Piazza of Santo Stefano
Triangular medieval square lined with porticoed merchant palaces and a seven-church basilica complex.
Location
About this audio guide
This guide to the Piazza of Santo Stefano in Bologna centers on Palazzo Isolani, the pale stone facade whose Corinthian portico and pointed Gothic windows silk money bought in 1451 for a family who weren't yet called Isolani at all. It follows the Bolognini, senators enriched by the silk trade, and the architect from Fiesole they hired to build a house arguing that a merchant could look as noble as anyone born to a title. The guide then traces how, three centuries later, a Cypriot noble family bought the palace outright and left their name on it. Look for the antique stalls that still fill the same portico on the second weekend of every month.
This audio guide was created using AI.