Pinacoteca Nazionale | Bologna | Italy
The city’s main museum, the Pinacoteca Nazionale (National Museum), contains works by artists from Bologna from the 13th to the 18th centuries. Located close to Le Due Torri, the museum is essential for those who want to understand the art of Bologna. The building of the museum was built for a religious institution in the second half of the 15th century. There is also the Academy of Fine Arts in the same building.
The academy, which was known as the Accademia Clementina before taking the name of the Academy of Fine Arts, formed the foundations of the museum. In 1762, the collection of the museum started with 8 paintings that Monsignor Francesco Zambeccari gifted to the academy. During Napoleon’s occupation of Italy, the most valuable works of art in the academy’s possession were sent to museums in Paris and Milan. In the later years of the 18th century, with the collapse of the French Empire, the works returned here. Thus, the museum with its rich collection was officially opened in 1885. With the renovation works carried out in 1997, the exhibition areas were made more useful.
Pinacoteca Nazionale
One of the most striking works of the museum is Raphael’s Estasi di santa Cecilia painting. This oil painting, completed between 1516 and 1517, is a very valuable piece that reflects the Renaissance understanding. The Renaissance work Madonna in gloria e santi by Pietro Perugino is another remarkable work of the museum. Works such as Parmigianino’s Madonna and Child Saints with Margaret, Jerome and Petronio, and Guido Reni’s Pala del Voto are also worth seeing. The museum, which houses the works of Carracci, one of the founders of Italian baroque art, is the center of attention of many art lovers.
- Address: Via delle Belle Arti 56, 40126 Bologna, Italy
- Visiting hours: Tuesday — Wednesday: 09:00–13:30, Thursday: 09:00–19:00, Friday — Saturday — Sunday: 14:00–19:00
Entry fee: 4 Euros - Transportation: You can reach the museum after getting off at the Porta San Donato stop of the bus lines and walking for 100 meters.
- Nearby Places: Museo di Palazzo Poggi, Biblioteca Universitaria di Bologna