Museo di Pianoforti Antichi «Bartolomeo Cristofori»
Museum of fortepianos and pianos from the 18th and 19th centuries at Villa Centanin, with folk and mechanical instruments and antique music prints.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The museum belongs to the Fondazione Musicale Masiero e Centanin, founded in 1997 in Arquà Petrarca in the Colli Euganei, and is housed in the Villa Centanin complex. It is dedicated to the fortepiano, the Tangentenflügel and the Romantic piano, and bears the name of Bartolomeo Cristofori.
The collection brings together instruments from the collection of Franco Angeleri and from other private collections, or donated to the Foundation. Restoration and maintenance have been supported by the Veneto Region and the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Padova e Rovigo. The route shows the constructional and tonal development of the piano from the second half of the 18th century to the end of the 19th, in Germany, France, England, Italy and other countries.
On display are fortepianos and grand, table, upright and unusually shaped pianos, alongside fortepianos by Stein and Walter and instruments by Pleyel, Érard, Bösendorfer, Broadwood and Streicher. The instruments are restored so that they can be played, and they are also used in the Foundation's concerts.
The rooms also contain a collection of music prints from the 16th to the 19th century and a permanent display of folk and mechanical instruments from the mid-19th to the mid-20th century, from various countries.
Highlights
- Fortepianos and pianos from the 18th and 19th centuries by German, English, French and Italian makers
- Instruments by Stein, Walter, Pleyel, Érard, Broadwood and Streicher
- Table, upright and unusually shaped pianos
- Collection of antique music prints
- Display of folk and mechanical instruments
Permanent exhibitions
- Museo di Pianoforti Antichi «Bartolomeo Cristofori» – Fortepianos and pianos from the second half of the 18th to the end of the 19th century, including precursors and unusual forms such as table pianos and lyre pianos.
- Mostra di strumenti popolari e meccanici – Folk instruments from the mid-19th to the mid-20th century and a section of mechanical instruments.
- Operated by
- Fondazione Musicale Masiero e Centanin
- Visitors per year
- approx. 1,500
Admission & discounts
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
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
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Guided visits for travel agencies, associations, schools, universities and conservatoires by appointment. On request, visitors may briefly play some of the instruments in the presence of staff, with music from the instrument's own period. Contact is also possible via WhatsApp. |
