Piazza Rossini, Bologna, Guide du visiteur et quoi faire à proximité

Piazza Rossini is a small square on Via Zamboni in the heart of Bologna's university quarter, beside the Basilica of San Giacomo Maggiore. It matters because in a few steps it brings together the city's student life, a medieval Augustinian church and the story of the Bentivoglio family, who once ruled Bologna.

The story behind it

The square grew up beside the church of the Augustinian Hermits. In the mid-13th century the friars lived in simple dwellings against the city walls and used the small oratory of Santa Cecilia, which still stands. The first stone of the great church of San Giacomo was laid a few years later, in 1267.

Centuries later the site became closely tied to the Bentivoglio, the Renaissance lords of Bologna. The Renaissance portico along the side of the church dates from the late 1400s, and the family left its mark on the church and its chapels. When Pope Julius II drove the Bentivoglio out in the early 1500s, a crowd tore down their palace nearby. The area was long known as Il Guasto, meaning the ruin, and the name survives in the neighbourhood today.

The square also sits among the buildings of the university, often described as the oldest in the Western world. Before it had dedicated buildings, teaching happened in the homes of professors and in public spaces. Nearby Palazzo Malvezzi Campeggi on Via Zamboni is today home to the Faculty of Law. The square carries the name of the composer Gioachino Rossini, who studied music in Bologna.

What to look for

• The long Renaissance portico beside San Giacomo Maggiore, where the arches give a good sense of how Bologna lets you walk for kilometres in the shade.
• The small oratory of Santa Cecilia next to the basilica, a modest building that predates the grand church around it.
• The brick and stone facade of the basilica, which shows how a medieval church was given Renaissance additions over time.
• The student life on the square and along Via Zamboni, where lecture halls, cafes and pubs sit side by side.

Tips for your visit

• Allow 15 to 20 minutes for the square and the portico, and more if you step inside the basilica or the oratory.
• The square is a public space and free to enter. For the church and oratory, check current opening hours before you go.
• Come in the late afternoon or early evening, when students fill the square and the porticoes are at their liveliest.
• Palazzo Malvezzi Campeggi and the rest of Via Zamboni are a short walk away, so it fits easily into a stroll through the university quarter.

See it on a quest

Old Town Bologna: Murder Mystery passes through this part of the old town. You reach the square on foot as one stop of a longer route, the app tells you about each place as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle based on what is in front of you. One ticket covers the whole group.

Bologna 1252 Conspiracy of the Two Towers: A Murder Hunt is another way to see it, with a medieval theme that suits a square beside a 13th-century church. You walk between places at your own pace, hear the story of each one on the spot and solve a puzzle as you go. One ticket covers the whole group.