Palazzo Poggi, Mannerist palace in Bologna, Italy
Palazzo Poggi is a Mannerist palace in the historic center of Bologna, with interior rooms decorated by Pellegrino Tibaldi, Nicolò dell'Abate, and Prospero Fontana. The building is now part of the University of Bologna and holds museum collections covering natural history, anatomy, physics, and military architecture.
The palace was built from 1549 onwards for Bishop Giovanni Poggi, designed by architect Bartolomeo Triachini. In 1711 the Bologna Senate took over the building and set up the Institute of Sciences and Arts inside it.
The rooms of Palazzo Poggi still follow the layout used by scholars who gathered here to study together, and each hall reflects the subject it was once dedicated to. The frescoes on the walls are not purely decorative but were painted to match the theme of the room, so the nautical hall shows maps and sea voyages while others depict military scenes or myths.
The collections are spread across many rooms, so it helps to allow enough time and not rush through the building. Visiting on a weekday tends to be quieter, which makes it easier to look closely at the frescoed walls and the objects on display.
Luigi Ferdinando Marsili, a soldier and scholar, was the driving force behind turning this residence into a place of scientific study. He donated his personal collections of instruments, maps, and natural specimens, and those objects form the core of what visitors see in the rooms today.
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