woods, including some forest parcels in natural evolution in the locality of Cloise and Manazzo; the former malga used as Alpine Ecology Centre.