BERGAMO

 

      

BERGAMO, one of the oldest city in Italy, rich in history and culture, is settled in Lombardia, the leading region in the northern part of the italian peninsula, not far away from the Alps, at 1 hour drive from Milan and Verona and 2 hours from Venice.

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The streets of Bergamo, a city born nestled on a hill, still retain the look of the original medieval village, enclosed by its strong city walls built in the XVI century, when the "Serenissima" (the Republic of Venice) was at the height of its power.



Bergamo is one of the five Italian towns (the others being Padua, Ferrara, Lucca and Grosseto) whose historical centre is completely surrounded by walls, maintained intact in their original appearance over the centuries. The old town had 14 bastions, 32 watch towers (only one has been preserved) and 4 gates or "Porta" (S. Agostino, S. Giacomo - undoubtedly the most beautiful and panoramic - S. Alessandro and S. Lorenzo).



More than  four centuries of prosperity and economic development have left their mark in the monuments and institutions of Bergamo and in the character of its people.



Testaments to the Middle Age and the Renaissance are the well-preserved palaces, churches and public squares, such as the group of buildings in "Città alta" (the upper town) where most historical and artistic attractions are concentrated: the Cathedral, Giovanni da Campione's Baptistery, the Colleoni Chapel (an excellent work of Lombard Renaissance commissioned by XV century captain Bartolomeo Colleoni as a tomb) and Santa Maria Maggiore’s church (which houses the tomb of Gaetano Donizetti, the world-renowned nineteenth-century composer, the most illustrious citizen of Bergamo), along with beautiful "Piazza Vecchia" (the public square, heart of the old city) which is overlooked by buildings of great value such as the Palazzo della Ragione, the Palazzo Nuovo and the "Campanone" (the Civic Tower).



In "Città bassa" (the lower town), the Carrara Academy, one of the most important art galleries in the whole of Italy, must not be missed, along with the Donizetti Theatre, one of the largest music halls in the peninsula which boasts the richest Classical and Opera music tradition in Lombardy after La Scala of Milan.

Donizetti Theatre will reach the highest point of artistic performance during the 8th edition of the BERGAMO MUSICA FESTIVAL with "Un ballo in maschera", the famous masterpiece from Verdi, scheduled for November 2013, on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the birth of Donizetti's master, Giovanni Simone Mayr and the 200th anniversary of the birth of Giuseppe Verdi itself.

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Italian National Tourism  Board

Turistic information about Bergamo :

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