The interiors of the palace and the two large staircases that connect the courtyard to the upper floor are divided between the two distinct “universitates” of Legisti (law students) and Artists.
On the left there is the staircase of the Artists, with the memorial dedicated to Doctor Venceslao Lazzari. It was painted in 1601 by Lionello Spada, and it represents an ornamentation with a fake boulder with cherubs and allegorical figures.
The fresco, now drab and degraded, is an example of that kind of painting with fake scenic architecture that had wide diffusion in Bologna.
On the right there is the staircase of the Legisti, with the monument dedicated to St. Charles Borromeo, who was the Cardinal Legate of Bologna in the founding years of the Archiginnasio.
The fresco (realised between 1610 and 1612) was created by the Bolognese Giovanni Luigi Valesi and it represents four female figures, which are identifiable with Faith, Hope, Charity and Temperance (on the right, Charity offers the breast to two hungry children).
The coats of arms that serve as backdrops are those of the advisors of the Legisti’s councillors in the years 1610 and 1611.
The memorials of the Courtyard and of the staircases
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