Museo di Anatomia umana Luigi Rolando, Università di Torino

The Museum was founded in 1739 in the University Building in Via Verdi 8, now the Rector's Office, and after various relocations, in 1898 it was re-installed in its current location in the Palazzo degli Istituti Anatomici, in monumental rooms specially built with an architecture that emphasises the importance of the discipline and the prestige of Turin's anatomical school at the end of the 19th century. As the layout did not undergo any major changes during the 20th century, we now have the opportunity to visit an exceptional example of a 19th-century scientific museum that has remained almost unchanged and has now been restored to its original appearance.
In addition to the purely anatomical collections (dry and liquid preparations, wax, papier-mâché and wooden models), the museum holds collections of anthropological, phrenological, primatological, embryological, palaeoanthropological, artistic and instrument collections, as well as an archive collection, a photographic archive and a historical book collection.
A visit to the museum highlights aspects that go far beyond the scientific importance of the exhibits, and also invests historical, architectural and artistic meanings that were prioritised in the reorganisation and enhancement of the collections.
Three video stations take their cue from the objects to tell compelling scientific and human stories, helping to understand the history of the collections and their significance.