Egypt in Italy
October 31, 2025 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 59 °F
Instead of Bologna artifacts in Bologna, we saw Egyptian artifacts in Bologna.
Why? Because we followed the guidance of the woman at the ticket desk at the Museo Civico Archeologico di Bologna.
That wasn’t a bad thing, however. Apparently, the museum is best known for its Egyptian collection … the third largest in Italy … and amongst the most important in Europe.
The forecasted rain must have fallen overnight and into the morning. The streets were wet when we left the AirBNB to go to the museum. Otherwise, it was a cool but dry day for our outing.
The museum is said to be one of the most prestigious in the city. It opened to the public in 1881 and is housed in the 15th century Palazzo Galvani, which was once the Ospedale della Morte … the Hospital of Death. Its Etruscan-Italic artifacts are the most important part of the museum, but as noted above, it is best known for its Egyptian collection. Other collections are from the Prehistoric, Gallic, and Roman periods of Bologna and its surroundings. Greek and Roman artifacts, as well as plaster casts of statuary from these periods add to the richness of the exhibits.
Having paid our admission — €4pp senior rate — we locked up our daypacks and jackets, and were ready to explore the museum. I took a few photos of the artifacts in the lobby … one of which turned out to be the armored torso of a statue that once honored Nero. Interestingly, I read that the head of the statue was destroyed after Nero’s death … an action that was traditionally taken when a government official was essentially deemed an enemy of the state.
I spent quite a bit of time exploring the Egyptian Collection in the basement. The displays were set up in dynastic order, from the Predynastic to the Ptolemaic period. There were limestone reliefs, vases and canopic jars, colorful sarcophagi, stelae, shabties (funerary statuettes), votives, and tomb furnishings. Of course there were mummies, too … of ibises, cats, and a shrouded human … which tomographic studies have determined was a woman 35-45 years of age.
As is often the case, Mui was done well before I was. When I rejoined him, we checked out the courtyard, and I went up to the first floor to take a quick peek at the other collections … a treasure trove of artifacts. When we move to Bologna, we plan to purchase an annual pass for the city’s attractions, so we will return then to further explore the museum.
While waiting for me, Mui had found a restaurant for lunch — the Michelin-listed Vicolo Colombina. There were no tables available inside, so we took one on the sidewalk.
The waitress was charming … a little slow, but we’ve come to expect that in most places outside the USA. We ordered our meal with an eye toward sharing — an appetizer … potato and mortadella soufflé served with a sauce made with Parmigiano Reggiano that had been aged for 24 months; and a main … traditional tagliatelle al ragù. A glass of red wine each to wash it down. We wrapped up with “Il Profiterole di Max Poggi” (named for the chef) … delicious!
From the restaurant, we went on a meandering stroll to burn off some calories and also check out what Mui thought might be a hardware store. It wasn’t, but no matter … we got our steps in. Along the way, we noticed that tents were going up in Piazza Maggiore. Someone said it was for a farm-to-table market. Opening date: TBD.
Eventually, we returned to the AirBNB for some quiet time. Dinner was tomatoes and burrata drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar; and a side of mortadella. Dessert was Lindt chocolate pudding, which Mui made this afternoon.
Not sure what we will be doing tomorrow. Mui wants to check out a Home Depot type store in Casalecchio. I have no interest in going. So, we shall see.Read more