d’Accursio: Exploring the Salas

Completing our DIY clock tower climb, we returned to the Sala Farnese and began exploring the halls that are open to the public.

Palazzo d’Accursio — aka the Municipal Palace — has been the seat of government in Bologna since 1336. Before it became a government building, however, the palazzo was the home of a law professor by the name of Accursio … one of the original Glossatori of Bologna from the Middle Ages. As such it has beautifully frescoed halls and rooms … each requiring careful perusal.

The Farnese Hall is so named for the statue of Pope Paul III Farnese, which was lost after the Napoleonic invasion. The frescoes that decorate the wall consist of four main panels that represent important historic events in the city’s history … such as the “Coronation of Emperor Charles V” … in 1530. The hall and the chapel were restored on the orders of another Farnese cardinal to ensure the “… glorious times of the Papal rule over the town [Bologna]. …”

Next, we checked out the Farnese Chapel, which was behind closed doors when we arrived this morning. At the time, our attention had been caught only by the proclamations on the columned surround that is sandstone made to look like marble. One of the proclamations is by Napoleon III, the last French king and the one who played a crucial role in the unification of Italy, and the other one is by Vittorio Emanuel, the first king of Unified Italy.

The chapel, which is now deconsecrated, dates back to the mid 15th century. One of Bologna’s foremost ceremonial places, it is a large space, with the ceiling soaring high above the floor. Little more than fragments remain of the 16th century frescoes that once decorated the walls. In the antechamber, for which we had to show our museum voucher before we could enter, we found remnants of frescoes painted by Bartolomeo Cesi … brought here from a former monastic complex that became a municipal cemetery.

We continued our wander and next went to Sala d’Ercole (Hall of Hercules). Here we found a temporary mountaineering exhibit hosted by CAI … the Club Alpino Italiano (Alpine Climbing Club of Bologna). Stella mentioned yesterday that there are many CAI trails around Bologna marked with red and white stripes. We’ll look into them after we move here.

The otherwise unadorned walls and ceilings of the sala, which is in the oldest part of the palazzo, have two features that catch the eye … one of which is an oversized bronzed terracotta statue for which the hall is named. He is shown at the moment of his triumph over the Hydra in Lerna.

The other item of interest is a fragment of a fresco known as “Madonna del Terremoto” (Madonna of the Earthquake). She is shown surmounted over Bologna. The fresco was painted as an offering after the 1505 earthquake, which caused the top of Asinelli Tower to collapse. After being moved in the 17th century from its original location to a chapel, the painting was brought to its current location in the 19th century.

Noting a sign at the entrance to a door to the left of the Hercules Hall, we went over to check it out. Aha! It was the Sala del Consiglio Comunale … aka the City Council Hall.

We went inside, but noticing a group of students at the far end being given a civics lesson, we weren’t going to go beyond the balustrade that separates the visitor’s area from the rest of the chamber. A docent sitting in one of the council seats, however, motioned us to come closer. In fact, she insisted on taking photos of us seated in the council chairs, and chatted with Mui while I photographed the amazing fresco on the vaulted ceiling.

The fresco is above what the Palazzo d’Accursio brochure I found online says is the Senators’ Gallery. Painted in 1676, it is an example of Baroque art … and a typical interior decoration that made the Bologna school of art famous in the world. It consists of five allegorical scenes, referencing Bologna’s virtues.

On that note, it was time to head out and explore the courtyard and get a bite to eat before our planned afternoon visit to the museum housed in the palazzo.Read more