Piazza Galvani is a square in the historic centre of

Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...

named after the Italian physicist

Luigi Galvani Luigi Galvani ( , , ; ; 9 September 1737 – 4 December 1798) was an Italian physician, physicist, biologist and philosopher who studied animal electricity. In 1780, using a frog, he discovered that the muscles of dead frogs' legs twitched when ...

born in this city in 1737. A statue of the scientist adorns the centre of the squarewhich opens in the apse of the Basilica of San Petronio. The Archiginnasio Palace overlooks the square.

History

Since 1449, the area where the square is today was used for the silk market, a production that characterised the Bolognese territory until the 17th century. In 1563, with the construction of the Palazzo dell'Archiginnasio, the square was enlarged by

Pope Pius IV Pope Pius IV (; 31 March 1499 – 9 December 1565), born Giovanni Angelo Medici, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 25 December 1559 to his death, in December 1565. Born in Milan, his family considered itself a b ...

and was originally called Piazza dell'Academia. The square received various names, from Piazza dell'Archiginnasio to Piazza delle Scuole or del Paviglione, until it became Piazza della Pace in 1801, in honour of the

peace treaty A peace treaty is an treaty, agreement between two or more hostile parties, usually country, countries or governments, which formally ends a declaration of war, state of war between the parties. It is different from an armistice, which is an ag ...

signed between

French Republic France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and Emperor

Francis II Francis II may refer to: * Francis II, Duke of Brittany (1433–1488) * Francesco II Gonzaga, Marquess of Mantua (1466–1519), ruler of the Italian city of Mantua * Francis II of France (1544–1560), king of France * Francis II, Duke of Lorraine ...

, and finally Piazza Galvani in 1871. The statue is the work of the Italian sculptor .

References

{{Reflist Piazzas in Bologna