Museum of Early Pianos

In some Halls of the Masiero and Centanin Musical Foundation, located at Via degli Ulivi 12 in Arquà Petrarca, in the Euganean Hills in the province of Padua, a collection of 18th and 19th century pianos by famous German, English, French and Italian builders is exhibited.

There are fortepianos, grand pianos, square pianos, upright pianos, and pianos of other unusual shapes, some of which are owned by the Foundation and others come from private collections.
The term Fortepiano, used to indicate the Piano from its early historical period, approximately from its birth to the early years of the 19th century, can still generate some misunderstanding, suggesting that it is a similar but different instrument from the Piano.

In its early evolutionary stage, the piano actually had many names: Gravicembalo che fa il pian e il forte, Cembalo a piano forte, Cembalo di martelletti (Hammerflügel and Hammerklavier in German), Piano-Forte, , to name the most common, and indeed, Fortepiano which was perhaps the most used. It makes a certain sense, therefore, to resurrect the archaic term Fortepiano to indicate the Piano of its origins.

The establishment of the Museum was not only aimed at preserving specimens of historical interest, but also and above all at bringing the instruments back to life, after appropriate restoration, with their technical and sound characteristics and with their expressive means so different from those of modern instruments.

The Museum’s pianos are often used for concerts organized by the Foundation in the Central Hall of Villa Centanin in Arquà Petrarca.

The museum is open on concert days.
Upon appointment, group visits are possible.
Additionally, guided tours are available for Tourist Agencies, Associations, and various levels of Public and Private Schools, Universities, and Conservatories.
Persons with motor disabilities can request to park their vehicle inside the facility by giving advance notice.
Below is the list of early pianos exhibited in Villa Centanin, home of the Foundation in Arquà Petrarca: