BOLOGNA - 'Mente et malleo' is the exhibition hosted until 31 August 2023 by the Geology Collection "Museo Giovanni Capellini" of Bologna, organized on the occasion of the five hundredth anniversary of the birth of the naturalist Ulisse Aldrovandi (1522-1605) and the centenary of his death by the first professor of geology at the University of Bologna, Giovanni Capellini (1833-1922).
In common a Bolognese from the sixteenth century and a La Spezia from the nineteenth century have curiosity, in particular that for the natural world and its wonders.
Three itineraries guide visitors through the rooms of the Geology Collection: the first on the life of Capellini, who from La Spezia comes to Bologna to fill the newly created chair of geology, rediscovers Aldrovandi's collections and dedicates his life to the expansion of the " its "museum and the international relaunch of the University of Bologna;
the second is a journey through the upper rooms of the museum that will present the character of Capellini through seven iconic fossils he has studied;
the third, finally, on botroids, bizarre-shaped concretions that had attracted Aldrovandi as they resembled elements of the surrounding natural reality.
On display you will be able to observe one of the best known fossils studied by the geologist, the orca of Cetona, and, together with the original, a digital version that will revive the animal,
It was thanks to Giovanni Capellini, appointed director in 1860 and remained so until his death in 1922, that the headquarters in via Zamboni became one of the most important geo-paleontological museums in Europe.
Refurbished and reopened to the public on the occasion of the eighth centenary of the University of Bologna, in 1988, it has maintained its original layout.
The public will be able to explore the museum's collections accompanied by a new system of captions, designed to make the enormous heritage of exhibits easier and more legible, while respecting the historical nineteenth-century apparatus.
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