Montagnola Park in Bologna (Parco o Giardini della Montagnola) is a park near the center of the city whose trees give us a break and where we can enjoy a friendly atmosphere.
Meeting point, a place to walk, run and play sports, stage for concerts and performances or nerve centre of several protests and demonstrations, the Montagnola Park is located between the Porta Galliera (in Piazza 20 Settembre) and the Piazza VIII Agosto, where on Fridays and Saturdays we can find a lively market.
It was the first public park in the city and the only large park in the old town. Gate for many travelers landing at the nearest station, a spectacular and bright monumental stairway greets us, from the late nineteenth century (Pincio della Montagnola, built in 1896 and designed by Tito Azzolini and Attilio Muggia).
At this entrance of Parco della Montagnola stands out a pretty white marble fountain sculpted by Diego Sarti and Pietro Veronesi. At the other end of the park we have a memorial next to the Piazza VIII Agosto, by Pasquale Rizzoli (1871-1953), opened in 1903.
Born in the ruins of Porta Galliera fortress, with a very distinct look to the present one, the park was intended in part for public use in 1662. We owe the final disposition of the park to the Napoleonic era and somehow to Napoleon himself who, in the three days he spent in Bologna (1796), longed to leave in the city a typically French mark.
On August 8, 1848 Montagnola Park is the backdrop of a major battle of the Risorgimento, which determined the expulsion of the Austrian from city after a popular uprising.
Inside the park, between the banana and chestnut trees by which we may see a squirrel, there is a circular fountain built on the occasion of L’Esposizione Illustrata delle Provincie dell’Emilia in Bologna (1888), which contains several sculptures of animals.
It could happen that, when you decide to visit the city, some of the fountains and stairways are under construction, preventing you from enjoying the views or getting the best pictures of Montagnola Park in Bologna, which does not take you from walking all over it for several times seeking shade and tranquility!
Photos: Damon Finlay, Tim Hendrix, Manuel de Meo.
