Piazza San Domenico-ingl.

PIAZZA SAN DOMENICO Just a short walk from Via Garibaldi and Piazza Cavour, in the heart of medieval Bologna, lies Piazza San Domenico, one of the city’s most charming historic spaces. The square takes its name from the monumental Basilica of San Domenico, a masterpiece of Italian Gothic architecture begun in 1236 by the Dominicans on the site of the earlier church of San Nicolò delle Vigne. This earlier church, dedicated to the patron saint of winemakers, stood in an area once surrounded by vineyards—hence the name of nearby Via delle Vigne, now a private passage. The Basilica of San Domenico played a central role in European spirituality thanks to the presence of the relics of the order’s founder, Saint Dominic of Guzman, housed in the famous Arca di San Domenico. This sculptural masterpiece was created in stages by renowned artists such as Niccolò Pisano, Niccolò dell’Arca, and a young Michelangelo, who sculpted statues of two saints and the angel holding a candelabrum—legend has it that Michelangelo carved the angel in a single day to impress his fellow friars. Over the centuries, the basilica has undergone various alterations but still preserves important works by artists like Guido Reni, Filippino Lippi, and Guercino. Surrounding the basilica was the large Dominican convent, home to a valuable library that remains active today with over 90,000 volumes and has long attracted scholars and religious figures from across Europe. Among its most famous residents was Father Giovanni Battista Martini, a renowned composer and music teacher, who counted a young Mozart among his pupils. In 1770, the fourteen-year-old Mozart was examined by Martini here for admission to the Philharmonic Academy and performed on the organ of the Rosary Chapel during the Feast of the Madonna. At the center of the square stands the Column of San Domenico, erected in 1627 and designed by Francesco Gessi, a student of Guido Reni. A second, lesser-known but highly symbolic monument is a stone and copper column at the back of the square, created by Giulio Cesare Conventi to commemorate the end of the devastating plague of 1630. Noteworthy are two tombs belonging to 13th-century Bolognese jurists known as glossatori. The first, next to the church, is Rolandino de Passeggeri’s, who famously challenged Emperor Frederick II in a written duel to free his son Enzo. Rolandino’s tomb is an elegant sarcophagus supported by columns and topped with a canopy featuring green tiled roofing. Its bas-reliefs show Rolandino teaching, surrounded by students. Legend says he often held lessons in the square itself, sometimes pausing to answer questions from passersby, fostering a dialogue between academic knowledge and public life. The smaller mausoleum beside a nearby house belongs to Egidio Foscherari, the first layman to teach canon law at the University of Bologna. Ancient noble palazzi line the sides of Piazza San Domenico, once the homes of families closely tied to Bologna’s medieval religious and political life. The Dominicans still live in the convent attached to the basilica, keeping their centuries-old presence alive. Among the square’s ancient trees stands a plane tree known as the “Tree of Thinkers,” said to have been a gathering spot for theology and philosophy students engaged in lively debates. Between the 19th and 20th centuries, the square became a hub for scholars and intellectuals, a role that strengthened from the 1970s with the expansion of the DAMS program. Since then, Piazza San Domenico has flourished as a vibrant cultural center, alive with concerts, performances, and debates. According to some, even the bolognese musician and song-writer Lucio Dalla, in the early days of his career, found inspiration in this square.