Guide to the Museo di Palazzo Poggi

Against the extraordinary backdrop of the 16th-century wall paintings that decorate the building, the Museo di Palazzo Poggi reconstructs the paths of research and education that gave Bologna its sterling scientific reputation in the modern age: the Ulisse Aldrovandi Museum, the Ferdinando Cospi Collection, the collections amassed by Luigi Ferdinando Marsili, and the furnishings and instruments that belonged to the 18th-century Istituto delle Scienze. Based on 18th-century documentation and the scientific production of those who played a leading role during an extraordinary period in Italian culture, the museum brings a substantial part of Bologna's scientific collections back to its 18th-century venue. It recreates the setting and system of relationships that made these collections an important part of the "scientific mentality" of the era, transforming them into essential documents that now allow us to interpret the modern scientific culture.