Marconi's family home, where radio began, by guided tour
Photo: Città metropolitana di Bologna · © Città metropolitana di Bologna (licensed to Holiplanet)
Why go
This is where the story of radio starts at home. The museum focuses on the years between 1895, when Marconi made his first experiments in wireless telegraphy, and 1901, when the first radio signals crossed the Atlantic. Guides lead you through working replicas of 19th-century scientific equipment arranged in exhibition islands, and a workshop of hands-on educational experiments on the history of electricity, electromagnetism and telecommunications.
The villa has its own history. It takes its name from Margherita Laurenti Torri Griffoni, who owned it from 1672 to 1730, and after Marconi's death his family gave it to the Foundation. Wartime bombing brought down the west wing; the new Museo Marconi opened on 29 September 1999. Below the villa, at the foot of the hill, stands the Mausoleum designed by Piacentini, where Marconi has rested since 1941 in a porphyry sarcophagus.
Highlights
In the attic where his father bred silkworms, the young Guglielmo set up his first laboratory. The Foundation rebuilt it faithfully, and the 'stanza dei bachi' opened on 25 April 1996, during Marconi Day. Documents on Marconi's education are displayed here, and it is the most personal room of the visit: a teenager's workshop under the roof.
Thanks to the Bigazzi collection, acquired for the centenary of radio in 1995, the museum shows accurate working replicas of 19th-century radiotelegraphy equipment, set out in 'exhibition islands'. Together they trace the path from Marconi's first experiments of 1895 to the first radio signals sent across the Atlantic Ocean in 1901.
The first room of the route is the historic library on the ground floor, furnished in 1974 by Bologna's Rotary Clubs, whose display case of period apparatus became the first core of the Museo Marconi. The Soresini fund of books, photographs, documents and autographs on the history of radio was acquired in 1995.
At the foot of the hill below the villa stands the Mausoleum designed by the architect Piacentini. Marconi has rested there since 1941 in a large porphyry sarcophagus. Wartime bombs pierced its vault and the leaks were not repaired until 1946. Coaches park in Piazzale del Mausoleo, on the Strada Porrettana.
Practical information
From the official website:
Visits only by guided tour, lasting about 1.5–2 hours. Working days: by reservation, with tours in the morning or early afternoon at times agreed when booking. Sundays: guided tour at 10:00 (reservation required for large groups). The official page is not dated.
€7; students €3; families €15 (2 adults and up to 3 children); organised groups of more than 20 people €5 each; school groups €1 per student, laboratory €60. Free for Card Musei Metropolitani Bologna holders, disabled visitors, preschool children and accompanying teachers. Reservation required on working days: tel. +39 051 846121.
Checked on the official sources in November 2026. Hours can change on holidays: check the official website before you go.
Getting there
The museum's official page says blue line no. 92 leaves the Bologna bus terminal every half hour; check the current timetable with TPER before you go.
About 15 km from Bologna along the SS 64 Porrettana; the nearest motorway exit is Sasso Marconi Nord on the A1. Coaches with more than 30 people cannot enter the Villa Griffone car park and must use Piazzale del Mausoleo on the Strada Porrettana.
Insider tips
On working days the museum opens only by reservation, so call +39 051 846121 before you go and agree a morning or early-afternoon slot. Without a booking you risk finding no tour at all.
Every Sunday a guided tour starts at 10:00. Individuals and families can simply plan around it; only large groups need to reserve. Arrive a little early, since the visit runs about an hour and a half to two hours.
Villa Griffone also houses a radio research centre, so there are no refreshment areas or visitor facilities on site. Have breakfast or lunch before the tour, and bring water with you.
Dogs are not allowed in the museum, not even on a leash. If you are travelling with one, plan for someone to wait outside or leave it at your accommodation for the morning.
In the centre
Historic-centre restaurants and hotels from the Bologna City Guide, each with its own Holiplanet page.
Historic restaurant
Tortellini in brodo and lasagne verdi since 1909
Discover more →Traditional restaurant
Handmade tortellini and tagliatelle in Bologna since 1948
Discover more →Chef's restaurant
Mario Ferrara's Lucanian-rooted cooking in a 1600s convent
Discover more →Wine bar / osteria
Wine osteria since 1465: bring your own food
Discover more →Hotel
Romantic 3-star hotel in the ancient Quadrilatero
View hotel →Boutique hotel
12th-century building facing San Petronio's Gothic windows
View hotel →Unique stay
Sleep inside a 12th-century tower, sixty metres above Bologna
View hotel →All restaurants on the Bologna map → All hotels on the Bologna map →
Questions
No. The Museo Marconi can be visited only by guided tour. On working days you must reserve by phone on +39 051 846121, with tours in the morning or early afternoon; on Sundays there is a guided tour at 10:00, and large groups must book it.
The visit costs €7, or €3 for students. A family ticket for two adults and up to three children costs €15, and organised groups of more than 20 pay €5 each. Card Musei Metropolitani Bologna holders, disabled visitors and preschool children enter free.
Villa Griffone is at Via Celestini 1 in Pontecchio Marconi, about 15 km from Bologna on the SS 64 Porrettana; the nearest motorway exit is Sasso Marconi Nord on the A1. The official page says bus line 92 leaves the Bologna bus terminal every half hour.
The tour covers 1895 to 1901, from Marconi's first wireless telegraphy experiments to the first transatlantic radio signals. You see working replicas of 19th-century equipment, the reconstructed attic 'silkworm room' where young Marconi experimented, the historic library and hands-on experiments on electricity and electromagnetism.
The official information page gives about an hour and a half to two hours for the guided tour. Add travel time from Bologna, about 15 km away, and note there is no café or other visitor facility on site, because the villa also hosts a radio research centre.
