At the start of via Castiglione in the very heart of town two historical palaces of the Pepoli family face each other across the street. The noble family rose to local fame with the taking of power by Taddeo in 1334 (contemporary to the fall of Cardinal Bertrando del Poggetto). The Pepoli rule coincided with a period of peace and economic prosperity, although the heir subsequently ceded the town to the Visconti of Milan for 200,000 gold florins. In the 15th century the Pepoli established an alliance with the new rulers of the town, the Bentivoglio, and held positions of trust. The palazzo Pepoli Vecchio spans from number 6 to 10 of the street, comprising several blocks built in different periods. The restoration carried out by A. Rubbiani highlighted its Medieval layout. Palazzo Pepoli CampograndeWhen count Odoardo Pepoli was granted the title of senator in 1653, he had the building of a new family residence started just across the Medieval palace. The project is attributed to G. B. Albertoni, while the façade opening onto via Clavature was completed in 1709 by Antonio Torri. A unity of design characterises the entire decoration outlook stressing the triumph of the noble house, with the participation of the major Bolognese artists of the second half of the 17th century. The grand staircase with a quadrangular design and decorated with oval stucco frames depicting historical episodes of the Pepoli family by D. Maria Canuti (1665), starts on the right side of the inner courtyard. On the ceiling of the main hall Canuti painted the fresco 'Apotheosis of Hercules on the Olympus' on the background of painted quadrature by D. Santi called Mengazzino. The apartment is composed of other rooms decorated with relevant paintings: The brothers Giuseppe and Antonio Rolli painted the 'Allegory of Felsina' in the 1680's; while at the closing of the century Giuseppe Maria Crespi in his typical anti-conventional style painted the Triumph of Hercules (the Seasons) e Olympus in the two following rooms for count Ercole. Donato Creti ends this overview with a daring view depicting "Alexander severing the Gordian knot" by commission from count Alessandro. Today a selection of the Zambeccari picture collection is exhibited in this splendid apartment, with canvasses by leading artists of Emilian painting (Ludovico Carracci, il Guercino, Albani, Crespi. . ).