Universit� degli studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia

In Modena, an exhibition entirely dedicated to the University’s historic scientific instruments, from 4 October

On the occasion of the 850th anniversary of the founding of university studies in Modena, the Department of Physics, Informatics and Mathematics of Unimore, in collaboration with the Accademia Nazionale di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti in Modena, has chosen to share with the city an important and previously undisclosed collection: the University’s historic scientific instrumentation. As part of this initiative, the University has organised the free-entry exhibition “Rediscovered Modenese Treasures”, which will open on Saturday 4 October in Modena, at Palazzo Coccapani d’Aragona (Corso Vittorio Emanuele II, 59).

The “treasures” on display are scientific instruments dating from 1750 to 1920, preserved for many years and only recently rediscovered in dusty crates. In recent years the instruments have been restored thanks to the voluntary work of the Amici del Corni Association and studied by Professors Rossella Brunetti and Sandra Morelli of the Department of Physics, Computer Science and Mathematics of Unimore, who have curated the exhibition together with Licia Beggi Miani, Secretary-General of the Accademia Nazionale di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti di Modena.

The thematic areas include: Metrology, Mechanics and Astronomy, Fluids and Heat, Electricity and Magnetism, Acoustics and Optics, and Energy in Transformation.

Even visitors without a scientific background will be able to immerse themselves—like stepping into a time machine—into this past, retracing, through the instruments and their makers, the progress of scientific knowledge and the complex historical and social events that transformed the city and the country.

“On the occasion of its 850th anniversary, the University is opening up to the city by unveiling a collection of around 100 scientific instruments, displayed in a new installation at the current headquarters of the Accademia Nazionale di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti, which in turn has contributed valuable documentary evidence to the exhibition. The display interweaves knowledge, history and the life of the city of Modena from the mid-eighteenth to the early twentieth century, in a form accessible also to non-specialists,” commented Professor Brunetti.

Alongside the instruments, visitors will find a selection of documents from the Accademia’s historical archive and rare books from its library, curated by Licia Beggi Miani, attesting to the Academy’s role in the development of scientific thought between the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.

The University’s collection is closely tied to the institution hosting it: the Accademia Nazionale di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti which, both in the past and today, has been a place of exchange between the scientific community and an educated and inquisitive public eager to keep pace with scientific and technological progress.

The exhibition, open until 21 December, will also feature a programme of talks and guided tours leading visitors to some of the city’s iconic sites linked to the instruments: the Geophysical Observatory, the Civic Museum, the Weights and Measures Museum, and the Metropolitan Seminary. Special activities for younger audiences are also planned in collaboration with local schools.

To mark the occasion, a volume entitled “Rediscovered Modenese Treasures”, published by Franco Cosimo Panini, has been produced. It presents and describes the instruments in the collection, while exploring the evolution of scientific knowledge in Modena and its deep connection with the city’s social, economic and cultural fabric.

Opening hours: Thursday and Friday 3.00–6.30 pm; Saturday 10.00 am–6.30 pm; Sunday 2.30–6.30 pm. For further information and bookings: www.strumentazionestorica.unimore.it

Categorie: International - english, Notizie_eng