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Specola Museum of Astronomy

Museums and Collections
Specola Museum of Astronomy
University district
The museum is housed in the astronomical tower of the 18th-century Istituto delle Scienze, a place of scientific experimentation founded by Luigi Ferdinando Marsili in 1711. It was built at Palazzo Poggi between 1712 and 1726 and was for many years home to the city's astronomical observatory. Divided into several rooms, including the Meridian Room, the Globe Room and the Turret Room, the Museum now offers a broad overview of the instruments that were used by astronomers in the past, such as armillary spheres (which reproduced the motion of the planets through a system of metal rings) or wooden telescopes for observing the sky, clocks, nautical and topographical instruments that were used for orientation. At the top of the tower there is a terrace with an extraordinary 360° panoramic view of the city of Bologna.

Map

Specola Museum of Astronomy

Via Zamboni 33
40126 Bologna

Entrance

Full price€ 8
Reduced€ 4

Booking is strongly recommended on the official website

Interests

  • Art & Culture

Details

Accessibility

The climb up the Tower requires considerable physical effort: visitors should be aware that the staircase is made up of 272 steps. Admission is therefore not recommended for people suffering from heart conditions, dizziness and claustrophobia. For safety reasons, access to the Tower is not permitted to persons with reduced or impaired mobility.

Insights

In the event of rain, it will not be possible to access the terrace of the Specola Tower, but it will be possible to admire the view of the city from the top-floor room, which is surrounded by glass windows.

Timetables

Monday

Closed

Tuesday

10 am - 4 pm 

Wednesday

10 am - 4 pm

Thursday

10 am - 4 pm

Friday

10 am - 4 pm

Saturday

10 am - 6 pm

Sunday

10 am - 6 pm

Closed: Mondays (except public holidays), 1 January, 1 May, 15 August, 24 and 25 December

A maximum of 15 people are permitted in the Museum at any one time. During opening hours, entry is permitted at the start of every hour (on the hour), and the maximum permitted duration of a visit to the Museum is 60 minutes.

Contacts

Specola Museum of Astronomy