Editor Pick
Piazza Maggiori
- December 18, 2000
- Rated 4 of 5 by
Tavia from New York, New York
This piazza is the heart of Bologna. I headed straight here as soon as I arrived, and spent most of my time here. You will get a great feel for the locals, as they spend time walking about, bumming cigarettes, saying hello to friends, and wearing sunglasses for no apparent reason here. Around the piazza are many buildings and sites worthy of a visit in their own right. Behind the Piazza is the Fountain of Neptune (Fontana del Nettuno) c. 1563, which represents the Pope's power over the world (we're in Italy, after all), and has four spouts which represent the four great rivers; The Ganges, the Nile, the Amazon and the Danube (they did not yet know about the Mississipi, unfortunately).
Also in the Piazza you can find a few Palazzi. Open with exhibits of history and art are the Palazzo Re Enzo (you can go in and up to a terrace which has a great view), Palazzo del Podesta' (c. 1200's, it is built on pillars), and the Palazzo dei Notai. When I was in Bologna there were no fewer than 4 exhibits going on; I stopped in and cruised around a tribute to Charles Schultz called "Linus Ama Bologna" (see my other entry).
There's also the Palazzo D'Accursio, which contains the Museo Morandi, the Collezioni comunali d'arte antica, and a clock tower built in 1425. You can also go in to see a few of the official rooms besides the exhibits. The last Palazzo, dei Banchi, is closed to the public but really all you need to look at is the beautiful architecture of the arches (15 in total) that were built to hide the down-and-dirty goings-on of the daily market behind it. If you are sitting on the steps of the Basilica di San Petronio, these arches are to the right. You can walk through a couple of them, and it's worth it because it leads you to streets which have high window-shopping potential.
From journal Una gita a Bologna