Piazza Maggiore was built in the 13th century by the Commune of Bologna, throughout the demolition of an earlier lower class neighbourhood, to create a market area. In the 15th century, the piazza took the present-day form, which renders it one of the largest and most beautiful in Italy. One hundred fifteen meters long and sixty meters large, it collected crowds to listen to the proclamation of laws, public decisions, and death sentences, which were announced from the balcony of the Palazzo del Podestà (Palace of the Mayor). Tournament competitions, festivals with “greasy poles” and puppet performances were carried out. Moreover, until the 19th century, the square was still used as a regular market. It is surrounded by the most important buildings of the medieval city: the most ancient, the Palazzo del Podestà, dates back to the 13th century and delimits the square to the north. The Palazzo Re Enzo (King Enzo's Palace) was built next to it. The d'Accursio Palace, a monumental architectural complex of the 14th century and present-day seat of the City Hall, delimits the square to the West. To the south, Piazza Maggiore is closed by the unfinished front of S. Petronio's Basilica, a good example of Italian Gothic architecture. Finally, the eastern side of Piazza Maggiore is delimited by the Dei Bianchi Palace. This actually consists of a simple façade designed by Giacomo Barozzi, known as Vignola, and built between 1565 and 1568 to cover earlier modest buildings overlooking the square.
40124 Bologna
