A peculiarity of Bologna, maybe unique in the world but, at the moment, I haven’t understood if it is still working, is the so called Lampione dei Bambini (Children’s Lamp). The streetlamp is located next to Palazzo Re Enzo (in Piazza del Nettuno near the corner of Palazzo Re Enzo that overlooks Via Rizzoli) and apparently it looks like a normal streetlamp but it is not. The lamppost lights up only in a certain case: when a baby is born in the city. Since 2012 the streetlight is connected to the important hospitals in Bologna (Sant’Orsola and Maggiore) and every time a baby is born, one of the nurses presses the special button that immediately illuminates the streetlight.The streetlight is a wonderful work of art nouveau that was installed in 1920 by Alfonso Rubbiani during the restoration of Palazzo Re Enzo.
It is 3.5 meters high and was meant to symbolize the connection between the new and the old that was returning to shine.
