Museo Paleontologico "G. Maini"

The museum is in the fourteenth-century Church of St Anthony, which in 1882 was turned into a prison, and is now dedicated to Giulio Maini, a naturalist from Ovada. The learning path illustrates the particular nature of the local fossils and pays special attention to the events that characterised the formation of the Piedmont Tertiary Basin, typical of southern Piedmont. Most of the fossils are local; the most famous examples are the Crostacei Decapodi, commonly known as the crab, of which there is a particular sub-species (Calappilia mainii), only found in this area. Other typical fossils are the shells of molluscs from tropical areas, corals and the footprints of hot climate plants, now extinct. Besides the fossils, there are also mineral and malacological collections, organised as learning workshops in order to allow a deeper understanding of those areas of natural sciences pertaining to school programmes. Opening times: Saturday 3 pm to 6 pm; Sunday 10 am to 12 pm. Only from 1 October to 31 May: Sunday 3 pm to 6 pm. Extraordinary opening on 15 August.