Piazza Verdi

The name Piazza Verdi is fairly recent, dating back only to 1951.
The space was created as a widening in the road in front of the Domus Magna of the Bentivoglio family, the opulent palace built starting from 1460. Giovanni II Bentivoglio (1443-1508) was responsible for the construction of a square where the portico became the unifying element of a decorous and prestigious urban space.
Of the Bentivoglio-made structures, the only remaining manifest example is the Bentivoglio Stables, now used as a coffee bar.
In 1586, the Augustinian Fathers of San Giacomo asked to build a portico close to the north-east wall of the church of Santa Cecilia, at the time a parish, in order to complete the porticoed layout of the Square. Only the side of Palazzo Paleotti remained unfinished, since Palazzo Bentivoglio is also porticoed. In 1906, works coordinated by Alfonso Rubbiani to uncover a section of the Torresotti walls led to the demolition of the portico adjacent to Santa Cecilia.
After the plundering and destruction of Palazzo dei Bentivoglio (1506-1507) nothing was built on the site (known as “Guasto” by the Bolognese), until the decision to erect the Municipal Theatre, on the side towards Via San Donato, now Via Zamboni. Construction began in 1756.
In 1977, the square was enhanced with three cylindrical elements by Arnaldo Pomodoro. They soon became covered with graffiti and posters, which is why they were moved to the then Gallery of Modern Art at the Fiera District and more recently to the Cavaticcio area.