Villa Griffone
The Villa Griffone refers to a country house in Emilia-Romagna . Located in the small town of Pontecchio between Bologna and Sasso Marconi , it gained special importance as the birthplace of the Italian radio pioneer Guglielmo Marconi . From 1895, Guglielmo and his brother Alfonso made their first experiments with radio waves from the upper floor of the house. The villa and the property are now owned by the Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi . There you will find the Museo Marconi with the Bigazzi collection of historical radios and a library of over 2,700 books. The villa and the Museo Marconi can be visited by prior arrangement and appointment.
history
A simple building was erected on the property for the first time around 1600. It is named Villa Griffone after the builder Griffoni. The property later passed to a Patuzzi family until it was acquired by Marconi's father Giuseppe in 1849. The Marconi family also owns other properties in Florence and Livorno . When Guglielmo Marconi died in 1937, a mausoleum was built for him, it was inaugurated in 1941 and houses the sarcophagi of Guglielmo and his second wife Maria Cristina Bezzi Scali. After 1945 the villa was in a very poor condition, the building and inventory were badly damaged. The Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi (FGM) acquired the estate and extensively renovated it. The villa is in the hilly landscape on a slope, and the house overlooks the valley to Via Porrettana. The property includes a larger park area and a small outbuilding.
The Villa
The special importance of this house is related to the development of wireless communication technology by Guglielmo Marconi. His father ran a silkworm farm in the house. His son set up a laboratory on the upper floor of the house in which he could conduct his electrical experiments. Guglielmo was fascinated by electricity and took part in competitions to improve batteries, until he began his radio tests in 1895. Since there was initially no interest in his work in Italy, he went to England for around 13 years. The property remained in the possession of the Marconi family and Guglielmo later returned here.
Today, the headquarters of the Fondazione Guglielmo Marconi are located in the villa. Spread over the floors, you can see the collection of historical radios, most of which are still in working order. A lecture hall for lectures and conferences is located on the upper floor. The University of Bologna organizes seminars for its students here. A bookshop is attached to the museum.
In the garden are the bronze statue of Marconi by Antonio Berti and a floor segment from Marconi's yacht Elettra , the floating radio laboratory. Even after 100 years, metal parts that were once used by Marconi are still found in the outdoor area from time to time.
literature
- Antique Radio Magazine , No. 93, 2009
- Guglielmo Marconi Wireless Laureate, M. Giorgi, B. Valotti, 2010
Web links
Coordinates: 44 ° 25 ′ 52.9 ″ N , 11 ° 16 ′ 2.8 ″ E