EPISODE · Jun 3, 2026 · 2 MIN
Piazza Cavour-ingl.
from The Squares of Bologna · host ASPPI
PIAZZA CAVOUR Conceived from the very beginning as the city’s new “elegant drawing room”, Piazza Cavour was designed to gracefully host the new national and local institutions, particularly the banks. Its main entrance is from Via Farini, planned during the same years and today one of Bologna’s most refined shopping streets. The square is named after statesman Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour, the first Prime Minister of unified Italy, who died in 1861. Construction took place between 1859 and 1866, under the direction of engineer Coriolano Monti, who defined its symmetrical layout and mandated the inclusion of porticoes. Several 16th-century buildings were demolished to make way for the new urban plan, replaced by more contemporary palazzi. Among these stands out Palazzo Guidotti, the façade of which was redesigned during this period. It is decorated with alternating friezes and sculpted portraits of notable figures by Augusto Viallet — including a profile of Monti himself, the designer of the square. Next to it are the Bottrigari-Ratta buildings, designed by engineer Zannoni. Their façade is marked by a giant-order loggia and an unusually tall architectural crown, quite rare in Bolognese tradition. To the south is Palazzo Silvani, while to the west stands the imposing Palazzo della Banca d’Italia, considered the most remarkable building in the square. Designed in 1865 by architect Antonio Cipolla, it features a neo-Renaissance façade topped with a pediment and an elegant portico that extends along Via Farini. The portico was frescoed by painter Gaetano Lodi, with each vault illustrating a historical or cultural scene — from ancient events and geographical explorations to Italian city emblems. The square was officially inaugurated in 1867 and completed in 1870 with an English-style garden, in line with the tastes of the era, featuring flowerbeds, walkways, and a wrought-iron fence. The restored Roman aqueduct supplies the fountain, and the bust of Cavour was placed here in 1892. A poetic detail: it was this very square that inspired Lucio Dalla’s famous song Piazza Grande. The beloved Bolognese singer-songwriter lived here in his youth, and to honour his memory, in 2021 a bench with his bronze statue — created by sculptor Antonello Paladino — was installed in the square.
What this episode covers
PIAZZA CAVOUR Conceived from the very beginning as the city’s new “elegant drawing room”, Piazza Cavour was designed to gracefully host the new national and local institutions, particularly the banks. Its main entrance is from Via Farini, planned during the same years and today one of Bologna’s most refined shopping streets. The square is named after statesman Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour, the first Prime Minister of unified Italy, who died in 1861. Construction took place between 1859 and 1866, under the direction of engineer Coriolano Monti, who defined its symmetrical layout and mandated the inclusion of porticoes. Several 16th-century buildings were demolished to make way for the new urban plan, replaced by more contemporary palazzi. Among these stands out Palazzo Guidotti, the façade of which was redesigned during this period. It is decorated with alternating friezes and sculpted portraits of notable figures by Augusto Viallet — including a profile of Monti himself, the designer of the square. Next to it are the Bottrigari-Ratta buildings, designed by engineer Zannoni. Their façade is marked by a giant-order loggia and an unusually tall architectural crown, quite rare in Bolognese tradition. To the south is Palazzo Silvani, while to the west stands the imposing Palazzo della Banca d’Italia, considered the most remarkable building in the square. Designed in 1865 by architect Antonio Cipolla, it features a neo-Renaissance façade topped with a pediment and an elegant portico that extends along Via Farini. The portico was frescoed by painter Gaetano Lodi, with each vault illustrating a historical or cultural scene — from ancient events and geographical explorations to Italian city emblems. The square was officially inaugurated in 1867 and completed in 1870 with an English-style garden, in line with the tastes of the era, featuring flowerbeds, walkways, and a wrought-iron fence. The restored Roman aqueduct supplies the fountain, and the bust of Cavour was placed here in 1892. A poetic detail: it was this very square that inspired Lucio Dalla’s famous song Piazza Grande. The beloved Bolognese singer-songwriter lived here in his youth, and to honour his memory, in 2021 a bench with his bronze statue — created by sculptor Antonello Paladino — was installed in the square.
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Piazza Cavour-ingl.
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