27 May 2021

Palazzo Guidotti Magnani for Breathe

Presenting Palazzo Guidotti Magnani, one of the locations of Breathe.

The grand and elegant palace, inaugurated between 1864 and 1866, was built after a decree in May 1861 decided upon the widening of several streets in the historic centre. It was one of the first official acts following the annexation to the Kingdom of Italy, a clear signal of modernisation after the papal stagnation of the Restoration era. Palazzo Guidotti Magnani has its main facades facing two of these new urban spaces: the square that was named after Cavour after his death, and Via Farini. The square features some of the finest examples of Bolognese architecture from the second half of the 19th century. In addition to Palazzo Guidotti Magnani, designed by Coriolano Monti, one can admire the buildings housing the Bank of Italy (1865), Palazzo Silvani by Antonio Cipolla, and the Bottrigari family building (1870) by Antonio Zannoni. The garden in the centre was completed in 1870. The building displays rich capitals adorned with friezes and portraits. On the Via Farini side, one can admire 16th-century capitals reused for the building, whereas on Piazza Cavour the friezes alternate with portraits of famous figures, including a portrait of Monti himself. The execution of the modern capitals is the work of Augusto Viallet. The publication of the Proceedings of the Bologna Academy of Fine Arts for 1867 records the exhibition of “six capitals adorned in terracotta, to be used on the pilasters of Palazzo Guidotti, a festoon, also in terracotta, dedicated to Bacchus, and several photographs of his other decorations.”