Atrium of Heroes and the Staircase

Many works of art can be seen in the New Courtyard of the Bo Palace. Among them are the stars in

the Atrium of Heroes, dedicated to the fallen heroes from the wars between 1848 and 1866 and

from the Italian Resistance Movement, as well as the staircase leading to the Rectorate, named

Scala del Sapere (the Staircase of Knowledge), frescoed in 1941 by Gio Ponti with the help of

Giovanni Dandolo and Fulvio Pendini. The staircase celebrates Knowledge and the Sciences

through the story of the allegorical journey that Student embarks on in search of ultimate Wisdom,

the Alma Mater.

At the foot of the stairs is the Palinuro , made between 1946 and 1947 by the sculptor Arturo

Martini. The work is dedicated to the memory of the partisan Primo Visentin, nicknamed

“Masaccio,” who was killed on April 29, 1945, a few days after Italy’s Liberation Day. Like the

legendary helmsman of Aeneas, who died not very far from the Italian coast, Primo could not enjoy

what he fought for.