I Portici Hotel in Bologna can host seminars for up to 200 people, receptions for up to 170 seated guests and standing cocktails for up to 300 on its terrace. The venue is a four-star superior hotel with 100 bedrooms inside Palazzo Maccaferri, an Art Nouveau (Liberty) building on Via dell'Indipendenza, facing the Montagnola park.
Seminars and company events
Four meeting rooms cover everything from a board meeting to a convention. The Salone delle Feste is the largest: 200 square meters, 5 meters high, with Liberty frescoes, daylight, a direct link to the terrace and an independent entrance. It takes up to 200 people in theatre or cocktail layout, 180 in cabaret, 50 in school layout and 30 around an imperial table. The hotel lists a video projector, a 16:9 screen and a sound system in the room.
Sala Indipendenza is a plain, contemporary room with a reception area for welcoming and accrediting participants. It suits training days, presentations and press conferences. Sala Garden is a ground-floor room with natural light and its own entrance, used for briefings and small working groups. Sala Loggione seats up to 10 people and looks onto the Teatro Eden and its frescoes, which makes it a fit for board meetings and client sessions.
Weddings and receptions
The Salone delle Feste holds up to 170 guests for a seated reception, and its terrace access lets the day move between table and aperitif. Terrazza Lounge, next to the Salone and overlooking the Montagnola park, takes up to 300 standing guests in good weather. La Ghiacciaia, a 14th-century cellar that was once part of the Rocca di Galliera and was absorbed into the palace in 1906, hosts up to 20 guests for a small, private celebration.
Birthdays, graduation parties, baptisms and anniversaries are handled in the same rooms, with the choice of room, menu and pace set by the organizer.
Rooms and capacities
The hotel names seven rooms and areas used for events. The figures above are the maximums stated by the hotel; the exact layout depends on the format you choose.
Accommodation
The hotel has 100 bedrooms and suites, from rooms of 16 to 26 square meters up to the Imperial Suite of 160 square meters with a panoramic terrace for up to 5 guests. Some rooms keep Liberty frescoes, others have a contemporary design. Participants can stay in the same building as the meeting room.
Catering
Food is prepared in-house. Executive Chef Nicola Annunziata leads the kitchen of Ristorante I Portici, which holds one star in the MICHELIN Guide Italia 2026. Other formats are available: Cucina Portici for a relaxed meal, Caffè Eden for breakfasts, a terrace lounge and tastings in La Ghiacciaia. Coffee breaks use homemade pastries, and fresh pasta comes from the pasta makers of Portici Shop. Wedding menus are written with the couple.
History and setting
Palazzo Maccaferri is a rare example of Bologna Art Nouveau, built to be open to the city. It stands in central Bologna, a short walk from the porticoes and the Montagnola park. The hotel calls itself a contemporary heritage hotel and keeps historic rooms next to modern ones.
