What to see in Bologna, itinerary including the main monuments and places of interest, including the Basilica of San Petronio, Piazza Maggiore and Torre degli Asinelli.
Tourist information
The area of the Po Valley where Bologna today stands, the capital of the Emilia Romagna region, was inhabited since the 9th century BC, but the first nucleus of the city, called Felsina, was founded by the Etruscans in 550 BC.
With the descent of the Gauls on the Italian peninsula in 350 BC the Etruscans were gradually placed in a minority and Felsina, conquered by the Gallic tribe of Boi, will begin to be called Bona.
The Romans arrived, the name of the city was Latinized and became Bonomia, the urban center was enlarged and important public works were made.
The late Middle Ages was a period in which the city experienced significant growth, due to the arrival of population from the countryside and also to the presence of the University, indicated as the first university in the western world.
In fact, the origin of the University of Bologna dates back to the year 1088 and already in the Middle Ages its fame attracted writers and scholars from all over Europe. The construction of the numerous arcades, characteristic of the city, also dates back to the Middle Ages.
However, since this time, the center of the city has coincided with Piazza Maggiore, the main square of Bologna, where the main buildings of the medieval city and the Basilica of San Petronio, the patron saint of the city, overlook.
In fact, in order to create a space to be used for the market, in the thirteenth century, the municipality purchased and demolished the buildings that were in the area where the square stands today, which will take on its current shape in the fifteenth century.
On the northern side of the square stands the oldest palace, the Palazzo del Podestà, which was built in 1200.
The Palace is dominated by the Arengo Tower, with the bell that called the people (arengo), and there is a high decorated porch that housed hatters, haberdashers and in the Middle Ages also delicatessens, cheesemakers, greengrocers and notaries.
On the back are the Palazzo del Capitano del Popolo and the palace of King Enzo.
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What see
On the western side of the square is the old Palazzo Comunale, consisting of the two adjacent buildings of the Palazzo d'Accursio and Palazzo del Legato.
The first, dominated by the clock tower, takes its name from the jurist Francesco Accursio, who lived there in the second half of the thirteenth century.
The other, Palazzo del Legato, dates back to the 16th century and was built to house the Cardinal Legato's apartments.
The Municipal Art Collections of Bologna and the Morandi Museum are located in the Palazzo Comunale, the seat of the Municipality of Bologna.
In the eastern part of Piazza Maggiore is the Palazzo dei Banchi which owes its name to the shops of the money changers and bankers who occupied this side of the square.
The Palazzo dei Banchi together with that of the Notaries (another historic building overlooking this square) was the seat of the medieval guilds.
In reality Palazzo dei Banchi does not correspond to a single building but to a facade built on a project by Vignola in the XV-XVI century, in order to bring the old houses that overlooked this part of the square to the level of the surrounding buildings.
From this palace begins the most famous portico, the Pavaglione, which connects Piazza Maggiore to the Archiginnasio Palace, the first seat of the University of Bologna.
The southern part of Piazza Maggiore is occupied by the imposing Basilica of San Petronio, whose construction was started in 1390 by the will of the people, after the autonomy of the city from papal rule.
The Municipality entrusted the architect Antonio di Vincenzo with the task of building a large civic church, whose works will end almost three centuries later, and will not reach the dimensions foreseen in the original project.
The basilica today has a Gothic style, with some Renaissance elements and an unfinished facade. From 1929 it was transferred to the diocese and its consecration dates back to 1954.
Bologna is also famous for its towers, of medieval origin, they were built mainly for military purposes and became a symbol of power and prestige.
The most famous are the Torre degli Asinelli and the Garisenda, which rise in Piazza Ravegnana.
