Frescoes by the Collegio, Bologna

Via Saragozza, near Palazzo Albergati and the Collegio di Spagna, Bologna, Bologna, Italy

Piancastelli Frescoes160 m² AtticTop Floor with Lift

€695,000

2 bedrooms · 2 bathrooms · 131 m² interior

Why We Selected It

Frescoes by the Collegio, Bologna, context detail

Via Saragozza runs south-west out of Piazza Maggiore under one of Bologna's longest porticoes, straight to the Arco del Meloncello and the basilica of San Luca. The palazzo here holds only eight apartments, and this one sits on the second and top floor, reached by a lift — rare for a building of this age. What sets it apart is the decoration: the entrance hall, the staircase and the cellar all carry frescoes and relief plaques by Giovanni Piancastelli, the 18th-century Bolognese painter whose work also fills nearby Palazzo Albergati. Unlike the Strada Maggiore apartment, this building is free of Belle Arti constraints, so the 160 m² attic above is genuinely recoverable — a terrace, a further room, or simply volume held in reserve. The living room is frescoed along one whole wall; the master bedroom has two windows and a double wardrobe cabin; the second room is quiet and adjoins one of the two bathrooms.

The Home

Frescoes by the Collegio, Bologna, interior detail

Second- and top-floor apartment with a 160 m² attic inside a noble palazzo frescoed by Giovanni Piancastelli · Excellent — air-conditioned, autonomous utilities, lift to the top floor; no Belle Arti constraints

One hundred and thirty-one square metres on the second and top floor of a noble palazzo a few steps from Palazzo Albergati, frescoed by Giovanni Piancastelli. A living room frescoed along an entire wall, a separate kitchen, a double-aspect master bedroom and a quiet second room; two bathrooms, one with a bath and one with a shower. Above it, a 160 m² attic to recover — and below, an art-filled cellar. €695,000.

Around 131 m² on the second and top floor of an eight-unit noble palazzo a few steps from Palazzo Albergati, reached by a lift — no Belle Arti constraints apply.
Living room frescoed along an entire wall by Giovanni Piancastelli, paired with a separate, modern and functional kitchen.
A well-laid corridor leads to the night area: a double-aspect master bedroom with two windows and a double wardrobe cabin, and a second, discreet and quiet bedroom.
Two bathrooms, both finished in parquet — one with a bath, one with a shower; one is windowed.
Above the apartment, a 160 m² attic to recover and personalise, with room for a possible loggia terrace.
A particular cellar, frescoed with further Piancastelli works of art; autonomous utilities and air conditioning throughout.

Life Here

The street

Via Saragozza and its portico — one of Bologna's longest covered walks, running from the centre to the Arco del Meloncello and the basilica of San Luca.

Around it

Palazzo Albergati, the Collegio di Spagna and the entrance to the Giardini Margherita are a short walk away; Piazza Maggiore and the Two Towers are ten minutes on foot.

The city

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

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 finished, air-conditioned apartment of 131 m² on the top floor of a small noble palazzo, frescoed by Piancastelli, with a lift and a 160 m² attic held in reserve — at €695,000. The rare combination: historic art on the walls, and freedom to expand above.

Ownership case

No Belle Arti constraint means the attic is recoverable, which is where the real upside sits — 160 m² of headroom that a protected building could never offer. Eight-unit palazzi on Via Saragozza rarely come to market, and Piancastelli's frescoes tie the value of this apartment to that of Palazzo Albergati next door.

What makes it special

A living room frescoed along an entire wall, an art-filled cellar, and a 160 m² attic overhead — a building you read as much as live in, with room still to write yourself into.

Best suited for

A buyer who wants a finished, lift-served city apartment inside a piece of Bolognese art history, with the option to expand into the attic rather than settle for what is already there.