18 Must-see museums in Bologna and beyond

Can you skip the Louvre in Paris, Prado in Madrid, or MoMa in NYC?
No, but sometimes I've found myself lost and looking for the exit.

Here are the best museums in Bologna and Emilia Romagna

How many museums are there in Bologna?

Bologna boasts over a hundred museums and cultural spaces, offering a diverse and extensive range of experiences—from intimate collections to contemporary art venues, ensuring something for every taste.

The most famous and visited museum in Bologna is likely MAMbo, the Museum of Modern Art of Bologna.

Inaugurated in May 2007, it houses the historic Modern Art Gallery, which dates back to 1916.

With its rich history and ever-evolving exhibitions, MAMbo is a cultural hub that celebrates modern and contemporary art in all its forms.

Don't miss the permanent collection with local artists like Pirro Cuniberti or Severo Pozzati and Italian masters of the 1900s like Renato Guttuso, Mario Schifano, and Tano Festa.

MAMbo hosts the larger collection of local painter Giorgio Morandi.

Info

Address: Via Don Giovanni Minzoni, 14, 40121 Bologna BO, Italy
Phone: +39 051 649 6611
Website: museibologna.it/mambo/
Ticket: €6

The Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna is a hidden gem for art lovers.
Located in the university area, it houses masterpieces from the 13th to 18th centuries, featuring works by Giotto, Raffaello, Titian, and the Carracci brothers.

The collection highlights Bologna's key role in art history, offering a journey through medieval and Renaissance beauty.

Quiet and never too crowded, it’s the perfect place for a peaceful cultural break away from the city’s hustle.

Info

Address: Via delle Belle Arti, 56, 40126 Bologna
Phone: +39 051 4209411
Website:pinacotecabologna.beniculturali.it
Ticket: €12

Housed in the historic Palazzo Galvani, Museo Civico Archeologico in Bologna boasts rich collections from the prehistoric era to Roman times.

Notably, it features one of Europe's most significant Egyptian collections.

The museum also hosts diverse exhibitions, such as "I Pittori di Pompei," showcasing Roman-era artworks from Pompeii, and retrospectives on contemporary photographers like Martin Parr.

Info

Address: Via dell'Archiginnasio, 2, 40124 Bologna
Phone: +39 051 2757211
Website: museibologna.it/archeologico/
Ticket: €7

The Ducati Museum in Bologna is a must-visit for motorcycle enthusiasts.
Located in Borgo Panigale, it showcases Ducati's evolution from its beginnings to modern superbikes.

The museum features iconic models, like the legendary 750 Imola, which won the 1972 Imola 200 Mile race. Visitors can explore the production lines and witness the meticulous assembly of these Italian masterpieces.

The visit typically takes 1 to 1.5 hours, depending on how much time you spend admiring the exhibits and reading the details.

The factory is located in Borgo Panigale, next to the museum. You can book a guided factory tour to see Ducati's legendary motorcycles being assembled.

Fun fact: Ducati began in 1926 producing radio components before becoming a motorcycle icon.

Address: Via Antonio Cavalieri Ducati, 3, 40132 Bologna
Phone: +39 051 6413111
Website: ducati.com
Ticket: €18

Like an old photo hidden in a book, Museo Pelagalli is a place to relive the past and bring back forgotten emotions.

A visit to this museum is a dive into the past, accompanied by sound, images, and objects that have made the history of music, cinema, TV, and radio. Inside you can find over 2000 original and working items ready to amaze those who enter this temple of communication.

Everything is described in a unique way by Gianni Pelagalli, founder and owner of the museum. He entertains with all his passion for the exhibit, making the visit interactive and fun.

​An exceptional and exciting heritage between colorful jukeboxes, radio stations by Guglielmo Marconi, the first models of black and white TV, the computer's evolution, several gramophones, and much more.

Info

Address: Via Col di Lana, 7/N, 40131 Bologna
Phone: +39 338 8609111 / +39 051 6491008
Website: www.museopelagalli.com
Guided tours on request

Known as the set of oddities, exotic beauties, animals and tools of various kinds, the Palazzo Poggi museum is born from the recreation of several laboratories of the ancient Institute of Sciences.

Palazzo Poggi is set in the heart of the University of Bologna and hides many treasures: the Aldrovandi collection, the wunderkammer by Ferdinando Cospi, the naval models, the fortified city plans, the anatomical waxes.

​In addition, over the years, it has also collected pictorial collections and it boasts numerous frescoes on the ceiling.
Each room is dedicated to different branches of human knowledge: from naturalistic collections to oriental ones, from the modern age's geography to collections of anatomy and medicine.

Consider also a visit to Specola: the old astronomical observatory of Bologna. Not only for the stunning view you get from the roof.

Info

Address: Via Zamboni, 33, 40126 Bologna
Phone: +39 051 2099 610
Website: https://sma.unibo.it/it/il-sistema-museale/museo-di-palazzo-poggi
Ticket: €5

Any gelato addicted out there?
This very sweet museum is your place. Here you can follow the stages of gelato in time and space, from the Egyptians to the present day, with a final surprise.

The large open space location exhibits original machines that have made the history of the Carpigiani company along with photos, historical documents, multimedia workstations and precious tools used to produce and preserve the authenticity of gelato.

​If you are looking for an activity to do in Bologna with kids this is the first place on your list.

Info

Address: Via Emilia, 45, 40011 Anzola Emilia (BO)
Phone: +39 051 6505306
Website: www.gelatomuseum.com
Ticket: €10

Ocarina is a ten-hole terracotta flute with a typical goose shape, invented in Budrio in 1853 by a boy named Giuseppe Donati.

Ocarina Museum tells the story of this curious instrument through photos, records, scores and lots of musical instruments.
Lots of rarities and strange pieces like the first handmade creations or the giant Korean ocarina.

On the same street, you find also the small and interesting puppets museum, an 18th-century amazing theatre, and a very good restaurant (Centro Storico).

Info

Address: Via Garibaldi, 35, 40054 Budrio BO
Phone: +39 051 692 8306
Free entrance

Museo delle Figurine was born within the Panini Company in Modena, thanks to the passionate collecting work of the founder Giuseppe Panini.

Since 2006, the Museum has offered an original exhibition, aimed at recreating a sort of great album of wonders.

Not only 500.000 modern figurines but also matchboxes, letterboxes, menus, small calendars, and more from the second half of the nineteenth century to the present day.

A must for young and grown-up kids.

Info

Address: Corso Canalgrande, 103, 41121 Modena MO
Phone: +39 059 203 2919
Website: www.comune.modena.it/museofigurina
​Ticket: €6

The Ferrari Museum in Modena offers an immersive journey into the life of Enzo Ferrari and the evolution of the iconic brand.

Housed within a striking yellow-roofed building reminiscent of a car bonnet, the museum showcases a collection of historic cars, alongside exhibits detailing Ferrari's rich history.

Visitors typically spend about 45 minutes exploring the museum, though enthusiasts may wish to allocate more time to fully appreciate the exhibits.

What is the difference between Ferrari Modena and Maranello?

The Enzo Ferrari Museum in Modena focuses on the personal history of Enzo Ferrari, displaying cars as art pieces and delving into the origins of the Ferrari legend.

The Ferrari Museum in Maranello emphasizes the brand's development, particularly its racing achievements and technological innovations, offering a more immersive experience of Ferrari's engineering prowess.

Info

Address: Via Paolo Ferrari, 85, 41121 Modena, Italy
Phone: +39 059 4397979
Website: Museo Enzo Ferrari
Ticket: from €22

Everyone knows Parmigiano Reggiano, the eminent cheese mentioned in Boccaccio's Decameron to flavor maccheroni and ravioli.
But do you know that there exists a dedicated museum?

Its history is presented in a former cheese factory where you find the ancient tools used for the production of milk such as the large copper bell boiler, the steam engine or the butter churn, and instruments collected in the production area of Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Bologna, and Mantua.

​A hundred images and vintage photos illustrate the different aging of Parmigiano Reggiano that you can also taste at the end of your visit or during our Parma food tour.

Info

Address: Via Volta 5, 43019 Soragna (PR)
Phone: +39 0521 931800
Website: www.parmigianoreggiano.museidelcibo.it
Ticket: €5

For art lovers is a magic place, an almost unknown museum that should be a must. The Magnani Rocca Foundation is a private collection of ancient and modern art founded in 1978 by Luigi Magnani, an art critic and collector.

It is housed in the Villa dei Capolavori, a neo-baroque building set in a beautiful century-old park populated by animals, together with paintings from the Middle Ages to the 20th century.

The best of nine centuries of art perfectly is presented by Tiziano, Van Dyck, Goya, Monet, Cézanne, De Chirico, Giorgio Morandi, and many others.

After the visit, you can stop there for lunch. Fattorie Canossa offers great local cuisine in the old court of the Villa.

Info

Address: Via Fondazione Magnani Rocca, 4, 43029 Mamiano (PR)
Phone: +39 0521 848327
Website: www.magnanirocca.it
Ticket: 10€

Common objects, even broken or damaged, can they be art?
This hidden museum in Parma's countryside answers the question.

Modest and recovered objects like hammers, scissors, and tweezers cover the walls with geometric patterns and create a cinematic effect full of visual suggestions.

​For years Ettore Guatelli collected these objects related to peasant life. Now they speak, silently, telling the stories of the peasants and their occupations, witnesses of an almost disappeared life.

Info

Address: Via Nazionale, 130, 43044 Ozzano Taro Collecchio (PR)
Phone: +39 0521 333601
Website: www.museoguatelli.it
Ticket: 7€

The MAR - Museo d'Arte della Città di Ravenna is housed in the historic Loggetta Lombardesca, it showcases Italian art from the 14th to the 20th century.

The museum features a stunning collection of modern mosaics, a nod to Ravenna’s centuries-old mosaic tradition.

Temporary exhibitions often explore unique themes, from contemporary photography to ancient art, attracting visitors of all tastes.

A quiet courtyard surrounds the museum, making it a peaceful spot to pause and reflect on the beauty of art.

Want to create your own mosaic masterpiece?
Join a mosaic workshop in Ravenna for an unforgettable hands-on experience!

Address: Via di Roma, 13, 48121 Ravenna
Phone: +39 0544 482477
Website: mar.ra.it

An evocative place, full of history and traditions, and a unique museum of its kind.
Founded in 1908, it shows the art of ceramics in different ages and works coming from all over the world.

Important sections are dedicated to pre-Columbian America, classical Greece, the Roman age, the Middle East, and Islamic ceramics.
Contemporary art is represented by artists like Picasso, Matisse, Chagall, and Lucio Fontana.

​This collection of rare and refined beauty has an academic facility for the ceramic sector with an exceptional library.
​Moreover, you can join courses and workshops in which clay is worked, suitable for children too.

Info

Address: Viale Alfredo Baccarini, 19, 48018 Faenza (RA)
Phone: +39 0546697311
Website: www.micfaenza.org
Ticket: €10

One museum isn't enough to describe the life and art of Federico Fellini in Rimini.

Start your visit at the renovated Fulgor Cinema, where the young Federico was impressed by the epic movie Maciste in Hell (1926) by Guido Brignone.

Then move to Piazza Malatesta to sail from the water like Rex in Amarcord and sit on the bench of 8½.

But the real experience is inside Castel Sismondo (Rocca Malastiana).
Inside the Museum, you can watch a slow version of La Dolce Vita sit on the legs of a giant Anita Eckberg.
Or watch the original costumes of Casanova and Rome.

If you love the art of cinema, you can't miss this.

Info

Address: Castel Sismondo Piazza Malatesta, 47900 Rimini
Phone: +39 0541 704494
Website: fellinimuseum.it
Ticket: €10