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GIAZOTTO MINERAL COLLECTION |
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SHOW "CRISTALLI" EXPOSED AT PALAZZO PITTI - SPECOLA IN
FLORENCE. |
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LA SPECOLA |
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Displaying more than 500 pieces, Giazotto
collection is one of the most important and
famous collection of crystals, thanks to its
extraordinary variety and aesthetic richness
of items arriving from all over the world.
Among the wonderful pieces of this peculiar
collection, you can find crystals of
tourmaline, aquamarine, topaz and quartz
surprising for their colours and nuances,
agglomerates of eccentric shapes that
evocate living creatures or suggest the idea
of motion. |
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The history of the collection coincides with
that of its creator. A particle physicist,
head of important scientific projects, Adalberto Giazotto is
captured by the magic of crystals since
his first childhood and, like many other
children, begins a collection that, in the
course of time, will become a “wonderful”
obsession. During his
trips for physics in far away laboratories,
physics is his true passion, always devoted
his free time looking for the beautiful and
the unique with the purpose of gathering
exceptional crystal specimens for the
collection. |
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He collects single
specimens from anonymous Pakistani, Chinese,
Brazilian miners or acquires entire
collections or part of them,
such as, for instance, the one of Titta
Ruffo (son of the great singer) in 1984,
initially made of 1500 pieces, among which
emerged silver of Kongsberg, a chrysoberyl,
many tourmalines and beryls. An important
acquisition dates back to 2001, it’s the
collection of Gerlando Bennardo who had
worked several years in the Giumentaro mine.
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Besides the sulphurs, the collection was
made of exceptional blue celestite on orange
sulphur from the mine La Grasta, incredible
crystals of gypsum on sulphur and aragonites
of Cianciana similar to aquamarine in shape
and colour. As from 2003 Giazotto dedicated
more and more attention and time to minerals
and since then, a certain number of
exceptional pieces has entered the
collection: minerals from Russia, China,
Pakistan, Brazil, Afghanistan,
the best specimens in the
world for the species Ajoite, Aegirine,
Carrara Quartz on Calcite and Phosgenite -
Anglesite from Marocco. |
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The show displays the best of the collection
with items of extraordinary quality. Among
them, we can cite: the piece of cuprite of
Onganja, Namibia; the big fascicolated
elbaite of Paprok, Afghanistan, the elbaite
of Coronel Murta, Brazil; the crystal of
gypsum of Niccioleta, Tuscany. |
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In occasion of this show it will be reopened
the railing between Giardino di Boboli of
Palazzo Pitti and the Specola, restoring,
not only virtually, that pathway of art and
science that, at the time of Leopoldo of
Lorena had much splendour. The historical
agreement has been signed by the University
of Florence and the superintendency of Polo
Museale Fiorentino. |
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VIEW THE INTERVIEWS
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Giazotto player
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HOW
TO GET THERE |
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Museo di Storia Naturale - La Specola, Via
Romana 17, Firenze |
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