Description of the attraction
Palazzo Podesta is a medieval palace in Bologna, built around 1200 as the residence of the local heads of administration (in those years they were called so - podesta). The palace stands in Piazza Maggiore next to Palazzo Communale and directly opposite the Basilica of San Petronio. In 1245, the Palazzo Re Enzo was added to it, over which the Torre del Arengo tower rises, whose Campanazzo bell was used to summon the residents of the city only in urgent cases.
Palazzo Podesta is a long building with a huge hall on the top floor. The lower floor is a double open arcade - the so-called Voltone del Podesta, which formerly housed the shops of artisans and merchants, and today - fashionable shops.
In 1453, Aristotle Fioravanti redesigned the original Gothic façade of the Palazzo - he executed it in the Renaissance style on the orders of Giovanni Bentivoglio, an influential resident of Bologna. The current facade of the palace is made of bricks and sandstone. In 1525, terracotta figurines of the patrons of Bologna - Saints Petronio, Proculus, Dominic and Francis were placed in the passage. The balustrade, which once had a rail, was shortened in 1604 by Pietro Fiorini, and the portico underwent significant changes in 1837-1842. Another restoration of the facade was carried out in 1887. For two centuries - from 1581 to 1767 - the Palazzo served as a theater, later used as a ball court, and in the 20th century it was turned into a sports hall for firefighters. In the first quarter of the last century, Adolfo de Carolis worked on the decoration of the Palazzo Podesta, whose unexpected death prevented the completion of the restoration of the luxurious building.
