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Bologna - History |
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Founded
in the 6th century BC. by the Etruscans, with the name Felsina, on a
previous Italic settlement, two centuries later it became a settlement of
the
The
city is rich in monuments and works of art, notably: Piazza Maggiore, the
heart of Bologna, San Petronio (Gothic, 14th-17th century), the Palazzo
dei Notai (14th century), the Palazzo Comunale (13th-16th century), the
Palazzo del Podest? (15th century), the Palazzo di Re Enzo (13th century)
and the Fontana del Nettuno (Renaissance fountain, by Giambologna). The
Cappella Bentivoglio (Renaissance, works of art by Veneziano and
The economy of Bologna is based on an active industrial
sector which, traditionally strong in the transformation of agricultural
products and in animal husbandry, also includes the footwear, textile,
engineering, chemical printing and publishing industries, as well as on
flourishing commercial activity.
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Boii Gauls; subsequently (191 BC.), already known by the name of
Bononia, it became fully romanized. After the fall of the Empire, it was
under Byzantine, Lombard and Frankish rule until it became a free
municipality (11th century).
The foundation of the famous university one
of the oldest in the world, transformed the city into the cultural capital
of Europe: at the same time, Bologna assumed the precise urban and
architectural character still evident today, expanding within successive
sets of city walls. In 1513, after being the object of struggles, between
the various Signorie and the Papacy, it became part of the Papal State to
which it remained loyal, except during the Napoleonic period, until 1859
when, following the Second War of Independence and the
Plebiscites, it became a part of the Kingdom of Italy.
The history of the
University of Bologna, the Alma
Mater Studiorum, weaves in and out of the richly textured tapestry of
Bologna's history, a significant thread since the early 11th century. Via
Zamboni, the present center of the venerable institution, where I had
begun my search, has been part of the university's history since about
1803, when Napoleon designated those palazzi
the university's home. At the same time he changed it from a church
governed organization to the state one it remains today. 
Ludovico
Carracci), San Giacomo Maggiore (13th-14th century, Gothic), San Domenico
(13th century, with works of art by N. Pisano, Michelangelo and Filippino
Lippi), San Francesco (12th century), the Archiginnasio (16th century),
Santa Maria dei Servi (14th-15th century), the Palazzo della Mercanzia
(14th century) and the `torri
pendenti' (12th century leaning towers: degli Asinelli, 98 m., view of the
city, and della Garisenda, 48 m.), are all worth a visit. 
