Teatro Anatomico

Bologna


Housed in Palazzo dell’Archiginnasio, the fascinating 17th-century Teatro Anatomico is where public body dissections were held under the sinister gaze of an Inquisition priest, ready to intervene if proceedings became too spiritually compromising. Cedar-wood tiered seats surround a central marble-topped table while a sculptured Apollo looks down from the ceiling. The canopy above the lecturer’s chair is supported by two skinless figures carved into the wood.

Down the hall, and covered by the same entrance ticket, is the Sala dello Stabat Mater, a grand former classroom that leads to a long line of 10 ancient classrooms now holding the repository of the Archiginnasio library (off limits but gorgeously visible from the roped-off doorway).


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Bologna attractions

1. Palazzo dell'Archiginnasio

This palace was the seat of the city university from 1563 to 1805. These days its chief attraction is the fascinating 17th-century Teatro Anatomico, a…

2. La Terrazza Panoramica

0.02 MILES

Basilica di San Petronio's new (and temporary) 54m-high panoramic terrace – reached from an entrance behind the basilica – doesn't hold a candle to the…

3. Museo Civico Archeologico

0.05 MILES

Impressive in its breadth of coverage of historical eras, this museum displays well-documented Egyptian and Roman artefacts along with one of Italy's best…

4. Casa di Lucio Dalla

0.08 MILES

The 15th-century Palazzo Casa Fontana poi Gamberini – the fascinating, pricier-than-the-Colosseum home of eccentric Italian singer-songwriter Lucio Dalla …

5. Basilica di San Petronio

0.08 MILES

Bologna's hulking Gothic basilica is Europe's sixth-largest church, measuring 132m by 66m by 47m. Work began on it in 1390, but it was never finished, and…

6. Santuario di Santa Maria della Vita

0.1 MILES

In the heart of the Quadrilatero, this 17th-century shrine is one of Bologna's most beautiful and important, not only for its 13th-century foundation by…

7. Piazza Maggiore

0.12 MILES

All roads lead to pivotal 13th-century Piazza Maggiore, flanked by Basilica di San Petronio, Europe's sixth-largest basilica, and a series of impressive…

8. Palazzo Comunale

0.13 MILES

The palace that forms the western flank of Piazza Maggiore has been home to the Bologna city council since 1336. A salad of architectural styles, it owes…