Visit Bergamo’s Civic Archaeology Museum

Civico Museo Archeologico di Bergamo

The museum is housed in a 14th century
palace in Piazza della Cittadella

You can travel in the footsteps of the Celts, Romans and Longobards who built Bergamo by visiting the Civic Archaeology Museum to see the wealth of artefacts that have been uncovered over the centuries in the city and the surrounding area.

Items dating back to the Neolithic period in prehistoric times reveal Bergamo’s ancient origins. Stone axes, iron swords, Celtic bronze ornaments and Longobard gold crosses are among the items on display in the museum. Bergamo’s Roman period is particularly well represented with a wealth of sculptures, inscriptions, tomb stones and funerary items.

The Civic Archaeology Museum is now housed in a 14th century palace in Piazza della Cittadella in the Città Alta, but its collection dates back as far as 1561, when Bergamo’s Great Council established ‘a collection of antiquities’ for people to view in the loggia under Palazzo della Ragione in Piazza Vecchia in the Città Alta.

The original display of artefacts has increased hugely over the centuries thanks to the many valuable items that have been unearthed locally and donated to the collection and the museum has had to move to many different locations in the city as it kept requiring more space.

The museum has collections of artefacts from
many periods of history unearthed locally

A special publication registering the most notable archaeological discoveries in the care of the museum was published in 1900 by Professor Gaetano Mantovani. All the important finds were gathered together in the 1930s and given a home in the Rocca fortress, where they were kept safe during World War II.

The collection was moved in 1960 to its present location, where it now occupies the ground floor of a palace built in the 14th century by the Visconti family. Milan’s ancient rulers, in Piazza Cittadella.

There are rooms displaying prehistoric, bronze age, Iron age, gallic and Longobard items. There is plenty of evidence from the Roman period in Bergamo, with an important collection of funerary epigraphs from the area. There are rooms devoted to the city’s history from the early urban settlement of the fifth century BC to the Roman city becoming a municipium in the age of Caesar- Augustus. Artefacts from the Longobard duchy in the early Middle Ages include fascinating examples of the pieces of armour worn by soldiers at the time.

The museum is open between October and December from 9.00 to 13.00 and 14.00 to 17.00 Thursday and Friday and from 10.00 to 13.00 and 14.00 to 17.30 on Saturday and Sunday.

The entrance ticket is three euros and the ticket is also valid for entry to the Natural Science Museum, also in Piazza della Cittadella. 

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Palazzo della Ragione Bergamo

Medieval palace was once used as a courthouse

The facade of the 12th century Palazzo della Ragione is an iconic image of Bergamo’s upper town, the Città Alta. 

But the most photographed and admired building in Piazza Vecchia hides many fascinating secrets.

If you step under the archways into what was once the ground floor of the building, you are entering what used to be Bergamo’s courthouse.

The white seat was where the prisoner would have to sit

During the period of Venetian domination the judges used to preside over legal proceedings there and would take a decision based on their ‘reason’, in Italian ‘ragione’. This is how the medieval palace acquired its name.

You will see a row of stone seats along one of the palace’s walls but only one of the seats is white. This is the so called ‘Seat of Shame’ where the prisoner accused of the crime would have had to sit during the legal arguments.

Take a seat there yourself and imagine what it would have been like to be someone accused of a crime in the 16th century when the Venetians first took control of Bergamo. The defendant would have been very glad to be able to stand up and walk into Piazza Duomo and continue sightseeing, as today’s visitors can!

The palace has been damaged by fires over the centuries and has had to be rebuilt many times.  It is said that the ground floor walls were removed to allow a view through the arches into Piazza Duomo. This enables visitors to see the stunning pink and white facade of the Colleoni Chapel, which is in stark contrast to the dark stone of Palazzo della Ragione. 

The facade of the medieval Palazzo della Ragione

The grand covered stairway, which dates from 1453, rises from Piazza Vecchia to the first floor of the palace. There are 13th and 14th century frescoes, which were taken from old churches and houses in the area, decorating the upper hall.

The palace was mentioned in a document of 1198 and is therefore believed to be the oldest communal building in Italy.  It was once used for meetings of Bergamo’s civic authority, but it has also been a theatre and a library and occasionally acted as an art gallery.

The carving of the lion over the central window of the palace was added to the exterior of the building to mark the domination of the Venetians over Bergamo. The current lion is actually a 20th century replica of the 15th century original, which was torn down when the French took control of Bergamo in 1797.

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Bergamo’s Mint

Old palace was where the city's coins were made

The strong wall of Palazzo Pacchiani Rivola

An unassuming old palace in Via Donizetti in the Città Alta used to house Bergamo’s Mint.

Palazzo Pachiani Rivola, at one time known as Palazzo Gromo dei Rivola, is at number 18 in the beautiful street named after the opera composer, Gaetano Donizetti. It has particularly strong walls and parts of it date back to the 13th century.

During what is known as the communal period, between the 11th and 14th centuries, when the citizens of Bergamo ruled themselves, the Mint of Bergamo, la zecca, was based in the palace.

The family who owned Palazzo Pachiani Rivola at that time, the Belfante di Rivola family, were believed to have received a good rent for housing the Mint.

The Rivola were one of the oldest and most powerful families in Bergamo . They were Guelphs and were involved in continual battles with the Suardi family, who were Ghibellines.

The only access to the house was along a small path named Gromo dei Rivola. This made the house so secure that the gold and silver from nearby mines were kept there after being brought to the city from the valleys. It is known that coins were minted in the palace by 1236, if not earlier.

The top of the street named
 after opera composer Donizetti

It has also been recorded that in 1254 a meeting was held in the Palazzo del Comune to agree regulations for Bergamo’s monetary system

A plaque on the wall of Palazzo Pachiani Rivola states that silver money was made on behalf of the Rivola family in the palace between 1236 and 1302.

Via Donizetti leads from Piazza Mercato delle Scarpe to Piazza Giuliani.

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A Bergamo saying

Wise words to remember in 2019

A Popular Bergamo saying in dialect is:

'Scarpe larghe e bicér pié e tö i bùsere come i vé.' 

 In Italian this is: 

'Scarpe larghe e bicchiere pieno e prendi la vita come viene.'

This advises you to have : Wide shoes and a full glass and to take life as it comes!

Buon Anno and a Happy New Year from all at Best of Bergamo!

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Marvellous memento of your time in Bergamo

You can now take the beautiful sights of Bergamo’s Città Alta home with you, not just in your pictures, but also in the form of unique souvenirs.

Bookmark
depicting
towers

A range of gold-embossed, leather bookmarks has been created, depicting some of the most beautiful and historic buildings in the upper town.

The bookmarks are now on sale at the Caffè del Tasso in Piazza Vecchia in the Città Alta and at the gift shop in the Accademia Carrara in Piazza Giacomo Carrara in the Città Bassa.

Elisabetta Campanini - creator
 of Bergamo bookmarks

The souvenirs were the idea of Bergamo tour guide Elisabetta Campanini, who used to collect leather bookmarks, buying them at tourist attractions whenever she visited England.

Elisabetta was born and brought up in the Città Alta and is passionate about sharing her detailed knowledge of the upper town with the visitors she shows round.

“It was always my dream to create the same kind of leather bookmarks for my native city that I used to admire in England, to provide people with the opportunity to buy a souvenir of what they have seen during their stay in Bergamo,” she says.

Five different bookmarks

Each bookmark (segnalibro) shows a selection of architectural masterpieces in the Città Alta:

Complete set of Bergamo bookmarks

• One depicts Piazza Vecchia, with Palazzo della Ragione, the Contarini fountain and Civic Library.
• Another shows the landmark towers of the Città Alta - the Gombito Tower and the Campanone.
• There is a bookmark dedicated to the Colleoni Chapel, showing the façade of the building and details such as the rose window and coat of arms of the Colleoni family.
• Three churches, Santa Maria Maggiore, the Baptistery and the Tempietto are represented on a fourth bookmark. 
• And all four gates to the walled city, Porta San Giacomo, Porta San Lorenzo (also sometimes known as Porta Garibaldi), Porta Sant’Alessandro and Porta Sant’Agostino are shown on the fifth bookmark.

The bookmarks are made in Bergamo using high-quality Venetian leather and are on sale individually at five euros or can be bought as a set.

For more details, email freelance tour guide Elisabetta Campanini at info@acrossBergamo.com.

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Accademia Carrara

Palace filled with art treasures is a major attraction in Bergamo

One of the biggest jewels in Bergamo’s crown, the prestigious art gallery Accademia Carrara, is shining even more brightly now it is open to the public again.

The magnificent palace just outside the Città Alta, which was built in the 18th century to house one of the richest private collections of art in Italy, had been closed for renovation work for seven years.

It is the only Italian museum to be entirely stocked with donations and bequests from private collectors. Visitors can now view a broad-ranging collection of works by the masters of the Venetian, Lombard and Tuscan renaissances as well as great artists who came later, such as Lotto, Titian, Moroni, Rubens, Tiepolo, Guardi and Canaletto, to name but a few.

Restored Accademia the day it reopened

The reopening of the Accademia Carrara in April this year sparked great celebrations in Bergamo, after the museum had been closed for so long for restoration and maintenance work.

Following a spectacular opening ceremony and party the museum opened its doors to the public for the first time on 24 April. Thousands of people were waiting outside in Piazza Giacomo Carrara to get their first look inside the refurbished building.

Visitors can now walk through 28 rooms to view more than 600 major works by artists and sculptors spanning five centuries.

Highlights include: Madonna and Child by Andrea Mantegna; Portrait of Leonello d’Este by Pisanello; Three Crucifixes by Vincenzo Foppa; Madonna and Child by Giovanni Bellini; The Story of Virginia the Roman by Sandro Botticelli; The Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine by Lorenzo Lotto; Madonna and Child in a Landscape by Tiziano Vecellio; Madonna with Baby and Saints by Palma il Vecchio; Portrait of an Elderly Man seated by Giovan Battista Moroni; The Grand Canal from Palazzo Balbi by Antonio Canal Canaletto.

A Canaletto masterpiece

The Accademia Carrara was established in Bergamo in 1794 on the initiative of Bergamo 

aristocrat Count Giacomo Carrara as a combined Pinacoteca and School 

of Painting.  In addition to his collection of paintings he left his entire estate to the Accademia to secure its future.

The number and quality of works in the Accademia increased over the years thanks to the many donations and bequests received from private collectors.

From being a museum dedicated to Renaissance painting, the Accademia grew into an art gallery that also provided a broad representation of pictorial genres from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries.

For part of the time the gallery was closed, the gems of the collection went on show in New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. And visitors to Bergamo were able to see some of the paintings on display in the Truss Room of Palazzo della Ragione in Piazza Vecchia.

Painting depicts the death of Bergamo composer Donizetti

But now one of the richest collections of art in Italy is back where it belongs, in the Palace built specially to house it, in Bergamo’s Città Bassa.

Accademia Carrara in Piazza Giacomo Carrara is just outside the walls of the Città Alta, a short walk from Porta Sant’Agostino.

Accademia Carrara is open Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 10 am to 7 pm; Friday from 10 am to 12 pm and Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to 8 pm. It is closed on Tuesday. For more information visit www.lacarrara.it.

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Ancient palace has become Bergamo landmark

  

One of the most distinctive buildings in the Citta Alta, Bergamo’s upper town, is the 12th century Palazzo della Ragione, an imposing presence at the southern end of Piazza Vecchia.

The dark, medieval palace is perhaps Bergamo’s most frequently photographed building and has become an iconic image of the Citta Alta.

Medieval Palazzo at one end of Piazza Vecchia

The ground floor walls of the Palazzo were removed in the 15th century, allowing a view through the arches into Piazza Duomo. This provides a glimpse of the sumptuous fascade of the Colleoni Chapel, which is a bright contrast to the dark stone of the Palazzo.

It is claimed court cases used to be heard under the open arcades that now form the ground floor of the Palazzo and that prisoners were put on show there for the Bergamaschi to see.

Nowadays you will often be able to listen to musicians under the arcades while you sit and enjoy a drink at the Bar Tasso next to the Palazzo.

A grand covered stairway was added to the Palazzo della Ragione in 1453. This rises from Piazza Vecchia to the first floor of the Palazzo, where 13th and 14th century frescoes, taken from old churches and houses in the surrounding area, were used to decorate the upper hall. Known as the Truss Room, the upper hall is now often used for art exhibitions.

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Ornate palace built after Italy became a kingdom

Not to be missed in Bergamo’s Città Bassa…

PALAZZO DELLA PROVINCIA

Palazzo della Provincia

One of the most impressive 19th century buildings in Bergamo’s Città Bassa (lower town) is the Palazzo della Provincia (provincial government building) in Via Torquato Tasso.

If you walk to the end of Via Sentierone and cross Largo Bortolo Belotti, Via Torquato Tasso continues in a straight line until it reaches Piazzetta Santo Spirito.

Bergamo’s seat of provincial government is on the right hand side of Via Tasso at number eight.

The palace was built between 1864 and 1871, the first public work to be carried out in Bergamo after the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy.

The offices for the provincial government had previously been in the Città Alta (upper town) in Bernabo Visconti’s castle in Piazza Cittadella.

The new building was designed on a grand scale to house both the offices of the provincial administration and the prefecture of police. On the facade you will notice five carvings depicting significant events and personalities in Bergamo’s history. The final cost of the project was 640,000 lire.

While you are in Bergamo, look out for details of events and exhibitions taking place in Sala Manzù, an exhibition area that has been created inside the palace, named after Bergamo sculptor Giacomo Manzù.

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Grand 12th century palazzo is the focal point of the city

Not to be missed in Bergamo's Città Alta...

PALACE OF REASON (Palazzo della Ragione)

The Palazzo della Ragione looks over the busy piazza

The 12th century Palazzo della Ragione is an imposing presence at the southern end of Piazza Vecchia and perhaps the most frequently pictured building of the Città Alta (upper town).

The ground floor walls of the Palazzo were removed in the 15th century, allowing a view through the arches into Piazza Duomo. This provides a glimpse of the sumptuous façade of the Colleoni Chapel, which is in stark contrast to the dark stone of the Palazzo.

It is claimed court cases used to be heard under the open arcades that now form the ground floor of the Palazzo and that prisoners were put on show there for the Bergamaschi to see.

A grand covered stairway, which was added in 1453, rises from Piazza Vecchia to the first floor of the Palazzo and 13th and 14th century frescoes, taken from old churches and houses in the surrounding area, decorate the upper hall.

The carving of the lion over the central window was added to the exterior of the building in the 18th century, a symbol of the power once held by the Venetians over Bergamo .

Visitors this summer will be able to see the inside of the Palazzo and also enjoy some of the finest paintings from the prestigious Accademia Carrara collection.

The palazzo's elegant covered staircase

The Accademia’s neoclassical building in the Città Bassa (lower town) is currently closed for restoration, but a selection of the gallery’s most important works have been put on show in the Truss Room of the Palazzo.

The exhibition ‘Vincere il Tempo’ (literally Winning Time) will run throughout the rest of 2011. It follows the collecting history of the Accademia, which was begun by Giacomo Carrara in the middle of the 18th century and has since received donations from other collectors.

Along with works by Raphael, Titian and Mantegna, masterpieces by local artists such as Giovan Battista Moroni, Fra’ Galgario and Vincenzo Foppa are on display.

The entrance to the exhibition is up the covered staircase and along the little bridge that leads to the top floor of the Palazzo.

Opening hours: From June to September, Tues–Sun 10.00 – 21.00 (Sat till 23.00); from October Tues–Fri 9.30 – 17.30; Sat and Sun 10.00 – 18.00. Closed Mondays.

The ticket price is €5, but there are reductions for groups and families. For more information visit www.accademiacarrara.bergamo.it or telephone +39 035 399677.

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Bergamo palace built when Italy was a kingdom

The entrance to Palazzo della Provincia

One of the most impressive 19th century buildings in Bergamo is the Palazzo della Provincia (provincial government building) in Via Torquato Tasso in the Città Bassa (lower town).
If you walk to the end of Via Sentierone and cross Largo Bortolo Belotti, Via Torquato Tasso continues in a straight line until it reaches Piazzetta Santo Spirito.
Bergamo's seat of provincial government is on the right hand side of Via Tasso at number eight.
The palace was built between 1864 and 1871, the first public work to be carried out in Bergamo after the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy.
The offices for the provincial government had previously been in the Città Alta (upper town) in Bernabo Visconti's palace in Piazza Cittadella.
The new building was designed on a grand scale to house both the offices of the provincial administration and the prefecture of police.
On the façade you will notice five carvings comissioned to depict significant events and personalities in Bergamo's history. The final cost of the project was 640,000 lire.
Look out for details of events and exhibitions taking place in Sala Manzù, an exhibition area that has been created inside the palace, named after Bergamo sculptor Giacomo Manzù.  

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A walk round Piazza Vecchia

Palazzo della Ragione

From whatever direction you arrive in Bergamo’s Piazza Vecchia at the heart of the Città Alta (upper town), if it is the first time you have seen the square, you will be amazed by its fine buildings.

You will probably find your eyes drawn to the 12th century Palazzo della Ragione (Palace of Reason), an imposing presence at the southern end of the piazza.

The ground floor walls of the Palazzo were removed in the 15th century to allow a view through the arches into Piazza Duomo. This gives you a glimpse of the pink and white facade of the Colleoni Chapel, in stark contrast to the dark stone of the Palazzo. The carving of the lion over the central window was added in the 18th century, demonstrating the domination of the Venetians over Bergamo.

The palazzo's covered staircase

An interesting architectural feature is the covered staircase at the side, built to enable visitors to access the salone superiore (main top floor room) of the palazzo from ground floor level. These days the salone is open to the public for exhibitions and cultural events.

The staircase and the stone bridge that connects it to the palazzo were added to the original 12th century building in 1453.

Next to it, the big bell tower, il Campanone, dates back to at least the 12th century. It is also known as the Torre Civica (Civic Tower). If you are in the Piazza Vecchia at 10 pm on any evening you will hear the bell toll 100 times, marking the ancient curfew, when the gates in Bergamo’s walls were locked at night to keep the city safe from outsiders. The bell tolled to remind the Bergamaschi that it was time to come back inside the walls or be locked out for the night.

An interesting building on the west side of Piazza Vecchia is the 14th century palace that used to be the residence of the Venetian rulers of Bergamo.

The Palazzo del Podesta Veneto (the Palace of the Mayor of Venice) now houses the University of Bergamo’s Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literature.

The palace was originally built by the powerful Suardi family in about 1340 and was once decorated with frescoes by Bramante. The remaining fragments of the frescoes are now carefully preserved inside the Palazzo della Ragione.

The palace became the residence of the Podesta, the mayor sent to govern Bergamo by the Venetians. The various Podesta ruled Bergamo from there from the 16th century until the end of the 18th century, when the city finally became free of Venice .

A beautiful building at the northern end that should not to be overlooked is the white marble Biblioteca Civica (Angelo Mai Civic Library), also referred to as the Palazzo Nuovo.

Piazza Vecchia looking towards Biblioteca Civica

It was originally built as a town hall for Bergamo at the beginning of the 16th century, based on a design by architect Vincenzo Scamozzi.

It became the home of a library in the 18th century and the collection of documents, manuscripts and volumes has grown to more than 500,000 items.

The facade of the building was completed in the 20th century, still following Scamozzi’s original design, and the library was later named after Cardinal Angelo Mai, a famous palaeographer, who was born in Schilpario, north of Lago d’Iseo.

An elegant feature in the centre of the piazza is the fountain decorated with white marble lions. It provides a good focal point for photographers, with either the Palazzo della Ragione or the Biblioteca Civica providing a backdrop.

The baroque fountain was donated to the city by Alvise Contarini in 1780 at the end of his time as Podesta for Bergamo .

There are restaurants on both sides of the square and bars at each end where you can sit outside and contemplate your surroundings. After spending some time in the square, you will understand why Piazza Vecchia has been praised for its beauty by architects ranging from Le Corbusier to Frank Lloyd Wright.


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Old palace is now part of Bergamo University

An interesting building on the west side of the Piazza Vecchia in the Città Alta (upper town) is the 14th century palace that used to be the residence for the Venetian rulers of Bergamo.

The Palazzo del Podesta Veneto (the Palace of the Mayor of Venice) now houses the University of Bergamo’s Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literature.

The palace was originally built by the powerful Suardi family of Bergamo in about 1340 and was once decorated with frescoes by Bramante. The remaining fragments of the frescoes are now carefully preserved inside the nearby Palazzo della Ragione.

The palace became the residence of the Podesta, the mayor sent to govern Bergamo, usually for a period of 16 months, by the Venetians.  The various Podesta ruled Bergamo from there from the 16th century until the end of the 18th century, when the city finally became free of Venice.
The ground floor of the palace is now occupied by two restaurants, the Colleoni e dell'Angelo and the Ristorante San Michele.


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