The museum was born from an original nucleus left by Sigismondo Ala Ponzone (1761-1842), it is a collection of the highest level being himself a naturalist and preparer. In the following years, other collections donated by local naturalists were added.

The proposed path is divided into sections, it begins with the historical section , consisting mainly of the original Ala Ponzone nucleus, continues with a passage through the individual disciplines: mineralogy, paleontology and zoology , to get to the reading of our territory. The natural environment and in particular the urban one allow us to introduce a highly topical theme applied to the local situation: a reflection on the conservation of biodiversity . The space dedicated to didactics , interdisciplinary and available to all sections of the museum system, instead leads to a reflection on how man uses the resources of his own territory by connecting with the theme of the river / city relationship that has characterized the history of our community.