The relationship between Bologna and Richard Wagner, the infatuation of culture and people for the German composer's opera, is one of the most interesting occurrence in Italian music. 
For the first time in Italy, on November 1st, 1871, one of Wagner's opera, Lohengrin, is presented in Bologna's Teatro Comunale. Although not coincidental, it is a daring and innovative choice because it embodied the desire for revenge of Bologna's society and culture, in crisis after Rossini's departure in 1851.
The approach towards Wagner involved in fact not only men of culture but also politicians (among them Mayor Camillo Casarini) who had the common goal to establish Bologna as the ideal place of residence for the highest musical expressions of the moment. It began with the appreciation of composers and operas which had not found residence elsewhere in the peninsula: Meyerbeer and Gounod, but also the less liked Verdi. The most significant moment, in the mind of Bologna's citizens, which designated their city as Italy's cultural centre, was the first Italian representation of  Don Carlos in 1867. The opera was a triumph and motives are well explained in the Monitore: Since cosmopolitan art in Bologna is always greeting the best performances, including those from outside the country, granting with enthusiasm prompt citizenship[...] this year was not a matter of granting hospitality to foreigners but we rather welcomed our very own work, a national piece of work, thanks to Giuseppe Verdi, an important link between a great past and an even greater future. Personalities from various levels of culture began to participate in esthetic and music discussions. Animated discussions took place in clubs and coffee shops between conservatives and progressives. Doctors, like Bassi (author of a thematic guide to Wagner's operas) or engineers like Lambertini (who complained about the briefness of Wagner's scenes) sustained controversy. The tremendous success of Lohengrin was transposed to the other German composer's operas presented in Bologna, including Tetralogia in 1883. The most important moment of that event was when Wagner was granted his nationality. The city gave him a triumphal welcome when he arrived in the city in 1876 for the presentation of Rienzi. 
The crowning piece of the story is another Bolognese record: the first world presentation of Parsifal outside of Beyrouth on January 1st, 1914. This confirmed Bologna's vocation for Wagner, a combination of fanatism and mysticism. That New Year's Day of 1914 was magnificient: It seemed as though from the exquisite arch people were overflowing out of a delightful urn. Every spectator had in hand the thematic guide, written by Wagnerian Bassi, and published by Ricordi. A sort of foundation course, a rite to the initiation to this new religion. A day which involved the city in every sense and which concluded, as though in a last act, in a cultural but also social adventure begun in the long ago 1871.