Bologna Slow Tour, day 2: Visit these curious Museums

Hi everybody! Today is our second day pretending to be tourists in Bologna. This morning we worked on the first article such as real journalists; then we had a nice walk downtown, discovering new spots which we weren’t aware of.

The “Luigi Cattaneo” Anatomical Wax collection

First step: the Collection of anatomical waxes “Luigi Cattaneo”. This exhibition is situated in Palazzo Poggi, which hosts the faculty of pharmacology and anatomy as well. When you enter you are welcome by the nature; indeed, before the steps, which lead you to the entrance, it is possible to observe a vast garden. The “Luigi Cattaneo” Anatomical Wax The collection is free for minors and is an open space that, in addition to preserving and exhibiting  what has been inherited from the past, produces new scientific knowledge. In addition, it illustrates the path taken by medical science students in the 18th and 19th centuries when they turned their attention to discover new pathologies. So wax preparations constitutes an important core of material for educational purposes.

Inside the museum you have the occasion to see well-preserved and realistic waxes of human anatomy. It’s a good way to improve your knowledge, also because it’s the only museum which provides this kind of information. We want to give you a friendly advice: this experience is not for the faint-hearted. Indeed, the pieces exposed seem to be real parts of human body!

The zoology museum

Another museum nearby is the one of zoology, located in via Selmi, 3. It is a 3 floor building that containes different examples of animals perfectly preserved and different skeletons. All these animals come from the 19th and 20th century and  they either were  hunting trophies or they lived in Africa or 2 big national parks in Italy. Getting there was pretty easy: It took us 5 minutes on foot, once there we got in and started admiring all the different kinds of animals (yes, the entrance is free). The first thing that cought our eyes was a big moon fish floating midair but looking down we saw different animals with a beautiful fuor (that you can’t touch).

Walking around the ground floor and the first one of the museum we saw an incredibile variety of animals (from birds to snakes to boars and lions), that were really interesting and some even cute. Going up to the third floor we got increadibly surprised by a big whale skeleton bigger than a normal size room, in this floor we looked at other skeletons and organs and left the museum with a smile on our faces.

The Clock Tower

In the afternoon we visited an attraction which is not that known: The Clock Tower. To get there it is necessary to go inside Palazzo D’Accursio, the City Hall building situated in the center of Bologna. Then you will find two staircases (spoiler: they are not that easy to climb, so please be careful!).  Once arrived you’re welcome by the staff who leads you to the medieval stairs to get to the top. Finally, you can enjoy the magic and incredible view of Bologna; indeed, when you reach the top the first thing you see is Piazza Maggiore. In addition, if you are afraid of heights, no worries! This place up here is closed and well-protected so don’t worry and enjoy it.

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This palace is full of art, in all its forms: there are a lot of particular rooms. For example, a red room, a yellow room, a green room and a garden room…each was dedicated to specific activities, for example, there was a memorial room for animals, with a statue of the dog Tago; or the room decorated with frescoes of gardens and fountains. Inside the rooms there are several paintings, particularly portraits about the classicism and beauty of the past. It was very interesting to discover the many aspects of everyday life of the Middle Ages through these testimonies.

In opposition with the other rooms the last few contained modern art paintings and poems made by Mario Ramous. The styles that he used in paintings were mainly 2: in the first he used only the color black, painting lines and sketches on a white background (this style was probably the hardest to fully enjoy or understand) while in the second he would put together various elements mixing also different colors with them (this style is surely more enjoyable and passed us more good vibes).

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Before leaving the City Hall make sure not to miss the red room which is a big and, as the name says, red room located on the first floor of Palazzo d’Accursio, where weddings and other cerimonies are celebrated. Entering this room we instantly felt its majesty, royalness and we really felt like a king/queen admiring the chandeliers (gifted by Napoleon). The red tapestry and all the old precious furniture. It also has a little balcony that offers you a beautiful view over the Neptune fountain and Piazza Maggiore.

by Asia Iacoviello, Dario Corsini & Matilde Ferrari

City explorer is an alternative summer camp organized by Roxana Iacoban/English with Roxy Celta teacher based in Bologna focused on the exploration of the city in English (for young learners and teens)