Museo di Mineralogia e Petrografia, Bologna

Bologna University was once the Harvard of Europe. One needs to remember that the Renaissance began in Italy, and it was Bologna that attracted scholars from all over the world. Today, many of Bologna university's educational collections are free to visit. We went to see the Museo di Mineralogia and Museo della Cere Anatomiche.

The Museo di Mineralogia  houses the largest rock collection in Europe. It is poised to grow even larger with the donation of a new private collection. An enthusiastic young Italian man became ever more enthusiastic as he toured enthusiastic Petunia and her family through his museum. My enthusiasm got me 2 rocks which are normally given to children - a piece of pyrite (fool's gold) and a piece of galena (lead sulphate), which The Son spirited away from me to give to a little friend of his.

I comforted myself with the purchase of a smoky topaz bronze bangle and an agate pendant. Pretty stones don't have to cost much, you know. Many many stones hold extraordinary beauty and cost only a few dollars. Diamonds are costly and so very boring. All diamonds look the same.

Pretty stones for less than $30 each!

Cubic pyrite: the cubes are naturally formed.

Rocks that fluoresce in UV light.

Gemstone quality fluorite.

Asbestos is actually a rock mineral found in nature.

Amber and copal: these are the same thing except that amber is harder and less oily to feel when warm. Amber is resin that has hardened over millions of years. Copal is resin that has hardened only over thousands of years.

A rare meteorite. I learned that meteorites that contain carbon are exceedingly rare.

Rock inlays are an art in Florence.