The Palazzo D’Accursio or Town Hall of Bologna located in the centre of Bologna in Piazza Maggiore is one of the most important in Bologna and has been the seat of the city's Municipal Authority since 1336.
It is made up of a series of buildings that, down the years, have been added on to an older nucleus acquired by the Municipality towards the end of the 1200s and which also included the home of Law Professor Accursio, which it is named after. Towards the mid-15th century, the palace was enriched with a clock in the d’Accursio tower and with a carousel with wooden figurines (Madonna with Child and Wise Men) that were removed in 1796. In Piazza Nettuno, there is the access to Sala Borsa, home to the Civic Multimedia Library since 2001.
A succession of loggia-halls and chapels can be visited inside the complex by climbing the 16th-century cordonata staircase attributed to Bramante and originally designed for the triumphal descent on horseback of the representatives of the city government: Sala d’Ercole, Sala del Consiglio Comunale, Sala Farnese, Cappella Farnese, Sala Rossa and Sala Urbana. The top floor of the palace is now home to the Municipal Art Collections (Collezioni Comunali d’Arte).
Map
Palazzo D'Accursio | Town Hall of Bologna
Piazza Maggiore, 6 - 40121
Telephone: + 39 051 203040
Site/minisite/other: http://www.comune.bologna.it/
Entrance
Free admission
Booking required for:
- a guided tour of the Clock Tower and the Municipal Art Collections. Book tickets online
- guided tour of Palazzo d'Accursio (interior rooms, subject to availability: Scalone dei Cavalli, Sala d’Ercole, Salone degli Anziani, Sala Rossa, Sala del Consiglio, Sala Farnese and Cappella Farnese, Municipal Art Collections). Book tickets online
Interests
- Art & Culture
Timetables
Red Hall (Sala Rossa) - Hercules Hall (Sala d'Ercole) - Farnese Hall (Sala Farnese) and the Palatine Chapel (Cappella Palatina): (subject to availability) can be visited as part of the Palazzo d'Accursio guided tour
City Council Chamber (Sala del Consiglio Comunale): Tuesday to Thursday, plus Saturday and Sunday, 10:00 AM-1:00 PM; closed on Mondays and Fridays; (subject to availability) can be visited as part of the Palazzo d'Accursio guided tour
Municipal Art Collections: can be visited with the combined ticket for the Clock Tower visit.
Apartments of the Cardinal Legate: can be visited as part of the Palazzo d'Accursio guided tour
Former Sala Borsa (entrance from Piazza Nettuno): Monday from 2:00 PM to 8:00 PM; Tuesday to Friday 9:00 AM-8:00 PM; Saturday 9:00 AM-7:00 PM. Closed on Monday mornings and public holidays. Details Last admission to the building is always 15 minutes before closing time.
Archaeological excavations beneath the Covered Square (Piazza Coperta), always visible through the glass floor, are open to the public for self-guided visits on Mondays from 3:00 PM to 6:30 PM; Tuesday to Saturday from 10:00 AM to 1:30 PM and from 3:00 PM to 6:30 PM. Closed on Monday mornings and public holidays.
