Chamois Museum (Fiastra)

History of the Chamois Museum in Fiastra

The museum was created to tell the story of the Apennine chamois returning to the Sibillini. The route opens with a panel on the Life Natura project for the conservation of the Apennine chamois in the central Apennines, which made it possible to reintroduce the species to the Sibillini National Park.

The museum is part of the Park's network of visitor centers, which provide visitor information and environmental education: the Centro Visita di Fiastra runs activities for schools and adult groups throughout the year.

In May 2025 the collection grew with two new prepared specimens, provided by the Sibillini National Park and shown to the public for the first time during the Grand Tour dei Musei Marche.

What to see in the Chamois Museum

The route starts from the entrance hall, with the exhibition credits and the panel presenting the Life Natura project. Three rooms follow, each with its own theme.

The first room, devoted to the arrival of the chamois, takes a multimedia approach. A projection with surround sound starts on the wall, showing the chamois in its high-mountain habitat. Literary passages from "Il peso della farfalla" (The Weight of the Butterfly) by Erri De Luca also scroll across the screen.

The second room is shaped like a long gallery and covers the populations, biology and ecological system of the chamois. It explains its habitats, diet, horns, coat and life in herds. Along the opposite wall, life-size silhouettes of red deer, roe deer and Apennine chamois are compared, each with an audio reproduction of the species' call.

The museum also has play and learning areas to explore the themes further. Children enjoy the interactive route. Among the museum's services are a reception area, a bookshop, a photo library and a workshop room.

Visiting the Chamois Museum

After the earthquakes the museum was reported as not open to the public because of minor damage to the building. The information and reception service is provided in a temporary structure opposite the museum. On some occasions, as in May 2025, the museum has been opened for guided tours with the Park guides of the CEA Valle del Fiastrone.

According to the Park, no openings are currently scheduled in the calendar: before the trip, it is best to contact the visitor center to find out whether the museum can be visited. Contact details are in the information box on this page.

Where the Chamois Museum is located

The museum is in Fiastra, in the province of Macerata, inside the Sibillini National Park. It occupies the ground floor of the Centro di Educazione Ambientale Valle del Fiastrone, the Park visitor center. Fiastra is a scattered municipality with its seat in Trebbio, at 732 m above sea level, made up of several hamlets and castles, set among mountains and woods on the shores of Lago di Fiastra.

The exact address is in the information box on this page.

Around the Chamois Museum in Fiastra

Lago di Fiastra is the best-known attraction in the area. It is an artificial lake, created to produce electricity, fed by the Fiastrone river and small tributaries. The Gole del Fiastrone, a gorge, are nearby, but their trail is closed by ordinance of the Municipality of Fiastra.

To see live chamois, Bolognola has the Apennine chamois wildlife area, where some animals live in conditions similar to natural ones.

In Fiastra, the Palazzo Comunale (town hall) displays a collection of prehistoric artifacts, from the Paleolithic to the Eneolithic, found along the lake shores when the water level was low. At Fiegni stands the Santuario del Beato Ugolino. To extend the tour to other museums in the area, the list is on the page about museums in the Sibillini Mountains. Information about the Park's other visitor points is on the page about the Case del Parco visitor centers.