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A classical route in Bologna.
A classical route not to miss out.
We start off from the main square of Bologna: Piazza Maggiore. We will admire its buildings, the unfinished façade of the Temple of San Petronio (patron saint of the city), Palazzo D?Accursio (D?Accursio Palace), rennovated and enlarged during the first half of the V century. On the left tower there?s a huge clock, while on façade of the building we can see the bronze statue of Pope Gregorio XIII dating back to 1580 and the ?Madonna con Bambino? (Virgin with Child) made in 1478 by Niccolò dell?Arca. Nowadays it is still the Town Hall. Almost in front of this building we can see the Neptune statue also known as the Giant?s Fountain designed by the architect T. Laureti in 1563. The mermaids, from which the water sprirts, were designed by Gianbologna in 1566. As move towards Piazza Galvani (Galvani Square) walking under the Pavaglione portici (arcades) we will find the Civic Archaelogical Museum and Palazzo dell?Archiginasio (Archiginasio Palace), that Pope Pio IV wanted built in 1561. Nowadays it is a public llibrary, but it also was the first University Centre of Bologna. We can see many students?coat-of-arms, monuments to readers and inscriptions dedicated to cardinals. As we keep walking we will reach the church of Santa Lucia (XVII century) deconsecrated in 1866. Today it remains propriety of the Town Hall and it is currently Public Hall of the University of Bologna: 900 people can be easily seated inside. If we turn right, walking down a little road we will be heading towards Piazza San Domenico (San Domenico Square) named after the saint of the church: San Domenico. San Domenico Church was built in 1221 by Nicola Pisano and is still, just how it used to be, the principle centre of the Domenican fathers of the city of Bologna. The piazza is beautiful and althoungh on Saturdays and on Sundays it becomes a public parking, the other days of the week we can admire the cobbled pavement and the columns (?600) with San Domenico and the ?Madonna del Rosario? (?Virgin of the Rosary?) e the two tombs of the legilslators Rolandino de? Passeggeri and Egidio Focherari. Walking down the road, called via Marsili, right opposite the piazza we get to Collegio di Spagna (the Spanish College) that the Cardinal Egidio Albornoz had built in 1365. The building, designed by Matteo Giovannelli da Gubbio, was gave hospitality to all Spanish students studying at the University of Bologna. The structure of the gothic-Renaissance styled building is surronded by high walls typical of monasteries. As we go inside we see a cloister with double open galleries (XVI century).
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