The route includes the main places related to the life and work of outstanding composers.
Basilica of Saint Petronius: in 1436, Pope Eugene IV built a luxurious Chapel that became known throughout Europe. The choir, adorned with the inlay of Augustino de Marchi and the choral, painted with miniatures, vividly testify to the importance of music in the life of Bologna. To the right of the Altar is the oldest, still functioning, impressive organ, created in 1475 by Lorenzo di Giacomo da Prato.
From the Basilica, under the portico of the Pavilion, you will head to the Archigymnasium Palace. The Archigymnasium Palace: was the building of the University of Bologna since the 16th century. Climbing the ancient staircase of the Jurists, you enter the Hall of Students who studied ancient Roman law, which was renamed “Stabat Mater” in memory of the grand performance of the religious opera “Stabat Mater” in 1842, which was set to music by Rossini, who lived in Bologna at that time. The opera was first performed by conductor Donizetti.
The house of Gioachino Rossini – in 1822, Gioachino Rossini bought an apartment in a house designed in the classical style, the facade of which has many inscriptions. The Rossini house is private, so visits are not possible.
International Museum and Music Library: in this beautiful palace, Maestro Rossini lived with his second wife, Olympia Pelisser, during the last years of his stay in Bologna. The halls, decorated by artists Martinelli, Palagi, Barozzi, and Bazoli, are today the perfect interior for the collection of the International Museum and Music Library.
The museum tells us the five-hundred-year history of Eastern and Western music through the Bologna Collection. The treasure of the Museum is 100 thousand bibliographic collections, making it one of the largest music libraries in the world, and the Picture Gallery. All of this once belonged to the famous monk Padre Giovanni Battista Martini. In a separate part of the museum, you can see workshops for making and restoring lutes.
The birthplace of Ottorino Respighi: exiting the music museum-library, you will head down Via Maggiore and turn onto Via Guido Reni, where the workshop of Ottorino Respighi is located, who is considered one of the most representative among Italian masters of the symphonic and theatrical school. Here is the Fantuzzi Palace, one of the most magnificent among the Senatorial Palaces in Bologna, where Ottorino Respighi was born.
Giovanni Battista Martini Conservatory, Rossini Square: next to the Church of San Giacomo is the still functioning Philharmonic Museum, established in 1804, thanks to the interaction of the Municipality and the Academic Philharmonic, which decided to provide the city with a reliable, authoritative music school. Among the first students was the young Gioachino Rossini. In 1942, the lyceum became state-owned and was named the Giovanni Battista Martini Music Conservatory – in honor of the Bolognese Franciscan monk who became famous in Europe for his musical culture and rare bibliographic iconographic collections.
