The Images(s) of Contemporary Bologna: Histories, Identities and Media

Media and new media shape play a significant role in publicizing, shaping and helping to understand the identity (or identities) of a city. Analyzing the case study of Bologna, with a focus on its recent urban history, three of its most significant “identities” are recognized: the Medieval City (Bologna between the 19th and 20th centuries); the Rebel City (Bologna in the postwar era); and the City of Tourism (contemporary Bologna). Going through the characteristic of these three distinct images, the paper highlights the indissoluble synthesis of past and present, which has characterized the identity and image of Bologna over the last centuries, with a fil rouge consisting in an architectural and social feature: the porticos.