Salaborsa is Bologna's main public library, set inside the Palazzo d'Accursio complex on Piazza del Nettuno, a few steps from the Fountain of Neptune. Its centrepiece is the Piazza Coperta, a covered square under an iron-and-glass roof built in the 1880s as a stock exchange hall. Through the glass floor in the middle you look straight down onto the excavated remains of Roman Bononia.
Biblioteca Salaborsa at a glance
- Where: Piazza del Nettuno, in the Palazzo d'Accursio complex, right next to Piazza Maggiore.
- Built: the iron-and-glass hall in the 1880s as a stock exchange; upper galleries added in 1924; opened as a library in 2001.
- By: the iron structure was built by the firm of Alfredo Cottrau with Paolo Boubée; the 1924 galleries are by the engineer Francesco Tassoni.
- What it is today: Bologna's central public library, with a covered square used for exhibitions, a children's library (Salaborsa Ragazzi) and an archaeological area below.
- Time needed: 20–30 minutes, longer if you go down to the excavations.
From botanical garden to stock exchange to library
People have lived on this spot for more than 2,500 years. Under the floor lie traces of Villanovan settlement from the 7th century BC, of Etruscan Felsina and of Roman Bononia, founded in 189 BC, including the remains of a large Roman building, probably a civil basilica. In the Middle Ages the site became part of the city's government palace, and in 1568 the naturalist Ulisse Aldrovandi laid out a botanical garden here, the Orto dei Semplici. It stayed until 1765, when the garden moved to via Irnerio, and the empty lawn was then used for military and fire-brigade drills.
In 1883 a committee of Bolognese businessmen decided to turn the site into a stock exchange, and an iron hall went up over the next three years. The exchange never really took off, and the building kept changing roles: it housed a canteen, a savings bank and a tourist office, gained its upper galleries in 1924 and, after the Second World War, became a sports hall where basketball games and boxing matches were held. Excavations during the restoration uncovered the layers underneath, and Salaborsa opened as a library in 2001.
What to look for
- The glass floor in the middle of the Piazza Coperta: stand on it and look down at the Roman and later remains.
- The iron-and-glass roof and slender metal structure of the 1880s exchange hall, which floods the covered square with daylight.
- The upper galleries of 1924, from which you can look down onto the whole square and its glass floor.
- The archaeological area in the basement, where a walkway leads among the excavated remains, with panels explaining the different layers.
- Outside, on the wall of Palazzo d'Accursio beside the entrance, the memorial to the partisans killed in the Second World War, covered with their photographs.
Tips for your visit
- The library is open to everyone, so you can walk in just to see the covered square, but keep your voice down in the reading areas.
- For the best view of the glass floor, go up to the galleries and look down.
- On a rainy day the Piazza Coperta is a good refuge between Piazza Maggiore and the shopping streets.
Nearby
- Fountain of Neptune: the bronze Neptune by Giambologna, made in the 1560s, right outside the entrance.
- Piazza Maggiore and the Basilica of San Petronio: Bologna's main square and its huge church with an unfinished façade.
- Palazzo d'Accursio: the town hall itself, with the municipal art collections on its upper floors.
- Two Towers: the Asinelli and Garisenda towers, about ten minutes' walk away. The Garisenda has been fenced off for stabilisation works since 2023 and the Asinelli tower cannot be climbed for now; check before you go.
See Bologna with World City Trail
Our Bologna scavenger hunt turns the old town into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops and takes around 2 hours, with about 33 minutes of walking. The Biblioteca Salaborsa is one of the stops, along with the Two Towers.
If you prefer a different format, there is also a self-guided walking tour and an outdoor escape game in Bologna.
Play the Bologna scavenger hunt →
Take the self-guided walking tour of Bologna →
Play the outdoor escape game in Bologna →
Facts checked in October 2026.