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Walking down via D'Azeglio, you suddenly come across a noble palace commissioned by Nicolò Sanuti in 1477, whose architectural paternity is still not solved. An architectural presence which is absolutely extraordinary for Bologna, not only for its artistic quality, but also for its foreign identity: a building whose façade already proves the belonging to the innovative wind represented by the Tuscan Renaissance, quite unusual for Bologna. It is in fact an ashlar of extraordinary quality embellished by splendid mullioned two-lighted windows richly decorated, below very modern squares of great architectural breath. The basis is solved with elegance by an extrusion that conveys plasticity to the entire façade and also offers a function of sitting, thus suggesting a sort of synonymy with the public, a welcoming which is different from the typical Bolognese one given by the famous porticos. At the façade, beyond other precious elements such as the balcony in wrought iron, of great manufacture, two portals can be found, one is the entrance to the present Libera Università delle Arti, the other leads to the interior of the first courtyard.
The beautiful courtyard is a jewel of the Bentivoglio architecture re-echoing the portico of S. Giacomo Maggiore and presents capitals and columns worked by Tommaso Filippi da Varignana and embellishments in brickwork similar to the ones of the portico of the Eremitani attributed to Sperandio. On the superior colonnade a pictorial frieze, probably of Amico Aspertini, while the visible one going up to the first floor, inside the open arcade, is the result of a re-elaboration of Achille Casanova during the restoration works conducted by Alfonso Rubbiani between 1907 and 1908. In the middle of the courtyard an unusual and enigmatic basin can be found, also belonging to the XV century, coming from a palace in Ferrara and moved to Bologna in the XIX century. Also the marble walled-up windows in a part of the portico that came from Ferrara.
Going on in the courtyard there is the passage to a second courtyard, result of an extension commissioned by the Cardinal Lorenzo Campeggi, probably on the basis of the drawing of Galeazzo Alessi. In 1547, in the round-floor hall, the meetings of the Council of Trent took place. They moved to Bologna to escape the plague spreading in the initial location of the Council.
With the extinction of the Campeggi family in 1727, the palace was inherited by the Malvezzis then later by the Vincenzis from Ferrara. Finally, in 1727, it was assigned by will to the Bevilacqua Marquesas, who are still the owners of the palace.
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Biblioteca dell'Archiginnasio
Piazza Galvani, 1
tel 051276811 fax 051261160
Biblioteca Sala Borsa
Piazza Nettuno, 3
tel 051204400 fax 051204420
Biblioteca Universitaria
via Zamboni, 33-35
tel. 051/243420 fax 051/252110
Biblioteca Musicale
Piazza Rossini, 2
tel./fax 051/221117
Biblioteca delle Arti Visive
via Zamboni, 33
tel. 051/2099750
Biblioteca del Dipartimento di Discipline Storiche
Piazza San Giovanni in Monte, 2
tel. 051/2097613
Portale delle Boblioteche
dell'Università di Bologna