Facilities

Its headquarters are located in Palazzo Hercolani in Bologna, a sumptuous late 18th-century residence with a grand Baroque staircase decorated with sculptural groups of mythological figures by Giacomo De Maria, with the Apotheosis of Hercules by Filippo Pedrini on the ceiling above. The famous Boschereccia room by Rodolfo Fantuzzi was painted in 1810 on the curved walls of the magnificent, simulated winter garden, in keeping with the natural park outside, which is one of the most beautiful urban gardens in Bologna, inspired by the great European parks of the time. Today, it is a place of study and conviviality. We owe to Pedrini and the decorator Familion Minozzi the allegory of Apollo and the Hours in the main hall, dedicated to the memory of Roberto Ruffilli. The beautiful frescoes in the other rooms, including that of the Zodiac, were created by the best artists of the time, such as Antonio Basoli, Gaetano Caponeri, Vincenzo Armani and David Zanotti, who also painted two rooms decorated in the Chinese style. The room dedicated alla Fama e al Genio Umano (to fame and to man’s genius) is the meeting place of the Department. The Nicola Matteucci library, recently renovated according to the open-shelf system, is located on the ground floor.

The administrative offices are located in Strada Maggiore 45 and Via Dei Bersaglieri 6c, in Bologna.

The department boasts the largest Organizational Unit of the university’s Romagna campuses. In Forlì, the department upholds the traditions from the International Relations and Diplomatic Affairs programme founded in 1989 by Angelo Panebianco and then briefly developed into the second department, named after Roberto Ruffilli. The Forlì Campus is located in the pavilion complex of the former Morgagni hospital, named after the famous 18th-century doctor. A remarkable example of early 20th century avant-garde, the Morgagni building consists of seven pavilions, completed in 1915 also with funds acquired when it went public after Aurelio Saffi's death (1890). Located in a city park built at the end of the 1930s and embellished with more than 700 impressive tree specimens, today the campus also includes the Teaching Hub, a multifunctional building with a distinctive innovative character, purposely anti-hierarchical, built by Schüco Italia in 2015 following an international tender and it is one of the most interesting buildings of its kind.

In Forlì, the Local Organizational Unit, located in Via Giacomo della Torre 1, is a reference point for professors and researchers for teaching and research activities and is responsible for coordination activities.

Forlì UOS of the Department of Political and Social Science. Head of the Unit: Professor Marco Balboni