Immerse Yourself in the Timeless Charm of Casa Carducci: Bologna’s Historic Poet’s House Museum
Carducci’s house museum in Bologna shows how the great Italian poet lived and what he learned through its large library, original furniture, and things that belonged to him.
We learned about him in school, and many of us knew his most famous poems, like “San Martino,” “Davanti San Guido,” and “Pianto Antico.”
Giosuè Carducci (1835–1907) was born in Tuscany. He moved to Bologna in 1860, a year before Italy became one country, after making several trips back to his home region. In this city, he found the chair of Italian eloquence, or literature, which he would hold until 1904, as well as the fame that gave him the nickname “Vate.”
Carducci and his family lived in Bologna, in three different homes. The last one, where he died in 1907, is now called “Casa Carducci” and is on the edge of what is now the historic center, in the same-named square.
The original furniture, the large library, and the poet’s papers that are kept inside have turned it into a museum. The neo-Gothic-style home is a historic building in the city. Given these facts, it’s easy to imagine that the house has the atmosphere of a place where time has stopped and the charm of the people who used to live there.
The Memorial Garden (Il Giardino Memoriale)
The visit, which is a deep dive into Carducci’s life and work, starts outside the building. In fact, next to the museum is the Memorial Garden, which can be seen from the square. The Carducci Monument, which was made by Leonardo Bistolfi in 1928, is the most famous thing in the garden. In the center of the white Carrara marble sculpture complex is a seated poet with a thoughtful look on his face.
He is surrounded by two allegorical groups: on one side, the personification of poetry is shown in an embrace with nature, and on the other, Liberty is shown riding a horse with rhyme and rhythm next to her.
After meeting the poet for the first time in such a solemn way, we walk toward the building where he and his wife, Elvira Menicucci, lived for many years.
During the careful restoration that took place between 1987 and 1988, it was found that the house was built on top of a church and oratory from the 16th century that belonged to the Confraternity of Santa Maria della Pietà.
The building was still used for religious purposes until the Napoleonic expropriations of the late 18th century. At that time, the brotherhood was put down, and the property was sold to private individuals.
Carducci lived in this house from 1890 until the year of his death, when the building was sold to the city of Bologna. However, the “villino Carducci” and the poet’s library had been bought by Queen Margherita of Savoy, who liked the poet’s poems, to keep her literary legacy and his memory alive. Carducci liked the new house because it was quieter and further away from the busy city center. It also had more space for his library, which was always growing.
What can be seen today inside Casa Carducci?
First of all, the headquarters of the Carduccian cultural institute are on the second floor, along with a house museum, archive, and library (which is a branch of the Archiginnasio Library of Bologna).
The nine rooms of the museum can be reached by going up the steps of the spiral staircase. As soon as you walk in, you are surrounded by the books that Carducci collected over the course of his life. You are in the library, which was organized and rearranged by Albano Sorbelli (1875–1944), who was a student of the poet and designed both the archive and the layout of the rooms so that everyone could use the museum.
About 40,000 items are currently in the Carducci library. These include original manuscripts and many letters written by the poet, as well as rare volumes, sixteenth-century books, brochures, and newspaper clippings that Carducci himself gathered about him.
The works are from different time periods, from the 16th to the 19th century, and are mostly literary. Boccaccio, Ariosto, Dante, Petrarca, as well as works and autographs by Leopardi, Hugo, and Foscolo are just some of the authors in the library, whose works were always censored by the poet when they first arrived.
We move on to the poet’s studio, which is just as magical as the library because it has so much knowledge.
This room has things and furniture that belonged to Carducci, as well as documents and other things related to the great poet, such as photographs, portraits, sculptures, and, of course, other books.
Let’s take a look at things like the 1906 Nobel Prize for literature, a piece of Petrarch’s tunic, and the armchair where Garibaldi sat after getting hurt in Aspromonte.
Then we go into the other rooms of the house museum, like the living room, bedrooms, and dining room, which are all decorated with floral frescoes, Venetian wallpaper, and floors.
Before leaving the building and slowly coming back to the present, we go to the ground floor to see the Museo del Risorgimento. It has been here since 1990 to honor the poet’s political beliefs, which were fueled by his patriotism and interest in the Risorgimento.
Through its five themes, the exhibition looks at a large chunk of history, from the time of Napoleon to the First World War, passing through the Restoration, the Risorgimento, and the Unification of Italy. Many things from the time are on display, like paintings, prints, weapons, and uniforms.
Useful information for visiting the house-museum of Giosuè Carducci
Opening hours
- The house-museum is open from 9 am to 1 pm Tuesday through Friday.
- Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Admission is paid and only with accompanied visits and guided tours. Free admission every first Sunday of the month from October to March and in the last two hours of opening every Thursday from April to September.
How to get to there?
Casa Carducci is close to the ring roads, so it’s easy to get there by bus (for example, the 32 and 33), on foot (15 minutes from the Two Towers), or by car (you can park on the street outside the city walls).
