Collection of Musical Instruments (> website)

Between the 1970s and 1980s, on the initiative of Raffaello Monterosso, director of the School of Paleography and Musical Philology, some instruments of notable historical and artistic value were purchased. From that moment on, the Collection began to grow through acquisitions and donations such as the Boschetto bequest (late 1970s), the donation of rolls for player piano and organ cardboard (which increased the collection already assembled by Raffaello Monterosso) and the Pellini collection (more than sixty copies of medieval, Renaissance and Baroque musical instruments).

General Information: Type: Technical-scientific
Visit: The collection is open to the public by appointment only on Tuesdays from 4:00 PM to 6:30 PM and on Thursdays from 2:00 PM to 4:30 PM.

Contacts and Addresses:
Collezione di Strumenti musicali
Dipartimento di Musicologia e Beni Culturali
Corso Garibaldi, 178 – 26100 Cremona
Tel. +39.0372.33925
E-mail: curatorestrumenti@unipv.it

Museum contact:
Massimiliano Guido

Mathematics Collections (> website)

The core of the collection at the Department of Mathematics consists of a remarkable array of mathematical models, one of the most important of its kind in Italy. The models are mostly made of plaster, but some are also crafted from other materials such as wood, metal, paper, and colored threads. They represent geometric objects such as curves, surfaces, and polyhedra. Most of the models date back to the late 1800s and the early 1900s. This was the golden age of models, which at the time had significant educational and scientific importance, which later diminished due to a changed approach to mathematics and the advent of computers. In addition to the models, the collection also includes some mechanical calculating instruments, also dating back to the late 1800s – early 1900s.

General Information: Type: Technical-scientific
Visit: The collection is closed to the public but can be visited by scholars by appointment.

Contacts and Addresses:
Collezioni di Matematica
Dipartimento di Matematica “Felice Casorati”
via Ferrata, 5 – Pavia
Tel. +39.0372.505600
E-mail: collezioni.matematica@unipv.it

Museum contact:
Riccardo Rosso

Physiology Collections

The collection preserves various instruments used in basic physiological research to shed light on complex systemic, tissue, and cellular physiological mechanisms. These include various glassware, galvanometers, sphygmographs, scales, kymographs, devices for measuring tactile and pain sensitivity, and more. The collected objects span from the founding of the Institute of Physiology by Eusebio Oehl in 1860 to the years immediately following World War II.

General Information: Type: Technical-scientific | Consistency: Approximately 300 pieces.
Visit: The collection is currently closed to the public but is accessible to scholars by appointment.

Contacts and Addresses:
Collezioni di Fisiologia
Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare
Sezione di Fisiologia umana
via Forlanini, 6 – Pavia
Tel. + 39.0382.984707

Museum contact:
Lucia Anna Stivala

Histology and Embryology Collections

The Section of Histology and General Embryology at the Department of Experimental Medicine houses material previously used for teaching and research: microscopic preparations consisting of histological sections of various tissues and organs, mostly dating back to the first half of the 20th century, embryological wax models, and embryological preparations dating from the late 19th to early 20th century. There are also microscopes and other instruments dating to the first half of the 20th century.

General Information: Type: Technical-scientific | Consistency: Approximately 10,000 pieces.
Visit: The collection is currently closed to the public but is accessible to scholars by appointment.

Contacts and Addresses:
Collezioni di Istologia ed Embriologia
Dipartimento di Medicina sperimentale
Sezione di Istologia ed Embriologia generale, via Forlanini, 10 – Pavia
Tel. +39.0382.984707

Museum contact:
Lucia Anna Stivala

Anatomy Collection

The collection, established at the end of the 18th century by anatomists from the University of Pavia and linked to the work of scientists such as Giacomo Rezia, Antonio Scarpa, Bartolomeo Panizza, and Giovanni Zoja, represents a rare example of the “crystallization” of a 19th-century scientific museum. It preserves mainly natural preparations, organized into various sections: Osteology, Angiology, Embryology, Splanchnology, Esthesiology, Neurology, and Topographic Anatomy. These collections share common origins with the Medicine section of the Museum for the History of the University.

General Information: Type: Technical-scientific | Consistency: Approximately 2,000 specimens.
Visit: The collection is currently closed to the public but is accessible to scholars by appointment.

Contacts and Addresses:
Collezione di Anatomia
Dipartimento di Sanità pubblica, Neuroscienze, Medicina Sperimentale e Forense
via Forlanini, 8 – 27100 Pavia
Tel. +39.0382.987647
E-mail: anatomia@unipv.it

Museum contact:
Maria Gabriella Cusella