List of personalities of the city of Bologna

This list contains personalities born in Bologna as well as those who worked in Bologna but were born elsewhere. The list does not claim to be complete.

Personalities born in Bologna

Niccolò Albergati

Alessandro Achillini

Innocent IX.

Lavinia Fontana

Gregory XV.

Francesco Albani

Elisabetta Sirani

Francesco Maria Grimaldi

Pope Benedict XIV.

Giovanni Battista Martini

Laura Bassi

Luigi Galvani

Giuseppe Mezzofanti

Guglielmo Marconi

Ottorino Respighi

Anteo Zamboni

Gabriele Mandel

Leonardo Cremonini

Valerio Adami

Lucio Dalla

Gianfranco Fini

Pierluigi Collina

Alberto Tomba

Christian Vieri

Sara Errani

Until 1500

Tankred of Bologna (around 1185–1234 / 36), medieval lawyer
Guido Faba (before 1190 - after 1248), teacher
Guido Guinizelli (around 1230 - around 1276), poet
Mondino dei Luzzi (around 1275–1326), anatomist
Vitale da Bologna (1308–1360 / 61), painter
Andrea de 'Bartoli (1349-1369), painter
Andrea dei Bruni (1355–1377), painter
Niccolò Albergati (around 1375–1443), cardinal and diplomat
Catherine of Bologna (1413–1463), Poor Clare and founder of a monastery, as well as a mystic and painter
Aristotele Fioravanti (around 1415 - around 1486), architect and builder
Giovanni Garzoni (1419–1505), humanist, rhetorician and teacher
Giovanni II Bentivoglio (1443–1508), nobleman
Francesco Francia (1447–1517), Renaissance painter, goldsmith and sculptor
Francesco Griffo (1450–1518), type caster, die cutter, type designer, book printer and is considered to be the inventor of italics
Achille Grassi (1456–1523), cardinal of the Catholic Church
Alessandro Achillini (1463–1512), philosopher and doctor
Scipione del Ferro (1465–1526), mathematician
Giovanni Filoteo Achillini (1466–1538), scholar and poet
Ludovico de Varthema (1470–1517), writer and explorer
Filippo Beroaldo the Younger (1472–1518), philologist, poet and librarian
Sebastiano Serlio (1475 - around 1554), architect and architectural theorist
Leandro Alberti (1479–?), Dominican and historian
Properzia de 'Rossi (around 1490–1540), sculptor
Tommaso Vincidor (1493–1536), painter and architect

16th Century

Gregory XIII. (1502–1585), Pope
Alessandro Campeggi (1504–1554), cardinal
Francesco De Marchi (1504–1576), courtier, architect, engineer and author
Francesco Primaticcio (1504–1570), painter, sculptor and architect
Prospero Fontana (1512–1597), painter
Domenico Ferrabosco (1513–1574), singer, conductor and composer
Innocent IX. (1519–1591), Pope
Carlo Grassi (1520–1571), cardinal
Ulisse Aldrovandi (1522–1605), doctor and naturalist
Lodovico Ferrari (1522–1565), mathematician
Gabriele Paleotti (1522–1597), cardinal
Rafael Bombelli (1526–1572), engineer and mathematician
Bartolomeo Passarotti (1529–1592), painter and etcher
Giulio Cesare Aranzi (1530–1589), anatomist
Carlo Ruini (1530-1598), author
Filippo Azzaiolo (around 1535 -?), Singer and composer
Giovanni Piero Manenti (around 1535–1597), composer
Ghinolfo Dattari (around 1537 - around 1617), singer and composer
Filippo Sega (1537–1596), bishop and cardinal
Giovanni Artusi (around 1540–1613), music theorist, composer and writer
Filippo Guastavillani (1541–1587), cardinal
Alessandro Riario (1543–1585), cardinal
Gaspare Tagliacozzi (1546–1599), surgeon and anatomist
Pietro Cataldi (1548–1626), mathematician
Cesare Aretusi (1549-1612), painter
Matthia Ferrabosco (1550–1616), composer and singer
Lavinia Fontana (1552-1614), painter
Gregory XV. (1554-1623), Pope
Girolamo Agucchi (1555-1605), cardinal
Lodovico Carracci (1555–1619), painter
Giulio Cesare Gabussi (around 1555–1632), conductor and composer
Antonio Albergati (1566–1634), Bishop of Bisceglie
Agostino Carracci (1557–1602), painter and engraver
Baldassare Croce (1558–1628), painter
Annibale Carracci (around 1560–1609), painter and engraver
Berlinghiero Gessi (1563–1639), Bishop of Rimini and cardinal
Giuseppe Biancani (1566–1624), clergyman, astronomer and mathematician
Alessandro Piccinini (1566–1628), lutenist, theorbo player and composer
Girolamo Giacobbi (1567–1629), cantor, conductor and composer
Adriano Banchieri (1568–1634), Benedictine monk, organist and composer
Giovanni Battista Agucchi (1570–1632), bishop, diplomat and writer
Claudio Achillini (1574–1640), philosopher, theologian, lawyer, mathematician, poet and librettist
Francesco Albani (1578–1660), painter
Mario Bettini (1582–1657), Jesuit, astronomer and mathematician
Francesco Gessi (1588–1649), painter
Lucrezia Orsina Vizzana (1590–1662), composer
Francesco Carracci (1595–1622), painter, draftsman and engraver
Ludovico Ludovisi (1595–1632), archbishop and cardinal
Bartolomeo Montalbano (around 1595–?), Composer and conductor
Alessandro Algardi (1598–1654), sculptor and builder

17th century

Niccolò Albergati-Ludovisi (1608–1687), Archbishop of Bologna and Cardinal
Cesare Facchinetti (1608–1683), cardinal of the Catholic Church
Giovanni Andrea Sirani (1610–1670), painter
Lorenzo Penna (1613–1693), composer and music theorist
Giovanni Maria Galli da Bibiena (1618–1665), painter
Ginevra Cantofoli (1618–1672), painter
Francesco Maria Grimaldi (1618–1663), physicist and mathematician
Giulio Cesare Arresti (1619–1701), organist and composer
Angelo Maria Ranuzzi (1626–1689), Bishop of Fano, Archbishop of Bologna and Cardinal
Agostino Barelli (1627 – around 1687), architect and builder
Carlo Cignani (1628–1719), painter
Giuseppe Felice Tosi (1628–1693), organist, conductor and composer
Niccolò Pietro Bargellini (1630–1694), papal diplomat, Patriarch of Jerusalem
Albert von Caprara (around 1630–?), Austrian general and diplomat
Äneas Sylvius Caprara (1631–1701), Austrian field marshal
Giovanni Battista Vitali (1632–1692), composer and conductor
Giovanni Paolo Colonna (1637–1695), organist, conductor and composer
Elisabetta Sirani (1638–1665), painter and engraver
Pietro degli Antonii (1639–1720), composer and conductor
Giovanni Battista Rogeri (around 1642 - around 1710), violin maker
Bartolomeo Laurenti (around 1644–1726), violinist and composer
Giorgio Buoni (1647–?), Composer and music teacher
Petronio Franceschini (1651–1680), composer and cellist
Domenico Gabrielli (1651–1690), cellist and composer
Domenico Guglielmini (1655–1710), mathematician, chemist and doctor
Ferdinando Galli da Bibiena (1656–1743), scenographer, architect and decorative painter
Giovanni Battista Triumfetti (1656–1708), doctor and botanist
Luigi Ferdinando Marsigli (1658–1730), soldier and scholar
Francesco Galli da Bibiena (1659–1739), scenographer, architect, set designer and decorative painter
Gianantonio Davia (1660–1740), bishop and cardinal
Pirro Albergati (1663–1735), composer
Giuseppe Maria Jacchini (1663–1727), cellist and composer
Tomaso Antonio Vitali (1663–1745), violinist and composer
Giuseppe Maria Crespi (1665–1747), painter and etcher
Attilio Ariosti (1666–1729), composer
Pompeo Aldrovandi (1668–1752), cardinal and bishop
Maria Maddalena Musi (1669–1751), famous opera singer (soprano)
Bartolomeo Bernardi (around 1670–1732), composer and violinist
Giuseppe Aldrovandini (1671–1707), conductor and composer
Antonio Beduzzi (1675–1735), theater engineer, decorative painter and architect
Benedict XIV (1675–1758), Pope
Diamante Maria Scarabelli , called "La Diamantina" (1675–1754), famous opera singer (soprano)
Alessandro Tanara (1680–1754), cardinal
Giuseppe Monti (1682–1760), botanist and natural scientist
Pier Giuseppe Sandoni (1685–1748), composer
Gaetano Fanti (1687–1759), fresco painter
Luca Antonio Predieri (1688–1767), composer and violinist
Antonio Bernacchi (1685–1756), opera singer, former castrato
Giuseppe Antonio Brescianello (around 1690–1758), composer and violinist
Antonio Zaniboni (around 1690–1767), poet, librettist and orator
Antonio Vandini (around 1690–1778), cellist and composer
Lorenzo Gaetano Zavateri (1690–1764), composer and violinist
Vittorio Bigari (1692–1776), painter
Luigi Antinori (around 1697 -?), Opera singer
Gaetano Maria Schiassi (1698–1754), composer and violinist

18th century

Maria Caterina Negri (1704 – after 1744), opera singer (alto)
Giovanni Battista Martini (1706–1784), composer and music theorist
Laura Bassi (1711–1778), university professor of philosophy and physics
Stefano Torelli (1712–1784), painter
Ludwig von Angelelli de Malvezzi (1716–1797), major general
Antonio Maria Mazzoni (1717–1785), composer and singer
Andrea Gioannetti (1722–1800), Archbishop of Bologna
Francesco Antonio Uttini (1723–1795), conductor and composer
Giovanni Battista Caprara (1733-1810), clergyman
Antonio Tozzi (around 1736–?), Opera composer
Luigi Galvani (1737–1798), physician, anatomist and biophysicist
Luigi Borghi (1745–1806), violinist and composer
Alessandro Malvasia (1748-1819), cardinal
Stanislao Mattei (1750–1825), composer, music theorist and music teacher
Antonio Aldini (1755–1826), politician
Vincenzo Righini (1756–1812), composer and singer
Giovanni Aldini (1762–1834), physicist
Giovanni Battista Guglielmini (1763-1817), scientist
Antonio Dall'Occa (1763–1846), double bass virtuoso
Domenico Corsini (1774–1814), Italian-Russian painter
Giuseppe Mezzofanti (1774–1849), cardinal
Pelagio Palagi (1775–1860), painter, sculptor and furniture designer
Adamo Tadolini (1788–1868), sculptor
Elisabetta Manfredini (1790–?), Soprano
Giovanni Niccolò Tanari (1795–1853), Bishop of Faenza, Archbishop of Urbino, Curia Bishop
Carlo Pepoli (1796–1881), poet and librettist
Giuseppe Ferlini (1797–1870), doctor and adventurer
Ludovico Lipparini (1800-1856), painter

19th century

1801 to 1850

Marco Aurelio Zani de Ferranti (1801–1878), guitarist and composer
Gaetano Gaspari (1807–1881), music researcher and librarian
Alessandro Gavazzi (1809-1889), theologian
Marco Minghetti (1818–1886), politician
Timoteo Bertelli (1826–1905), Roman Catholic clergyman, mathematician and geophysicist
Alessandro Busi , composer and music teacher
Gaspare Stanislao Ferrari (1834–1903), mathematician, astronomer and Jesuit
Pietro Respighi (1843-1913), bishop
Angelo Graf von Courten (1848–1925), German painter
Cesare Dall'Olio (1849–1906), composer and music teacher
Augusto Righi (1850–1920), physicist

1851 to 1900

Edgardo Mortara (1851–1940), Augustinian monk
Vittorio Amedeo Ranuzzi de 'Bianchi (1857–1927), Curia Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church
Ettore Bortolotti (1866–1947), mathematician
Giuseppe Dagnini (1866–1928), cardiologist and surgeon
Alessandro De Bosdari (1867–1929), diplomat and ambassador to Germany
Giuseppe Romagnoli (1872–1966), sculptor, engraver and medalist
Roberto Bonola (1874–1911), mathematician
Guglielmo Marconi (1874–1937), researcher, Nobel Prize winner, entrepreneur and wireless telecommunications pioneer
Ettore Bastico (1876–1972), Marshal
Luigi Aldrovandi Marescotti (1876–1945), diplomat
Henri Ponsot (1877–1963), French diplomat
Arrigo Serato (1877–1948), violinist and music teacher
Luigi Federzoni (1878–1967), politician
Ottorino Respighi (1879–1936), composer
Pericle Ducati (1880–1944), classical archaeologist and etrusologist
Giuseppe Domenichelli (1887–1955), Turner
Ottorino Mezzalama (1888–1931), mountaineer
Raffaele Baratta (1889–1973), Archbishop of Perugia
Ezio Corlaita (1889–1967), racing cyclist
Ubaldo Oppi (1889–1942), painter
Amedeo Ruggeri (1889–1932), Italian motorcycle and automobile racing driver
Alda Levi (1890–1950), Classical Archaeologist
Giorgio Morandi (1890–1964), painter and graphic artist
Riccardo Bacchelli (1891–1985), journalist and writer
Franco Giongo (1891–1981), track and field athlete
Parsifal Bassi (1892–1960), actor and director
Angiolo Mazzoni (1894–1979), engineer and architect
Giuseppe Vaccaro (1896–1970), architect
Oreste Biancoli (1897–1971), screenwriter and film director
Nerio Bernardi (1899–1971), actor, drama teacher and voice actor

20th century

1901 to 1925

Gino Cervi (1901–1974), film actor
Carlo Tagliavini (1903–1982), linguist, Romanist, Romanist, Finnougrist, Balkanologist, Albanologist and dialectologist
Cesare Fantoni (1905–1963), actor
Angelo Schiavio (1905–1990), football player
Mario Tadini (1905–1983), entrepreneur and racing car driver
Guglielmo Sandri (1906–1961), automobile and motorcycle racing driver
Gian Paolo Callegari (1909–1982), playwright, screenwriter and film director
Gabriele Salviati (1910–1987), track and field athlete
Luciano Sgrizzi (born October 30, 1910 in Bologna, † September 11, 1994 in Monte Carlo ), composer, pianist and organist at the Italian Swiss Radio; In 1961 he founded the Società cameristica di Lugano with Edwin Löhrer

Luciano Minguzzi (1911-2004), sculptor

Francesco Molinari-Pradelli (1911–1996), opera conductor

Anteo Zamboni (1911-1926), anarchist

Guido Morselli (1912–1973), novelist

Silvio Bagolini (1914–1976), actor

Amedeo Biavati (1915–1979), football player

Claudia Testoni (1915-1998), track and field athlete

Giorgio Bassani (1916–2000), writer and poet

Rossano Brazzi (1916–1994), actor

Trebisonda Valla (1916-2006), athlete

Oscar Brazzi (1918–1998), filmmaker

Guido Fantoni (1919–1974), wrestler

Lucia Mannucci (1920–2012), singer and actress

Mario Fantin (1921–1980), mountaineer, author and documentary filmmaker

Aldo Gordini (1921–1995), racing car driver

Pier Paolo Pasolini (1922–1975), film director, poet and publicist

Daniele Vargas (1922–1992), actor

Luciano Damiani (1923–2007), stage and costume designer and director

Gianni Raimondi (1923–2008), opera tenor

Tullio Altamura (born 1924), actor

Gabriele Mandel (1924–2010), psychologist, writer and artist

Leonardo Cremonini (1925-2010), painter

Guido Fanti (1925–2012), politician

1926 to 1950

Paolo Cavara (1926–1982), film director and screenwriter
Valerio Zurlini (1926–1982), film director and screenwriter
Laura Betti (1927-2004), actress
Giuseppe D'Agata (1927–2011), journalist and writer
Clementino Bonfiglioli (1928-2010), entrepreneur
Ennio Mattarelli (* 1928), marksman
Carlo Pedretti (1928–2018), art historian
Luigi Ferdinando Tagliavini (1929–2017), organist, harpsichordist and musicologist
Vincenzo Zarri (* 1929), former bishop
Gian Vittorio Baldi (1930–2015), director and film producer
Gianfranco Mingozzi (1932-2009), director
Cesare Perdisa (1932–1998), racing car driver and businessman
Alessandro Plotti (1932–2015), archbishop
Giancarlo Romani Adami (* 1933), filmmaker and painter
Sergio Balanzino (1934-2018), diplomat
Giorgio Bellettini (* 1934), physicist
Valerio Adami (* 1935), painter
Elio Tinti (* 1936), priest
Pupi Avati (* 1938), director, screenwriter and film producer
Carlo Di Carlo (1938-2016), documentary filmmaker
Claudio Cassinelli (1938–1985), actor
Roberto Raviola (1939–1996), cartoonist
Nanni Galli (1940–2019), automobile racing driver
Giancarlo Piretti (* 1940), furniture designer
Gherardo Hercolani Fava Simonetti (* 1941), Grand Commander of the Order of Malta
Gloria Ferrari Pinney (* 1941), archaeologist
Ruggero Raimondi (* 1941), opera singer
Bruno Deserti (1942–1965), racing car driver
Pier Paolo Calzolari (* 1943), concept artist
Lucio Dalla (1943–2012), musician
Raffaella Carrà (* 1943), actress, singer and television presenter
Antonio Avati (* 1946), film producer and screenwriter
Vittorio Giardino (* 1946), comic book artist and author
Stefano Benni (* 1947), writer, journalist and satirist
Luca Cordero di Montezemolo (* 1947), manager and entrepreneur
Danila Montanari (* 1948), writer
Fabio Vacchi (* 1949), composer
Roberto Beccantini (* 1950), sports journalist
Marco Biagi (1950–2002), publicist, scientist and political advisor
Claudio Lolli (1950–2018), songwriter

1951 to 1975

Fabio Frizzi (* 1951), composer

Clara Aldrighi (* 1952), essayist

Valerio Evangelisti (* 1952), writer

Gianfranco Fini (* 1952), politician

Giambattista Diquattro (* 1954), Roman Catholic Archbishop and Vatican diplomat

Pier Ferdinando Casini (* 1955), politician

Bruno Stori (* 1955), actor, director and playwright

Veronica Lario (born 1956), actress

Roberto Regazzi (* 1956), violin maker

Massimo Martelli (* 1957), director

Pietro Generali (* 1958), basketball player

Serena Grandi (born 1958), actress

Pierluigi Collina (* 1960), football referee

Marcello Albano (1961–2017), comic artist

Renate Dürr (* 1961), German historian

Luca Carboni (* 1962), songwriter

Arnaldo Catinari (* 1964), cameraman and short film director

Pierfrancesco Chili (* 1964), motorcycle racer

Marco Apicella (* 1965), racing car driver

Paolo Canè (* 1965), tennis player

Simona Ventura (* 1965), journalist and television presenter

Alessandro Cappelletti (* 1966), film director and screenwriter

Gianluca Pagliuca (born 1966), football player

Alberto Tomba (* 1966), ski racer

Alessandro Zanardi (* 1966), automobile racing driver

Silvia Mezzanotte (* 1967), singer

Omar Camporese (* 1968), tennis player

Paolo Dondarini (* 1968), football referee
Luca Bucci (* 1969), soccer goalkeeper
Emanuele Ottolenghi (* 1969), political scientist and journalist
Gianfranco Contri (* 1970), racing cyclist
Stefano Accorsi (born 1971), actor
Christian Vieri (* 1973), football player
Cristina Zavalloni (* 1973), singer
Luca Mazzanti (* 1974), racing cyclist
Emanuele Negrini (* 1974), racing cyclist

1976 to 2000

Thomas Biagi (* 1976), racing car driver
Fabio Bazzani (* 1976), football player
Matteo Messori (* 1976), harpsichordist, organist and conductor
Francesca Lubiani (* 1977), tennis player
Paolo Chiasera (* 1978), concept artist
Cesare Cremonini (* 1980), singer
Michelangelo Setola (* 1980), comic artist
Alessandro Gamberini (* 1981), football player
Goran Nava (* 1981), Serbian athlete
Elisa Cusma Piccione (* 1981), middle-distance runner
Stefano Cipressi (* 1982), canoeist
Simone Bolelli (* 1985), tennis player
Lucia Mazzotti (* 1985), ski racer
Sara Errani (* 1987), tennis player
Michelangelo Albertazzi (* 1991), football player
Pierluigi Gollini (* 1995), football player
Mattia Vitale (* 1997), soccer player
Elia Specolizzi (* 1997), rapper

Well-known residents of Bologna

Umberto Eco

Azo Portius (before 1190–1220), legal scholar at the University of Bologna
Accursius (1182 / 85–1260 / 63), legal scholar at the University of Bologna
Laux painter (1485–1552), lute maker
Claudio Tolomei (1492–1556), writer, critic and philologist
Tommaso Laureti (1530–1602), painter
Farinelli (1705–1782), singer (castrato)
Gioachino Rossini (1792–1868) (composer)
Anna Banti (1895–1985), writer
Umberto Eco (1932–2016), cultural scientist and author
Paolo Prodi (1932–2016), historian
Loriano Macchiavelli (* 1934), author
Concetto Pozzati (1935–2017), painter and graphic artist
Gianni Celati (* 1937), writer and translator
Elena Esposito (* 1960), sociologist, writer and lecturer
Marcello Fois (* 1960), writer
Paolo Nori (* 1963), writer
Antonino Fogliani (* 1976), conductor
Alessandro Kouzkin (* 1992), Russian-Italian racing driver

Individual evidence

↑ Olivier Bosia: Luciano Sgrizzi. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland . December 1, 2011 , accessed February 18, 2020 .

[1] Olivier Bosia: Luciano Sgrizzi. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland . December 1, 2011 , accessed February 18, 2020 .