Pinacoteca Nazionale (National Art Gallery), Bologna (must see)

Just north of Palazzo Poggi lies the National Art Gallery of Bologna, a prestigious cultural institution renowned as the city's finest repository of artistic treasures. Established during the Napoleonic era, it showcases an impressive collection of paintings sourced from demolished or decommissioned churches. Despite Napoleon's penchant for plundering, many of the most exceptional works were reclaimed by Bologna in 1815. Spanning from the Middle Ages to the 18th century, the gallery traces the evolution of Bolognese and Emilian art, while also featuring pieces by artists hailing from Florence, Tuscany, and other regions, highlighting their influence on local artistry.

The journey through the gallery commences with works by Bolognese artists of the 14th century, including the dynamic and vividly colored "Saint George and the Dragon" (c.1335) by Vitale da Bologna. While rooted in Byzantine-influenced Gothic style, this dramatic portrayal exhibits the realism and emotiveness characteristic of Bolognese art from the Trecento period. Other notable masterpieces capturing visitors' attention include Giotto's radiant polyptych, "Madonna and Child with Saints", prominently displayed in Room 3 as one of only three panel paintings in the world bearing the artist's signature, and Raphael's "Santa Cecilia" (c.1515) in Room 15. This late altarpiece depicts the ecstatic vision of the early Christian martyr and patron saint of music, surrounded by angels and saints, including Mary Magdalene. It was originally commissioned for a chapel dedicated to the saint in Bologna's Augustinian Church of San Giovanni in Monte; from the same church came Parmigianino's "Madonna and Child with Saints" (c.1530), positioned opposite Raphael's masterpiece.