Archiginnasio, Bologna
The Archiginnasio was the original seat of the University of Bologna, the oldest university in the Western world, built in 1562-63. Its long porticoed courtyard and staircases are covered floor to ceiling with thousands of painted coats of arms and inscriptions left by generations of students and faculty.
The main draw is the Anatomical Theatre, a small wood-paneled room where public dissections were performed for medical students, watched over by carved wooden figures of flayed men (the spellati) holding up the canopy. The theatre was rebuilt after WWII bombing damaged the original.
The building also houses a major public library, still in active use, so parts of the complex function as a working reading room even as tourists pass through.
Archiginnasio, Bologna FAQs
Yes, entry to the courtyard, staircases, and Anatomical Theatre is free.
Most visitors spend 20-40 minutes, mainly in the Anatomical Theatre and the coat-of-arms-covered corridors.
The ground floor and courtyard are accessible, but the Anatomical Theatre is up a staircase without an elevator.
They belonged to students, professors, and rectors from the university's various nationhoods and colleges, added over centuries as a form of institutional memory.
The library stays open but the Anatomical Theatre sometimes closes to the public during exam sessions since it's still used for university events.
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