Palazzo Comunale

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Lonely Planet review

Forming the western flank of Piazza Maggiore, Palazzo Comunale (Piazza Maggiore) has been home to Bologna city council since 1336. A salad of architectural styles, it owes much of its current look to makeovers in the 15th and 16th centuries.

The statue of Pope Gregory XIII, the Bolognese prelate responsible for the Gregorian calendar, was placed above the main portal in 1580, while inside, Donato Bramante's 16th-century staircase was designed to allow horse-drawn carriages to ride directly up to the first floor.