The University Museum Network offers themed guided tours of the museums and collections of the University of Bologna. Visiting the various facilities, you can learn about plants, herbariums, maps and globes, anatomical wax models, animal skeletons, rare stones, and ancient fossils, retracing the path that man has taken in the discovery of science.
Guided tours are by reservation only and cost €6 per participant (excluding children aged 0 to 6 for activities not specifically dedicated to this age group and unless otherwise indicated), in addition to the museum admission ticket for venues that charge an entrance fee: Museum of Palazzo Poggi, European Museum of Students - MEUS, Geological Collection "Giovanni Capellini Museum". SMA reserves free admission for Ukrainian citizens.
The calendar of activities is updated monthly.
MUSEUM OF PALAZZO POGGI
GUIDED TOUR TO THE MUSEUM | AGES 6-99
A fascinating stroll through the eighteenth-century laboratories of the Institute of Sciences and Arts of Bologna: let us introduce you to or collections of anatomical waxworks and obstetrics clay models, maps and terrestrial globes, ship models, electrical physics instruments and the “theater of nature” by Ulisse Aldrovandi, the father of modern Natural History.
LOCATION: Museum of Palazzo Poggi
TYPE: general guided tour in English for adults and families with children aged 6 and up
MAXIMUM NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS: 20
DATES:
- 2 August 2025, 4.30 p.m. - BUY YOUR TICKET
- 9 August 2025, 4.30 p.m. - BUY YOUR TICKET
- 16 August 2025, 4.30 p.m. - BUY YOUR TICKET
- 23 August 2025, 4.30 p.m. - BUY YOUR TICKET
- 30 August 2025, 4.30 p.m. - BUY YOUR TICKET
ZOOLOGICAL COLLECTION
GUIDED TOUR TO THE ZOOLOGICAL COLLECTION | AGES 6-99
The Zoological Collection holds around 6,000 specimens gathered over more than a century. Originally established as a university teaching resource, it now showcases animals from all over the world and historical taxidermy preparations. An amazing journey for both adults and children.
LOCATION: Zoological Collection
TYPE: general guided tour in English for adults and families with children aged 6 and up
MAXIMUM NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS: 15
DATES:
- 9 August 2025, 10.30 a.m. - BUY YOUR TICKET
- 23 August 2025, 10.30 a.m. - BUY YOUR TICKET
"LUIGI CATTANEO" ANATOMICAL WAX COLLECTION
GUIDED TOUR TO THE COLLECTION | AGES 8-99
Did you know that Bologna is famous worldwide for its School of anatomical wax figures? In Bologna, where medicine has been studied for centuries, the study of anatomy could not be absent: the wax works of the "Luigi Cattaneo" Collection of Anatomical Waxes represent a unique example in the world of art and science. Great artists put their skills to the service of science to give us exceptional works. But how was research conducted in past centuries? Why can we admire the wax models kept here today? How were diseases addressed in the past? What were the vaccines like and how were they received, which are now at the center of our attention? A journey that unfolds between works of normal human anatomy and pathological human anatomy, up to studies related to human behavior and the human mind. Wax models, real specimens, and particular preservation techniques will be at the center of the visit.
LOCATION: "Luigi Cattaneo" Anatomical Wax Collection
TYPE: general guided tour for adults and families with children aged 8 and up
MAXIMUM NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS: 15
DATES:
- 1 August 2025, 10.30 a.m. - BUY YOUR TICKET
- 10 August 2025, 10.30 a.m. - BUY YOUR TICKET
- 23 August 2025, 10.30 a.m. - BUY YOUR TICKET
- 29 August 2025, 10.30 a.m. - BUY YOUR TICKET
The activities are carried out in collaboration with Le Macchine Celibi Società Cooperativa.