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Cesare Lombroso Museum of Criminal Anthropology

About

The Cesare Lombroso Museum of Criminal Anthropology in Turin is a singular and thought‑provoking institution that traces the origins of modern criminology. Founded in the late nineteenth century by physician and anthropologist Cesare Lombroso, the museum preserves the original collections he assembled to study the relationship between physical traits and criminal behaviour — theories now scientifically disproven but historically significant. Housed in the Palace of the Anatomical Institutes, the museum displays anatomical preparations, skulls, photographs, drawings, personal objects and artefacts created by inmates, offering insight into the scientific climate of positivism. Through multimedia installations and contextual interpretation, it invites visitors to reflect on how ideas about deviance, mental illness and social control have evolved. Today the museum stands as both a historical archive and a critical space for examining the ethical boundaries of science.

Turin Italy

Location

Cesare Lombroso Museum of Criminal Anthropology is located at Via Pietro Giuria 15, within the University of Turin’s scientific campus in the San Salvario district south of central Turin, Italy. Housed in a 19th-century building that preserves Lombroso’s original study and collections, it sits amid academic facilities and residential streets near the Po River. Nearby attractions include Parco del Valentino’s gardens and medieval village just across the river, the National Automobile Museum (MAUTO) about 2 km west in Lingotto, lively aperitivo bars and multicultural eateries along Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, and tram lines connecting to Porta Nuova station in 10 minutes.

Cesare Lombroso Museum of Criminal Anthropology

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