University Museums: Italy's Hidden Treasures Overlooked

Key facts

• University museums in Italy hold important collections but have limited visibility.
• The acronym SMA stands for Sistemi Museali di Ateneo.
• Collections include scientific instruments, plants, animals, ethnographic, archaeological, and artistic pieces.
• The Alma Mater Studiorum in Bologna has a prominent museum system, including Palazzo Poggi.
• Palazzo Poggi houses materials from Ulisse Aldrovandi, a 16th-century naturalist.
• In 2022, for Aldrovandi's 500th birthday, the SMA digitized artifacts and created a digital twin of the exhibition 'L'altro Rinascimento'.
• The Museo della Specola in Florence is known for anatomical waxes and 18th-century displays.
• The Museo di Antropologia e Etnologia in Florence has collections from travelers and items from the Medici and James Cook.
• Villa La Quiete in Florence contains works by Botticelli and Ridolfo del Ghirlandaio.
• The Orto Botanico in Pisa, founded in 1543 by Luca Ghini, is one of the world's oldest.
• The Museo di Storia Naturale in Pisa is housed in the Certosa di Calci.
• Recent projects include Tattoo 3D at Museo Lombroso in Turin and a virtual tour by CSAC in Parma.
• These projects were funded with PNRR funds.
• University museums face issues of accessibility and lack of knowledge even among students.
• The author suggests involving other institutions and private partners for better management.
• The article was written by Fabrizio Federici.