Case Beccadelli Bovi

Formerly belonging to the Beccadelli family before passing on to the Bovio or Bovi families, the building at no. 17 features a portico with an intricate twisted column design, dating back to the mid-15th century. It recalls the technique of Fieravante Fieravanti, creator of the façade of the current Town Hall. It is also one of the few remaining examples of the "murelli", which are small low walls from which the columns emerge. They serve not only as seats, but also as protection from the dirt on the road.
The adjacent building (no. 15), owned by the Bovio family since 1796, is renowned for the abnormal shape of the front portico. Considered to be "barbarian style" by the Bolognese historian Guidicini, the façade calls to mind a triumphal arch, on which the windows of the noble floor rest.
The great historian of architecture Bruno Zevi attributed it to Biagio Rossetti (who died in 1516), but the dating of this anomalous façade has recently been shifted to a period after the 1520s, given the similarities with other buildings in Bologna from the same period.