Since ancient times man has turned his gaze to the celestial vault to scrutinize its secrets, fascinated and intrigued by the planets whose motion has influenced his life and activities since time immemorial.

For astronomical studies he chose particular places that could facilitate the observations of the planets, of their motions; among these places is the tower of the Specola, built between 1712 and 1726 at Palazzo Poggi, in whose rooms the astronomical museum of the University of Bologna is now housed.

Divided into several rooms, including the Meridian Room , the Globes Room and the Tower Room , it offers a broad overview of the instruments that were used in the past by astronomers such as the armillary spheres (which reproduced the motion of the planets through a system of metal rings) or wooden telescopes to observe the sky, clocks, nautical and topographical instruments which were used to orient oneself.