Palazzo Re Enzo (King Enzo Palace), Bologna

King Enzo Palace forms part of Bologna’s medieval civic complex between Main Square and Neptune Square. Built between 1244 and 1246 as an extension of the municipal buildings, it was originally known as the “New Palace.”

The palace owes its name to Enzo of Sardinia, a son of Emperor Frederick II. Captured by Bolognese forces at the Battle of Fossalta in 1249, he spent the remaining years of his life here, dying in 1272. His long imprisonment inspired several legends. One claims that he moved relatively freely through the palace by day but was confined at night in a cage suspended from the ceiling. Another tells of his affair with a peasant woman, Lucia di Viadagola, who supposedly bore him a son named Bentivoglio—the legendary ancestor of the family that later dominated Bologna’s government.

Visitors can admire the palace’s warm brick façade, crenellated roofline, pointed arches, and large historic halls. Enter from Neptune Square into the central courtyard, which reveals the medieval sandstone well positioned at the center, flanked to the north by the covered 15th-century staircase reconstructed during the early 1900s. Peek along the southern side of this same court to locate the entrance to the Chapel of Saint Mary of the Prisoners, the historic site where condemned prisoners offered their final prayers. Heading up the covered stone staircase leads directly into the expansive upper chambers: the vast, brick-vaulted Hall of the Podesta and the wooden-trussed Hall of King Enzo, where the king was held captive.

Over the centuries, the building also housed government offices, military equipment, prisons, council meetings, and the municipal archive. Today, it is mainly used for exhibitions, conferences, and cultural events and is generally accessible only during scheduled events, guided tours, or special openings.