Mineralogical and Paleonthological Group of Scandicci - Florence - ITALY

Site: Place Vittorio Veneto 1, Badia a Settimo - SCANDICCI
Phone number: 0039 - 055 - 7224141
E-MAIL: gamps@gamps.it o gamps@supereva.it

N° OF ASSOCIATES: 60 - (al 15.2.2005)

DIRECTIVE COUNCIL:
President: Casati Simone
Vice-president: Luzzi Giancarlo
Secretary: Gasparri Franco, Siciliano Angelo
Councilmen: Paoletti Valerio, Petrucci Fabrizia and Zanaga Marco
DOC. REF. G.A.M.P.S.: Internal regulations (revised and approved by the assembly of the associates of the 17/09/2003).

GROUP ACTIVITIES:
Mineralogical studies, comparison, classification and fossils restoration and preservation.
Preparation and didactic presentation in the glass-cases.
Collaboration with the researchers of the University of Florence, Pisa and with the Institute of Marine Geology of Bologna.
Didactic activities with lessons at primary and secondary schools.
Guided visits at the rooms of the centre.
Organization of photographic and expositive exhibitions at the premises of the centre.
Exchange exhibitions of national level of micro mineralogy.
International exhibitions of minerals and fossils at the Palazzetto of the Sport of Scandicci (The XXIII edition is expected in the year 2006).

PAST and PRESENT OF THE GROUP The Group A.V.I.S.
Mineralogy of Scandicci (G.A.M.P.S.) was born in December 1984 according to the will of some citizens of Scandicci fond of mineralogy and decided to create a point of meeting and reference for their searches. From that date we must record more than twenty years existence of this association which from 1992 has assumed the definitive denomination inserting also the name "Paleontology" among the matters of analysis and search. The G.A.M.P.S. has grown with the time, so it was necessary to find a larger center than the original one. Therefore in 1998, thanks to the kind interest of the municipal authorities, the Group moved from the center of the A.V.I.S. of Scandicci, where it occupied a room, to the former primary school of Badia a Settimo, situated in the public square Vittorio Veneto 1. Here inside at the first floor it was possible to prepare a laboratory for the study, the analysis to the microscope of micro crystals (micro-mounts), the comparison and the classification of minerals and fossils, let alone all the activities connected to their complete restoration and conservation. The pieces on display are in fact a thousand, some of them can be considered true rarities. The development of the collections and the consequent quantitative and qualitative improvement of the finds made possible a solid relationship of collaboration with the University of Florence and that one of Pisa where some searchers began the study of the more important find in our possession: the skeleton (of approximately 10 meters of length) almost complete of an ancient pliocenic cetaceous, belonging to a kind today disappeared. The presentation of this fossil cetaceous, took place on the 8th December 2002, it drew to Badia a Settimo a hundred of studious persons also from Germany, Holland and the United States. In 2003 the palaeontological collection was enriched of one huge tusk of Elephas Meridionalis of 2,60 meters of length and 120 kilograms of weight. And just in this month of February (2005), a new and very important find constituted of a skull of Stenella Giulii made its entrance. To testify therefore a tight relationship between our Group and the university scientific world, we do not have to forget the realized conferences and the ones still in program with very important exponents of the two universities mentioned before. Beyond to the valorization of its own center, the Group gave life to multiple didactic activities, always meant to increase the knowledge and the interest towards natural sciences in fact some of the associates had lessons in many schools of the area of Florence and of the province and accompanied the group of students in the guided visit in our expositive halls of Badia a Settimo. Photographic competitions on geological and mineralogical topic of national importance, took place in our center. The Group has organized since 2003 a meeting of micro mineralogy exchange in the premises of our center. This manifestation is one of the three which took place at national level and they were carried out in collaboration with other associations of European level. Last, but not least, we want to remind you the manifestation which demands more zeal, but which for sure gave greater visibility and valorization to our association during 21 years: the International Review of Minerals and Fossils which is kept in the month of October at the Palazzetto of the Sport of Scandicci, and could recall a lot of exhibitors and qualified operators in this field, from every part of Italy and from abroad.