From 1767 to 1789, Domenico Maria Bettini prospered as a silk merchant, becoming a member of the influential College of Merchants. In 1810, he achieved the most important position in his administrative career: prefectural councilor, as a "notable" of the city's bourgeoisie. He died in 1812 at the age of 63. The funeral monument dedicated to him is located in the Monumental Cemetery of the Certosa di Bologna in Cloister V or Maggiore.