The sharing of knowledge: The manuscripts of Ulisse Aldrovandi in the University Library of Bologna

The paper focuses on the manuscripts preserved in the University Library of Bologna which the botanist and naturalist Ulisse Aldrovandi (1522-1605) wrote together with his assistants from the mid-16th and the early 17th century. On the basis of the codicological description of all manuscripts, the aim of this paper is to present the first results of the research on the reconstruction of the phases of elaboration and production of the manuscripts in which Aldrovandi collects his research on ‘natural things’ (“cose naturali”).