Museo Civico Medievale
Museo Civico Medievale features on the Gingerguide audio walk through Bologna. Give it roughly ~60 min: enough to look, hear a two to three minute story on the spot, and ask the AI guide whatever the story leaves open.
- Type museum
- Suggested visit ~60 min
- Bologna Bologna guide
About Museo Civico Medievale
A superb collection of medieval art and artefacts housed in the 15th-century Palazzo Ghisilardi, including bronze weaponry, Gothic funerary monuments, and papal mementoes.
The Museo Civico Medievale occupies the elegant 15th-century Palazzo Ghisilardi-Fava in the historic centre of Bologna and holds one of the finest collections of medieval art and material culture in Italy. The museum's strength lies in its exceptional bronzes, a rich collection of medieval and early Renaissance bronze objects including weapons, armour, precious vessels, and ceremonial items. The Gothic funerary monuments are extraordinary: life-size carved effigies of university professors and nobles, many still bearing traces of original polychrome paint. There are remarkable papal mementoes from the time of Pope Gregory XIII, a native Bolognese who reformed the calendar in 1582. The collection also includes medieval ivories, enamels, textiles, and an important group of Islamic bronzes that reflect Bologna's position as a trading centre. The building itself is of great architectural interest, with its vaulted halls and painted friezes.
Did you know? Pope Gregory XIII, who created the Gregorian calendar in 1582 that the entire world uses today, was born in Bologna and is commemorated in this museum.
How long is a visit to Museo Civico Medievale?
Set aside roughly ~60 min for Museo Civico Medievale. That covers a good look and the narrated story, and because you set the pace you can always stay on.
Is Museo Civico Medievale worth your time?
Museo Civico Medievale is among the 22 narrated highlights the Gingerguide team chose for Bologna, so it is worth a look. Hear the story for the context, then ask the AI guide for anything more.
Nearby stops in Bologna
Hear the story of Museo Civico Medievale
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