Bergamo's 16th century walled enclosure at the top of the hill is called Citta Alta. It's center is anchored by two adjoining squares. The first is the secular Piazza Vecchia built from 1300--1453. The square is surrounded by beautifully restored medieval and renaissance buildings. Look carefully and you'll see a dog in front of the fountain.
Beyond the fountain rises the Angelo Mai Civic Library with one of the richest collections in Italy, over 600,000 books and nearly 1300 incunabulae -- extremely rare early printed works somewhat like pages of the Gutenberg bible.
Here's another view of the library facade completed in the 1928 using the original plans of the Venetian Vincenzo Scamozzi, who bridged the gap from Renaissance to neo-classic design.
A detail from the ground floor facade of the library.
Here's a detail of one of the 3 double sets of renaissance statues above the library door. You tell me what the gentlemen at right is pointing to. The Italians got around to adding this facade in 1928 but executed against Scamozzi's original plans from 1604/1611 . Note the use of both Ionic and Corinthian columns.
The eastern edge of the middle floor of the Scamozzi Library facade holds this shrine. The carved figures are, unfortunately, at least double amputees. The marble at top has held up much better. The library also incorporated the entrance to an old church now mostly gone. What's left is a warehouse for the library.
On the opposite side of the library and incorporated into its facade (more or less) is the Baroque door of the church of Saint Michele all'Arco. The 897 AD church sat on an old Roman building and was rebuilt in 1750. The motorbikes are more recent.
At the center of the square is the Fountain del Contarini, named for the podesta (the mayor of a city-state) who donated it to Bergamo in 1780 when his term ended.
Ornamental lions guard the approach to the fountain, looking more friendly than ferocious.
Pigeons apparently get their own fountain.
This appears to be a Sphinx -- a traditional guardian statue with a human head on a lion's body. Other anatomical details are left to the viewer.
Above the Sphinx rises the Civic Tower (Torre Civica) erected in the 11th century.
This fountain view (with the library to our back) shows the old town hall at left called the Palazzo del Ragione entered by the covered stairway at center. The Bell Tower rises behind it. As expected, the square is edged by restaurants.
This dog was a hoot; he'd play soccer with the boys who used him in their game of keep-away. He'd follow their feints perfectly and go after the ball; when he got too hot, he'd jump in the fountain. Note the diagonal pattern framing the brick cobblestones.
Look carefully and you'll see the dog in the fountain looking here a little like the marble statues surrounding him. When the soccer game made him hot (and it was a hot day here in the upper 90s), he'd jump into the fountain to cool off. He was as oblivious to the historic architecture around him as were the teenagers playing with him.
Here's a "butterflied" pastiche of the secular Piazza Vechia in Bergamo taken from in front of the library. The medieval town hall rises at center beyond the fountain. It rests on an arcade. Walk through the arcade to a religious square.
Anchoring the Piazza Vecchia opposite the library is the medieval Palazzo della Ragione. The 12th century building was restored during the 16th century. Note the winged lion at center above the mullioned windows...
...It is, of course, the symbol of Venice which dominated this town for centuries. The winged lion is the traditional symbol the the evangelist Mark who became the patron saint of Venice after Venetians stole his remains from Egypt.
This covered stairs leads to the Palazzo della Ragione. This grand staircase was added later when the orientation of the town hall was changed to face this square.
Another view of the stairway. Through the arcade at left is the religious square -- we are looking at a slice of the Cappella Colleoni (Colleoni Chapel).
Here's a wide angle of the stairs to the old town hall.
A loggia (gallery) supports the old town hall -- this is unusual as typically loggia are freestanding or serve as a porch next to a building. This one has obviously held the weight of the building above it for centuries.
The carvings on the loggia capitals are showing the wear of nearly five centuries.
The loggia was used by the Venetian rulers for their audiences.
The gallery was added in 1520 by architect Pietro Isabello -- centuries after the building was constructed. It appears nearly empty and without ornament except for the shrine...
...but when you look down, you see this elliptical path of the earth's path around the sun.
Here's a detail of the sundial. The foot is there intentionally (for a change) to show relative size. Note the thumb print at bottom (just kidding!)
An 18th century version of a GPS.
The base of the sundial in the loggia underneath the Palazzo della Ragione showing directions.
Here's the back of the Palazzo della Ragione from the religious square. When built in the 12th century, the Palace faced this way but was reorientated when the secular Piazza Vecchia was built. Note the swallow-tail merlons at top -- symbolic of a political faction called the Ghibellines in the long civil war going on while this structure was built.
A final shot of the medieval loggia looking across the Piazza Vecchia towards the Renaissance library.
Another view of the tower rising above the grand staircase. Once Bergamo had nearly 200 towers. This one was originally lower than its present 160 feet height. Its base has 12 foot walls, suitable for a prison and dungeon which it once was. Today an elevator has eliminated the 300 step climb to the top.
Townspeople call this the Campanone (the big bell) for its large bell which tolled 180 times at 10PM to announce the nightly curfew. In fact, there are 3 bells with the largest at over a half ton
The easiest way to get to the religious square is by walking through the loggia underneath the Palazzo della Ragione. The religious square abuts the secular Piazza Vecchia (old square).
The Piazza Duomo directly behind the Piazza Vecchia has three spectacular religious buildings which include the cathedral (duomo), a renaissance chapel, and a basilica whose entrance is shown here.
A carved balcony in the Piazza Vecchia.
The smallest but most elegant of the three iconic religious buildings in this square is the Cappella Colleoni (Colleoni Chapel). The prominent mercenary Colleoni family built it as a mausoleum for a father and daughter.
Here's another view of the Cappella Colleoni showing how these buildings peak out from the Piazza Vecchia rather than having a grand entrance with proper space. Is this the leaning tower of Bergamo?
The chapel was built after the mercenary's private army tore down the sacristy of the basilica. Marble of many colors makes up its exterior.
Many Italian churches, including the one to which the chapel is appended, really don't have exteriors -- just plain masonry. Not so for the Cappella Colleoni. Polychromatic marble makes this Renaissance jewel shine both inside and out.
The chapel was designed by sculptor/architect Giovanni Antonio Amadeo who worked on many Renaissance churches including Milan's cathedral. Here's the rose window. Note the various colored marble Trompe-l'œil lozenges -- Escher would be proud.
On either side of the rose window are medallions to Romans (most unreligious but highly Renaissance!). This one is the lower part of emporer Trajan's shield...
...And the left side is dedicated to Julius Caesar. Does this make up for all the marble the popes stole from the Roman monuments to create their churches?
This view looks past the rose window to the Romanesque loggia.
A closeup of the small statue on the Trajan side. The black, white, and pink lozenge pattern is called a tarsia. Usually tarsia are executed in wood.
The door -- The inside was even more lovely as we would expect a church built by a sculptor. Unfortunately photos were verboten. Much ado about nothing? For many years, Bergamo thought that the man who had commissioned this tomb did not lie in it. However, in 1969 they found where his body was hidden inside.
Tiny bronze angels (who have seen better days) sit atop the protective fence. Note the variety of pillars behind her. The mercenary who built this as his tomb had his 15 minutes of fame by introducing artillery in battle -- the Enola Gay of his day.
More details from the fence which surrounds the front of the chapel.
If this is what the fence looks like, you can imagine what the interior could be with its ceiling frescoes by Venetian Giovanni Battista Tiepolo - the last of the great "Grand Manner" fresco painters.
View of the Baptistery from the edge of the Duomo with the right transept portal to the Basilica at left.
Next to the Colleoni chapel stands the Baptistery. Built in 1340, it stood inside S. Maria Maggiore Basilica until 1600 when it was moved outside, then inside another building, and finally (?) here in 1848.
The Baptistery is a perfectly proportioned octagon. The upper story has loggia with Corinthian capitals. This may be an 18th century reconstruction of the original building -- which would explain why the Bergamask allow it to stay out in the elements.
On each of the eight corners are 14th century Virtu -- statues of the virtues from Verona. The inside was not open but contains (what else) a font and statue of Saint John the Baptist. The Greeks had 4 virtues and the Christians added 3 more: Faith (seen here as Fides), hope and love. What's on the 8th corner? I'd guess Justice -- a virtue added later.
Next to the Baptistery and abutting to the Basilica of Saint Maria Maggiore rise steps to the Diocesan headquarters (curia). The curia building keeps the basilica from having a formal (and large) west entrance like most grand churches.
Inside the curia, the entrance hall is large and sparse except for aged frescoes and a statue of ...
...Pope John XXIII. The peasant Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli was born near Bergamo, the 3rd of 13 children. He was elected pope in 1958 and the Church has never been the same.
The chancery's large arch and frescoes are from the 13th century.
As a young priest, Roncalli served as secretary to the Bergamo bishop and taught at the town's seminary. At the other end of his life, the cardinals elected him pope as he was old and not expected to rule for long--meaning they could get a real pope in a few years. John XXIII changed all that with his Vatican 2 stuff.
The third major religious building on the square is the cathedral (Duomo). Unfortunately, it was closed for rehab.
Here's two views of the upper story of the Duomo. The cathedral was built in several stages, starting in 1459.
...This facade probably dates from the 19th century. Most of the rest of the cathedral was added during a second phase in 1689.
The ceiling of the main portal to the Duomo.
The ceiling of the main (west) door of the Duomo (cathedral).
Detail from the top of the portal to the Duomo. The interior contains many art works including a famous painting by Giambattista Tiepolo. Unfortunately, the interior was locked. Next time!
A final view of the cathedral facade. Hopefully the Duomo will reopen in time for our next visit.
The basilica lacks the grand west entrance of similar structures because it abuts the Bishop's palace. Therefore the people entered through the transept doors such as this on the left. This is Giovanni da Campione 1353 Gothic Masterpiece in 3 stories.
What was open (and allowed picture taking) was the basilica of Saint Maria Maggiore. The outside was mostly unfinished except for the entrances (seen here next to the highly ornamented Colleoni Chapel built on the basilica's sacristy.
A view of the middle story of the North portal which leads into the left transept of the basilica which is laid out in the holds a Madonna figure between saints Esther and Grata. Three other saints hold down the middle story.
Note the Veronese marble lions holding up the pillars on this left transept door -- we'll see them again on the more famous right transept door a little later.
Another detail from the left transept door. The congregation entered through two primary doors (at the transept) and two secondary doors.
One of the secondary entrances integrated into the northeast apsidiole. The basilica is built in the shape of a Greek cross. The quarter-round projections where the bars cross are called apsidioles (little apses).
A close-up of the previous picture. Note the faded frescoes.
A slice showing (at left) a portion of the northeast apsidiole looking (at center) at the middle story of the right transept portal.
While the exterior of Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore is plain and mostly unadorned Romanesque, the interior is stunning and eclectic. Here's a view of the main altar looking east towards the apse. Note the symmetry preserved by doubling the pulpits. Would we have dueling sermons?
Another view overhead of the main altar. We'll talk about the crucifix in a moment. Notice the circular painting of Mary ascendant into heaven bringing focus to this area--this is, after all, the church of St. Mary Major (Santa Maria Maggiore).
Work on the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore started in 1157, replacing a 7th century church. This altar painting by Gian Paolo Lolmo shows the Madonna and Child along with St. Ross and St. Sebastian, the first martyr. It's in the north-eastern apsidiole...
...Just above the painting is this elaborate unfolding of sculpture and ornament.
A typical ceiling updated in the 17th century in the Baroque manner. The interior of the church has gone through many renovations as the art in Italy progressed over the basilica's nearly 900 year life.
Another Baroque detail.
Typical ceiling -- bible scenes surrounded by reliefs. Forgive the old guy's hair in upper right. He's aged, the rest is ageless.
These may be Old Testament prophets as depicted in 1615 when the Mannerist and baroque squads remodelled.
A side view of one of the dual pulpits showing the bronze stairs and banisters.
Bergamo has always been a center for music. We found this man practicing the organ during our visit. Here's a good chance to marble at the marble floor sweeping towards the dual pulpits underneath historic tapestries.
The two marble pulpits are late Renaissance (1603) by Camillo Capi.
An obviously modern statue of Jesus meditating near the main altar.
This is the 14th century tomb of Cardinal Guglielmo Longhi by Ugo Campione.
Above the Cardinal's tomb.
A detail at the center of the Cardinal's tomb with the traditional Lamb of God
This sculptured group stands atop the tomb of the German-born composer Simone Mayr who moved to Bergamo in 1802 to run the basilica's music program. He composed over 70 operas which are rarely performed. Today he's best known as the teacher of Donizetti.
The rectangular pilasters with Corinthian capitals were added over the original Romanesque columns during the late 16th and 17th centuries.
A view looking into one of one of the apsidiole chapels off the transepts.
This is Vincenzo Vela's 1855 tomb for Bergamo native Gaetano Donizetti who died in his early fifties with what we would today call Bipolar disorder. He composed over 75 operas including the bel canto masterpiece Lucia di Lammermoor. On either side are Flemish tapestries.
A close-up of Vela's bas-relief for Donizetti. Donizetti was from a poor family with no musical heritage but Simone Mayr recognized his promise and got him scholarships. These cherubs seem to be unhappy with Donizetti's demise to the point of smashing their instruments.
Andrea Fantoni inlaid this Baroque confessional with biblical carvings in 1704.
Some of Fantoni's details on the confessional
The back wall contains Flemish tapestries -- this one of the Crucifixion by Louis Van Schoor (1666-1726) and woven in Antwerp by Johannes Regelbrugge in the Rubens style.
Lorenzo Lotto created inlaid wood depictions of bible scenes which line the back of the benches of the presbytery. This one appears surreal.
You should be able to guess that this Lotto work is of Noah's Ark. Note the storm clouds gathering. The polychrome effect is achieved by using various colors of wood. These reliefs were executed during the 16th century.
Lorenzo Lotto's inlay of a severed head...
...belonging to this headless torso of Goliath. Or it may be of Holofernes who was decapitated by the Jewish Widow Judith. So many heads, so few panels.
A lion capital near the main altar.
This modern crucifix hangs over the main altar.
At the foot of the crucifix is this skeleton head perhaps signifying the place of crucifixion -- Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull). In some traditions, Adam's skull was buried here.
Left to right, a view of the left side of the main altar with the pilasters, the tapestry, the pipe organ, and the altar screen. The crucifix rises from the skull in the upper right hand corner.
These are probably Florentine tapestries on each side of the presbytery.
Another view of the skull at the base of the crucifix -- a modern rendering set off against the Baroque background added during the 17th century.
This ceiling painting depicts Mary being crowned Queen of Heaven by her son with God the Father and the Holy Spirit micromanaging from above.
Fortunately these are 14th century frescoes on the northern wall of the transept survived the Baroque additions 3 centuries later. Note the Last Supper.
The door may lead to the new sacristy. The old was torn down to make room for the Cappella Colleoni (Colleoni Chapel).
A view looking west past the pulpit and its stairway. Note the pilaster at right. In most churches, we'd expect a grand door on the western wall -- but here there is none as the bishop's chancery took its space.
More ceiling detail.
Looking from the side across the presbytery.
This door way provides a 300 day indulgence. Remember those? Did they disappear in Vatican II?
Another magnificent wooden door--relatively unadorned compared with the rest of the baroque interior of the basilica.
Venturing back outside, we see the entrance to the South transept the Renaissance Porta della Fontana. We couldn't find the fountain but there must have been one here in 1521 when Pietro Isabello added the last ornamentation to the plain exterior.
What Pietro Isabello finished, Giovanni da Campione began in the 14th century. It's the most discussed of the three entrances he built (carved) for the basilica.
Note the ground story is made of alternating rows of polychromatic marble capped by a bas-relief.
This bas-relief is by Giovanni da Campione and dates from 1360. It shows the various saints.
Giovanni da Campione was an Italian Gothic sculptor of the 14th century.
This gothic shrine of what appears to be Christ on his throne in the heavens (protected by leaning lions) is asymmetrically posed above the Fountain doorway. Note the brickwork: when work started on the basilica, money was available for large, regularly shaped stones. Later when this section was completed, money was more scarce and builders had to make do with smaller, irregular stones.
The lion's cub is nursing in the exact spot necessary to hold up the column above in this 16th century tribute to infant multitasking.
Another guardian lion at the Door of the Fountain. Did the lion take some of these heads?
Men help the lions hold up the columns.
The exterior of the main apse, tucked into abutting buildings.
A closeup showing the various symbolic carvings separating the two stories of the apse. These contrast sharply with the exterior of the basilica which is mostly unornamented.
A close-up of the apse showing the Corinthian columns of the upper level as well as the carvings of plants and griffins separating the levels.
Looking up the bell tower.
This is a typical construction of the apses that fill in the space where the Greek-cross bars cross. There were originally four, but one was torn down to make room for the Cappella Colleoni (Colleoni Chapel). This is of the southwest apsidiole.
Behind the basilica is one of several buildings restored and used by the University of Bergamo -- this one showing an art exhibition.
Founded in 1968, the university quietly moved into buildings in the ancient center -- giving them new life while preserving the patrimony of Bergamo. This 1759 building just to the southeast of the Basilica is now the Academy of Sciences, Letters and Arts.
A typical street in the upper city of Bergamo.
Chichi stores are taking over the quaint storefronts.
This pleasant tower (Torre della Campanella built in 1520) is actually the entrance to the citadel. Behind it no longer lies a fort but a series of buildings now serving as museums.
Along the street, we came to the church of San Agatha, temporarily serving as the cathedral while the Duomo was closed for repairs.
Saint Agatha ceiling.
Side view of St. Agatha church with pulpit and statue probably of the Carmelite Saint Theresa of Lisieux.
Above the main altar of St. Agatha.
St. Agatha's was built in the 14th century and renovated in the 17th.
More ceiling details of the young Jesus (and an edge of Dick). All-in-all a backup cathedral more elaborate than most diocese's main catahedral.
Rising from the via Gombito is the sandstone Torre di Bombito built in the 12th century where the two major roman roads crossed.
Looking up the ancient Torre di Gombito. Originally 209 feet tall, it had nearly 40 feet lopped off for "safety reasons" in the 19th century. It was structurally upgraded in 2003 and now serves as the tourist office. It's just off the Piazza Vecchia.
This delightful square is between the funicular to the lower city and the Gamibito tower
A typical church entrance in the old upper city of Bergamo.
A loggia near the funicular.
Typical residential tower in the upper city.
And always -- shrines in the wall.
