A Habitable Work of Art, Bologna

Strada Maggiore 62, near the Basilica dei Servi, Bologna, Bologna, Italy

7.5 m CeilingsFrescoed Coffered CeilingBelle Arti Protected

€520,000

2 bedrooms · 1 bathrooms · 120 m² interior

Why We Selected It

A Habitable Work of Art, Bologna, context detail

Bologna's Strada Maggiore is one of the great streets of the Italian historic centre — the portico of the Basilica dei Servi runs for almost its whole length, and it has carried foot traffic from the university quarter to the centre for eight centuries. The building here is bound by the Soprintendenza delle Belle Arti, which means its frescoed ceilings, its coffered hexagonal cassettoni and its monumental staircase cannot be touched. Most buyers would have to fight to keep a place like this standing; this one has already been restored — important and particular — so what remains is simply to live inside it. Volumes of seven and a half metres are almost unheard of in a city apartment, and the double-height salon turns one hundred and twenty square metres into something that feels far larger.

The Home

A Habitable Work of Art, Bologna, interior detail

Second-floor apartment with a double-height salon inside a Belle Arti-protected historic building · Excellent — important and finely restored; autonomous heating, air conditioning, systems renewed

One hundred and twenty square metres on the second floor of a historic building under Belle Arti protection, beside the Basilica dei Servi on Strada Maggiore. A double-height salon of sixty-five square metres, frescoed hexagonal coffered ceilings, a mezzanine bedroom and seven-and-a-half-metre volumes. €520,000 plus VAT.

Around 120 m² on the second floor, without a lift, inside a Belle Arti-protected historic building beside the Basilica dei Servi.
Entrance directly onto a triple salon of about 65 m² at double height, with ceilings rising to 7.5 metres.
The ceiling: hexagonal coffered cassettoni frescoed with period decorations and rosettes, perfectly preserved under Soprintendenza protection.
An open kitchen within the salon, and a large mezzanine bedroom of about 36 m² set above part of the space.
A generous wardrobe or second bedroom of about 17 m², a bathroom and a laundry.
Autonomous heating and air conditioning throughout; systems renewed during the restoration.
A habitable work of art — the frescoes and volumes are the point, restored rather than renovated away.

Life Here

The street

Strada Maggiore and the portico of the Basilica dei Servi — one of the longest, most beautiful covered walks in Bologna, leading straight into the centre.

The city

Forty kilometres of porticoes, the oldest university in Europe, and the food capital of Italy at street level, all year round.

Around it

Piazza Maggiore, the Two Towers and the Santo Stefano complex are a short walk away; the university quarter begins just up the street.

Getting around

Bologna Centrale reaches Florence and Milan in around 35 minutes and Rome under two hours; Marconi airport is 20 minutes from the centre.

Our Perspective

Why it works

A restored, air-conditioned apartment with 7.5 m volumes and a frescoed double-height salon, on Strada Maggiore beside the Basilica dei Servi, at €520,000 plus VAT for 120 m². The hard part — the Belle Arti restoration — is already done.

Ownership case

Belle Arti-protected buildings are a closed and shrinking set: the Soprintendenza fixes what can and cannot change, so restored apartments inside them are scarce and hold their character regardless of the market cycle. Bologna's centre is occupied year-round by students and professionals rather than only in a tourist season.

What makes it special

The seven-and-a-half-metre ceilings and the frescoed hexagonal coffers above the double-height salon — a room you would more expect to find in a museum than in a home you can actually buy.

Best suited for

Someone who wants to live inside a piece of Italian art history, in a finished and serviced apartment, as a singular city residence or a long-term holding in one of Italy's most liveable centres.