Walk on glass over Villanovan huts and Roman Bononia
Photo: Holiplanet · © Holiplanet (licensed to Holiplanet)
Why go
The covered square was built between 1883 and 1886 as a commodities exchange, on the site of the botanical garden that Ulisse Aldrovandi had laid out in 1568. Filippo Buriani drew up the design and the iron-construction firm of Alfredo Cottrau built it. Rebuilt on two floors, it was inaugurated again on 17 July 1926. Since December 2001 it has been the home of Salaborsa, and in 2016 the covered square was named after Umberto Eco.
The real surprise is underfoot. Excavations from 1989 uncovered the ancient city, and today a crystal floor lets you look down on Villanovan huts of the 7th century BC, traces of Etruscan Felsina and Roman Bononia, the foundations of a Roman civil basilica, an Augustan road surface, wells, a medieval tower-house wall and the star-shaped basin of the old garden. Look down first, then go below to walk among the ruins.
Highlights
About 400 square metres of crystal floor cover the excavated area of the covered square. Through it you see Bologna layer upon layer: Villanovan huts from the 7th century BC, Etruscan Felsina, Roman Bononia, founded in 189 BC, an Augustan-era road surface, three unlined wells, a medieval house-tower wall and the Renaissance cistern by Terribilia.
Go down to walk among the remains: the civil basilica of Roman Bononia, dated to the 2nd century BC, the foundations of medieval houses from the Palazzo d'Accursio area and 16th-century traces of Ulisse Aldrovandi's botanical garden. Entry is pay-what-you-wish, with up to 20 people inside at a time, and the area is not accessible to wheelchair users.
Look up from the floor to the four-slope metal roof and the skylight that lights the central nave; iron runs through the whole design, down to its decorative details. The upper galleries were added from 1924, when engineer Francesco Tassoni began building the second and third levels, and the rebuilt hall was inaugurated on 17 July 1926.
Below the covered square, two underground halls keep their stucco decoration and Liberty-style paintings, traditionally attributed to the architect Edoardo Collamarini, although the attribution remains uncertain. They recall that this was built as a place of business: works on the exchange went on until 1930, when the old Renaissance cistern was turned into a bank vault.
Practical information
From the official website:
Library: Monday 14:00–20:00; Tuesday 9:00–20:00; Wednesday 9:00–24:00; Thursday and Friday 9:00–20:00; Saturday 9:00–19:00; Sunday closed. Last entry to the building 15 minutes before closing. The Wednesday opening until midnight runs from 21 October 2026 to 26 May 2027. Closed on national holidays and on 4 October (San Petronio); reduced hours 9:00–14:00 on Easter Eve, Christmas Eve and 31 December. Excavations: Monday 14:00–19:00, Tuesday to Saturday 9:00–19:00, last entry 15 minutes before closing.
Excavations: pay-what-you-wish (offerta libera), maximum 20 people at a time; not accessible to wheelchair users. Guided visits with the librarians must be booked. The official hours page lists no admission charge for the library.
Checked on the official sources in November 2026. Hours can change on holidays: check the official website before you go.
Getting there
Salaborsa opens onto Piazza del Nettuno, beside Piazza Maggiore and the Fountain of Neptune, in the pedestrian heart of the historic centre.
TPER city buses serve the edge of the historic centre. Plan your route with TPER's journey planner and buy tickets in TPER's official ROGER app.
The historic centre is a camera-controlled limited-traffic zone (ZTL). Leave the car in a car park outside the centre and walk in, or ask your hotel how access works.
The archaeological excavations are not accessible to wheelchair users.
Insider tips
Before you head downstairs, walk slowly across the crystal floor of the covered square and try to pick out the layers: the Roman basilica foundations, the wells, the Terribilia cistern and the star-shaped basin of Aldrovandi's old garden.
The excavations close at 19:00, with last entry a quarter of an hour earlier, and only 20 people can be inside at once. On Mondays they open only at 14:00, so a morning visit from Tuesday to Saturday is the easiest option.
From 21 October 2026 to 26 May 2027 Salaborsa stays open until midnight every Wednesday, with loans, study rooms, reading areas, vinyl listening rooms and video stations. It is a quiet way to see the covered square after dark.
The library is closed on Sundays, on national holidays and on 4 October, the feast of San Petronio, and it closes at 14:00 on Easter Eve, Christmas Eve and 31 December. Check the official hours page before you plan.
In the centre
Historic-centre restaurants and hotels from the Bologna City Guide, each with its own Holiplanet page.
Historic restaurant
Tortellini in brodo and lasagne verdi since 1909
Discover more →Traditional restaurant
Handmade tortellini and tagliatelle in Bologna since 1948
Discover more →Chef's restaurant
Mario Ferrara's Lucanian-rooted cooking in a 1600s convent
Discover more →Wine bar / osteria
Wine osteria since 1465: bring your own food
Discover more →Hotel
Romantic 3-star hotel in the ancient Quadrilatero
View hotel →Boutique hotel
12th-century building facing San Petronio's Gothic windows
View hotel →Unique stay
Sleep inside a 12th-century tower, sixty metres above Bologna
View hotel →All restaurants on the Bologna map → All hotels on the Bologna map →
Questions
Salaborsa is Bologna's civic multimedia library, and its official hours page lists no admission charge for the building. The archaeological excavations beneath the covered square are visited on a pay-what-you-wish basis, with a maximum of 20 people inside at a time. Guided visits with the librarians must be booked in advance.
The crystal floor, about 400 square metres, shows Villanovan huts from the 7th century BC, traces of Etruscan Felsina and Roman Bononia, the foundations of a Roman civil basilica, an Augustan road surface, three wells, a medieval house-tower wall, the Renaissance cistern by Terribilia and the basin of the old botanical garden.
The library opens Monday 14:00–20:00, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 9:00–20:00, Wednesday 9:00–24:00 until 26 May 2027 and Saturday 9:00–19:00. It is closed on Sundays, national holidays and 4 October. Last entry is always 15 minutes before closing time, and on Easter Eve, Christmas Eve and 31 December it closes at 14:00.
Yes. The excavations under the covered square open Monday 14:00–19:00 and Tuesday to Saturday 9:00–19:00, with last entry 15 minutes before closing. Entry is pay-what-you-wish, for up to 20 people at a time, and the area is not accessible to wheelchair users. Guided visits with librarians are bookable.
It was built as a commodities exchange: the city council approved it in 1883 and it was finished in 1886, on the site of Ulisse Aldrovandi's botanical garden. The exchange worked until 1903. Rebuilt on two floors, it reopened in July 1926, and the covered square has belonged to the library since 2001.
