A Stroll Through Bologna's Museums

Unveiling the stories behind the city's cultural treasures

By Musei Civici di Bologna

Museo Civico Archeologico - Ulisse Aldrovandi - Roman gem with scorpion in yellow jasper (4th century A.D.)Musei Civici di Bologna

How did Bologna's municipal museums come to be? We'll explore the key figures who contributed to the formation and study of their fascinating collections.

Museo Civico Archeologico - Ferdinando Cospi - Etruscan bronze mirror, Mid 4th century B.C., From the collection of: Musei Civici di Bologna

Museo Civico Medievale - Museo Cospiano, Giuseppe Maria Mitelli, 1677, From the collection of: Musei Civici di Bologna

Museo Davia Bargellini - Bust of Virgil Gaspare Bargellini, Vincenzo Onofri, Early 16th century, From the collection of: Musei Civici di Bologna

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Museo della Musica - History of music, Padre Giambattista Martini (Bologna 1706 - 1784), 1757, From the collection of: Musei Civici di Bologna

Museo della Musica - Portraits of Arrigo Serato, Gaetano Donizetti, Isabella Angela Colbran, Christoph Willibald Gluck and presumed portrait of Antonio Vivaldi, Felice Casorati (Novara 1883 - Torino, 1963) Giuseppe Tivoli (Trieste 1854 - Bologna 1925) Painter of the early 19th century Painter of the 18th century (Pasqual Calbò i Caldés? Maò, Minorca 1752 - 1817) Painter of the circle of Giuseppe Maria Crespi, 1720/1920, From the collection of: Musei Civici di Bologna

Museo Civico Archeologico - Luigi Ferdinando Marsili - Statue of an Etruscan devotee, 4th-3rd century B.C., From the collection of: Musei Civici di Bologna

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Museo Civico Medievale - Basin with Galatea's triumph (1672) by Johann Michael MaucherMusei Civici di Bologna

Join us on a journey through time, from 1522 to the present day, as we explore the streets of Bologna and discover the stories of the people who shaped its museums.

Collezioni Comunali d'Arte - Head of a crying woman, Luca Signorelli, 1505-1507, From the collection of: Musei Civici di Bologna

Museo della Musica - Two bookcase doors with shelves of music books, Giuseppe Maria Crespi (Bologna 1665 – 1747), 1715/1730, From the collection of: Musei Civici di Bologna

Collezioni Comunali d'Arte - Mercury gives Paris the golden apple, Donato Creti, 1721, From the collection of: Musei Civici di Bologna

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Collezioni Comunali d'Arte - Apollino (1797) by Antonio CanovaMusei Civici di Bologna

Pioneering figures like Aldrovandi and Cospi put together collections of objects designed to inspire awe and wonder, and gave life to some of the world's oldest public museums. They also played a significant role in shaping the collections of Bologna's University Museums.

Museo Civico Archeologico - Prospero Lambertini - Anthropoid sarcophagus of Mes-Iset, Late XXII - early XXV Dynasty, From the collection of: Musei Civici di Bologna

Museo Civico Archeologico - Pelagio Palagi - Head of Athena Lemnia, End of the 1st century B.C. - Early 1st century A.D., From the collection of: Musei Civici di Bologna

Museo Civico Archeologico - Giovanni Gozzadini (1810-1887) - Large Etruscan cup, 7th century B.C., From the collection of: Musei Civici di Bologna

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Certosa - Sepulchral stele dedicated to Antonio Zannoni, Alfonso Borghesani, 1912, From the collection of: Musei Civici di Bologna

Museo Civico Archeologico - Antonio Zannoni (1833-1910) - Bronze situla so called "della Certosa", decorated with embossed and engraving., Late 7th - early 6th century B.C, From the collection of: Musei Civici di Bologna

Museo Civico Archeologico - Edoardo Brizio - Sculpture of an Etruscan funerary lion, Late 6th century B.C., From the collection of: Musei Civici di Bologna

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Museo del Patrimonio Industriale - Technical and scientific instrumentation by Sebastiano Zavaglia (1860/1876)Musei Civici di Bologna

Passionate about science and technology, they established schools and institutions and promoted research based on the modern Galilean experimental method and theoretical-demonstrative exercises.

Museo del Patrimonio Industriale - Giovanni Aldini's Batracoscope, Giovanni Aldini, 1800/1820, From the collection of: Musei Civici di Bologna

Museo del Patrimonio Industriale - Steam Engine by Giovanni Aldini, Giovanni Aldini, 1823/1823, From the collection of: Musei Civici di Bologna

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Museo Davia Bargellini - Photo of the Museo Davia Bargellini setup (1920-1924)Musei Civici di Bologna

Other prominent figures like Luigi Ferdinando Marsili urged the Bologna Senate to establish the Institute of Sciences, while Giovanni Aldini bequeathed his wealth to the city for the creation of a modern technical school.

Collezioni Comunali d'Arte - Photos of the Collezioni Comunali d'Arte setup (before May 1935)Musei Civici di Bologna

Popes, men of arms, artists, patrons, and scholars shaped Bologna's museums. They commissioned artworks and machines, collected manuscripts and books, and pioneered modern archaeology. Their legacies live on in the city's rich collections.

Museo del Risorgimento - Ugo Bassi in the Comacchio prison (1867) by Carlo AdemolloMusei Civici di Bologna

Padre Martini for music, Pope Benedict XIV for the arts and sciences, and Antonio Zannoni for archaeology are just a few examples of individuals who made a lasting impact.

Museo del Risorgimento - Inauguration of the monument to Vittorio Emanuele, 12 June 1888, 1888, From the collection of: Musei Civici di Bologna

Risorgimento Museum - Manifesto "Everyone do your duty!", Achille Luciano Mauzan, 1917, From the collection of: Musei Civici di Bologna

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Museo Morandi - The collectionMusei Civici di Bologna

They recognized the value of new artistic forms, like decorative arts, photography, and advertising illustration. They traveled, experimented, and innovated.

Museo della Musica - Fountain of the Emilian Exhibition of Bologna, Diego Sarti, 1888, From the collection of: Musei Civici di Bologna

Casa Morandi - Giorgio Morandi's home-studio, From the collection of: Musei Civici di Bologna

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MAMbo - Villa delle Rose - Nerina Armandi AvogliMusei Civici di Bologna

Thanks to the efforts of these pioneering individuals, Bologna's museums stand today as a testament to the city's rich history.

Credits: Story

Musei Civici di Bologna (Civic Museums of Bologna): Museo Civico Archeologico, Museo Civico Medievale, Collezioni Comunali d'Arte, Museo Civico d'Arte Industriale e Galleria Davia Bargellini, Museo del Tessuto e della Tappezzeria "Vittorio Zironi", MAMbo - Museo d'Arte Moderna di Bologna and exhibition venue of Villa delle Rose, Museo Morandi and Casa Morandi, Museo per la Memoria di Ustica, Museo internazionale e biblioteca della musica di Bologna, Museo civico del Risorgimento (and cultural enhancement of Certosa Monumental Cemetery), Museo del Patrimonio Industriale.

Credits: All media

The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.

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