Fruit Museum, Turin
Fruit Museum (Museo della Frutta) in Turin immediately raises many questions, right after you hear the name. How are they stored? What kind of strange fruits are there? It turns out that everything is quite simple. In the museum you can see plastic models of a variety of fruits, typical for the Apennine Peninsula. Thus, you can get acquainted with the development of the fruit industry of agriculture in Italy.
History of the museum
The museum begins its history with the appearance of a scientific Agricultural Chemistry Station in 1871. It dealt with the problems of agricultural development. Already in the 20th century it was decided to create archives and collect samples of varieties of fruits and vegetables. To this end, in 1927, the director of the Station bought a collection of fake casts for 22,000 pounds from the private owner. Its author was an Italian artist of the 19th century Francesco Garnier Valletti. By 1935 this collection was expanded, and the appropriate furniture was mounted for their storage. In 1967 there was another powerful infusion of samples to the museum's exposition. In late 2006, the museum was moved by several blocks. And on February 12, 2007 it opened in a new place. They became the premises of the former Agricultural faculty of Turin University, a beautiful building of the 19th century.
Exposition of the museum
The museum gives you a chance to get acquainted, first of all, with the history of the Agricultural Chemistry Station and the Experimental Plant Institute, that were at one time united in it. You can see the transition from artisan and vegetable cultivation in the 19th century to industrial production in the 20th century on interesting examples. This jump was due to the growing needs of the population. The museum presents the first refrigerated storage system in Italy for storing fruits. Here you can get acquainted with the development of agronomy and biotechnology. The route of the museum is planned through a sequence of objects placed in chronological order.
The most valuable part of the exposition, of course, are samples of a variety of fruits and vegetables, a total of 1,381 models. Among them are pears, apples, peaches, plums, apricots, grapes, potatoes, turnips, beets, carrots, parsnips, pomegranates, quinces and cherries, as well as an interesting collection of edible mushrooms. Examples of rotting fruits are very interesting among this variety. Not very pleasant, but very entertaining.
The reconstructed premises of the Agricultural Chemistry Station are separately located. It presents samples of furniture, paintings, busts, as well as many photographs and the original reading room of the 1930s. The museum has a rich collection of books and scientific publications inherited from the Institute.
How to get there
The Fruit Museum is located slightly south from the center of Turin, on Via Pietro Giuria, 15, in the San Salvario district. In the same building there are the Museum of Anatomy and the Museum of Criminal Anthropology, just a block away – Parco del Valentino. Within a short walk there is the Torino Esposizioni stop. It can be reached by tram № 9, and buses № 47, 67, 108, 260, 299, 302.
Opening hours: from 10:00 to 18:00. Sunday is a day off. The ticket office closes at 17:00. Phone number (+39) 011 6708195.
Admission: the price of the full ticket is 5 euro, with a discount – 3 euro. It applies to pensioners and children (10-14). For children under 10 – admission is free. There is an opportunity to purchase a general ticket to visit two more neighboring museums, the price is 10 euros. Data of April 2018.
