History
Inside Palazzo Boncompagni, built between 1537 and 1548, there is a small garden, enclosed yet open at the same time, which recalls the concept of the hortus conclusus and that defines the articulation of the loggia that leads from the entrance on Via del Monte to Vignola's helical staircase. Defined on three sides by the profile of the building, it becomes part of the arcaded loggia, forming a small internal green oasis. At the base of the high wall, probably once painted, visitors can admire a rich sequence of scented and colourful hydrangeas. The Boncompagni residence is enriched here by the presence of a large, centuries-old magnolia, surrounded by a small green lawn of lily of the valley. This has become a symbol of a relationship with nature and the countryside beyond the walls of the garden, which for Renaissance Man had become a conceptual as well as a physical element, an integral and far from secondary part of the built space.
In the late nineteenth century, there was a need to create an outdoor garden, which would fulfil an open relationship with the surroundings. The garden became an appreciable need, no longer a space enclosed by high walls but open to light and nature, facing the city. The earlier buildings were demolished and the void was bounded with a low wall and a gate, incorporating the ancient Vicolo Boncompagni that connected what is now Via Goito with Via del Monte. Also in this outdoor garden stands a beautiful centuries-old magnolia together with two large horse chestnuts that welcome visitors, as well as refined Japanese camellias and fragrant jasmines. This small green lung in the historic centre of Bologna will enchant garden-loving citizens and tourists.
