The Civic Museum of Natural History of Milan was founded in 1838 and is one of the most important nature museums in Europe. It is located within the gardens of Porta Venezia and is part of the Scientific Museums Center of the museum sector of the Municipality of Milan. The Natural History Museum is housed in a neo-Gothic style building specially built between 1880. It consists of 23 exhibition halls distributed over approximately 5,500 m², spread over two floors and an attic, and preserves almost three million pieces. also around a hundred dioramas of Italy which constitute the largest exhibition in Italy. The museum's library is open to the public and in 2015 was completed by the absorption of the Civic Aquarium Library.