Anatomical Theatre of the Archiginnasio

The Archiginnasio is a grand palace, and not a theatre, inside the University of Bologna which also houses the fascinating Anatomical Theatre. The famous Anatomical Theatre is fabricated entirely of spruce wood.

The upper floors of the palace contain two classrooms closed to the public, and the Artisti and the Stabat Mater Hall, which are worth visiting. The Archiginnasio was constructed around the 1560s inside the 11th-century university. It flaunts the remarkable “Spellati”, anatomical models with exposed muscles. Beautiful frescoes decorate the corridors and interiors of the palace. The Anatomical Theatre was built later in 1637. It’s actually a hall but is called a theatre because it looks like one. The walls are wooden, as is a majority of the furniture here. Statues of proficient physicians can be seen surrounding the theatre. Unfortunately, the theatre was heavily damaged in World War 2 and what you see today is the restored version. The Stabat Mater Hall was named after the first performance of Gioachino Rossini‘s Stabat Mater took place here in 1842. Again, the hall looks marvellous, adorned with frescoes.