Palazzo d’Accursio Bologna: Town Hall, Art Collections & Clock Tower

Palazzo d’Accursio stands on the western side of Piazza Maggiore and has served as Bologna’s seat of civic government since the 13th century. Named after the jurist Accursius who lived there before the city acquired it, the building grew over several centuries into one of the largest communal palaces in Italy. Today it functions as both the working town hall and a public museum — the Collezioni Comunali d’Arte (Municipal Art Collections) occupy the upper floors, while the Clock Tower (Torre dell’Orologio) is open to visitors and offers one of the best elevated views over the historic centre of Bologna.

What to See Inside

The palace is large and covers several periods of Bologna’s history. The main points of interest:

• Sala d’Ercole — the main ceremonial hall, named after the large terracotta statue of Hercules by Alfonso Lombardi (1519). The room was used for public assemblies and retains its original proportions and painted decoration
• Chapel of Santa Maria della Pioggia — a small chapel inside the palace with frescoes including a noted depiction of the Madonna with Child among the Saints, reflecting the blend of civic and religious authority that defined medieval Bologna
• Farnese Chapel — contains a 16th-century fresco of The Last Supper by Nosadella, one of the lesser-known but well-preserved examples of Bolognese Renaissance painting in the city
• Collezioni Comunali d’Arte — paintings, furniture, porcelain, textiles, and objets d’art from the Middle Ages to the 20th century, including works by Carracci, Parmigianino, and Canuti. The collection spans the full arc of Bologna’s art museum heritage
• Clock Tower (Torre dell’Orologio) — the tower rising above the palazzo face, topped with a bronze statue of Pope Gregory XIII. Guided visits run throughout the day with advance booking required; the view from the top over Piazza Maggiore and the UNESCO-listed porticoes is among the best in the city

Practical Information

• Address: Piazza Maggiore 6, 40121 Bologna
• Main palace entrance: free
• Municipal Art Collections: Tue & Thu 14:00–19:00; Wed, Fri, Sun & holidays 10:00–18:30; closed Monday
• Clock Tower: daily 10:00–18:20 (to 20:20 May–Sept); booking compulsory — bolognawelcome.com
• Getting there: directly on Piazza Maggiore, 10 minutes’ walk from Bologna Centrale station

Palazzo d’Accursio in the Context of Bologna

The palazzo sits at the geographical and civic centre of Bologna. Piazza Maggiore is the starting point for understanding the city — the Basilica di San Petronio to the south, the Fountain of Neptune to the north, and the Palazzo Pepoli museum seven minutes away on Via Castiglione. For visitors exploring Bologna’s cultural landscape, Palazzo d’Accursio makes sense as a first stop — the building’s history mirrors the city’s own, from medieval commune to Renaissance centre to modern capital of Emilia-Romagna.

Bologna is known as la dotta, la grassa, la rossa — the learned, the fat, the red — and all three identities are visible from this building: the university tradition, the food culture of Foodies Delight Food Tour, and the terracotta red of the city’s roofline and political history. For those comparing Modena, Bologna, and Parma as destinations, Palazzo d’Accursio captures what makes Bologna distinct among the three cities of Emilia-Romagna.