Padua is a beautiful city, waiting to be discovered and where it is impossible not to get lost in the art and simplicity of a quiet life. Here you can find the botanical garden of Padua , one of the most beautiful in the world, lots of street art and a thousand secrets to discover, but today we delve deeper into the MUSME of Padua , one of the city's excellences in the world.
Here all visitors can participate in games at different levels of difficulty to learn the correct anatomy of the human body , medical vocabulary and the association between pathologies and pathogens. Interactive panels with questions and answers stimulate visitors to reflect on the themes addressed in the museum, with historical, scientific and health habits questions.
The MUSME in brief
The MUSME or Museum of the History of Medicine of Padua was inaugurated in 2015 and has since become a national and international excellence. Visiting the MUSME means visiting a new generation museum designed to interact directly with spectators and invite them to an active visit thanks to cutting-edge technologies.
Here you will be able to find the extraordinary evolution of medicine from ancient times to the latest discoveries and with, obviously, an eye on the Paduan school of medicine in the historical context of the city. The headquarters of MUSME is located in the fifteenth-century palace which was the seat of the first hospital in Padua, the Hospital of San Francesco Grande , built in 1414 by the spouses Sibilia de' Cetto and Baldo Bonafari from Piombino. This hospital was active for almost four centuries, until 1798, when it was replaced by the Giustiniane Hospital commissioned by the bishop of Padua Nicolò Giustiniani.
In the second half of the sixteenth century, these premises were the first place in the world where medical students began to learn clinical practice directly at the bedside of patients, thus highlighting what would become the foundations on which modern medical teaching is built.
A journey between past and future with MUSME
This enchanted place is designed to revolutionize the concept of a science museum and involve all five of the visitor's senses through a historical narrative strengthened by practical interactions. The MUSME will present itself to your eyes as a cross between a traditional collection of historical artefacts and a modern Science Centre , here you will find routes suitable for all ages with play and experimental routes also suitable for children.
Precisely because of this approach, in just a few years the MUSME has climbed all the rankings, won international awards and was voted by visitors as one of the first attractions to visit in Padua and in first place among the city museums, reaching over 50,000 visitors a year .
The museum's exhibition itineraries are spread over three floors , occupying a total area of 1200 m2:
- On the ground floor, the first two rooms are dedicated to the history of the building and the years of the Scientific Revolution. Room A focuses on the history of the former San Francesco Grande Hospital, while Room B explores the role of the University of Padua during the Scientific Revolution.
- On the second and third floors there are four rooms dedicated to the birth and development of modern medical sciences. Room C deals with anatomy, explaining how the human body is made, while Room D focuses on physiology, describing how the human body works. Room E explores pathology, or how the human body breaks down, and Room F is dedicated to therapy, illustrating how the human body is treated.
- On the third floor there is also a modern Anatomical Theatre, which simulates the anatomy lessons of the past and where it will be possible to discover the human body in depth with a reproduction over three meters large.
Visit Padua and the MUSME
Padua with its historical mysteries and its many attractions gathered in a few square kilometers could be seen, hastily, in a single day but why do it? There is the possibility of stopping for a few days in the city while reducing the budget to a minimum; it is possible to do this by booking an apartment online so as to save on the cost of hotels and B&Bs and by taking advantage of the Padova Card with its fantastic discounts for tourists.
