Gardens of Montagnola (Il Giardino della Montagnola) description and photos - Italy: Bologna (Topic)

Montagnola Gardens (Il Giardino della Montagnola) description and photos - Italy: Bologna. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The title in English is Il Giardino della Montagnola.

Photo and description

The Montagnola Gardens in Bologna, despite their name, are more of a park than ordinary gardens. They are located on the artificially created hill of Montagnola, which rises 60 meters above the city. At the foot of the hill there is a huge statue - the Monument to the People, dedicated to all those who died on August 18, 1848. This day is considered the most important in the Bologna history of the unification of Italy. The monument depicts a fallen Austrian soldier, over whom stands a jubilant Italian, holding a tricolor - a symbol of the nation's unity. The author of the monument, erected here in 1903, is the Bolognese artist Pasquale Rizzoli.

Once on the site of the current park there was a forest with pastures overgrown with grass, however, since 1662, On the initiative of a certain Paolo Canali, large-scale transformations began - paths for horse carriages and horse rides were laid, open-air theater performances, games and social gatherings began to be arranged. This is how the Montagnola gardens became the main park of Bologna.

In 1757, seven huge stone benches were installed here, symbolizing the belonging of the park to the people. In the first half of the 19th century, engineer Giovanni Battista Martinetti redeveloped the park, following the pattern of French public squares. At the same time, Diego Sarti created huge sculptures, which were placed around a small pond. And in 1896, Attilio Mudja built a magnificent staircase leading to the park from Via Indipendenza - more than one generation of young Italians screeched down its marble railings. By the way, for children in the park there is a play area with an area of about 350 square meters, where various parties, birthdays and costume parades are often held.

As a result of all these changes, the Montagnola gardens with their century-old plane trees, chestnuts and linden alleys have become not only a favorite vacation spot for the townspeople, but also a role model - many Italian cities have created their own parks following the example of Bologna.

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Topic: Gardens of Montagnola (Il Giardino della Montagnola) description and photos - Italy: Bologna.