Medieval Museum of Bologna: Attraction informations
The Medieval Museum of Bologna was set up with several private collections. The first one, of naturalistic nature, belonged to the scientist Ulisse Aldrovandi and can be admired inside the museum of the University. The second one belonged to Ferdinando Cospi, who during his travels as a diplomat for the Granducato di Toscana collected items of both naturalistic and archaeological interest.
The private collection of Luigi Ferdinando Marsili must also be mentioned; a great traveller and army man whose life was full of adventure, battles and imprisonment. Marsili inherited from his ancestors a deep love for collection. Therefore, he founded a science institute inside Palazzo Poggi, where his collections were at the disposal of whoever studied at the University of Bologna.
When different museums started to be built throughout the city, these collections were divided and separated in different locations. Most of the objects which can be nowadays seen in the Medieval Museum were first placed in the Archaeological Museum in Palazzo Galvani. The museum was moved to its current location, Palazzo Ghisilardi Fava, in 1984 when it was clear that the place inside Palazzo Galvani was not enough to hold them all.
Palazzo Ghisilardi Fava
The building stands in one of the main sites of Bologna, the place where during the XI century the Imperial Fortress stood. It was built on the
remains of the selenite walls surrounding the city, some of them still visible inside the museum. Once the fortress was destroyed during a siege in 1115, different buildings were built in the area; Palazzo Ghisilardi was bought and restored in 1483 by
Bartolomeo Ghisilardi, member of one of Ghisilardi family, allies of the Bentivoglio.
Entering its main cloister, we find on our right-hand side a
tower which used to belong to the
Conoscenti family and was kept in place by the Ghisilardi. During those years, towers were in fact a symbol of nobility and the Ghisilardi family, although extremely rich, was not of noble origins.
The lower floors of the tower host the main part of the collections, while on the higher ones the archives are treasured. In the opposite side of the cloister we find 4 big sandstone shelves on which, on the second one on the left-side, the initials of Ghisilardi are carved.
The collection of the Medieval Museum
The first rooms of Bologna’s Medieval Museum house objects belonging to the
collections mentioned above. Among them
a print by Mitelli, which reproduces the appearance of Ferdinando Cospi’s collection during the XVII century, stands out. The print represents what was commonly called "
wunderkammer", that is wonder rooms: places that collected different objects with no clear criteria.
The rest of the rooms is divided by themes and periods and holds pieces of extraordinary importance. On the ground floor we find the
big arks of the Doctors of the University, sculptured by Dalle Masegne brothers, some exquisite jewellery from the Longobards, the remains of the selenite walls and the statue of Bonifacio VIII, which was once on the main façade of the Palazzo d'Accursio. The middle storey collects mainly what is left of other sepulchres of several University doctors and deans.
Going up the stairs we can admire the collection of glass and ivory, while following along we can access the area dedicated to weapons, most of them belonging to
Fernando Marsili’s collection. There is also a small area dedicated to the Bentivoglio’s period and another one that holds some of the most significant “
bronzetti” of the city, some of them presented by
Giambologna after the assignment of the works on the Neptune statue.
