See you on October 31st for the inauguration of one of the most iconic sites of scientific research in Bologna, now closed for 80 years.
On one of Bologna's most evocative hills stands a place stuck in the past and closed for 80 years. It is theMalvasia Meteorological and Seismic Observatory, Sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin of San Luca on the Colle della Guardia, which will reopen its doors to the public next October 31 at 18:30 pm during the “Light and Hope” event. “A unique opportunity to celebrate the connection between science and spirituality during the Jubilee Year and in a major pilgrimage destination.” declared Monsignor Remo Resca, Rector of the Sanctuary.
Through a long research and restoration project conducted by the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) Unique scientific instruments have been saved and will once again find a home, after almost a century, in some of the spaces that were originally located there. The studies were conducted first in Rome and then at the restoration laboratory of the Aldini Valeriani Institute in BolognaAmong the pieces that can be viewed, the famous one stands out Malvasia Seismic Warning Device and the Denza Anemograph, instruments that testify to the excellence of scientific research in Bologna and Italy at the end of the nineteenth century.
The Observatory, in fact, was founded by Count Antonio Galeazzo Malvasia dalla Serra and opened on November 14, 1881, following the seismic sequence that struck the Bologna area in the early months of that year. Its inauguration was attended by ecclesiastical, civil, and scientific officials of the time, and its activity continued successfully until the 1940s. Subsequently, The Observatory was finally decommissioned and much of the instrumentation housed there, at that time among the largest in Italy, was lost..
The inauguration of the Malvasia Observatory's museum space is part of a series of events attended by Cardinal Matteo Maria Zuppi, Archbishop of Bologna, and will be followed by the presentation of the Basilica's new lighting system. Graziano Ferrari and Andrea Bizzarri of the INGV will introduce attendees to the history of the Observatory and the functioning of the various instruments on display. Afterward, it will be possible to tour the spaces. Reservations are not required, and admission is free.
The event will be attended by the heirs of Count Malvasia, the Director of the IIS Aldini Valeriani, Pasquale Santucci, the Director of the Bologna Section of the INGV, Micol Todesco, and several city authorities.
Subsequently, the Malvasia Observatory will remain open to visitors on the days and during the opening hours of the Sanctuary.
Poster and program of the event
Link to evaluate:
National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV)
Sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin of San Luca
