Museums in Bologna

Top Museums & Art

Bologna’s museum landscape spans millennia, from the Archaeological Museum’s Etruscan and Egyptian artifacts to the contemporary installations at MAMbo. Visitors can explore the city’s university heritage at Palazzo Poggi’s science exhibits or view Renaissance frescoes in historic palaces like Palazzo Fava and D'Accursio. Specialized collections include the Ducati Museum’s transport history, San Colombano’s ancient musical instruments, and the somber Ustica Memorial. The National Art Gallery showcases significant Emilian paintings, while the Industrial Heritage Museum traces the city’s technological evolution.

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Ducati Museum

The Ducati Museum is a transport museum in Bologna, Italy at the Ducati factory.

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National Art Gallery of Bologna

Art museum housed in a historic 17th-century building with collections spanning from the 13th to 18th centuries, featuring leading Italian and Emilian painters.

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Archaeological Museum

Museum dedicated to archaeological collections spanning from prehistoric times to the Roman and Egyptian periods. Located in a historic 15th-century building, it showcases artifacts representing the ancient history of the region.

Workshop of Ludovico Carracci… / CC BY 2.0

San Colombano

Historic former church featuring Baroque frescoes, a collection of ancient musical instruments, and a library.

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Medieval Civic Museum

Museum housed in Palazzo Ghisilardi-Fava featuring medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque artifacts including sculptures, weapons, and illuminated manuscripts.

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Bologna Museum of Modern Art

Modern and experimental art museum featuring contemporary collections and innovative exhibitions.

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Fava Palace

Renaissance palace housing art collections, frescoes, and exhibitions within a cultural heritage site.

Alexandre Alves / CC-BY-SA

D'Accursio Palace

Historic medieval town hall featuring notable art collections, historic rooms, and architectural elements from various periods. It also includes a Clock Tower and the Sala Borsa library.

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Palazzo Poggi Museum

Historic university museum housed in a 16th-century palace featuring collections related to science, natural history, anatomy, geography, and art.

Corrado Giaquinto / Public domain

International Museum and Library of Music

The Museo internazionale e biblioteca della musica is a music museum and music library in the Palazzo Aldini Sanguinetti, in the historic…

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Museum for the Memory of Ustica

This permanent exhibition is devoted to a DV-9 aircraft which was shot down in 1980 and as a result, 81 people died.

Lisa Fortini / CC BY-SA 3.0

Museum of the History of Bologna

Learn more about the history of this city. This unique interactive museum covers the period from the Etruscans to the present.

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Museo civico d'arte industriale Davia Bargellini

Housed in a 17th-century palace, this museum combines a gallery of Emilian paintings with a collection of applied arts. Notable exhibits include an 18th-century puppet theater, ornate carriages, ceramics, and historic furniture reflecting the lifestyle of Bologna’s nobility.