Three university museums are housed inside this 14th-century palace. At Museo di Palazzo Poggi, you can peruse terracotta uteri in the Obstetrics exhibition; remarkable anatomical models with wax muscular systems on top of actual human bones; and impressive exhibitions dedicated to 16th and 17th century ships models, stunning old maps, military architectural planning and physics (don't miss Ramsden's 18th-century electrostatic generator, visible in Antonio Muzzi's 1862 painting with Luigi Galvani to its left).
At the guided-tour-only Observatory Museum (adult/reduced €5/3), you can climb the 272 steps of Bologna's first tower built for scientific study (as opposed to defence), which was erected in 1726. Along the way, take in various rooms housing an astounding collection of 13th- to 18th-century astrological and navigational instruments, celestial and territorial globes, and a mesmerising Chinese constellation map on rice paper from 1634. The view is one of Bologna's best. Reserve ahead for three daily tours Tuesday through Sunday (10.30am, noon and 3.30pm; maximum 15 persons). The free European Student Museum (MeuS) covers student life from medieval times to the 1960s.
