M.A.G.M.A.X: ASTENSE MUSEUM OF GEOLOGY, MINERALOGY, MINING ART, CRYSTALLOGRAPHY

The M.A.G.M.A.X Museum provides an instant all-round view of the mineral and mining world, displayed from a naturalistic, scientific, historical, artistic and social point of view.

The permanent exhibition deals with different thematic areas:

• nature: forms and colours of the Mineral Kingdom. Valuable and rare minerals;
• science: tools for studying, discovering and classifying the mineral world;
• history: the history of Earth Sciences through the classifications of minerals and rocks and man thousand-year relationship with mineral raw materials;
• cosmos: minerals and rocks from the depths of the Earth to the Moon and beyond into science fiction;
• culture: arts and crafts. Mineral resources at the service of ingenuity and technology. Miners' work.

Young visitors are entertained with a tour full of surprises, unexpected experiments, games, toys, dioramas, comics and a few jokes.

The museum takes up the top floor of the 14th-century Uberto De Regibus Quartero tower, in the medieval heart of Asti.

Duration of the visit: about 60 minutes.
Guided tour in: Italian, English, Spanish, French.

Minerals and rocks. Remembrances from the underground and the cosmos:

• Minerals of all colours and shapes.
• Single and paired crystals in aggregates and twins.
• Famous diamonds and fakes.
• Minerals collected in the six S.K.E.T.C.H. classification systems.
• Rocks and minerals from the depths of the earth and outer space.
• The periodic table of minerals.
• The Earth's crust in four drawers.
• Minerals in history.
• Industrial minerals and ingots.
• The diamonds of Jews fleeing the Nazis.
• A healthy use for tobacco: mineralogical collections in cigar and cigarette boxes.
• The world's smallest mineralogy collection.

Mineral arts. Minerals and man:

• Tools, clothing, personal items and furnishings of miners from all over the world.
• Original specimen of the Davy-Faraday lamp and other more mysterious lamps.
• Dioramas of famous mines.
• Toys inspired by the mining art.
• The world's smallest mines.
• Authentic and complete uniform of a Korner miner.
• Glass and porcelain: indirect gifts from the Mineral Kingdom.
• Copper and gold: direct gifts from the Mineral Kingdom.
• Telephone located 650 metres down in the coal mine.
• Child miner's helmet from the Ruhr.
• Miners' crib in a mine.

Tools and Crystallography. The mineralogical investigation:

• From blowpipe to spectroscope: unravelling the chemical ingredients of minerals.
• From contact goniometer to theodolite goniometer: studying the shape of crystals.
• From microscope to X-ray diffractometer: uncovering the structure of minerals.
• Pocket field microscope and portable chemical laboratory.
• Minerals under examination: hardness, radioactivity, fluorescence, magnetism.
• Crystallographic models in wood, glass, Plexiglas and metal wire.
• Journey into the atomic structures of diamond, graphite and fullerene.
• Articulated models of twin crystals.
• The smallest and oldest geometric models of crystals ever made with user manual.

Books, prints, photos and documents. Mineralogy on paper:

• Reproductions of the oldest Earth Science books.
• Lithograph illustrating the longest paper miner's parade in history.
• A volume of Diderot and D'Alembert's Encyclopedie (1756) with hand-watercoloured mineral plates.
• Manuscripts by renowned and anonymous mineralogists.
• Statutes of ancient mines and mining stocks from all over the world.
• 19th-century reprint of the 13th-century Lapidary.
• Snapshots of women in the mines: from China to the former Soviet Union.
• The last photograph of the Excelsior diamond just before it was cut.

Stamps and Coins. Philately and numismatics:

• Example of the first stamp devoted to the Mineral Kingdom.
• Example of the first stamp depicting miners.
• Example of the international stamp symbolising mining.
• Coins of the Free State of Katanga.
• Daily banknote of Chinese miners.
• Example of the first Italian medal dedicated to a mine.
• US half-dollar minted with Californian gold rush.
• Medals including a piece of meteorite
• Ancient coins and medals engraved in the lava of Vesuvius.

Films, comics and figurines. POP Mineralogy:

• Mineralogy DVD: Film history from Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin to Harrison Ford and Leonardo Di Caprio.
• An autographed frame from the film Journey to the Centre of the Earth.
• An example of the original poster from the film Journey to the Centre of the Earth.
• Strips and comics on mining/mining topics from all over the world: Michey Mouse, Tex, Superman, Martin Mystere, Zagor, Blueberry.
• Specimen of the first Italian strip dedicated to gold.
• Specimen of the statue of Diabolik with emerald.
• Unglued Liebig and Lavazza figurines dedicated to mineralogy.
• Unglued figurines illustrating famous diamonds.

The Museum provides and supports:

• educational activities for schools;
• the M.A.G.M.A.X Association, which offers its members free use of the Mineralogical Library next to the Museum and attendance of mineralogy courses for young people and adults;
• single-topic temporary exhibitions on various topics relating to the Earth Sciences;
• lectures, book presentations and film forums;
• M.A.G.M.A.X. publications;
• Outside the Tower: film screening and ensuing panel discussion of experts, organised with the annual International Film Festival in Asti which takes place on the last Friday of November.