Michelangelo and Bologna
Palazzo Fava
Via Manzoni 2, Bologna
From November 14th, 2025, until February 15th, 2026
From November 14, 2025, to February 15, 2026, Palazzo Fava will host Michelangelo and Bologna, a major exhibition celebrating the 550th anniversary of Michelangelo Buonarroti’s birth. Promoted by the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio in Bologna as part of the Genus Bononiae cultural project and produced by Opera Laboratori, the exhibition is curated by Cristina Acidini, President of the Fondazione Casa Buonarroti and the Accademia delle Arti del Disegno, and Alessandro Cecchi, Director of the Fondazione Casa Buonarroti.
The exhibition offers a unique insight into Michelangelo’s relationship with the city of Bologna, focusing on the periods he spent there that shaped his artistic development and career. It opens in Florence, with early works such as the Madonna della Scala and a selection of rare drawings, and continues through 1494, when the young sculptor — who had taken refuge in Bologna after the expulsion of the Medici — received the commission for the Arca di San Domenico. The statues of Saint Proculus, Saint Petronius, and the Angel Holding a Candlestick reveal both his precocious maturity and the influence of Emilian sculpture on his evolving style.
The exhibition also recreates the Bologna of the Bentivoglio family, a vibrant cultural center between the 15th and 16th centuries, and highlights Michelangelo’s second stay (1506–1508), when he was summoned by Pope Julius II to create the colossal bronze statue of the pontiff for San Petronio — now lost. Letters, documents, and an original drawing for the tomb of Julius II complete this compelling narrative.
Works by Ercole de’ Roberti, Francesco Francia, Lorenzo Costa, and Amico Aspertini will also be on display, illustrating the rich and dynamic artistic environment of the period.
A program of educational activities and two special “Musical Frescoes” concerts, organized in collaboration with the Fondazione Musica Insieme, will accompany the exhibition. The initiative aims to reveal a more intimate and “poetic” side of Michelangelo and his dialogue with Bologna — a pivotal crossroads of the Renaissance.
Via Manzoni 2, Bologna
From Tuesday to Sunday
10 AM - 7 PM (last entry 6 PM)
+39 055 29 89 818 (for information and bookings)
+39 051 19936305 (museum reception)
Bus stop Indipendenza 11 A-B-C, 27 A-B-C, 28
NAVETTA B (da Parcheggio Tanari).
BLQ (from G. Marconi Airport)
For information on parking and restricted traffic zones, consult the dedicated page on the website of the Municipality of Bologna.
Biglietto open | € 15
(no date required)
Full ticket | € 14
Reduced ticket | € 10
75 years old and over (with ID)
Ticket from others Genus Bononiae museums
Law enforcement
agencies
Journalists with the National Order regular card
Abbonati annuali e
dipendenti Tper
Card Cultura
Bologna Welcome Card
FAI
Re-Use with Love
associates
Groups min. 10 persons with a reservation
Disability visitor’s companion
Bartolomeo Cesi ticket
Casa Buonarroti (Firenze (ticket)
University students with ID (up to 26 y.
o.)
6-18 years old
Ticket for University students | € 7
University students up to 26 yars old
with ID only on Tuesdays
Reduced schools | € 5
School groups (+€1 for reservation and
pre-sale)
Free
Children up to 5 years old
People with disabilities
Tour
leaders
Journalists with the National Order regular card writing to stampa.comunicazione@genusbononiae.it
Group
Leader (one person)
Teachers with students (2 for each school group)
ICOM
Reservation and pre-sale fees: Group and individual rates €1 per person