Museums
"Bologna the learned"
While visiting museums, Bologna appears intelligent, curious and unpredictable. A place where lead soldiers are considered valuable as the Santa Cecilia of Titian, a place where the historic Museo Morandi lives a few metres away from the Museum of Industrial Art Davia Bargellini. From the Museum of Paleontology to the Open Space of the Museum of Modern Art, past, present and future are found here, among the alleys of the Red Bologna.
Mambo Museum of Modern Art of Bologna »
Via Don Minzoni, 14 (Bologna)
Telephone: 051 6496611 Hours: Tue-Sat : 10-18
This museum exhibits avant-garde works from the end of the WWII to the present day, also hosting temporary exhibits devoted to the various forms of artistic expression. This facility also features an Open Space reserved for experimental projects by contemporary artists.
The "Davia Bargellini" Museum »
Strada Maggiore, 44 (Bologna)
Telephone: 051 236708 Hours: Tue-Sat : 9-14; sunday: 9-13
Dedicato all’arte applicata bolognese dal 400 all’800, espone ferri battuti, mobili e cornici intagliate. Sono inoltre presenti ceramiche rinascimentali, pastori di terracotta e un teatrino con marionette.
Archeological Museum »
Via dell’Archiginnasio, 2 (Bologna)
Telephone: 051 2757211 Hours: Tue-Fri: 9-15.00; Sat-Sun: 10-18.30
This museum houses one of the most important collections of Egyptian antiquities in the Western world, as well as collections of prehistoric, Greek, Roman and Etruscan artifacts and art. There is also an area devoted to rare and ancient coins.
The Museum of Musicographic Bibliography »
Piazza Rossini, 2 (Bologna)
Telephone: 051 221117 Hours: mon.-sat : 9-13
This institution has been housing manuscripts and musical scores since 1900, boasting an invaluable collection of musical instruments and a portrait gallery depicting musicians and artists from the 1700’s, including portraits of such luminaries as Farinelli and Bach.
The Risorgimento Museum »
Piazza Carducci, 5 (Bologna)
Telephone: 051 347592 Hours: Tues-Wed/Fri-Sun: 9-13; Thurs: 9-17
This institution houses items from the period that runs from the French Revolution to the Second World War, including paintings, uniforms, sculptures, headgear, medals and arms. It also boasts an extensive library devoted to the history of Bologna.
The Mediaeval Library »
Via Manzoni, 4 (Bologna)
Telephone: 051 203930 Hours: Tues.-Sat.: 9-18:30; holidays: 10-18:30
This museum houses medieval and renaissance works of art from Bologna, including illuminated codices, ivories, arms and sculptures. A highlight of the collection is the copper statue of Boniface VIII.
Municipal Art Collections »
Palazzo Comunale, Piazza Maggiore, 6 (Bologna)
Telephone: 051 203526 Hours: Tue-Sat 9-18.30; Sunday 10-18.30
This museum houses important collections of paintings and furnishings typical of the Bolognese tradition and dating from the 14th to 19th centuries, including works by Carracci, Hayez and Palagi. There are also exhibits displaying the major restoration projects undertaken to preserve the city’s many monuments.
The Grigioverde Museum »
Via Giuseppe Dozza, 24 (Bologna)
Telephone: 051 461100 Hours: Tues.-Sun.: 9:30-12:30, 15:30-17:30
Devoted to the Resistance, this museum enables visitors the experience the atmosphere of the Second World War by means of five multimedial rooms. There is also a display of military vehicles.
Museum of the Industrial Patrimony »
Via della Beverara, 123 (Bologna)
Telephone: 051 6347770 Hours: Tues.-Sat.: 9-13; Fri.-Sun.: 15-18
This institution is dedicated to the industrial history and culture of Bologna; it houses scientific equipment and paraphernalia from the late 1700’s and machinery that was used in the 1800’s. The photographic library and historic archives enrich the collection. This facility boasts its own wind tunnel.
The ‘Thousand voices… thousand sounds’ Communication Museum »
Via Col di Lana, 7/n (Bologna)
Telephone: 051 6491008 Hours: by reservation
Eight hundred functioning devices and instruments tell the fascinating story of the radio, the phonograph, the cinema and television. The collection also includes computers and old juke boxes, plus the museum features special exhibitions entirely devoted to Gugliemo Marconi and the Ducati brothers.
The HealthCare Museum »
Via Clavature, 8 (Bologna)
Telephone: 051 230260 Hours: mar-dom: 10-12, 15-18; domenica: 14.30-18
By means of paintings, sculptures and antique medical instruments, this instructive museum tells the story of healthcare in Bologna, from the foundation of the first hospitals in the Middle Ages to the modern facilities of the third millennium.
The Museum of Astronomy and the Specola Observatory »
Via Zamboni, 33 (Bologna)
Telephone: 051 2099360 Hours: Mon.-Fri.: 8:30-17:30; Sat.-Sun.: 9-18:30
By means of the vast and amazing collection of astrolabes, gnomons, telescopes, globes and celestial charts, one is able to retrace the development of astronomical equipment and paraphernalia from the 18th to the 19th centuries. There is also a section devoted to nautical instruments
The Nautical Museum »
Via Zamboni, 33 (Bologna)
Telephone: 051 2099360 Hours: Tues-Fri.: 9-17:30; Sat.-Sun: 10-18:30
Started in the 1700’s, this vast collection includes globes, maps, antique volumes, arms and enchanting wooden models of war ships.
Museum of Comparative Anatomy »
Via Selmi, 3 (Bologna)
Telephone: 051 2094243 Hours: Mon.-Fri.: 9-13
This museum presents the evolution of the vertebrates over the course of the millennia, boasting a vast collection of skeletons. There is also an exhibit of anatomical drawings from the 19th century up to the present day.
Museum of Anthropology »
Via Selmi, 3 (Bologna)
Telephone: 051 2094196 Hours: Mon.-Fri.: 9-13
Dedicated to the science of Paleo-anthropology, this museum houses a vast collection of crania, skeletons and fossils that document the physical and cultural evolution of prehistoric man as well as his relationship with the environment.
Museo di Mineralogia ’L. Bombicci’ »
Piazza di Porta San Donato, 1 (Bologna)
Telephone: 051 2094926 Hours: Mon.-Sat.: 9-13
This museum houses a number of very extensive exhibits, including collections of amber, meteorites and precious gems. In the Minerals and Mankind section you can see the sorts of stones used by prehistoric man.
Museo di Paleontologia e Geologia ’G. Cappellini’ »
Via Zamboni, 63 (Bologna)
Telephone: 051 2094555 Hours: Mon.-Fri: 9-12:30
This museum houses samples of rocks and specimens of ancient vertebrates, invertebrates and plants. It possesses one of the only complete skeletons of the colossal Diplodocus Carnegiei dinosaur.
The Museum of San Domenico »
Piazza San Domenico, 13 (Bologna)
Telephone: 051 6400411 Hours: Mon.-Sat.: 10-12, 15-17:30; Sun.: 15-17:30
This museum displays all the works of art that were collected in the Basilica of San Domenico between 1228 and 1700, including paintings, statues, reliquaries, illuminated codices, liturgical furnishings and vestments.
The Museum of San Petronio »
Piazza Maggiore (Bologna)
Telephone: 051 225442 Hours: Mon.-Sat.: 10-12:30; Sunday: 14:30-18
This museum houses the Treasures of San Petronio, including reliquaries, vestments and illuminated codices, as well as models of the numerous projects proposed for the facade of the basilica, created by such important renaissance architects as Palladio, Vignola and Giulio Romano.
Museum of Zoology »
Via Cavalier Ducati, 3 (Borgo Panigale, Bologna)
Telephone: 051 2094164 Hours: Mon.-Sun.: 9-18
This museum has an extensive collection of stuffed animals belonging to every species and from every corner of the world, making it one of the most important and complete of its kind in Italy.
The Ducati Museum »
Via Cavalier Ducati, 3 (Borgo Panigale, Bologna)
Telephone: 051 6413259 Hours: by reservation
An extensive collection of old motorcycles, advertising posters, accessories and memorabilia tells the story of the Ducati Company from the 40’s to the present day.
The Jewish Museum »
Via Valdonica, 1/5 (Bologna)
Telephone: 051 2911280 Hours: Sun.-Thurs: 9-18; Fri.: 10-16
This museum explores Jewish history over the course of the last 4,000 years, with a particular focus on the connections between the Jewish community and the region of Emilia Romagna. A special space has been set aside for temporary exhibits and meetings. There is also a dedicated library.
The Missionary Museum of Chinese Art »
Telephone: 051 580597 Hours: by appointment
Telefono: 051 580597 Orario: su prenotazione
This museum contains everyday utensils and objects, musical instruments, paintings and tapestries collected by the missionaries in China up until 1948, the year they had to close the missions.
The Morandi Museum »
Palazzo D’Accursio, Piazza Maggiore, 6 (Bologna)
Telephone: 05120332 Hours: Mon.-Sun: 10-18
Completely dedicated to the Bolognese painter, Giorgio Morandi, this museum boasts a collection of some 250 works, including paintings, watercolors, drawings and etchings. One special area contains the painting actually owned by the artist. The museum also presents contemporary exhibits of other artists’ works.
The National Toy-Soldier Museum »
Via Toscana, 19 (Bologna)
Telephone: 051 6236020 Hours: Mon.-Sat.: 8-12.30; holidays: 9.30 -12.30
Only recently established, this museum houses a vast collection of toy soldiers made from a variety of materials, such as wood, tin, plastic and clay. The collection is completed by models, drawing and furnishings.
The Tapestry Museum »
Via di Casaglia, 3 (Bologna)
Telephone: 051 6145512
This museum’s fascinating collection, composed on antique fabrics, looms and accessories from all over the world, shows how textiles have been made from the 4th century up to the present day. It also has its own restoration laboratory.
The Tactile Museum »
Via Castiglione, 71 (Bologna)
Telephone: 051 332090 Hours: by reservation
For the benefit of the unsighted and severely sight-impaired, this museum contains sculptures, relief and bas-relief works inspired by masterpieces of modern and historic Italian paintings.
The Botanical Gardens »
Via Irnerio, 42 (Bologna)
Telephone: 051 2091299 Hours: Mon.-Fri.: 8-15; Saturday: 8:30-12
With over two centuries of history, this museum is one of the oldest of its kind in Europe. It contains all kinds of plants, from medicinal varieties to exotic spices. Of particular interest are the woodland ecosystem exhibit and the greenhouse for tropical plants.
The National Picture Gallery »
Via delle Belle Arti, 56 (Bologna)
Telephone: 051 243222 Hours: Mon.-Sun.: 9-19
This museum houses a fine collection of Emilian paintings from the 13th to the 19th centuries; you can also admire works by such great artists as Giotto, Raffaello, Titian, Tintoretto, Carracci and Guido Reni. Plus, it regularly presents temporary exhibits.
The Archiginnasio Anatomical Theater »
Piazza Galvani, 1 (Bologna)
Telephone: 051 276811 Hours: Mon.-Sat.: 9-13
Located in the Palazzo dell’Archiginnasio, the Anatomical Theater is a room that was used for anatomy lectures. It is completely finished in wood and still flourishes the original heraldic blazons on its walls.