The Park of Montagnola is one of the oldest and greenest public parks in the centre of Bologna, Italy. It was first opened in the 17th century. It commemorates the victory of the Italians over the Austrians in 1848. The park has a number of 19th and early 20th century sculptures. It is used for various events.

The Montagnola is an artificial plateau formed by the accumulation of debris from the nearby 14th century Galliera Castle. This castle had been built by Bertrando del Poggetto to house the pope and his court. It was later destroyed by mobs. The park was opened to the public in 1664,[1] though it was undeveloped until the end of the 18th century. Here, on 6 January 1798 the remains of Luigi Zamboni and Giovanni Battista De Rolandis were solemnly buried by direct order of Napoleon. In 1799, with the arrival of the Austrians, the remains were dispersed.[2][3]

In 1805, by order of the Napoleonic rulers, it was decided to turn it into a public garden. The design was entrusted to Giovan Battista Martinetti, who designed a circular street layout. Work on the new gardens was completed in 1808.[3][4]

Description

The raised plateau of the park contains the ruins of the 14th-century Castello di Galliera. On the northwest side, a scenographic Pincio staircase (1893-1896), designed by Tito Azzolini and Attilio Muggia, leads up to the park. The stairs are decorated by sculptural reliefs and statues inspired by the history of Bologna, created by Arturo Orsoni, Pietro Veronesi, Tullo Golfarelli, Ettore Sabbioni, and Arturo Colombarini. At the centre of the Park is a circular pool completed for the Exposition of the Province of Emilia in 1888. It is surrounded by animal sculptures by Diego Sarti.

It is the oldest park of Bologna and it has always been a location used for performances, games and sport competitions. This park is open to the public since 1664. The current plan is to be dated back to the first years of the 19th century, when Napoleon ordered the architect G.B Marinetti to redesign it in the French style. In 1896, in the park, were built a monumental flight of stairs and a circular basin in the middle of the garden. In Montagnola, there are also centuries-old plane trees from the Napoleon period. The description is taken from I Giardini di Bologna, Biblioteca Salaborsa