Tempio Voltiano — Attraction in Como

The Alessandro Volta Museum, also known as Tempio Voltiano, was built in honor of the great scientist and opened in 1927, at 100 years after the death of physicist and inventor Alessandro Volta, borned and died in Como. Outstanding personality on the scene of scientific life at the end of the 18th century and beginning of the 19th century, Alessandro Volta is the inventor of the first electric battery, known at that time (1800) as the "voltaic battery" or "voltaic pile". The voltaic pile opened a new era in the theory of physics, opened the way for new applied research, such as the electrolysis of water or the discovery of the magnetic effect of electric current. In recognition of his contribution to physics and electricity, in 1801, Alessandro Volta was invited by Napoleon to Paris where he was granted the status of member of the "Institut de France" and also received the title of Count... Many awards and titles brought recognition to the research work and inventions of the scientist Alessandro Volta, but perhaps the most important of these was the recognition from the community of scientists, who called the unit of measure for electromotive force and electric potential- "volt".... The rest... can be seen in...

The Tempio Voltiano (Italian; Volta Temple in English) is a museum in the city of Como, Italy that is dedicated to Alessandro Volta, a prolific scientist and the inventor of the electrical battery. Volta was born in Como in 1745, held his first professorship there until 1779, and retired to Como in 1819.

The neoclassical building was designed by Federico Frigerio (1873–1959). It was completed in 1927 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the scientist's death, but it was inaugurated only in 1928. It hosts a collection of scientific instruments used by the physicist including his early voltaic piles (batteries). The first floor has a display of his personal belongings and his awards.

It is one of the most visited museums in town.[citation needed] The temple was featured on the back of the 10,000 lire banknote, while Volta's portrait was depicted on the front of the same banknote. Banknotes based on the Italian lira have since been replaced by notes...

Alessandro Volta is clearly revered in Como, and rightly so. The Tempio is like a mini-Pantheon and is a stunning building in a stunning location. There is a historical timeline around the upper gallery which is in Italian but there is an English language guide which covers the main story. The lower floor contains real and replica examples of his experimental equipment. This could have been really interesting but there were no descriptions (in any language) of the equipment and what it was used for. This is a vast wasted opportunity. A friendly guide came across to me when I was about half-way round and lent me an English-language booklet which just listed the exhibits, without explaining them. The whole museum is a lost educational opportunity: no non-physicist would come out wiser than when...