Things to do in Bologne Italy – what to see attractions and activities

Churches and places of worship

Basilica di Santo Stefano

The historic quarter of the Church of Santo Stefano was the "Jerusalem of Bologna", one of the most sacred places in the city. The patron saint St. Petronius is said to have built the church in the 5th century as a copy of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem.

Churches and places of worship

Santuario di San Luca

The sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca is a sanctuary visible from the entire city of Bologna and the entire province, because it is placed on a hill that puts it in the foreground, about 300 m above the sea level.

Libraries and archives

Museo Internazionale e Biblioteca della Musica

Inside Palazzo Sanguinetti are hosted the collections of Padre Martini, personality of the eighteenth century musical culture. A journey of six centuries in the history of European music, in which Bologna has often played a central role.

Museums

Museo dell'Assistenza Infermieristica

The museum displays various kinds of witnesses concerning the evolution of the '700 nursing to the present day.

Museums

Mambo - Museo d'Arte Moderna di Bologna

MAMbo is visual culture and experimentation available to young contemporaries. MAMbo tracks with its permanent collection the history of contemporary Italian and international art.

Museums

Pinacoteca Nazionale

Located in the same historic building that houses the Academy of Fine Arts.It offers a broad overview of Emilian painting from the thirteenth to the eighteenth century,with works by Carracci,Giotto,Vitale da Bologna,Raphael,Guido Reni,Parmigianino.

Museums

Galleria d'Arte Moderna

Headquarters of the Galleria d'Arte Moderna Institute in Bologna, also known as MAMbo, set up inside the restored former bread oven, which with its 9500 square meters of exhibition traces art from post-war years to this day.

Museums

Museo Ebraico

Museums

Museo Civico Archeologico

Inside Palazzo Galvani, the Museum is the merger of the University Museum and the Municipal Museum in the archaeological field. The University Museum transferred the collection of antiques by Luigi Ferdinando Marsili, the Egyptian ones by Ulysses Aldrovandi and Ferdinando Cospi; the Municipality instead gave away the findings of the Etruscan tombs, the Palagio Pelagi collection, and private donations from citizens.

Museums

Museo Aldovrandi

The collection of 'natural things' by Ulysses Aldrovandi, which reaches 18,000 units and 7,000 species of dried plants, as well as its encyclopedia in 13 volumes on 'Natural History', and the 14 personal cabinets and Pinacoteche, since 1617, had been preserved in the Palazzo Pubblico where they remained until 1742, when they were transferred to Palazzo Poggi.

Museums

Museo Civico del Risorgimento

Established in 1893 to inculcate the values of the municipality to all citizens, set up on the ground floor of Casa Carducci, looks at the story that goes from 1796, the year of the arrival of the French in Bologna, until the first World War, with the eyes of the city of Bologna.

Museums

MAGI '900 - Museo delle eccellenze artistiche e storiche

The entrepreneur and collector Pietro Bargellini, in Pieve di Cento, producing a careful restoration of ancient silos for the storage of wheat, inaugurated in 2000 this museum with 4000 square meters on six floors. It is a very important private collection of over 2000 works carefully selected by the owner.

Museums

Museo Apistico

The museum inside the CRA, preserves a huge number of tools, tools, wooden models of apiaries typical of the various Italian agricultural areas, hives of the nineteenth and twentieth century. Since 2008, the Center has also preserved the library of Oddo Marinelli, a lawyer and a beekeeping enthusiast, who has collected more than 800 volumes in the sector, so much so that his collection made the room pick up that it houses the name of 'bee room'.

Museums

Museo delle Navi e delle Antiche Carte Geografiche

Inside Palazzo Poggi, among the many Museums and Libraries, the Museum of Ships houses naval models of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, with relative geographical maps. Very special are the wall papers engraved on copper and richly decorated with allegories, human figures and animals.

Theaters

Teatro Comunale di Bologna

In Largo Respighi, the Municipality of Bologna, following the destruction of the old theater commissioned Antonio Galli Bibiena to design a large theater in full Baroque style. Since that moment, numerous and great artists have set the scene of the Teatro Comunale di Bologna, which has always been synonymous with excellence.

Museums

Museo degli Studenti e della Goliardia

The Alma Mater, the oldest university in Europe, the first headquarters of the student university, organized within it this Museum that wants to retrace the path of the history of the student world, through 23 windows, 18 monitors, paintings, sculptures, books, illuminated codes, newspapers. It also owns a database containing all graduates from 1380 to 2005 to the present day.

Museums

Museo Paleontologico

The Museum was founded in the 19th century in a former hospital clinic from Bologna. After several renovations and renovations, today's headquarters was inaugurated in 2003, divided into 4 main sections: the area where the fossil finds are kept; the Whale and Elephant Hall; Hall of the Whales and Elephants; birds and ichthyosaurs; room of the diplodocus, a 26-meter dinosaur.

Museums

Museo Storico Didattico della Tappezzeria

Cavalier Vittorio Zironi, master tapestries, decided to found this museum in Bologna. Initially aimed at upholstery fabrics, it began to evolve also to the clothes of clothing, ceremonial dresses, sacred vestments. The restoration of Villa Spada allowed the installation on the three floors of the villa by dividing the exhibition conceptually by type.

Museums

Museo Mille Voci e Mille Suoni

Museums

Specola e Museo di Astronomia

Specola is an eighteenth-century tower of Palazzo Poggi, from which astronomical observations were carried out between the '700 and 800. Today, the Museum is set up in the tower, and there are also the Department of Astronomy and the Observatory. The Museum collects above all the instruments used for observations at the time as well as numerous curious objects.

Museums

Museo della preistoria "Luigi Donini"

In San Lazzaro di Savena, the Museum opens its windows to prehistory, its settings and the first human populations. Organized on 500 square meters of area, the museum is divided into thematic areas, offers fossil and archaeological finds, as well as life-size dioramic reconstructions.

Museums

Museo del Patrimonio Industriale

Along the Navile, in the former Galotti furnace where from 1887 bricks with Hoffman oven were produced, since 1990 a museum has been set up with a ground floor that illustrates the history of technical education between the 1800s and '900; on the first floor we move “From excellence to the future” with contemporary technologies; on the second floor the history of Bolognese production from the fourteenth century to the present day.

Monuments

Tempio di San Salvatore

Church that originates in the first decade of the sixteenth century and is important for art as it is balanced between the Renaissance and Baroque, and is an element of mediation on the development of baroque. Inside, in the central nave there is a tombstone placed in the center of the floor in honor of the great artist: Guercino (as per his wish).

Monuments

Casa Carducci

It is a very old structure that dates back to the sixteenth century, is located between the platform of the ancient city walls between Porta Maggiore and Porta di Santo Stefano. Following the spiral staircase you arrive to visit the poet's room and in the garden we find the statue representing Giosuè Carducci. In the immense library there are very rare texts to be found on colleagues, poets and authors.

Museums

Museo Civico Medievale

Inside the Palazzo Ghisilardi- Fava, the Museum has been housed since 1985. It preserves the testimonies of the Middle Ages city from artisan artifacts to the bronze foil statue of Boniface VIII as well as the collections of bronzetti, such as the splendid Neptune by Giambologna. The museum closes an interesting collection of weapons, ivories and glasses, as well as numerous illuminated codes.

Walls, towers and gates

Torre Galluzzi

Galluzzi is among the highest towers in the city. With its more than 30 meters it stands in the homonymous court, where it was once the common citizen. Today on the ground floor we find a bookcase, there is still the original door that stands at 6 meters high.

Castles, palaces and mansions

Palazzo Vizzani

Castles, palaces and mansions

Palazzo Pepoli Antico

Castles, palaces and mansions

Palazzo Ghisilardi Fava

Commissioned by Bartolomeo Ghisilardi and designed by Zilio Montanari, it was erected between 1484 and 1491. The Palace is in line, at an architectural level with the style of Palazzo Bentivoglio; in the center of the courtyard there is a tower house prior to the construction of the same house, called the Tower of Acknowledgments. Today the palace houses the Medieval Civic Museum and the Palazzo delle Esposizioni, as well as the Carracci Fava Literary Cafe.

Castles, palaces and mansions

Palazzo Malvezzi Campeggi

Count and Marquis of Dozza, Cesare di Giovanni Malvezzi had this magnificent building built in 1522. The works carried out in all likelihood by Andrea and Giacomo Marchesi da Formigine, were completed in 1548. Originally, the building had a single floor with mezzanine, but in 1730 it was expanded by welcoming a large arms room. Today it is home to the Faculty of Law.

Castles, palaces and mansions

Palazzo Felicini

The palace born from the will of the Felicini family, has a facade marked by a portico with nine arches and pointed windows. It is said, even if there is no convincing evidence, that right here, Leonardo Da Vinci, accompanying the King of France, Francis I, began to design and paint the Mona Lisa.

Castles, palaces and mansions

Palazzo Grassi

Of medieval origin, Palazzo Grassi has a high historical and artistic façade marked by tall wooden stylates that emphasize the porch, while the upper floor is covered with red bricks. In ancient times it was owned by the Canons, and only in 1466 it was purchased by the Grassi family. In 1865 it passed to the state property pouring in very bad condition. It is now home to the Army Officers Club.

Castles, palaces and mansions

Palazzo Fantuzzi

The building commissioned by the Fantuzzi family, is distinguished by the presence of two elephants on the facade. The elephants reminded Hannibal, from which the family supported descending. The building covered in strong and provocative rusticated, the very square windows, make think of a paternity of the architect Serio, perhaps the only example of his architecture in the city. Instead, the interiors are designed by the architect Bartolomeo di Domenico Peruzzi, a wonderful example of a sixteenth-century residence.

Castles, palaces and mansions

Palazzo di Re Enzo

His name is linked to King Enzo di Sardegna. It was built in 1245 as an extension of the buildings of the Palazzo del Podestà, but three years after its construction it became the home, until the death, of King Enzo. The facades of the building were completely restored in 2003, and overlook the homonymous square, Via Nettuno and Via Rizzoli.

Museums

Collezioni Comunali d'Arte

In the Palazzo Comunale, where once were the apartments of the Cardinals Legati, a permanent exhibition is set up today founded in 1936, which preserves the collections of Pelagio Palagi, artist and collector, but also collections of private families and assets of religious institutions suppressed throughout history.

Castles, palaces and mansions

Palazzo della Mercanzia

The palace overlooks the homonymous square, is also known as Palazzo del Carrobbio or Loggia dei Mercanti. Work on its construction was completed in 1391. The building was intended to host the Merchants' Forum, with the court attached. It appears as a set of styles, from Lombard to Gothic to classicism - naturalistic. The upper floors can be reached via a staircase built in 1857, when the building underwent a general renovation, with the redistribution of the interior spaces.

Castles, palaces and mansions

Palazzo dei Notai

Built already in 1381 by the Order of Notaries, who wanted a monumental building to place their headquarters. It stands in Piazza Maggiore, but only the front facade of the Basilica of San Petronio dates back to 1381, while the one overlooking the Palazzo d'Accursio was restored by Fioravanti in 1437.

Castles, palaces and mansions

Palazzo dei Banchi

The sixteenth-century palace executed on a project by Vignola is located in Via dell'Archiginnasio, it is the last in chronological sense erected in the Piazza. It was formerly home to currency changers. It appears with a façade of fifteen arches, of which two lead to the ancient streets of the Clavatures and the Pescherie.

Castles, palaces and mansions

Palazzo Davia Bargellini

The building was commissioned in 1638 by Camillo Bargellini and executed following Provaglia's project. It is one of the most monumental buildings located in Via Maggiore. The austerity of the building is interrupted by the Giants, two canvasons that side by side the entrance portal from which you access the large Baroque staircase that leads to the upper floor.

Castles, palaces and mansions

Palazzo Boncompagni

The dwelling of Ugo Boncompagni, then became Pope with the name of Gregory XIII, was supposed to be built on the design of Vignola between 1537 and 1545; in reality, in all probability it was designed by Mascarini. influenced by the Vignola not only for the installation of the building but also for the helical shape of the staircase.

Castles, palaces and mansions

Palazzo Bolognini

In Piazza Santo Stefano we find the first senatorium residence of the Bolognini family, commissioned in 1451 to the same architect of Palazzo Bentivoglio, Pagno by Lapo Portigiani da Fièsole. The portico is in Renaissance style with round arches with marble capitals. The façade appears decorated with sculptural heads all round. These are the fifteenth-century tradition in the pointed windows and the arches of the cornice.

Parks and nature reserves

Orto Botanico Bologna

Managed by the University of Bologna, the botanical garden was founded by Ulysses Aldrovandi in 1568, becoming one of the oldest botanical gardens in Europe. It contains about 5,000 samples from 1,200 different species

Walls, towers and gates

Torre Scappi

The name of the tower is traced back to the famous King Enzo and one of his many attempts to escape. During one of these, hidden inside a vat of wine, transported by a “Brentatone”, it was discovered by a woman who recognized the blonde crown of the king who was glimpsed from the basin. She began to shout to him “Run away, King Enzo escapes...” from there the title of the family, which survived until the early 1700s, and of the tower.

Walls, towers and gates

Torre Prendiparte

Built by the homonymous family, it is also called “Crowned”, it was built in 1150. Symbol of power and strength of the family, it stood for over 58 meters as demonstrated by both the thickness and height of the base, and the thickness of the walls and its various shrinkages. Used since 1751 as a prison and torture chamber for crimes against religion.

Castles, palaces and mansions

Palazzo Cassa Risparmio

The palace is one of the first works by the architect Mengoni, built between 1868 and 1876. It looks like a sumptuous white building. The glossy white marble on the outside corresponds to an interior characterized primarily by the imposing staircase that leads to the upper floor that gives a wide breath to the spaces and volumes.

Castles, palaces and mansions

Palazzo Caprara

Performed on a design by Francesco Morandi who did not see the end of the works, the palace had to be almost finished in 1602. Outside with porch, covered in a typical Bolognese rusticated, corresponds to a sumptuous interior, both in the furnishings and in the decorative apparatus. Today it is used as a Public Office of the Prefecture.

Castles, palaces and mansions

Palazzo Bentivoglio

In San Donato street, today Via Zamboni, the space where the Municipal Theater stands, until 1507 was occupied by the grandiose Bentivoglio palace, which had 244 rooms.Called Domus Magna, it was home to Giovanni and Geneva in the richly frescoed rooms upstairs.

Walls, towers and gates

Porta San Stefano

It was born from the end of Via Santo Stefano, at the intersection of the latter with the avenues. Dating back to the 13th century, in 1513, it was seriously damaged during the siege by heavy artillery blows and only part is still visible. There are also the two pillars and the large iron gate that limits their access accessible from the Margherita Gardens Park.

Monuments

Casa Isolani

A beautiful civil construction of the thirteenth century, with a very long and very high porch that is supported by poles about nine meters high. It was realized between 1451 and 1455 with a style that denounces the transition between Gothic and Tuscan Renaissance. In the prospectus you can see the characteristic faces of six characters that are inserted in circular medallions. In the twentieth century, the prospectus was well renovated.

Monuments

Portico di San Luca

It is the longest portico present in the city of Bologna, in fact it has a size of 3796 meters and consists of 666 arches, it was built in 1674 with the contribution of the entire citizenship. It is visible from a great distance even from much of the Bolognese territory and still today it is an exceptional chapter of architecture and urban planning and an authentic value, religious and civic.

Hermitages

Eremo di Ronzano

Ronzano is the culmination of a hill that rises more or less at the same level as the Colle della Guardia where there is a famous convent that on the ground floor were built the refectory, the kitchen, premises service and the cellar. The north side is occupied by the church by the Chapter Hall. The remaining three sides, equipped with large windows, constitute the outer sides of the walking center on which the monk cells are located.

Monuments

Tombe dei Glossatori

In them are preserved the remains of some of the first and most important professors of what was called the studium (university) in the Middle Ages, where Law stood out in Bologna. The term Glossatori because they commented on the texts of Roman law with explanatory additions in the margins, to make the contents of the steps under consideration clearer.

Monuments

Collegio di Spagna

It is located at the University of Bologna and offers the functions of college to students from Spain. It was founded between the thirteenth and seventeenth centuries. On the porch there is a fresco by Annibale Carracci, Bartolomeo Ramenghi and Camillo Procaccini. In 1980, restoration operations began, which lasted until 2011 and brought considerable changes, such as the elimination of false Gothic superstructures and the reproduction of new frescoes, such as the “Madonna of Humility”.

Monuments

Torresotto di San Vitale

It is located at the intersection of Via San Vitale and Piazza Aldrovandi, it was born as the door of the penultimate circle of walls (also called the Circle of Treasures or Thousands), at the turn of the road. it also takes its name by Seraglio.

Walls, towers and gates

Porta Castiglione

Called “circla”, it is one of the gates of the third walls of Bologna, it was built in 1250, it starts from the intersection of Via Castiglione and the avenues. Nearby is the Savena Canal that carried hydraulic energy throughout the city. It has been restored several times, but the works carried out between 2007 and 2009 brought it very similar to that of the past.

Monuments

Accademia Belle Arti

Founded in 1711 by Pope Clement XI, it is structured on the model of the Académie Royal in Paris and that of Saint Luke, is located in the university area and is the largest and most important university of art in Italy. Inside there are classrooms for classes, great classrooms for conferences and actors of painting, sculpture and engraving for practical lessons, moreover on the ground floor we also find the theater.

Walls, towers and gates

Porta Lame

It is also one of the doors of the third city walls of Bologna, starts from the end of Via Lame, from the intersection with Via Zanardi, and it was built for the first time in the thirteenth century. It was located near the port of the city of Bologna and the salara. It has been restored several times, but the works carried out between 2007 and 2009 brought it very similar to that of the past.

Walls, towers and gates

Porta Maggiore

It is also one of the doors of the third city walls of Bologna, it is nicknamed “Porta Mazzini”. It is located east of the historic center at the exact point where this changes its name from Strada Maggiore to Via Mazzini. Built in the thirteenth century, it was for a long time the main entrance to the city. There were many restorations, but the definitive ones were those of 2007 that brought it back to its original state.

Walls, towers and gates

Porta Mascarella

It is one of the doors of the third city walls of Bologna. It starts at the end of Via Mascarella, before the Stalingrad Bridge, and was built around 1300 on the road that led to Malalbergo and from there to Ferrara. During the year 1354, a drawbridge was mounted and in the first decade of the 2000s it was restored returning to its original appearance.

Walls, towers and gates

Porta San Donato

Perhaps more known as Porta Zamboni, it is also part of the doors of the third walls of Bologna. Built in 1300, it features a number of university buildings and guards accommodation near it. Over the years it was restored returning to its original appearance only after 2000.

Walls, towers and gates

Porta San Felice

Also called “Porta Saffi”, it is included between the doors of the third city walls of Bologna. It starts at the west end of the historic center, along the Via Emilia, at the point where this changes its name from Via San Felice to Via Aurelio Saffi. It was built in 1300 in brick, it was equipped in 1334 with fortress and drawbridge. After the restoration work in 2007 and 2009, Porta San Felice was brought back to the ancient splendors of the past.

Walls, towers and gates

Porta San Vitale

It was built in 1286, in brick, it was born from the end of Via San Vitale, at the intersection with Via Massarenti. Of particular importance because it stood on the road axis for Ravenna. There were many restorations, but the definitive ones were those of 2009 that brought it back to its original state.

Walls, towers and gates

Porta Saragozza

It rises at the intersection of Via Saragozza and the avenues, built in 1300 and after a few years a drawbridge was installed. From this construction also started the long portico that leads to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of San Luca, but for many years it was considered only as a secondary entrance. Restored from 2007 to 2009.

Walls, towers and gates

Torre Accursi (dell'Orologio)

Also called the “Clock Tower”, because in the center there is a huge mechanical clock (still working today), positioned there since 1444. The name 'Accursio' from its creator, a law university student, who became a great jurist. At the end of the 1800s a major restoration was done and some small details (Renaissance parapet) were eliminated, replaced by bricks.

Museums

Museo di Zoologia

Part of the University Museums, you can find ornithological collections, dioramas and trophies of Africa on the ground floor. Upstairs the Altobelli collection of reptiles, amphibians and mammals, as well as the most important animal groups. The most substantial donation comes from the Aldrovandi, Cospi and Marsili collections, that is, the initial one.

Museums

Museo Morandi

The museum, housed in Palazzo d'Accursio, consists of 250 works including 61 paintings, 18 watercolors, 88 drawings, 79 etchings and two sculptures, there also is a reconstruction of Morandi's studio with a small collection of ancient art.

Museums

Museo Ducati

In a spectacular setting, here is a collection of memorabilia that have marked the history of Ducati, founded in 1926, among which: the "Puppy" of the '40s, up to the new four-valve engine that has made Ducati win the Superbike championship.

Castles, palaces and mansions

Palazzo del Podestà

It is erected as a building for the performance of public functions: mayor's and its officials offices.The present structure is very different from the original because the adjacent Palazzo Re Enzo was built later.

Monuments

Piazza Maggiore

It is the main square of Bologna and is surrounded by the most important buildings of the medieval city, the oldest one is the Palazzo del Podestà that does not go beyond 1200. At the ends of the square are: the Palazzo Comunale, Palazzo del Podestà, the beautiful Basilica of San Petronio, and finally the Palazzo dei Banchi. The center of the square is formed by a pedestrian area called “the Crescentone”, built in 1934.

Walls, towers and gates

Torre degli Asinelli

The authorship of the tower is very uncertain, while for dating the technique of thermoluminescence was used that dates back to 1020. According to many, the tower is named after the Asinelli family not because it was built by them, but because, in that period of strong tensions, it was entrusted to the Asinelli, who, after the end of the clashes, they got ownership of it.

Fountains

Fontana del Nettuno

Also colloquially known as "the giant'' for his size, he wanted to symbolize the happy government of the newly elected Pope, and Borromeo's maternal uncle, Pius IV. Made in 1564 with the demolition of the houses and shops nearby.

Castles, palaces and mansions

Archiginnasio di Bologna

Headquarters of the old university is now the seat of the Municipal Library Archiginnasio, the largest in Emilia-Romagna, which contains important texts of history, philosophy, politics and literature.

Walls, towers and gates

Torri Gentilizie

The symbolic monuments of the city are of medieval origin: the Asinelli Tower of 97.20 meters in height and Garisenda Tower, 48 meters high. The most leaning of the two, the Garisenda, was quoted by Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy.

Castles, palaces and mansions

Palazzo d'Accursio o Comunale

Currently the Town Hall of Bologna, it is a collection of buildings that were merged over the centuries but was originally the home of Francesco Accursio, a lawyer and teacher of the law school in Bologna.

Churches and places of worship

Basilica di San Petronio

Gothic and imposing, situated in Piazza Maggiore, is considered the fifth largest church in the world. Inside are some majestically decorated chapels. Dedicated to the patron saint of the city, its construction dates back to 1390

Theaters

Arena del Sole

A well known theater in Bologna, by adults for its long tradition and by the young for the many events organized. As the inscription at the entrance reads,  the Arena by Pietro Bonini, leather merchant, was born in July 1810.

Museums

Museo Marsiliano

The Marsilian Museum is based in the University Library of Bologna and was established in 1930, the year of the second centenary of the death of Luigi Ferdinando Marsili. In fact, among the rooms of the Museum we find an equestrian portrait of Marsili by Calza and Zanchi. The Museum exhibits Marsilian materials and manuscripts related to the studies of the Bolognese scientist.

Museums

Museo dello Studio del Nono Centenario

At Palazzo Poggi, the Museum of the Study of the 9th Centenary, tells 900 years of history of the University of Bologna through 3 different moments: “Rooms of Time”; the “Aleph” two objects, the first one that brings back to the commemoration of the 9th Centenary of the University, the second that refers to its symbolic places; “The Chamber of the Ark” indicating the transition to science and knowledge.

Theaters

Auditorium Teatro Manzoni

It was founded in 1933 as a cinema and theater; it is a building in full Art Nouveau in the heart of the city. The 2003 restoration does not affect its facade but transforms it into an auditorium theater, ready to welcome classical music, but also jazz, ethnic and modern becoming the annual residence of music Bolognese.

Theaters

Teatro del Navile

It is the most central theater of Bologna, a few steps from Piazza Maggiore, in the elegant Via D'Azeglio. Here theatrical performances, exhibitions of young artists, theater classes, book presentations and conferences are held weekly.

Museums

Museo Civico d'Arte Industriale E Galleria Davia Bargellini

The collection includes paintings, crafts and witnesses Bolognese designed to evoke an eighteenth-century aristocratic residence, among the paintings, the famous "Madonna of the teeth" from Vitale da Bologna.

Castles, palaces and mansions

Torresotto del Pratello o di porta Nuova

The Torresotto is part of the second circle of walls. It is also known as Porta Nuova or dei Mille. The building overlooks Piazza Malpighi.

Castles, palaces and mansions

Torre San Vitale

Castles, palaces and mansions

Palazzo Malvezzi De'Medici

The palace is also known as “from the dark porch”, because its porch creates a penumbra that hides from the gaze of passers-by. The palace built by the Malvezzi in 1560 on a project by Bartolomeo Triachini, was expanded at the request of the Marquis Giuseppe Malvezzi de' Medici in 1725 with an imposing staircase. Today it hosts the Provincial Administration.

Castles, palaces and mansions

Palazzo Marconi Gia Orsi

The building executed on a project by Antonio Terribilia in the second half of the 16th century, has a facade with porch in Via San Vitale, while the inner courtyard overlooks Via Benedetto XIV. It contains numerous niches in the courtyard with precious sculptures, but is undergoing restoration due to the very bad conditions in which it pours.

Monuments

Conservatorio di Musica G.Martini

The Conservatory of Music “Giovan Battista Martini”, is located in Piazza Rossini, 2 in Bologna and is perfectly functional in terms of teaching, in fact it offers the possibility of accessing various courses academics. The library was built in 1945 and today costs a large number of manuals, booklets, manuscripts and prints present (some coming from donations).

Castles, palaces and mansions

Palazzo Arcivescovile

The building is accessed through the tallest and oldest portico in the city. It is a building dating back to around 1200, although the facade and the courtyard were built in 1575. The two towers that line the plant are from the twelfth century. The Crowned Tower or Prendiporta and the Azzoguidi Tower or Altabella.

Walls, towers and gates

Torre Alberici

It is said to be the oldest in the city, dates back to 1273. Designed to be taller, and probably higher in the past, it was made lower by bringing it to the current 27 meters, closed at the top by an altana. Following the restoration of 1928, the door with a wooden folding door was left, which closed a medieval workshop.

Churches and places of worship

Oratorio di San Rocco

Built in 1614, it was dedicated to the holy healer of the plague and was used by the confreres to gather in prayer and penance. Its bell tower is famous for its 55 bells (the only one in Europe). Inside we find several paintings made by different artists, the ceiling has a division into eighteen squares, where the patron saints of Bologna, the doctors of the Western Church are represented and the Evangelists.

Monuments

Casa Castili

One of the most beautiful monuments in the city, is located in the immediate vicinity of the Basilica Madonna Di San Luca in Via Manzoni. Inside we find the Gothic shapes and remains of wall decorations from the Neoclassical age. The large library room contains very ancient and rare texts belonging to the family.

Castles, palaces and mansions

Palazzo Gaudenzi Gia dal Monte

Designed by Andrea Marchesi da Formigine, it was completely built in 1529. The characteristic base that runs around the building increases its verticality, already accentuated by the elegant architectural structures. Today it houses the headquarters of the University.

Castles, palaces and mansions

Palazzo Pini Già Pallavicini

Palazzo Pini Already Pallavicini was built around the fifteenth century on a fifteenth-century nucleus belonging to some noble Bolognese families. The surface is extended for two thousand square meters and the interiors are frescoed and adorned with stucco and works performed by Burrini, Barozzi, Minozzi and other artists. An important historical event occurred in March 1770, when the then child prodigy Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart performed in the music room.

Monuments

Collegio Venturoli

A structure built at the end of the seventeenth century that housed the ancient Illyrian College. In 1822, thanks to the architect Angelo Venturoli, a college was set up there dedicated to the support of young artists, something that is still managed today by the Venturoli Artistic College Foundation, which houses also the important Venturoli Archive.

Castles, palaces and mansions

Palazzina della Viola

Built at the end of 1400, it has a quadrangular plan lightened by double logions at the base. From 500 until the Napoleonic age it is home to a student college. In 1803 it was purchased by the Italian Government to make it the headquarters of the University of Agriculture with adjoining Botanical Garden.

Castles, palaces and mansions

Palazzo Merendoni

The building was purchased by Counts Merendoni in 1773 and completely rebuilt in 1774 on a project by the architect Raimondo Compagnini. The house is finely decorated with frescoes; of particular value is the fresco representing Diana on the wagon by Gaetano Gandolfi. Furthermore, accessing from the porch you will find yourself in front of the large staircase decorated with stucco, with all-round sculptures by Domenico Piò and his students. Today it houses the Salaborsa Library.

Castles, palaces and mansions

Palazzo di Giustizia

The building was executed on a project by Palladio in the 16th century, on commission of the Ruini Family. In 1679 the palace was sold to the Ranuzzi family, which would make it a sumptuous senatorium residence. The double elliptical staircase leading to the upper floors was built by Piacentini. His last owner was Felice Baciocchi who by marrying Napoleon Bonaparte's sister, took the title of Prince.

Castles, palaces and mansions

Villa Guastavillani

A beautiful building from the second half of the fifteenth century characterized by a “T” system with an area of more than 5000 square meters. It was renovated around the 2000s by the University of Bologna, of which it became the headquarters of the Historical Archive. Inside it is possible to visit the chapel of the Barbiano family where there are wooden drawers painted with rich decorated bands and different paintings and frescoes of the time.

Castles, palaces and mansions

Palazzo Orsi

The Orsi palace marked by a beautiful porch on the lower floor, while the upper floor has windows enriched with sixteenth-century decorations. The building is in decline, in fact, restoration works are planned to bring it back to its former glory.

Castles, palaces and mansions

Palazzo Garagnani

Designed in all likelihood by Andrea Marchesi da Formigine, it was built in the 16th century. The peculiarity that comes to the eye when entering the building is the splendid staircase that dates back to 1750, in full Baroque style, designed by Giovanni Carlo Bibiena.

Castles, palaces and mansions

Palazzo Montanari

The building located in Via Galliera was owned by the Aldrovandi family, who thanks to the riches accumulated by Cardinal Pompeo Aldrovandi, could afford himself to build a new residence. The project was entrusted to the architect Francesco Maria Angelici in 1725, and the work ended in 1752 entrusted to Torreggiani, master builder on the construction site. Torreggiani also produced the windows that recalled the late Baroque period, while the frescoes to represent the grandeur of the family were commissioned to Bigari and Orlandi.

Castles, palaces and mansions

Palazzo Bocchi

Built on commission by the humanist Achille Bocchi in 1546 by the architect da Vignola, the building was soon used as an Academy by its owner. It is the only building to own two large inscriptions in Hebrew on the plinth.

Churches and places of worship

Oratorio Spirito Santo

It was built in the second half of 1400 by Celestine monks, its external facade is represented by terracotta decorations. Around the years 1892/93, it was renovated by Alfonso Rubbiani who tried to reproduce the original appearance. Inside we can find Roman remains of an area paved with large basoli where there is an angular pillar and sections of the Selenite walls.

Castles, palaces and mansions

Palazzo Marescalchi

The Palazzo dell'Armi Marescalchi, was chosen for its evocative beauty as the Institutional headquarters of the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage for the provinces of Bologna, Modena and Reggio Emilia. It was a senatory palace and an eighteenth-century residence, over the years made more and more precious, for example with seventeenth-century frescoes by the Accademia dei Carracci, or with the “Salle Manger” designed by Martinetti.

Castles, palaces and mansions

Palazzo Orlandini

Palazzo Orlandini, in Via IV Novembre is located near the Palazzo Marescalchi. The Orlandini Family, following the serious financial disruption of the Marescalchi, purchased the residence and the annexed house of Marconi.

Monuments

Arco Meloncello e Portico San Luca

The Arco del Meloncello gives us the idea of an original scenographic of Baroque taste. It consists of an overpass for pilgrims, supported by a base with arches, through which pedestrian and vehicle traffic can flow undisturbed. The portico of San Luca, has a length of about 3.5 km and has 666 arches. Its construction dates back between 1674 and 1721, thanks to the contribution of citizenship. It starts from Via Saragozza up to the church of San Luca that stands on the Colle della Guardia.

Castles, palaces and mansions

Palazzo Bevilacqua

Palazzo Sanuti Bevilacqua degli Ariosti was built in 1477 by the Count of Porretta Nicolò Sanuti. It has the typical appearance of the Bolognese palaces with its beveled rustice.and internally a splendid courtyard around which a richly decorated loggia runs.

Monuments

Arco Bonaccorsi

It stood in the second half of the sixteenth century by Cardinal Bonaccorso Bonaccorsi. Along the porch, which is located at the entrance of Via Zaragozza, there is the statue of the Madonna with her child, an eighteenth-century work by Andrea Ferreri, also called “Fat Madonna”. The length of the entire porch is about 3500 meters.

Castles, palaces and mansions

Villa Aldini

Castles, palaces and mansions

Palazzo Hercolani

The ancient eighteenth-century residence of the Hercolani family is located in Strada Maggiore. The building, whose construction was entrusted to the architect Angelo Venturoli in 1793, was completed in the early 19th century. It has a majestic sixteenth-century layout on the façade, while inside the last Baroque staircase built in Bologna, offers all the theatricality typical of style.

Theaters

Teatro Duse

The prose theater of the city and also the oldest, being inside the Palazzo del Giglio that since the 17th century already housed the theater of San Severo. It was named after Teatro Duse only in 1898, in honor of Eleonora Duse, the most famous Italian actress of the time. It has almost a thousand places.

Castles, palaces and mansions

Palazzo Zani

Palazzo Zani was built by the homonymous Tuscan family during the sixteenth century on commission by Marc'Antonio Zani to the Bolognese architect Floriano Ambrosini. The decoration of the Honor Hall is the work of the young Guido Reni, a distinguished student of the Accademia Carraccesca. Since 1948, the Palace has been managed by the Consortium of Renana Reclamation, which took care of its restorations and conservation.