Museo dello Spedale del Ceppo
Civic museum in Pistoia’s ancient hospital: Robbian frieze, history of medicine, antique surgical instruments and an 18th-century Teatrino Anatomico.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Spedale del Ceppo, according to tradition founded in 1277, arose in the Middle Ages to receive pilgrims bound for the relic of Saint James, kept in the cathedral of San Zeno. Health services continued until 2013, when care was moved to the new San Jacopo hospital and the monumental part of the building was turned into a museum.
On the façade of the outer loggia runs the famous frieze in glazed terracotta, with the works of corporal mercy and the cardinal and theological virtues, attributed to the circle of Luca della Robbia, with much of the work ascribed to Benedetto Buglioni.
The museum route tells the history, architecture and art of the building, including the section devoted to the Robbian frieze, and the history of health care in Pistoia: it includes a collection of antique surgical instruments, the story of the former psychiatric hospital of Ville Sbertoli, biographies of doctors and the choir stalls of the Accademia Medica Filippo Pacini. The visit ends in the garden with the 18th-century Teatrino Anatomico.
Highlights
- Glazed terracotta frieze from the circle of Luca della Robbia
- Collection of antique surgical instruments
- 18th-century Teatrino Anatomico in the garden
- History of health care in Pistoia and of the former psychiatric hospital of Ville Sbertoli
- Choir stalls of the Accademia Medica Filippo Pacini
Permanent exhibition
- Percorso del museo: edificio, fregio robbiano e storia della sanità – History, architecture and art of the hospital, with the Robbian frieze, the surgical instruments and the Teatrino Anatomico in the garden.
- Operated by
- Comune di Pistoia
- Visitors per year
- approx. 5,516
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €3.50 |
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| Reduced | €2 |
| Visitors with disabilities | freecompanion free · Free admission for the person with a disability and one companion. |
For reductions see the museum’s page on the website of the Musei civici di Pistoia.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator: no information
- Accessible restroom: no information
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome: no information
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
The museum is accessible. The Teatrino Anatomico is reached from the garden; the museum’s page also describes an external route via Via delle Pappe, Piazza del Carmine and Via degli Armeni to the entrance of the Padiglione di Emodialisi.
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
Bookshop open during museum hours.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Good to know | Virtual tours on YouTube are available on the website of the Musei civici di Pistoia. The nearby Padiglione di Emodialisi (2005), with site-specific works by seven artists, cannot be visited because it is still in use. |
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