HISTORY OF THE ART HOTEL IN THE CENTRE OF BOLOGNA

The well dug deep into the subsoil is the same one that at one time supplied water to the inhabitants during sieges, and the frescos, created with the original “segno a chiodo” techniques (literally “marks by nail”), are all that remains of the pomp and splendour of wealthy families long since forgotten. What we have found over the course of various renovations bears witness to the life and activities of previous inhabitants. Potsherds tell of the modest life of a family in Etruscan Felsina; geometric friezes and a high-relief of a mythological animal recall the opulence of Roman Bononia of the 8th Regio Aemilia; nails and iron tools, together with a terra cotta statuette and pieces of piñata pots, hint at the humble work of a medieval blacksmith and a crockery peddler. The year 1116 witnessed the birth of the Comune and new municipal liberties for Bologna: consequently, the citizen authorities selected the Curia di Sancti Ambrosii, together with its attached building that houses us today, for the seat of their Domus Comunis. After sixty-three years, however, the seat of the Domus Comunis moved to a location near the Archiginnasio library and our building, no longer the seat of the Comune of Bologna, was acquired by two of Bologna’s most celebrated Glossatori Alberico di Porta Ravennate, who made it the seat of his Society of the Arts, and Odofredo, who used it as his personal residence. As was the custom in those times, both taught lessons in their own homes and received compensation directly from their students. The end of the fourteenth century saw the rise of the imposing construction site for the newly commissioned Basilica di San Petronio, which was designed to be even larger than Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome. In order to make room for this monumental construction, the majority of one of the city’s burgs, including at least eight churches and towers, was demolished, and our building too was marked for sacrifice to this oversized project. It was ultimately spared thanks to Papacy, which prohibited the completion of a basilica that would have overshadowed the image of Saint Peter, symbol of Christendom. Thus, as one can see from the unfinished transept jutting out just a few meters from our windows, the original cross-shaped plan was abandoned, and the wings of the Basilica were never built.

Let’s step back in time once more to the medieval era to talk about the Order of the Templars, another illustrious entity which has long been intertwined with our own building’s history. This order of knights first appeared in Bologna in 1161 and soon became one of the wealthiest and most powerful entities of the city: their Temple boasted vast holdings which included hundreds of acres of land, numerous palazzi and buildings, and four churches, including the nearby Santa Croce in Via De’ Pignattari.

The church of Santa Croce, which had been ceded by the religious order that had been granted the Templars’ confiscated assets, was subsequently demolished in order to make space for the construction of San Petronio. Today, nothing of the church remains except for a chapel erected in its memory inside the Basilica.

Up until the 17th century the two hundred meters of this street were divided into three sections with three different names according to nearby industries and businesses: “Dazi dal vin,” “Pignattar,” and “Dal Salario.” The section called “Dazi dal vin” featured a company of porters also known as “brentatori,” named for the brente (wooden wine containers) that they carried. They weren’t, however, mere porters--these brentatori were authorised by the city council to taste the wine, to ascertain its price based on its quality, and to then collect the proper “duty” owed. The section called “Pignattar” was named for the pignattari (potters) who made terra cotta pots called “pignatte,” a word originating in the Latin term “pinnata,” while the street called “Dal Salario” contained a salt warehouse.

In the 1600s, these three sections were united in one street called “De Pignattari” which, while significantly diminished by the construction of San Petronio, connected to Piazza Maggiore. This splendid medieval square had in the meantime become the heart of Bologna, where the populace would gather to listen to decrees and ordinances proclaimed from the balconies of the Podestà. Both the Piazza and its surrounding streets were crowded with people in search of entertainment and business, and it provided a clamourous setting for the many jousting tournaments, festivals, and spectacles which were held there. To this day, Via De’Pignattari still benefits from its proximity to Piazza Maggiore, that common space to which every Bolognese feels a sense of possession and belonging. Today the piazza hosts the city’s most important and beloved events, including the Children’s Carnival, updates on political elections on screens outside the Podestà, a historical stopover on the Mille Miglia (an open-road endurance race featuring vintage automobiles), New Year’s festivities with the traditional “vecchione” (an effigy representing the old year), and finally, the endless open debates held on the Crescentone (the slightly raised centre section of the Piazza).

Bologna is known as “la dotta” (the learned) “la rossa” (“the red”), and “la grassa” (“the fat”). “Learned” comes from the Alma Mater Studiorum, Bologna’s

prestigious university that was founded in 1063 and which is considered the oldest university in the Western world. It is “fat” because of the traditional Bolognese cuisine which features such opulent dishes as lasagne, tortellini, tagliatelle al ragù, mortadella, and bollito. Finally, it is “red” from the warm tones of its roofs, facades, and terra cotta bricks which decorate a medieval centre that has remained largely intact, a quality which renders it one of the most extensive historical centres in Italy. But these labels don’t even begin to truly define our city: rather, Bologna is more than anything a way of life. It’s the ritual of eating a delicious meal in a trattoria and enjoying good company in the “osterie” beloved by biassanot. It’s the love for music of all kinds, from the opera performed in the Teatro Comunale to the jazz played in taverns. It’s the people who constantly fill the markets and the famous thirty-seven kilometres of arcades and porticos that feature the best shops of Bologna. (By the way, in case you were wondering, “biassanot” in the Bolognese dialect means “he who chews the night.”

And if you should happen to get lost, ask for “l’albêrg di comerzianti nti Pignatèri,” or the “Albergo Commercianti in via de Pignattari” in the local dialect.).

The Compagnia dell’Arte dei Brentatori, born in 1250, is one of the oldest craft-guild and it had a key role during the Medieval times: thanks to their great experience, its members were the perfect judges to evaluate the quality of wines they transported. They employed the “brente”, a big container that they put on their back. If necessary, the Brentatori could become fire fighters, extinguishing fires with their “brente”.

The Compagnia dell’Arte dei Brentatori was legally recognized in 1407 and they maintained the same public service that they had in 1250. In addition, they received the specific obligation to transport water with their “brente” in case of fire, following the signal made by the bell of the Asinelli Tower. The seat of the craft-guild was in via del Dazio del Vino, today via de’ Pignattari, where our Hotel is situated.