There’s a new museum in Italy that I would love to visit someday, and it’s called foof (and when I do I’ll have to ask them what “foof” means exactly, but it does sound doglike). Located about 45km north of Naples in the Campania region in a coastal town called Mondragone, this is Italy’s first museum dedicated to dogs and it looks like a really wonderful concept. Of course it’s beautiful, because, well, it’s Italian.
Their focus is to explore the history and intersections between man and dog in the areas of work, play, companionship, technology, art and popular culture. You’ll see everything from a 35 million-year-old fossil of a dog from America to original works of art by Botero and Jeff Koons. They also have adoptable dogs there that visitors can meet and get to know in the play areas outside to make that perfect match. But the one thing that I love most of all is their dedication to educating kids and adults, because it’s only through education that the problems of pet overpopulation, animal abuse and abandonment will improve and become a thing of the past.
For me, foof combines my favorite things under the sun: dogs, design, Italy and good deeds. If you would like to visit foof in Mondragone, you can get the details from their website here. Foof! Foof!
All photos property of foof.
Dogs Make Everything Better 
What an amazing idea:) Leave it to those wonderful Italians to come up with things like this. I miss living in Naples, Italy:)
Living in Naples? Lucky you!!
Yes, I lived in Naples 2 years and I miss eating pizza fritta at Vomero.
Inspired! Wonder where they got their funding from – it sounds like something that should exist in every country.
I believe it was entirely privately funded. And you’re right, every country should have something like this. Boy that would be super.
Guess that explains it – so few publicly funded things are going forward in this economic climate. Well done foof and the funders for bringing this to life at this time and hopefully more will follow.
What a great place, I wish I could visit there!
What an amazing idea! Smart, those Italians.
There should be one in every city! Education is so important. I love learning about working dogs back in the day, or how dogs were bred for specific uses..
glad to know about this, Erica! thanks :)
Yes, the Italians do it in style. Something new to put on my never ending to do list.