Villa Aldini
Erected on Colle dell'Osservanza, a destination for the healthy walks of the Bolognese, Villa Aldini was built from 1811 onwards at the behest of Count Antonio Aldini, a minister in the republican government who wanted to pay homage to Napoleon, who was passing through the city in 1805.
The architect of this imposing Napoleonic-era villa and its neoclassical façade, which can even be seen from certain streets in the city centre, was Giovanni Battista Martinetti. Martinetti was known in Bologna for being philonapoleonic, but perhaps even more so because of his wife Cornelia and her lively salon set up inside their home in Via San Vitale. Their house stood near the church of Santi Vitale ed Agricola in Arena, expropriated at the time of Napoleon and converted by Martinetti himself into a manor house.
Currently, the Villa Aldini complex cannot be visited except on special occasions, as it is undergoing a restoration project that will lead it to host a school and a series of artistic and cultural events.
The original core of the villa. The Church of the Madonna del Monte
Before hosting Villa Aldini, there was an ancient Romanesque church on the Osservanza hill, most likely dating back to the end of the 12th century and commissioned by a Bolognese noblewoman who wanted to make it a women's retreat. The
church of Madonna del Monte, also known as the "Rotonda" due to its circular shape, was later incorporated into the villa, and its rooms were used as reception rooms or dining rooms on the occasion of illustrious visits.
In the 1930s, the ancient place of worship was restored by Professor Zucchini, who, with the aim of shedding light on the structure's original appearance, discovered a series of Romanesque frescoes of great interest, some of the few examples of Romanesque wall paintings in Bologna.
The interior of Villa Aldini
While the exteriors of Villa Aldini are striking for their beautiful neoclassical façade and the
panoramic terrace with a view of Bologna, the interiors are more humble as they were never finished.
The author of the
frescoes covering the interior walls is Felice Giani, a well-known exponent of the Italian neoclassical school. Giani was a pupil of the Bibiena, famous Bolognese artists to whom we owe the construction of the Municipal Theatre, and was particularly distinguished for the decoration of Faenza's Palazzo Milzetti, executed in the early 19th century.
Inside the villa there are also 19 niches, also frescoed with representations of the apostles and the Virgin. It is also believed that above the altar of the ancient church was a panel depicting the Madonna of Simone dei Crocifissi, now visible in the Church of San Salvatore in Via Cesare Battisti.
