The collection dedicated to paleobotany comprises around 5000 specimens, some of which are more than 400 million years old and come predominantly from locations in the Triveneto area.
Plant fossils are exhibited in the so-called “Hall of Palms”, which takes its name from the numerous magnificent palm fossils that cover the walls.
The palm fossils are between 50 and 30 million years old (Eocene-Oligocene) and came to light in famous deposits of the Veneto region, including locations in the neighbourhood of Bolca (Verona) and outcrops in the Valle del Torrente Chiavon (Vicenza). Outstanding among these is the wonderful specimen of Latanites maximiliani, a palm fossil measuring over 3 metres in height.
The palms, and indeed much else in the collection, serve to document the evolution of plant life through findings from other important deposits. These include one of the most famous European flora of the Jurassic era (around 190 million years ago), known as the “Rotzo Flora”, documented both in the Vicenza area and at many sites around Verona.
