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Casa Bendandi - Museo e osservatorio sismologico
Casa Bendandi - Museo e osservatorio sismologico

The museum is housed in the building which was home to Raffaele Bendandi, who was from Faenza and who was an expert on seismology. In the building there is a collection of documents regarding seismological events, a library and a Seismological Observatory.

Raffaele Bendandi was born in Faenza on 17th October 1893 and since his adolescence showed his unique character and keen enthusiasm for seismological events. When he finished primary school he worked with a watchmaker and then as a wood engraver, and never ignored the study of the great discoverers: Copernico, Darwin, Galileo, Newton, etc. Based on the movement of the tides deriving from lunar attraction, he believed that even the movements of the earth’s crust (Brady seism and earthquakes) derived from the force attracted by our satellite and the other planets. He discovered a cycle of solar spots and wrote the book "Un principio fondamentale dell’Universo” (A fundamental principle of the universe) published in 1931. He wrote the book that was never published "Sulle stelle variabili" (on the variable stars) that is exhibited in the observatory. His theories were unsettling for the principles of official science and he was oppugned especially when he began to make forecasts and was even forced to remain silent. Convinced of the validity of his theories, Bendandi continued to study and monitor every geological event to gain confirmation of his forecast method.

He died on November 1st 1979 alone and forgotten by all, but with the hope in his heart that sooner or later through predicting earthquakes, man would be able to save many human lives.

THE LIBRARY was certainly the place that was dearest to Bendandi: he studied, read, consulted, verified here, and when his meditation was interrupted he looked out the window undecided. It contains over one thousand books, bulletins from various world observatories, collections of newspaper and articles. His original calculations and writings are gathered into fifteen boxes and nine files. On the shelf, above the door that leads to the Observatory, there are several models of toys made by Bendandi when he worked at the Toy Factory between 1940 and 1950 for reasons of “human necessity”.

Photo gallery
Informations
  • Address
    Via Manara, 17
    48018 Faenza RA
  • Phone: 338.8188688
  • Web: osservatoriobendandi.it
  • Area: Center
  • Opening:
    First wednesday of every month and on request
  • Prices:
    Free entrance
  • Map: