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The exhibition Nelle foreste di Borneo. Viaggio di Odoardo Beccari nelle terre del Ragià
Bianco (In the forests of Borneo. Odoardo Beccari's journey to the Lands of the White
Rajah) opens on Saturday, November 15th at La Specola Museum.
Curated by Lorenzo Cecchi, Anna Donatelli, Stefano Di Natale and Chiara Nepi, the
exhibition celebrates the figure of Odoardo Beccari (1843-1920), a Florentine naturalist and
a leading figure in the Italian scientific culture.
On the 160th anniversary of his first journey to Borneo, the Natural History Museum of
Florence, which houses the most precious legacies of his work, pays tribute to Beccari with
an exhibition dedicated to his endeavour, which began when he was only 22 years old.
Over the course of three years, Odoardo Beccari travelled extensively through the Sarawak
jungle, recording data, collecting thousands of scientific specimens and coming into close
contact with nature and indigenous communities. Three years often spent in complete
isolation, in unexplored places and among primitive peoples.
Original specimens, unpublished photographs and spectacular images of contemporary
Borneo will guide visitors on a journey through science, adventure and memory, following in
the footsteps of a young explorer who transformed curiosity into knowledge and experience
into a legacy destined to last over time. Today, his work takes on a new meaning: it reminds
us of the extraordinary richness of those forests, but also of their extreme fragility.
Nelle foreste di Borneo. Viaggio di Odoardo Beccari nelle terre del Ragià Bianco
November 15th, 2025 – February 15th, 2026
La Specola Museum
Multifunctional Hall, ground floor
Admission to the exhibition is included in the museum entry ticket.