Volta Temple – Como

The museum dedicated to Alessandro Volta, born in Como, and to his works

The Volta Temple is the museum dedicated to the memory of Alessandro Volta (1745-1827), the most important Como citizen, the inventor of the battery!
It is located in Como, on the shore of the lake at the end of Viale Guglielmo Marconi.
After a long restoration, it has been reopened in early December 2021.

It is the most visited museum in Como and it hosts a permanent exhibition dedicated to Alessandro Volta and to his scientific works.
The Volta Temple is divided into 15 display cabinets containing a total of 234 artifacts including ancient scientific instruments related to the physics experiments carried out by Alessandro Volta, from the invention of the battery to the study of gases and their properties.
Some display cabinets contain the original honors received by Volta and a selection of the celebratory materials disseminated in Europe in the two centuries following his death.

The Temple was inaugurated in 1928. On the occasion of the centenary of the death of the great physicist, Francesco Somaini, a cotton industrialist and patron, financed its construction and donated it to the city.
The museum was designed as a neoclassical temple by the Como architect Federico Frigerio, recalling the shapes and images of the Roman Pantheon.

The building of Volta Temple has a quadrilateral shape and an imposing base about 2 meters high, designed to protect it from any flooding of the lake. It is connected by a large Corinthian pronaos which leads to the circular hall of almost 12 meters in diameter surmounted by a high dome. In the center, a stained glass window, supported by four corner pillars and eight marble columns. The floor is a mosaic of marble, onyx, and alabaster.

The visit is made easier by a brochure or an app that can be downloaded directly at the museum.

USEFUL INFORMATION
Where: on the shore of the lake, in Como, at the end of Viale Guglielmo Marconi
Opening days: Tuesday to Sunday
Closed on Monday
Opening hours: from 10:00 am to 06:00 pm
Entrance with a fee (4 euros) Reductions and free entrances>>>
Reservation is recommended by sending an email>>>
It is recommended to wear a safety mask and to keep an interpersonal distance of at least 1 meter.

For any further info call +39 031 574705

ARE YOU ON LAKE COMO?
See what you can do or see on the lake>>>

Photos from the Facebook page of the Como Civic Museums