Showing 1-22 of 22 results
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Basilica di San Domenico
The Basilica di San Domenico was built in 1238 to house the remains of San Domenico, founder of the Dominican order, who had died in 1221. His elaborate sarcophagus is in the Cappella di San Domenico which was designed by Nicola Pisano, and later added to by a host of artists. Michelangelo carved the angel on the right of the altar when he was only 19. Notice, too, the intricately executed wooden tableaux of the choir stalls.
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Basilica di San Petronio
Dominating the Piazza Maggiore's southern flank, the Gothic Basilica di San Petronio is Bologna's greatest church. Dedicated to the city's patron saint and measuring 132m by 66m by 47m, it's the world's fifth-largest basilica. Surprisingly, though, it was never finished.
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Basilica di Santo Stefano
From the two leaning towers, head southeast along Via Santo Stefano for the Basilica di Santo Stefano, an atmospheric medieval religious complex. Originally there were seven churches - hence the basilica's nickname Sette Chiese - but only four remain. Entry to the Basilica di Santo Stefano is via the 11th-century Chiesa del Crocefisso, which houses the bones of San Petronio and leads through to the Chiesa del Santo Sepolcro. This austere octagonal structure probably started life as a baptistry.
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Basilica Santuario della Madonna di San Luca
About 3.5km southwest of the city centre, the hilltop Basilica Santuario della Madonna di San Luca houses a representation of the Virgin Mary, supposedly painted by St Luke and transported from the Middle East to Bologna in the 12th century. The 18th-century sanctuary is connected to the city walls by the world's longest portico, held aloft by 666 arches, beginning at Piazza di Porta Saragozza.
Read more about Basilica Santuario della Madonna di San Luca
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Chiesa di San Francesco
The Chiesa di San Francesco was one of the first churches in Italy to be built in the French Gothic style. Features include the tomb of Pope Alexander V and a remarkable 14th-century marble altarpiece depicting sundry saints and scenes from the life of St Francis.
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Chiesa di San Giacomo Maggiore
To the north of the basilica complex, along Via Zamboni, the 13th-century Chiesa di San Giacomo Maggiore houses a noteworthy collection of paintings and artefacts. The highlight is the Bentivoglio chapel with frescoes by Lorenzo Costa and an altarpiece by Francesco Raibolini (known as Il Francia).
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Collezioni Comunali d'Arte
On the 2nd floor of Palazzo Comunale you'll find the Palazzo's two art galleries: one is the Collezioni Comunali d'Arte with its interesting collection of 13th- to 19th-century paintings, sculpture and furniture.
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Fontana del Nettuno
Adjacent to Piazza Maggiore, Piazza del Nettuno owes its name to the Fontana del Nettuno, a stirring bronze statue sculpted by Giambologna in 1566. Beneath the muscled sea god, four cherubs represent the winds and four buxom sirens, water spouting from every nipple, symbolise the four known continents of the pre-Oceania world.
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Metropolitana di San Pietro
A short walk north of Piazza Maggiore, Bologna's cathedral, the Metropolitana di San Pietro has suffered redevelopment many times over the centuries. More a landmark than somewhere to search out.
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Museo Civico Archeologico
Running south off Piazza Maggiore, Via dell'Archiginnasio leads to the Museo Civico Archeologico with its well-documented Egyptian and Roman artefacts and one of Italy's best Etruscan collections.
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Museo Civico Medioevale e del Rinascimento
The Museo Civico Medioevale e del Rinascimento, is housed in the 15th-century Palazzo Ghilisardi-Fava. Of interest in the museum are the fine frescoes by Jacopo della Quercia and the collection of battle armour, bronze statues and medieval coffin slabs.
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Museo Morandi
On the 2nd floor of Palazzo Comunale you'll find the palazzo 's two art galleries: one is the captivating Museo Morandi dedicated to the Bolognese artist Giorgio Morandi. Among the 200 or so works on display are many of Morandi's trademark still lives.
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Oratorio di Santa Cecilia
The magnificent 16th-century frescoes in the Oratorio di Santa Cecilia are one of Bologna's unsung gems. Depicting the life and technicolour death of St Cecilia and her husband Valeriano, they are in remarkably good nick, their colours vibrant and their imagery bold and unabashed. Note the bloodthirsty glee with which the artists portray the decapitation of Valeriano.
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Palazzo Comunale
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.
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Palazzo del Podestà
Dating to 13th century, the Palazzo del Podestà was the original residence of Bologna's chief magistrate. Beneath the palazzo there's a whispering gallery where two perpendicular passages intersect. Stand diagonally opposite someone and whisper: the acoustics are amazing. Both palazzi are off-limits to the public unless there's a temporary exhibition on.
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Palazzo del Re Enzo
The 13th-century Palazzo del Re Enzo is named after King Enzo, the illegitimate son of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, who was held here by papal forces between 1249 and 1272.
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Palazzo dell'Archiginnasio
Palazzo dell'Archiginnasio is the result of Pope Pius IV's project to curtail the Basilica di San Petronio. Seat of the city university from 1563 to 1805 (notice the professors' coats of arms on the walls), it today houses Bologna's 700,000-volume Biblioteca Comunale (Municipal Library).
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Palazzo Poggi
For a break from ecclesiastical art head to the university museums at Palazzo Poggi, where you can peruse waxwork uteri in the Obstetrics Museum and giant tortoise shells in the Museum of Natural Sciences. Further surprises are to be found in museums dedicated to ships and old maps, military architecture and physics.
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Piazza Maggiore
Flanked by the world's fifth-largest basilica and a series of impressive Renaissance palazzi , Piazza Maggiore is the city's principal focus and an obvious starting point for sightseeing. A lively pedestrian hub through which you'll find yourself passing several times, it was laid out in the 13th century.
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Pinacoteca Nazionale
The Pinacoteca Nazionale has a strong collection of works by Bolognese artists from the 14th century onwards, including a number of important canvases by the late 16th-century Carracci cousins Ludovico, Agostino and Annibale. Among the founding fathers of Italian Baroque art, the Carraccis were deeply influenced by the Counter-Reformation sweeping through Italy in the latter half of the 16th century.
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Teatro Anatomico
Housed in the Palazzo dell'Archiginnasio, the fascinating 17th-century Teatro Anatomico is where public body dissections were held under the sinister gaze of an Inquisition priest, ready to intervene if proceedings became too spiritually compromising. Cedar-wood tiered seats surround a central marble-topped table while a sculptured Apollo looks down from the ceiling. The canopy above the lecturer's chair is supported by two skinless figures carved into the wood.
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Torre degli Asinelli
Towering above Piazza di Porta Ravegnana, Bologna's two leaning towers, Le Due Torri, are unmistakable landmarks. The taller of the two, the 97.6m-high Torre degli Asinelli is open to the public, although it's not advisable for the weak-kneed (there are 498 steps) or superstitious students (local lore says if you climb the tower you'll never graduate). Built by the Asinelli family between 1109 and 1119, today it leans 1.3m off vertical. The neighbouring 48m Torre Garisenda is sensibly out-of-bounds given its drunken 3.2m tilt.
Showing 1-22 of 22 results
