One of the symbols of Bologna, the giant statue of the god Neptune, Nettuno in Italian, crowns a fountain of sculptures in the centre of Piazza del Nettuno.

Completed in 1567, the fountain was commissioned by Cardinal Carlo Borromeo who assigned the project to the architect Tommaso Laureti. However, it was the sculptor Jean Boulogne (known as Giambologna or Giovanni da Bologna), famous for the sculpture of the Rape of the Sabine Women in Florence, who created the celebrated bronze statue of Nettuno to top Laureti's design.

Locally referred to as il Gigante (the Giant), the god Neptune stands majestically above delightful sculptures of cherubs and nereids with four water spouts representing the major rivers of four continents.

Bologna's main square, Piazza Maggiore, is both its geographic centre and its cultural and political heart.

The spacious piazza began to take on its current shape in the 13th century, and soon afterwards, it found itself encircled by the city's most important edifices. For the first time visitor, standing in the middle of la Piazza, as it is referred to locally, and gazing at the impressive architecture surrounding it could be an overwhelming experience.

On one side is the enormous, albeit unfinished Basilica di San Petronio, and on the other three sides are monumental public palaces: Palazzo d'Accursio, Palazzo del Podestà, and Palazzo dei Banchi.
The impressive Piazza Maggiore is connected to another square, Piazza del Nettuno, which is marked by the famous statue of Neptune.