The Nautical Museum in Bologna was begun in 1711. This is a huge collection which includes globes, charts, antique documents, and weaponry. Also on show in the Science Institute are valuable wooden models of war ships of the 17th and 18th centuries as well as maps of the same time period. Visitors to the museum can see the large wall maps engraved in copper, and decorated with writings along the edges and depicting animals and allegoric images.
