Author: Paul's Blogs

Rossini and Bologna

By the time he was in his late twenties, Gioacchino Rossini had left the poverty of his early life behind and had become one of the most famous and wealthiest composers in Europe. By the age of 39, he had almost ceased composing and had largely withdrawn from the world. My post looks at locations in Bologna redolent with his memory.

Bologna’s Medieval Elevated Tombs

A visitor to Bologna is likely to come across one or both of two groups of curious elevated tombs while wandering around the city. Who do they commemorate and why were they accorded such prominent recognition ? The answer lies with the origins of the University and importance and wealth of its law professors.

On the trail of Elisabetta Sirani – A Trailblazing Baroque Artist

Elisabetta Sirani was a highly talented and prolific Bolognese painter and printmaker who lived for all too short a time in the mid 17th century. She paved the way for future generations of female artists through the establishment of a women's art school and by breaking through many of the barriers to women of that time.

Curiosities of Bologna’s Piazza Maggiore

The area around Bologna's Piazza Maggiore has been the centre of the city at least from Roman times when the forum was located here. The Roman ruins you can visit under the Sala Borsa library include those of the basilica, the centre of civic life. For more on this topic, please see my post  Ancient … Continue reading Curiosities of Bologna’s Piazza Maggiore