Bologna

Ancient university

Bologna

Bologna (from Latin Bononia, Bulåggna in the local dialect) is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna in northern Italy, between the Po River and the Apennines.

History

Bologna was founded by the Etruscans with the name Felsina (ca. 534 BC) in an area previously long inhabitated by the villanovians, a people of farmers and shepherds. The Etruscan city grew around the sanctuary built on a hill, was surrounded by the necropolis. In the 4th century BC the city was conquered by the Gauls Boii, whence the ancient name Bononia of the Roman colony (c. 189 BC) created after the conquest in 191 BC. The settlers included 3,000 Latin families led by the consuls Lucius Valerius Flaccus, Marcus Atilius Seranus and Lucius Valerius Tappo. The building of the Via Aemilia in 187 BC made Bologna a road hub, connected to Arezzo through the Via Flaminia minor and to Aquileia through the Via Aemilia Altinate.

In 88 BC the city became a municipium: it had a quadrilatery plant with six cardi and eight decumani which are still active today. During the Roman Empire it had 10,000 inhabitants with various temples, baths, theatre and one arena. Pomponius Mela included Bononia among the five opulentissimae ("richest") cities of Italy. The city was rebuilt by Nero after a burning.

After a long decadence, Bologna was reborn in the 5th century AD under the bishop Petronius, who traditionally built the church of S. Stefano. After the fall of Rome, Bologna was a frontier stronghold of the Exarchate of Ravenna in the Pianura Padana, and was defended by a line of walls who however did not include most of the ancient ruining Roman city. In 728 the city was conquered by the Lombard king Liutprand, becoming part of the Lombard Kingdom. The German newcomers formed a district called "addizione longobarda" near the complex of S. Stefano, where, among the others, Charlemagne stayed in 786.

In the 11th century Bologna began to grow again as a free Commune, joining the Lombard League against Frederick Barbarossa in 1164. In 1088 the Studio was founded, which is the oldest university of Europe and which could boast notable erudites of the Middle Ages like Irnerius, and, amongst its students, Dante, Boccaccio and Petrarca. Since the 12th century the expanding city needed a new line of walls, and another was finished in the the 14th century.

In 1256 Bologna promulgated the Legge del Paradiso ("Paradise's Law"), which abolished the feudal serfdom and freed the slaves using public money. Then city centre was full of towers built by the most outstanding families, of notable public edifices, churches and abbeys. In 1294 Bologna was one of the ten most populous cities of Europe.

Like most Italian commune of that age, Bologna was torn by inner struggles, which lead to the expulsion of the Ghibelline family of Lambertazzi in 1274. Being crushed in the Battle of Zappolino by the Modenese in 1325, Bologna began to decay and asked the protection of the Pope at the beginning of the 14th century.

After the happy years of the rule of Taddeo Pepoli (1337-1347), Bologna fell to the Visconti of Milan, but returned in the Papal orbit with Cardinal Gil de Albornoz in 1360. The following years saw an alternance of Republican governments (like that of 1377, which built the Basilica di San Petronio and the Loggia dei Mercanti) and Papal or Visconti restorations, while the city's families never stopped the intestine fights. In the middle of the 15th century the Bentivoglio family reached the rule of Bologna, reigning with Sante (1445-1462) and Giovanni II (1462-1506). This period was one of flourishment for the city, with the presence of notable architects and painters who made Bologna a true Italian Rinascimento city.

The star of Giovanni ended in 1506 when the Papal troops of Julius II sieged Bologna and sacked the artistic treasures of his palace. From that point on, until the XVIII century, Bologna was part of the Papal States, ruled by a cardinal legato and by a Senate which every two months elected a gonfaloniere (judge), assisted by eight elder consuls. The city's prosperity continued, although a plague at the end of the 16th century reduced the population from 72,000 to 59,000, and another in 1630 to 47,000. The population later recovered to a stable 60,000-65,000. In 1564 the Piazza del Nettuno and the Palazzo dei Banchi were built, along with the Archiginnasio, the seat of the University. The Papal rule, however, brought in city mainly holy edifices, mainly of religious orders, or updated the older ones. The 96 convents of Bologna are a record for Italy. Artists working in this age in Bologna established the Bolognese School that includes Annibale Carracci, Domenichino, Guercino and others of European fame.

With the rise of Napoleon Bologna became the capital of the Repubblica Cispadana and, later, the second most important center after Milan of the Repubblica Cisalpina and the Italian Kingdom. After the fall of the French grandeur Bologna suffered the Papal restoration, rebelling in 1831 and again 1849, when it temporarily expelled the Austrian garrisons which commanded the city until 1860. After a visit by Pope Pius IX in 1857, the city voted for the annexion to the Kingdom of Sardinia on June 12, 1859, becoming part of the united Italy.

In the new political situation Bologna gained importance for his undebated cultural role and became an important commercial, industrial and communications hub; its population began to grow again and at the beginning of the 20th centuries the old walls were destroyed in order to build new houses for the population.

Though damaged during the ending battles of World War II, Bologna recovered soon and is now one of the richest, most civil and well-planned cities of Italy.

Overview

Over the centuries, Bologna has acquired many nicknames. "Bologna the learned" ("Bologna la dotta") is a reference to its famous university. "Bologna the fat" ("Bologna la grassa") refers to its cuisine.

Bologna is also called "Bologna the red" (Bologna la rossa) not only for its political leanings but also due to its abundance of red brick and marble buildings. Until the late nineteenth century, at which point a large-scale urban reconstruction project was undertaken, Bologna remained one of the best preserved Medieval cities in Europe, though to this day it remains unique in its historic value. Despite having suffered from considerable bombing damage in 1944, Bologna's historic centre, one of Europe's largest, contains a wealth of Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque artistic monuments of primary importance. Bologna developed as an Etruscan, then Roman colony along the Via Emilia, the street that still runs straight through the city under the changing names of Strada Maggiore, Rizzoli, Ugo Bassi, and San Felice. Due to its Roman heritage, the most central streets of Bologna, today largely pedestrianized, follow the grid pattern of the Roman settlement. The original Roman ramparts were supplanted by a high medieval system of fortifications, remains of which are still visible, and finally by a third and final set of ramparts built in the thirteenth century, of which numerous sections survive. Over twenty medieval defensive towers, some of them leaning precariously, remain from the over two hundred that were constructed in the era preceding the security guaranteed by unified civic government. Numerous important churches, such as Santo Stefano, San Domenico, San Francesco, Santa Maria dei Servi, San Giacomo Maggiore and San Petronio, punctuate the city's skyline with their tall spires and noteworthy architecture. The cityscape is further enriched by elegant and extensive arcades (or porticos), for which the city is famous. In total, there are over 37 kilometres of arcades in the city, which make it possible to walk for long distances sheltered from rain, snow, or hot summer sun. "Bologna the red" has also been said to refer to the city's left-leaning politics. Until the election of a centre-right mayor in 1999, the city was a historic bastion of socialism and communism. The centre-left gained power again in the 2004 mayoral elections, with the election of Sergio Cofferati. It was one of the first European settlements to experiment with the concept of "free" public transport.

Another nickname for Bologna is Basket City, referring to Bologna's obsession with basketball, unusual for football-dominated Italy. The local derby between the city's two principal basketball clubs, Fortitudo and Virtus (often called after the clubs' principal sponsors), is one of the most intense in the entire world of sports. Violence, however, has been largely absent in the derby.

Football is still a hugely popular sport in Bologna; the main local club is Bologna F.C. 1909, relegated to Serie B at the end of the 2004/2005 season.

Cuisine

Bologna is renowned for its culinary tradition and it is often regarded as the food capital of Italy. Situated in the fertile Po River Valley, the rich local cuisine depends heavily on meats and cheeses. As in all of Emilia-Romagna, the production of cured pork meats such as prosciutto, mortadella and salame is an important part of the local food industry. Reputed nearby vineyards include Pignoletto dei Colli Bolognesi, Lambrusco di Modena and Sangiovese di Romagna. Tagliatelle al ragù (pasta with meat sauce, from which the famous spaghetti alla Bolognese derive), tortellini served in broth and mortadella (the original Bologna sausage) are among the local specialties.

from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bologna