museum of the history of bologna

Interesting museum which we visited during rather a wet Sunday afternoon. Lots to see and some English information. Well laid out and it charted a good history of the area. If we had understood more of the exhibit we would have been even happier!! Great show at the end.

This was last summer when we visited the musum of the history of Bologna. We were surprised how good it was, since in most of the towns around the world such museums (of similar topics) are boring. This was such a pleasant surprise. There was such a well currated and well structured information of the history of Bologna in this exhibition. Absolutely a must see for someone who wants to enjoy Bologna, but also to know about the history of the town and get educated about it in a very interesting and pleasant way.

one of the best museums i've ever been to, great combination of history and modernity, however be prepared that just like in most bolognan museums almost everything is only in italian.

a must to see while in beautiful Bologna, take your time to absorb all that offers. Then head off for a wonderful dish of authentic Bolognese for lunch!

Easily the most engaging museum in Bologna, with comprehensive chronological and topical exhibits presented with technologies that were helpful, and would be appropriate for all ages and knowledge levels. Helpful summary information sheets for each room are provided in several languages. If you are a serious museum-goer, half a day is needed here.

This the opposite of those museums that consist of dark objects enclosed in an old and dusty glass case. This is a well designed and imaginative walk through over 2000 years of Bologna's fascinating history. My only and quite major quibble is that, like most museums I'm Bologna, there is very little in English. I suspect that many visitors are tourists whose grasp of Italian is thin. I could myself in thar category, so missed out on a lot of interesting detail.DG

This was on our list to visit during a week in Bologna. We are quite aware of the 1-3 time slot that most businesses close in Italy - however we stopped on a weekend and it was closed. Then again another time and it was closed. I'm not sure if it was because it was Holiday in Italy or not. We finally were able to enjoy the Museum and found it very interesting and a must see.

fantastic place to visit in the centre of town but let down by not having much info in English so we could understand more of the Italian history

Bologna has a long and colorful history, dating back to Etruscan times, and the museum covers it all in a clever and generally very interesting way that makes ingenious use of state-of-the-art multimedia, including an amusing and informative 3-D animated film and an impressive laser light show. All of the printed information is in Italian (and a knowledge of the language will be a great help if you visit), although most of the various rooms also have summary sheets in English and other languages that give you an overview of their contents. Towards the end we felt that our brains were getting full—there's almost too much information here to absorb in one visit—but I was impressed by the experience overall.

The history of my city told with great style in one of the most beautiful Palaces in town....these days there is a wonderful 'Etruschi' exposition, for example.

We stumbled on this museum by chance& it was well done, but as another reviewer said needed more translations. Maybe there were ear phones but can't remember. It was a very old building & was cleverly revamped. THe Video was terrific & in the cartoon fashion which if bringing kids , would love. It wasn't 'stuffy' Like some so recommend a visit I have feet problems so wouild have liked more seating but cafe was terrific . It also was not crowded as having nearly been crushed everywhere else, i appreciated

This was an interesting overview of the history of Bologna. All the exhibits were in Italian, but most provided fact sheets in English. The 3D movie was very informative and entertaining. Staff was very helpful.

Probably a lot of information - but only in Italian. What a total Waste. It could have been done so nicely in English.

Very well curated museum that presents information to visitors in a surprisingly modern way. Highlights for me were some of the videos in both Italian and English, the recreated Etruscan road, the representation of the underwater canals, the mirrored room which recreates what it might have been like to walk into the centre of BO with the porticos. I particularly enjoyed seeing the video on how the Etruscans created their "paved" roads as well as perfectly square land plots. An interesting fact I learned was that the towns along the Aemilia road were spaced along the road at a distance of one day's marching so that troops would have a place to rest at night. The main information placards are in Italian however, each room has an overview in English, French, German and Spanish. Although wonderful to have, I would say that these supplementary language sheets are not comprehensive enough and do not cover the same details that are provided in Italian. Perhaps the museum expects non Italian language speakers to also purchase the audio guide. Thursdays the museum is open until 22:00 and is entrance is free after 19:00.

We had spent a couple of days in town before we visited this gem of a museum. It proved to be a good move because it put the scattered facts we had garnered so far into context, and I an engaging g and interesting way. Even better was that having already gained over 20 euros of value fro. Our welcome cards, this visit was absolutely free. Don't miss the 3d movie, and the recreation of the underground waterway.