Piazza Galvani
Piazza Galvani is one of the most elegant places in Bologna. While on one side it faces the back of the Basilica of San Petronio, on the other it is bordered by Via Farini, the city's luxury shopping street.
The buildings facing the square
Located in the heart of the city, Piazza Galvani is surrounded by historic and fascinating buildings, but also by shops and old bars. On the porticoed side, for example, is the
Archiginnasio, now the public library, which until the early 19th century housed the seat of the University of Bologna, later moved to Via Zamboni. Built in 1563 at the behest of Pier Donato Cesi, the then Papal Legate in Bologna, the Archiginnasio preserves marvellous frescoes and a spectacular wooden hall called the
Anatomical Hall (Sala Anatomica).
The portico facing the Archiginnasio is known as
'il Pavaglione', a name probably derived from the market pavilions - or banquets - that were held under its arches centuries ago. The Pavaglione market played a very important role in the city, as it specialised in the buying and selling of silkworms used for the
production of textiles, a flourishing activity in Bologna between the 15th and 18th centuries.
Piazza Galvani is also overlooked by the covered passageway that gives access to Corte Galluzzi, where the tower of the same name stands. Finally, on the other side of the square there is
Caffè Zanarini, an ancient bar dating back to 1930 with elegant outdoor tables which are perfect for an aperitivo with a view of San Petronio. From here one can admire the basilica in all its grandeur, but also its unfinished parts. Looking in the direction of the apse one can see that the masonry is interrupted, a sign that the original project was never finished.
The statue of Luigi Galvani
The statue that stands in the centre of the square depicts the
Bolognese scientist after whom it is named, Luigi Galvani. Born in Bologna in 1737, Galvani became one of the best known and most important scientists of his time with
his discovery of 'biological electricity', and was also a professor at the University of Bologna. After studying medicine and working in Bologna's hospitals, he took over from his professor and teacher Giovanni Antonio Galli.
Belonging to the current of enlightened Catholicism, Galvani advocated the importance of finding a
meeting point between science and sacred texts, and in this he enjoyed the support of Cardinal Lorenzo Lambertini, later Pope Benedict XIV.
The principle of biological electricity is based on the fact that both animal and human bodies conduct and produce electrical energy necessary for their own existence. He arrived at this thesis by chance while working on an
experiment on a frog in his laboratory. When he approached the animal with an electrified object, he noticed that its muscles had contracted. He repeated the experiment several times and formulated the thesis of biological electricity, which led to new discoveries in the field of nerve stimuli in the human body over the following centuries.
This is why the statue in Piazza Galvani depicts him in the company of a frog. Made by Adalberto Cencetti at the end of the 19th century, Galvani is portrayed in the act of consulting an open book on which the animal that earned him his well-deserved fame stands out.
