EPISODE · Jun 3, 2026 · 3 MIN
Piazza Malpighi-ingl.
from The Squares of Bologna · host ASPPI
PIAZZA MALPIGHI Located in the Porto-Saragozza district, Piazza Malpighi is named after the 17th-century physician and anatomist Marcello Malpighi. A key junction in the city’s traffic network, it is where several major streets converge— Ugo Bassi, Marconi, San Felice, Pratello, Sant’Isaia, Nosadella, Barberia, Porta Nova, and Piazza San Francesco. The square stretches along what was once the western perimeter of the Roman city, and later of the 12th-century Torresotti wall circuit, of which the elegant Porta Nova is still visible. Before 1874, it was known as Seliciata di San Francesco, a name that referred both to the filling of the city moat in 1290 and its proximity to the Basilica of San Francesco. The Torresotto once housed the residence of the infamous “strega enormissima” (great and terrible witch) Gentile Budrioli— an astrologer, healer, and herbalist who became renowned for her therapeutic skills. Educated, charming, and wealthy, she attracted envy and suspicion, eventually being accused of witchcraft and tried by the Inquisition Tribunal. After enduring brutal torture, she confessed to crimes she had never committed and was sentenced to death. She was executed in 1498 in Piazza San Domenico, her body covered in tar and gunpowder to heighten the spectacle of the execution. At the northern end of the square stands the Column of the Immaculate Conception, designed by Francesco Dotti. At the top is a copper statue of the Virgin Mary, created in 1638 by the painter Giovanni Tedeschi, possibly based on a design by Guido Reni. Facing the square is also the former convent of San Francesco, restored in 1926, which still preserves several sections and a cloister dating back to 1460. The external portico, completed in 1646, contains 17th-century lunettes depicting episodes from the life of Saint Anthony of Padua. On the opposite side of the square stands the apse of the Basilica of San Francesco, next to which are found three of the five monumental tombs of the Glossatori—jurists and professors from the University of Bologna in the 13th century. These scholars, among the earliest commentators on Roman law, wrote marginal notes known as glosses to clarify legal texts. Owing to their prestige, they chose to be buried in areas of great urban prominence. Although later urban changes have altered the original cemetery context, their tombs remain unique monuments in the Italian landscape. After the portico of the former convent, one encounters the tomb of the Accursii father and son, followed by that of Odofredo Denari, and finally that of Rolandino dei Passaggeri. In 1883, near what is now the bus stop, the departure station of the steam tramway Bologna–Casalecchio–Vignola, popularly known as the “vaporino”, was inaugurated. On the same side of the square, there is a small green area with a majestic plane tree, part of an elegant senatorial palace overlooking Via Barberia. This building, probably designed by Alfonso Torreggiani, was constructed in the mid-18th century by the Dondini-Ghiselli family over a preexisting structure. In the following century, it passed to the Rusconi family, who, in 1825, under the direction of architect Antonio Serra, transformed a 17th-century riding school (called a “cavallerizza”, a public venue for performances and exhibitions of exotic animals) into a refined raised garden. During the summer of 1943, the square suffered heavy damage from bombings of WWII and underwent substantial restoration in the post-war period.
What this episode covers
PIAZZA MALPIGHI Located in the Porto-Saragozza district, Piazza Malpighi is named after the 17th-century physician and anatomist Marcello Malpighi. A key junction in the city’s traffic network, it is where several major streets converge— Ugo Bassi, Marconi, San Felice, Pratello, Sant’Isaia, Nosadella, Barberia, Porta Nova, and Piazza San Francesco. The square stretches along what was once the western perimeter of the Roman city, and later of the 12th-century Torresotti wall circuit, of which the elegant Porta Nova is still visible. Before 1874, it was known as Seliciata di San Francesco, a name that referred both to the filling of the city moat in 1290 and its proximity to the Basilica of San Francesco. The Torresotto once housed the residence of the infamous “strega enormissima” (great and terrible witch) Gentile Budrioli— an astrologer, healer, and herbalist who became renowned for her therapeutic skills. Educated, charming, and wealthy, she attracted envy and suspicion, eventually being accused of witchcraft and tried by the Inquisition Tribunal. After enduring brutal torture, she confessed to crimes she had never committed and was sentenced to death. She was executed in 1498 in Piazza San Domenico, her body covered in tar and gunpowder to heighten the spectacle of the execution. At the northern end of the square stands the Column of the Immaculate Conception, designed by Francesco Dotti. At the top is a copper statue of the Virgin Mary, created in 1638 by the painter Giovanni Tedeschi, possibly based on a design by Guido Reni. Facing the square is also the former convent of San Francesco, restored in 1926, which still preserves several sections and a cloister dating back to 1460. The external portico, completed in 1646, contains 17th-century lunettes depicting episodes from the life of Saint Anthony of Padua. On the opposite side of the square stands the apse of the Basilica of San Francesco, next to which are found three of the five monumental tombs of the Glossatori—jurists and professors from the University of Bologna in the 13th century. These scholars, among the earliest commentators on Roman law, wrote marginal notes known as glosses to clarify legal texts. Owing to their prestige, they chose to be buried in areas of great urban prominence. Although later urban changes have altered the original cemetery context, their tombs remain unique monuments in the Italian landscape. After the portico of the former convent, one encounters the tomb of the Accursii father and son, followed by that of Odofredo Denari, and finally that of Rolandino dei Passaggeri. In 1883, near what is now the bus stop, the departure station of the steam tramway Bologna–Casalecchio–Vignola, popularly known as the “vaporino”, was inaugurated. On the same side of the square, there is a small green area with a majestic plane tree, part of an elegant senatorial palace overlooking Via Barberia. This building, probably designed by Alfonso Torreggiani, was constructed in the mid-18th century by the Dondini-Ghiselli family over a preexisting structure. In the following century, it passed to the Rusconi family, who, in 1825, under the direction of architect Antonio Serra, transformed a 17th-century riding school (called a “cavallerizza”, a public venue for performances and exhibitions of exotic animals) into a refined raised garden. During the summer of 1943, the square suffered heavy damage from bombings of WWII and underwent substantial restoration in the post-war period.
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Piazza Malpighi-ingl.
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