Experience

History of Bologna Museum at Palazzo Pepoli

Posted by Timothy on

October 2022. As we wanted to test Trenitalia‘s Frecciarossa 1000 service from Paris to Milan, we planned a rail trip around it. From Antwerp to Paris with Thalys, the ‘Red Arrow’ to Milan and once in Italy continuing to Trieste and Bologna. The return trip took us to Basel in Switzerland to enjoy SBB‘s panoramic coach and Germany‘s Rhine route to Cologne. From there we got back to Belgium. 

History of Bologna.

You can’t have dinner before 7.30PM in Italy and as The Social Hub, our hotel, was a bit further away from the historic centre of Bologna, we decided to “kill time” by visiting the Museo della Storia di Bologna or History of Bologna Museum in the Palazzo Pepoli.

Palazzo Pepoli

The Palazzo Pepoli Vecchio is a Medieval palace located at Via Castiglione 8, in central Bologna. It stands across the street from the Baroque-style Palazzo Pepoli Campogrande, now a civic art gallery.

The land for the palace was acquired in 1276 under the aristocrat Romeo Pepoli. In 1344, Taddeo Pepoli, son of Romeo, commissioned the building of the palace. The Pepoli family owned the palace until 1910. After the death of Agostino Siero Pepoli, the palace was ceded to the municipality.

In 2004, the Fondazione Carisbo acquired the palace and led to the establishment of the present Museo della Storia di Bologna.

History of Bologna.

(Hi)Story of Bologna

The Museo della Storia di Bologna is part of the Genus Bononiae project. 

“To better describe and understand the ‘genus‘ and stock of the Bolognese people from yesterday and today, Genus Bononiae. Museums in the City follows a path through the city and narrates its history, life, arts and dreams; it uses the streets of Bologna as corridors and the buildings and churches as rooms, blending into the existing institutional structure, and ensuring a full link with other museums, art galleries, as well as the other cultural, economic and social initiatives which animate the local community.”

Genus is Latin for race, kind, species, family, sort. Bononiae is the genitive of Bononia, the Latin name of Bologna. 

The Museum of the History of Bologna was inaugurated in January 2012. “Heart of Genus Bononiae, it represents an innovative museum itinerary dedicated to the history, culture and transformations of Bologna from the Etruscan Felsina to the present city. An impressive multimedia and sensory journey through 2500 years of history.”

A visit

A good city history museum can be enlightening. The museum takes you from the Etruscan period to the Romans, the Middle-Ages, the Renaissance, the Papal States, Mozart‘s visit, the 19th and 20th century. 

It is well conceived, but execution could be better. It never goes in-depth. I don’t remember seeing English-language panels, but there is an English-language audioguide. Which wasn’t great. It was so dully told and some rooms didn’t contain commentary. 

So yes, we learned about Bologna’s history, but the museum is far from the best (and also far from the worst) in its kind. 

Two hours, tops. 

Paris – Italy – Basel 2022

  1. REVIEW | Restaurant Le Train Blue at Paris-Gare-de-Lyon.
  2. REVIEW | Trenitalia Frecciarossa 1000 Paris – Milan in Business Executive.
  3. REVIEW | Just Hotel Milano.
  4. FYRA NOSTALGIA | Trenitalia Frecciargento Milan to Trieste on the ETR 700 ex-Fyra.
  5. REVIEW | Grand Hotel Duchi d’Aosta.
  6. TRIESTE | Miramare Castle.
  7. History of Trieste at Diego de Henriquez War for Peace Museum / Museo de la Guerra per Pace.
  8. ITALY | 1.5 day in Trieste.
  9. EMILIA-ROMAGNA | Sights and churches in Bologna.