In 1736, Morandi married her childhood sweetheart, Giovanni Manzolini, a professor of anatomy at the University of Bologna.

Giovanni and Anna quickly became well known around, not only in Bologna but Italy as a whole being that by the early 1750s, the couple had been recognized locally and internationally.

After appealing to the pope and passing a strenuous examination by the Bolognese Senate, Manzolini was granted a small annual amount of 300 liras for support.

[7] Anna Morandi Manzolini impacted the 18th century Bolognese culture through an artistic and scientific approach.

Some of her anatomical models were so skillfully molded that they were extremely difficult to distinguish from the actual body parts from which they were copied.

Furthermore, her acute skill at dissection resulted in her discovery of several previously unknown anatomical parts, including the termination of the oblique muscle of the eye.

She held the distinction of having been the first person to reproduce body parts of minute portions in wax, including capillary vessels and nerves.

[4] Morandi's collection of wax models was known throughout Europe as Supellex Manzoliniana, and was eagerly sought after to aid in the study of anatomy.

Her work became the archetype of such models as the Vassourie collection and the creations of Dr. Auzoux made from papier mache, which were the forerunners of those used in today's schools and colleges.