The streets of artists

Why this urban decoration project?

From research conducted on the toponymy of the Bolognina, a historic working-class neighborhood in Bologna, more than twenty streets have been found to be named after visual artists who were linked to the city and its artistic and cultural environment during their lifetime—either born here or belonging to various Bolognese schools, such as the Carracci school or the Clementine Academy—whose works are still visible today in the city. It is interesting that these artists belong to different historical periods—from the Middle Ages to the early 20th century—and different artistic fields, from miniature art to sculpture to painting, etc. The goal of this initiative is to give prestige and visibility to the neighborhood by physically bringing art to the streets, creating a tourist route through the intersections of the neighborhood’s streets. At each intersection, panels will be placed featuring one or more works by the artist after whom the street is named. The combination of all the panels and their diverse placement will form a route made up of many points of interest, marked by real tableaux with prints of the artists’ works.

BologninArt – The Path Through the Streets of the Artists of Bolognina

Bolognina, a lively and constantly evolving neighborhood, hosts an artistic route that connects the streets named after the great masters of art with their works preserved in the museums, churches, and historic buildings of Bologna.
BologninArt will guide you to discover these artists, revealing where to admire their masterpieces in their fullest expression.

The journey begins on Via De’ Carracci, dedicated to the family of artists who revolutionized painting between the 16th and 17th centuries. In the National Art Gallery of Bologna, you can admire masterpieces by Annibale, Agostino, and Ludovico Carracci, including Christ Crowned with Thorns and The Communion of Saint Jerome. At Palazzo Magnani, the frieze with the Stories of Romulus and Remus showcases their mastery in visual storytelling.
Continuing along Via Antonio di Vincenzo, you reach the majestic Basilica of San Petronio, the design of which is attributed to the 15th-century architect. This Gothic masterpiece testifies to Bologna’s ambition to compete with the greatest European cathedrals.
On Via Alessandro Tiarini, Baroque art comes to life in the National Art Gallery, where you can admire his Lamentation over the Dead Christ and The Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine. These emotionally powerful works reflect the drama and theatricality typical of the period.
Crossing Via Luigi Serra, you enter the world of 19th-century painting. His painting Irnerius Glossing the Ancient Laws, now in the Civic Museum of Ancient Art, celebrates Bologna’s legal cultural heritage.
Arriving at Via Nicolò dall’Arca, you encounter one of the most intense works of Renaissance sculpture: The Lamentation over the Dead Christ, housed in the Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Vita. The expressions of grief on the figures sculpted in terracotta make this work a timeless masterpiece.
Along Via Domenico Zampieri, you trace the career of Domenichino, one of the most important figures of Baroque classicism. In the National Art Gallery, you will find The Martyrdom of Saint Agnes and The Madonna of the Rosary, examples of his extraordinary narrative skill and harmonious use of color.
Via Francesco Albani takes us to the National Art Gallery, where works such as The Baptism of Christ and The Madonna with the Child in Glory are displayed. Albani, a pupil of the Carracci, combined the realism of the Bolognese school with the elegance of Roman compositions.
On Via Aristotele Fioravanti, architecture takes center stage with the Palazzo del Podestà, where Fioravanti renovated the Torre dell’Arengo in the 15th century, making it one of Bologna’s symbolic structures.
Finally, the route ends on Via Pellegrino Tibaldi, a Mannerist artist who left his mark in the magnificent frescoes of the Sala di Ulisse at Palazzo Poggi and in the Basilica of San Giacomo Maggiore, where his decoration of the Poggi Chapel is still visible.

With BologninArt, the streets of Bolognina transform into a gateway to Bologna’s artistic heritage. Follow the route, discover the artists, and admire their works in the places that house them in all their grandeur.