Page 145 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL FALL 2024 SPAIN

Maggiore. This palace was built in the vertently encouraged unwanted scientific
1500s to house the growing University of advances. The Palace of Archiginnasio
Bologna, which was strewn throughout the houses an anatomical theater, originally
city. According to city lore, Pope Pius IV constructed in 1637, where physicians dis-
had an ulterior motive for building the sected cadavers for the purpose of teach-
Archiginnasio, and it wasn’t to advance ed- ing human anatomy. The theater is a lush
ucation. His aim wood-paneled rec-
was to situate the tangle where stu-
Archiginnasio ad- dents sat on
jacent to the Basil- benches along the
ica de San wall. As we sat on
Petronio, which those benches we
was growing too imagined our-
big for its selves in the
breeches. places of those
Bologna’s civic students, as pro-
leaders had a fessors sliced up
longstanding frac- bodies on a mar-
tious relationship ble table below
with the popes, while from a win-
who technically dow above and
ruled the city, and behind us a priest
they intended to condemned the
expand their whole affair as
church to rival godless and sinful.
Saint Peter’s in The theater
Rome. One early and the Archigin-
basilica plan in- nasio were among
cluded a dome, but Bologna’s many
after construction buildings damaged
of two supporting in World War II
pillars the dome bombing raids. Af-
was abandoned as ter the war the
too ambitious. By placing the Archiginnasio building and theater were restored using
right next to the church, Pope Pius IV pre- the original materials and design as much
vented any expansion, and San Petronio as possible. Today the Palace of Archigin-
was hemmed in. nasio is a municipal library housing price-
However, by containing the basilica and less books and manuscripts.
advancing the university, the pope inad- The Basilica of San Petronio, in the

The Portico of San Luca, the longest in the city,connects the
magnificent Sanctuary of Madonna de San Luca with the heart
of the city.
Opposite: Professors at the University of Bologna dissected
cadavers to teach human anatomy in this 16th-century
anatomical theater.

WINEDINEANDTRAVEL.COM 145