The 10 Best Museums in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna

Visit the Fonoprint studios in Bologna, where the great artists of Italian music have recorded their greatest hits. Don't miss the unique opportunity to visit Fonoprint, the recording studios that house the Museum of Sound and Song (Museo del suono e della canzone). The history of italian music was made here since the 70's with great singers, such as Lucio Dalla, Vasco Rossi and Zucchero, who recorded some of their masterpieces at Fonoprint. During the visit of the various recording and editing rooms you will have the opportunity to listen to original tracks and learn about unmissable anecdotes, you will see how technology and creativity come together thanks to the skilful work of the sound engineers and you will discover how the pieces of the great artists of Italian music are born.

The Civic Archaeological Museum of Bologna is located in the heart of the city, inside Palazzo Galvani, close to Piazza Maggiore and the Church of San Petronio. The first construction of this building dated back to the XV century. Modifications and renovations continued up to 1881, when it was definitively opened to the public as a Museum.You can reach the Museum using any bus that runs through Piazza Maggiore. This museum is among the most important in archeological finds in Italy and is highly representative of the local history from prehistoric period to Roman Age. Additionally, its ancient Egyptian collection is among the most important in Europe. Opening hours Tue-Fri: 9AM-3PM Sat, Sun and holidays: 10AM - 6,30PM Closed on Monday,New Year's day, 1st of May,Christmas Day. Admittance Ordinary ticket: Euro 5 (visitors 19-65 years old); Reduced Euro 3; Children and youngs (0-18): free Access for disabled visitors Bookshop Audioguides and QR code Specialized library with a reading lounge. Historic archive (available for consultation with an appointment) Photographic archive (available for consultation with appointment or by written request) Wardrobe: visitors are not allowed to enter in the Museum with bags, umbrellas and other large objects. It is possible to put personal effects inside appropriate boxes with keys. The wardrobe doesn't accept large cases or packs. Bookings are obligatory only for groups with a guide Standard photos, digital photos, videos and films are allowed but only without flash or other enlightening objects and exclusively for personal use and not for commercial purposes. Inside the Museum smoking, eating or drinking are not allowed.

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.

Astronomical observation tower built in the early 18th century, when its setting, the Poggi Palace, was converted into the Science Institute. Today it is an astronomy museum open to the public.

The Music Museum of Bologna is home to the nine rooms of the exhibition, which illustrate about six centuries of the history of European music. There are over one hundred paintings of famous people from the music world, which are a part of the picture gallery started by Padre Giovanni Battista Martini, more than eighty antique musical instruments, and a large selection of valuable historical documents, such as treatises, volumes, opera libretti, letters, manuscripts, original musical scores, etc.