Castello di Galliera

The Castello di Galliera was a formidable papal fortress built in the 1330s to assert Roman control over the independent city of Bologna.

The ruins are most famous for their turbulent history.

The fed-up Bolognese citizens revolted and destroyed the castle, protesting against the papal legates five separate times between its initial construction and its final dismantlement in 1511.

The fortification was originally constructed between 1331 and 1332 by Cardinal Legate Bertrando del Poggetto. The first revolt occurred only a few years later in 1334.

The Castello di Galliera has been known by several names: Galliera Castle, Rocca di Galliera, and Ròca ed Galîra in Bolognese. Almost as many as the number of reconstructions it has undergone!

Legend has it that the elevation on which the Montagnola park stands, right next to the ruins, is due to the rubble accumulated in the successive destructions and reconstructions of the castle!

Today, some ruins remain, clearly visible, next to the steps of the Montagnola park.