“We order that all those under the jurisdiction of the municipality of Bologna having houses and buildable areas without porticoes in the city and in the suburban hamlets, in places where it is customary for them to be, are required to have the portico built if there is none, each in their street front; if the portico already exists, they must perform maintenance at their expense perpetually” (From the Statutes of 1288).
Starting from the medieval "overhangs" up to the contemporary ones that continue to be built in the suburbs, porticoes are intertwined with the city’s history, and they make up its literature, cinema and music. The Salaborsa Library has put together a valuable bibliography on the porticoes
The initial citation is taken from Francesca Bocchi, Bologna e i suoi portici, Bologna, Grafis, 1997, page 38