Foscolo Hall - Università degli Studi di Pavia

The Foscolo Hall is one of the University of Pavia’s historic classrooms, designed in 1775 by architect Giuseppe Piermarini as part of the university reform commissioned by Empress Maria Theresa of Austria.

The hall is entirely frescoed by Paolo Mescoli: the walls feature carious figures symbolizing the various subjects taught at the university, while the ceiling features a large oval depicting Minerva and Mercury. The decoration is completed by two large oil portraits of Maria Theresa and Joseph II, painted by Hubert Maurer in 1779 and sent from Vienna as an integral part of the decorative apparatus.

In this hall, Ugo Foscolo, professor of Eloquence, delivered his famous inaugural oration, “On the Origin and Office of Literature,” in January 1809; for this reason, the room was later dedicated to him, taking the name Aula Foscolo.