If you set the dial on your time machine back to the 15th century, Piazza Maggiore wouldn't look much different than it does today, although Neptune's Fountain wasn't added until, Mannerism was all the rage among the elites in northern Italy, a hundred years later.
Pope Gregory XIII, who commissioned the Gregorian calendar (the one we use today) is seated above the entrance to the Palazzo d'Accursio.
Fun fact: Neptune's trident inspired the Maserati logo when the company began making automobiles in Bologna. It has since moved to Modena.
I experienced the piazza in the late afternoon, early morning and night.
In Fascist Italy during World War II, resistance fighters were shot or hanged against this wall. This Monument to Fallen Partisans honors the dead with their photos.
I inadvertently took a photo of the French guy on my Taste of Bologna food tour, checking to see if he was on time, walking past the Palazzo del Podesta with the Torre dell'Arengo. Its bell once summoned citizens to the square.
The other end of the arched walkway perfectly frames Neptune.
The palazzo, formerly Bologna's City Hall, is now a cultural exhibition space.
Neptune casts a louche shadow--it almost looks as if he is cruising!
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| Palazzo d'Accursio |
Italians seeking an end to hostilities in Gaza camped and protested in the piazza.
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| Basilica di San Petronio |
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| Palazzo del Podesta |
More Northern Italy
Bologna
Venice
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