The Museum of geo-paleontology "Alto Aventino" is situated in the top floor of the Ducal Castle of Palena, dating back to the 11th century. The objectives of knowledge which aims are enclosed in its own definition: on the one hand, discover the history of "Gaia", our Earth, which through millions and millions of years evolved until reaching its actual aspect; on the other, to know and observe closely the forms of plant and animal life that, in the course of time, gave birth to the Earth and drew nourishment from it.
The museum tour is divided into three sections. In the first, called " Sala della Conoscenza "( Hall of knowledge) and devoted to the history of living beings into geological eras, are exposed fossils that have characterized it; in the second, the " Sala dell’Aventino " (Hall of Aventino ) there are rocks and fossils, including many finds that attest the presence of the sea in ancient times where now stand the mountains: there are rudistids, corals, gastropods, primitive fishes.
In the third section, dedicated to Palena, are exposed the finds already belonged to Charles ' Collection from an important Miocene era layer, Capodifiume. Here you can see fossils of seven million years ago, as leaves, fruits, fish, crustaceans, echidnas. Among these, note a find of exceptional scientific value, included in the stone skeleton of a small mammal inhabitant of marshes, the "pròlago", now completely extinct. In the "Geologiocando" area children visiting the Museum through easy games can learn essential aspects of geology and simulate an excavation in the oldest layers of our Earth