Museo civico archeologico di Bologna

About the museum

The museum opened on 25 September 1881 under the direction of the archaeologist Giovanni Gozzadini and is housed in the 15th-century Palazzo Galvani, in via dell'Archiginnasio, a short walk from Piazza Maggiore. The building was originally the Ospedale della Morte.

The collection arose from the union of two nuclei: the Museo Universitario, heir to the Stanza delle Antichità of the Accademia delle Scienze founded by Luigi Ferdinando Marsili in 1714, and the Museo Comunale, enriched in 1860 by the collection of the painter Pelagio Palagi and by material from local excavations.

The route covers a very long span of time: from prehistory to the Bronze Age, to the Villanovan and Etruscan civilisation of Felsina, to the grave goods of the Gallic Boii, and then to the Greek and Roman sections. One of the most important Egyptian collections in Italy, with over 3,500 objects, includes the reliefs from the tomb of Horemheb at Saqqara. The museum also holds a lapidarium, a plaster-cast gallery and a rich numismatic collection, which is not on public display.

Highlights

• Egyptian collection with the reliefs from the tomb of Horemheb
• Situla della Certosa, a masterpiece of Etruscan art
• Head of Athena Lemnia, Augustan copy after Phidias
• Cuirassed statue of Nero
• Grave goods of the Boii and of Etruscan Felsina
• Plaster-cast gallery of copies of ancient sculptures

Permanent exhibition

• Collezioni permanenti del museo – The route includes the prehistoric, Etruscan, Celtic, Greek, Roman and Egyptian sections, the lapidarium and the plaster-cast gallery.

Founded

1881

Operated by

Comune di Bologna – Settore Musei Civici

Visitors per year

approx. 128,351 (2022)

Admission & discounts

The reduced ticket costs €4 or €2, depending on the category. Free admission with the Bologna Welcome Card and the Card Cultura. The Musei Civici di Bologna adhere to the European Disability Card.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

The Egyptian section, on the basement floor, is reached by lift, which must be requested from staff; the accessible toilet is on the ground floor. The temporary exhibition room has three steps, but a secondary entrance is available on request. In the Egyptian section and in the lapidarium there are works to be explored by touch; the project “Musei speciali per tutti” offers a simplified tactile route in six stages.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop
• Coat check

Cloakroom and bookshop are available.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit