From Homer to Pontelungo. How many Sirens are there in Bologna?

Bologna apparently has no sea. It has water from rivers.

And where there are rivers, we will always find the famous hybrid creatures, women in their upper bodies, equipped for many centuries with wings and bird legs, more recently with a fish tail: the Sirens.

In Homer's Odyssey, Odysseus describes them as dangerous, luring and killing sailors; over time they have mutated and become protectors of the waters.

In Bologna they guard the bridges, such as the Pontelungo, but are also found in the fountains and the Certosa, and they also guard the gates of ancient palaces and the walls of the Archiginnasio, which is hosting an exhibition dedicated to them.

The exhibition is curated by Stefania Aluigi, Isabella Ciaffi, Luigi Spina and Angela Tromellini.