The other Renaissance. Ulisse Aldrovandi and the wonders of the world – Palazzo Poggi

On the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the birth of the Bolognese scientist Ulisse Aldrovandi, the exhibition The other Renaissance. Ulisse Aldrovandi and the wonders of the world was inaugurated at Palazzo Poggi in Bologna.  Curated by Giovanni Carrada and born from an idea of ​​the president of the Sma Roberto Balzani, with the scientific advice of Davide Domenici and of the Aldrovandi scholar Giuseppe Olmi, the exhibition is promoted by the University Museum System, in collaboration with the University Library of Bologna, and will be open to the visitors until 10 April 2023.

Through the deepening of the figure of Aldrovandi, the exhibition aims to deal with the extraordinary awakening of the natural sciences in the Renaissance, often overshadowed by the masterpieces of art and architecture of that time, which instead had a fundamental impulse thanks to Aldrovandi and a small group of naturalists, doctors and pharmacists: transformed from humanists into scientists, they in fact started numerous collections, which have come down to us thanks to the careful conservation of the University of Bologna. The exhibited materials include books, dried plants, watercolors and manuscripts, as well as maps, illustrated tables and the precious Codex Cospi, one of the thirteen pre-Columbian codes that have come down to us intact.

Our team is proud of the work carried out for the set-up of the exhibition which, also through the use of both ancient wooden cases and immersive video projections and digital installations, accompanies the visitor on an itinerary to discover an intellectual fundamental to the history of Renaissance.

Photo Courtesy: Unibo Magazine / SMA Unibo