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Luxury lairs of the 1500s

The number of monstrously large 16th-century palazzos in Bologna is mind-blowing. You can't walk 50 meters without passing one, and after awhile you almost stop noticing them. A few of the old palaces sit empty, but most have been repurposed into flats, or offices for lawyers or trade unions (an unsurprisingly large number of these).

Palazzo Torfanini with its 16th-century portico.




The door was ajar, so I walked inside.

Some are open to the public for a small fee. The one-percenters back then could do whatever they wanted, apparently, but still, I can't believe the scale of these residences. Huge staffs must have been employed to tend to them, and today you'd need a drone camera to put their mass in perspective.

Casa Delle Tuate at No. 6 Via Galliera.



Some of the grandest of these Renaissance-era homes line Via Galliera, which was the principal north-south artery before Via dell'Indipendenza was carved out in the late 1800s. You can see several of them in just a two-block stroll heading north from the intersection with Via Manzoni. They're a little chipped and faded now, but worth exploring.

Classy terracotta window carvings at Palazzo Felicini, Via Galliera 14.


Opposite the Casa Delle Tuate is one of my favorites ― the elegant Palazzo Dal Monte. I wonder if any of these properties ever go on sale.


At Via Galliera 8 is the Palazzo Aldovrandi Montanari. Man, this thing is as big as the Pentagon. Interestingly, no portico. It has been divided up into apartments and offices.


Across town, the hulking Palazzo Monti takes up nearly an entire block of Via Barberia. I love how it has been allowed to age naturally.

Much older palaces also share the city's streets, of course. Here, a sturdy archway leads into the 13th-century Palazzo Grassi, shown just before sunrise at Via Marsala 12. The fact that it is now a private club for military officers kinda makes me want to barf.

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