Bergamo 239064 224657270 2008-07-09T21:04:26Z Carlo.milanesi 910835 /* Economy */ {{Infobox CityIT | image_skyline = Bgalta2.JPG | image_caption = View of the Upper City | img_coa = Bergamo-Stemma.png | official_name = Comune di Bergamo | region = [[Lombardy]] | province = [[Province of Bergamo|Bergamo]] (BG) | elevation_m = 249 | area_total_km2 = 38.7 | population_as_of = [[31 December]] [[2006]] | population_total = 117072 | population_density_km2 = 3046 | timezone = [[Central European Time|CET]], [[Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]]+1 | coordinates = {{coor dm|45|42|N|9|40|E}} | frazioni = | telephone = 035 | postalcode = 24100 | gentilic = Bergamaschi | saint = [[Alexander of Bergamo|Saint Alexander]] | day = [[26 August]] | mayor = [[Roberto Bruni]] (since 27/06/2004) | website = [http://www.comune.bergamo.it www.comune.bergamo.it] }} [[Image:Bergamo salita centro.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Small street (via della Noca) leading to città alta.]] [[Image:Neve 024.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Piazza Vecchia during winter]] [[Image:Basilica Santa Maria Maggiore Outside.JPG|thumb|right|250px|Cappella Colleoni.]] [[Image:Bergamo piazza raddrizzata.jpg|thumb|250px|The Biblioteca Angelo Mai on the ''Piazza Vecchia''.]] [[Image:Bergamo-St.Gera.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The modern ''città bassa''.]] [[Image:Roccabg4a.JPG|thumb|220px|right|The Venetian Tower in the ''Rocca''.]] '''Bergamo''' {{Audio|It-Bergamo.ogg|pronunciation}} ('''''Bèrghem''''' in [[Eastern Lombard|Lombard]], antiquated:''Wälsch-Bergen'' in [[German language|German]]) is a town in [[Lombardy]], [[Italy]], about 40km northeast of [[Milan]]. The commune is home to c. 117,000 inhabitants. It is served by [[Orio al Serio Airport]], which also serves the [[Province of Bergamo]], and to a lesser extent [[Milan]]. The foothills of the Alps begin immediately north of the town. ==History== Bergamo occupies the site of the ancient town of ''Bergomum'', founded as a settlement of the [[List of Celtic tribes|Celtic tribe]] of [[Cenomani (Cisalpine Gaul)|Cenomani]]. In 49 BC it became a [[Roman Empire|Roman]] municipality, containing c. 10,000 inhabitants at its peak. An important hub on the military road between [[Friuli]] and [[Raetia]], it was destroyed by [[Attila]] in the 5th century. From the 6th century Bergamo was the seat of one of the most important [[Lombard]] duchies of northern Italy, together with [[Brescia]], [[Trento]] and [[Cividale del Friuli]]: its first Lombard duke was Wallaris. After the conquest by [[Charlemagne]] of the Lombard Kingdom, it became the seat of a county under one Auteramus (died 816). From the 11th century onwards Bergamo was an independent commune, taking part in the [[Lombard League]] which defeated [[Frederick I Barbarossa]] in 1165. Caught in the bitter fights between [[Guelphs and Ghibellines]], led in the city by the Colleoni and the Suardi respectively, from 1264 Bergamo was intermittently under the rule of Milan. In 1331 it gave itself to [[John of Bohemia]], but later the Visconti of Milan reconquered it. After a short conquest by the [[Malatesta]] in 1407, in 1428 it fell under the control of the [[Republic of Venice|Venetian]], remaining part of it until 1797. Notably, the Venetians fortified the higher portion of the town (see Main sights section). In 1815 it was assigned to [[Austria]]. [[Giuseppe Garibaldi]] freed it 1859, and thenceforth Bergamo was part of the [[Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)|Kingdom of Italy]]. Bergamo has a prominent place in music history. The large [[Romanesque architecture|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 music with [[polyphony]] using two [[organ (music)|organs]], brass and [[viol]]s, a style usually associated with Venice, but which flourished in the fine acoustic environment of Santa Maria Maggiore. Prominent musicians born in Bergamo include [[Gaetano Donizetti]], [[Pietro Locatelli]], [[Antonio Lolli]], [[Gianluigi Trovesi]], and [[Gianandrea Gavazzeni]]. [[Alessandro Grandi]], one of the most progressive composers of the early 17th century after [[Claudio Monteverdi|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. Bergamo was the hometown and last resting place of [[Enrico Rastelli]], a highly technical and world famous juggler who lived in the town and, in 1931, died there at the early age of 34. There is a life-sized statue to Rastelli within his mausoleum. ==Main sights== The town has two centres: "Città alta" (upper city), a hilltop medieval town, surrounded by 17th century cyclopic defensive walls, and the "Città bassa" (lower city). The two parts of the town are connected by [[funicular]]/cable car, roads and foot-paths (the most convenient being immediately adjacent the funicular station). Parking spaces are very limited in the upper city and non-local traffic is banned on weekends. ===Città alta=== The upper city, surrounded by Venetian walls built in the 17th century, forms the historic centre of Bergamo. It includes numerous historical monuments: *''Piazza Vecchia'' (old square) *''Palazzo della Ragione''. It was the seat of the administration of the city in the communal age. It is now the site of exhibitions. Erected in the 12th century, it was rebuilt in the late 16th century by Pietro Isabello. The façade has the lion of St. Mark over a mullioned window, testifying to the long period of Venetian dominance. The atrium has a well-preserved 18th century [[sundial]]. *''[[Santa Maria Maggiore, Bergamo|Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore]]'' (Saint Mary Major). It was built from 1137 on the site of a previous religious edifice of the 7th century. Construction lasted until the 15th century. Of this first building remains the external Romanesque structure and the Greek cross plan, while the interior was widely modified in the 16th and 17th centuries. Noteworthy are the great Crucifix and the tomb of [[Gaetano Donizetti]]. The dome has frescoes by [[Giovanbattista Tiepolo]]. *''[[Cappella Colleoni]]'' ([[bartolomeo Colleoni|Colleoni]] chapel), annexed to Santa Maria Maggiore, a masterwork of Renaissance architecture and decorative art. *The ''Rocca'' (Castle). It was begun in 1331 on hill of the Sant'Eufemia by William of Castelbarco, vicar of [[John of Bohemia]], and later completed by [[Azzone Visconti]]. A wider citadel was also added, but it is now partly lost. The Venetians built a large tower in the ''Rocca'', as well as a line of walls (''Mura Veneziane'') 6,200 metres long. *''Palazzo della Ragione'' and the nearby [[Biblioteca Angelo Mai]] (''Palazzo Nuovo''), designed by [[Vincenzo Scamozzi]]. The città alta is also home to two museums, the ''Museo Civico Archeologico'' (Archaeological Civic Museum) and the [[Museo di Scienze Naturali Enrico Caffi]] (Caffi Natural Science Museum), as well as a small [[botanical garden]] (the [[Orto Botanico di Bergamo "Lorenzo Rota"]]). ===Città bassa=== The lower city, having expanded rapidly during the twentieth century, is the modern centre of Bergamo. At the end of the nineteenth century ''Città Bassa'' was composed of ''Borghi'', the residential houses built along the main road that linked Bergamo with the other cities of Lombardy. The main bourgs were [[Borgo Palazzo]] along the road to [[Brescia]], [[Borgo San Leonardo]] along the road to [[Milan]] and [[Borgo Santa Caterina]] along the road to Valle Seriana. In the first decades of the twentieth century, the municipality erected major buildings like the new courthouse and various administrative offices in the lower part of Bergamo in order to create a new center of the city. Following that after [[World War II]] and during the so called ''miracolo economico'' (economic boom) many residential buildings were constructed in the lower part of the city. Of artistic importance in ''Città Bassa'' are [[Accademia Carrara|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. The lower part of the city is divided into several distinct boroughs: [[Colognola]], [[Valtesse]], [[Redona]], [[Borgo Palazzo]], [[Celadina]], [[Campagnola,Bergamo|Campagnola]], [[Boccaleone]], [[Longuelo]]. ==Demographics== In 2007, there were 115,781 people residing in Bergamo (in which the greater area has more than 1 million inhabitants), located in the province of Bergamo, [[Lombardia]], of whom 46.7% were male and 53.3% were female. Minors (children ages 18 and younger) totalled 16.32 percent of the population compared to pensioners who number 23.67 percent. This compares with the Italian average of 18.06 percent (minors) and 19.94 percent (pensioners). The average age of Bergamo residents is 45 compared to the Italian average of 42. In the five years between 2002 and 2007, the population of Bergamo grew by 1.92 percent, while [[Italy]] as a whole grew by 3.85 percent.[http://demo.istat.it/bil2007/index.html] The current birth rate of Bergamo is 8.72 births per 1,000 inhabitants compared to the Italian average of 9.45 births. As of 2006, 90.47% of the population was [[Italian people|Italian]]. The largest immigrant group comes from other [[European]] nations (the largest being [[Albania]], and [[Romania]]): 3.15%, [[Americas]] (mostly from [[Bolivia]]): 2.37%, [[sub-saharan Africa]]: 1.41%, and [[North Africa]]: 1.23%. Currently one-fifth of the babies born in Bergamo has at least one foreign parent. The city is predominantly [[Roman Catholic]], but due to immigration now has some [[Orthodox Christian]], [[Muslim]], and [[Protestant]] adherants. ==Economy== As capital and main town of its province, Bergamo hosts the public administration offices of provincial interest. In the past, many factories were in the commune territory, mainly for electrical components, industrial mechanics and publishing businesses, but have then moved outward. In the town two large corporations are still based: [[Italcementi]] and [[UBI Banca]]. ==Miscellaneous== *[[Angelo Roncalli]], later to become Pope John XXIII and born in the province of Bergamo, studied in the diocesan [[minor seminary]] of Bergamo. *The city is home to [[Costantino Rocca]], the only Italian golfer to play in the [[Ryder Cup]]. *The town hosted the seventh [[Congres Internationaux d'Architecture Moderne]] in 1951. *The town has a [[Serie A]] football team called [[Atalanta B.C.|Atalanta]]. *For about 55 years, from 1945 to 2000, the town was the site of the headquarters of the Mechanized [[Infantry Brigade "Legnano"]] *Every year the town used to host an important poetry event called "BergamoPoesia" *[[Giuseppe Donizetti]] also known as Donizetti Pasha, the eldest brother of [[Gaetano Donizetti]], who became Instructor-General of the Ottoman Military Bands under Sultan [[Mahmud II]] and Sultan [[Abdulmecid]] was born in Bergamo in 1788. * The town has a woman's [[volleyball]] team named [[Foppapedretti Bergamo]]. * The city is also home to the [[Bergamo Lions]] [[American football]] team, one of the most successful [[European Football League]] history, winning multiple [[Eurobowl]]s. *Bergamo is the traditional birthplace of [[Arlecchino]] and [[Brighella]], two popular characters of the [[commedia dell'arte]] ==Gallery== <gallery> Image:20032212.jpg|Old town, Bergamo Image:19 Bergamo.jpg|View of Bergamo Image:Ragione1.JPG|Palazzo della Ragione Image:Bergamo Notturno Porta San Giacomo.jpg|Porta San Giacomo </gallery> ==Sister cities== *{{flagicon|United States}} [[Greenville, South Carolina|Greenville]], [[United States]] *{{flagicon|United States}} [[Pueblo, Colorado|Pueblo]], United States *{{flagicon|France}} [[Mulhouse]], [[France]] *{{flagicon|Russia}} [[Tver']], [[Russia]] *{{flagicon|China}} [[Bengbu]], [[China]] *{{flagicon|Argentina}} [[Buenos Aires]], [[Argentina]] ==External links== {{commons|Bergamo}} * [http://www.comune.bergamo.it Bergamo official website (italian)] * [http://eng.turismo.bergamo.it Turismo Bergamo] * [http://www.bergamotour.it/uk/index.htm Bergamo Tour] * [http://www.unibg.it/en_index.asp Università degli Studi di Bergamo website (english)] *[http://www.paradoxplace.com/Perspectives/Venice%20&%20N%20Italy/Bergamo/Bergamo.htm Paradoxplace Bergamo Photo Pages] {{Geolinks-cityscale|45.695|9.67}} {{Province of Bergamo}} [[Category:Bergamo| ]] [[Category:Castles in Italy]] {{Link FA|lmo}} [[ar:بيرغامو]] [[br:Bergamo]] [[bg:Бергамо]] [[ca:Bèrgam]] [[cs:Bergamo]] [[co:Bergamo]] [[da:Bergamo]] [[de:Bergamo]] [[et:Bergamo]] [[eml:Bèrghem]] [[es:Bérgamo]] [[eo:Bergamo]] [[fr:Bergame]] [[hi:बेर्गमो]] [[io:Bergamo]] [[id:Bergamo]] [[it:Bergamo]] [[jv:Bergamo]] [[la:Bergomum]] [[lt:Bergamas]] [[lmo:Bèrghem]] [[nl:Bergamo (stad)]] [[ja:ベルガモ]] [[nap:Bergamo]] [[no:Bergamo]] [[nn:Bergamo]] [[oc:Bergam]] [[pms:Bérghem]] [[pl:Bergamo]] [[pt:Bérgamo]] [[ro:Bergamo]] [[qu:Bergamo]] [[ru:Бергамо]] [[simple:Bergamo]] [[sk:Bergamo (mesto)]] [[sr:Бергамо]] [[fi:Bergamo]] [[sv:Bergamo]] [[tl:Lungsod ng Bergamo]] [[tr:Bergamo]] [[uk:Бергамо]] [[vec:Bergamo]] [[vo:Bergamo]] [[zh:贝尔加莫]]