Bergamo

Encyclopedia : B : BE : BER : Bergamo

---

Bergamo is a town in Lombardy, Italy, about 40km northeast of Milan. It is home to Orio al Serio International Airport, which serves Milan. The foothills of the Alps begin immediately north of the town.

The commune of Bergamo covers 39.6 km², and is home to 113,143 inhabitants. It resides within the Province of Bergamo.

Description

The town has two centers: "Città alta" (uptown), a hilltop medieval town, surrounded by 17th century cyclopic defensive walls, and "Città bassa" (downtown), developed since the beginning of 20th century. The two parts of the town are connected by road, however parking spaces are very limited in the 'upper town' and the road is blocked on sundays. The best and most practical way for a pedestrian to access the 'upper town' is via the funicular which runs regularly 7 days a week.

Città alta

The upper city, surrounded by Venetian walls built in the 17th century, serves as the historic center of Bergamo.

The città alta is particularly popular with both locals and tourists on sundays who go to enjoy their 'passeggiata' or 'stroll'. They are entertained by numerous street shows and artists ranging from musicians to magicians and, on the last sunday each month, a market. The main street, Via Gombito, is littered with places to eat and drink, the most popular destinations being the 'gelaterie' (ice cream stores) on warm days and the 'pizzerie' during the cold winter months.

There are many buildings of artistic or historic relevance in the città alta, including Piazza Vecchia (old square), Palazzo della Ragione (old city hall), Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore (Saint Mary), Cappella Colleoni (Colleoni chapel).

The città alta is also home to two museums, the Museo Civico Archeologico (Archaeological Civic Museum) and the Museo di scienze naturali Caffi (Caffi Natural Science Museum).

Città bassa

The lower city, having expanded rapidly during the 20th century, is the modern center of Bergamo.

Of artistic relevance are the Pinacoteca dell'Accademia Carrara (picture museum of Carrara academy), known as "Accademia Carrara" and the nearby Galleria d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea (gallery of modern and contemporary art), known as GAMEC.

History

Bergamo occupies the site of the ancient town of Bergomum, which was a Roman municipality. It was destroyed by Attila in the 5th century. Between 1264 and 1428 the town was ruled by Milan, but passed to Venetian control until 1797; the Venetians fortified the higher portion of the town.

Bergamo has a prominent place in music history. The large Romanesque church of Santa Maria Maggiore, begun in 1137, had a continuous and well-documented tradition of music teaching and singing for more than eight hundred years. Since the town was under Venetian control, the musical style of the Venetians was imported as well; in particular, a large instrumental ensemble grew up to support the choral singing. Composers such as Gasparo Alberti produced polychoral music with two organs, brass and viols, a style usually associated with Venice, but which flourished in the fine acoustical environment of S Maria Maggiore.

Prominent musicians born in Bergamo include Gaetano Donizetti, Pietro Locatelli, and Antonio Lolli. Alessandro Grandi, one of the most progressive composers of the early 17th century after Monteverdi, was maestro di cappella there until his death in the plague of 1630; Tarquinio Merula, an even more progressive composer, and one of the founders of the early sonata, took over his post.

Miscellaneous

The town hosted the seventh Congres Internationaux d'Architecture Moderne in 1951. The town has a Serie A team called Atalanta. The town hosts the Mechanized Infantry Brigade "Legnano"

Gallery