Palazzo dei Banchi (Palace of the Banks) is a 15th-century palace in Bologna, located in Piazza Maggiore, next to the Basilica of San Petronio and Palazzo del Podesta. The palace takes its name from some shops that practiced currency exchange during the 15th and 16th centuries. SHORT HISTORY Palazzo dei Banchi was the last building erected in Piazza Maggiore, starting with 1412. The palace consists of several buildings joined behind the same facade. The facade of the palace and the portico, known as Pavaglione, were built after a project by the architect Jacopo Barozzi da Vignola, and were completed between 1565 and 1568. Behind the palace, there is the Mercato di Mezzo, a series of alleys where, since the Middle Ages, a market of typical products and crafts was established. Also located behind Palazzo dei Banchi is the city’s archaeological museum (Museo Civico Archeologico) and the Church of Santa Maria della Vita. ARCHITECTURE Palazzo dei Banchi has a Renaissance-style facade, with a long portico on the ground floor (Pavaglione). The asymmetric facade of the palace has 15 rounded arches, two of which are larger and lead to the alleys mentioned above, while the others are lower. All the Read more [...]
Tag: Renaissance in Bologna
Palazzo del Podesta
Palazzo del Podesta is a beautiful palace in Bologna, located in Piazza Maggiore, adjacent to Palazzo Re Enzo, opposite the Basilica of San Petronio. SHORT HISTORY OF PALAZZO DEL PODESTA At the beginning of the 13th century, the Municipality of Bologna expropriated several buildings to create the wonderful Piazza Maggiore, and erected the first complex of palaces destined for public administration, starting with Palazzo del Podesta. Proving insufficient for the needs of the city’s government, between 1244 and 1246, Palazzo Re Enzo was built as an extension of Palazzo del Podesta. In 1453, Aristotile Fioravanti renovated the Romanesque facade of the palace in a Renaissance style, at the behest of Giovanni II Bentivoglio, although he never finished the work due to the expulsion of the Bentivoglio family from the city. The great Hall of the Podesta (Salone del Podesta), located on the upper floor, once a courtroom, was used from 1581 to 1767 as a public theater, and, later, as a playing field for ball games. Salone del Podesta was completely frescoed by Adolfo De Carolis at the beginning of the 20th century, with The Glories of the City of Bologna. Today, Palazzo del Podesta is a prestigious venue Read more [...]