Piazza Vecchia is the heart of town, one of the great spaces in all of Italy, surrounded by ancient buildings and quality restaurants. It is a picturesque place to have a meal, or maybe just sit and have a spritz while enjoying the view. The piazza is a place to spend some quality time. Don't just stop and take a look and grab a picture and then move on, but drop anchor, sit down at a cafe and look around at these majestic buildings and enjoy the endless parade of people passing through.
Piazza Vecchia represents the core of Citta Alta, the center of political and religious power for centuries, and is one of the most popular places for Bergamo citizens and visitors to spend some time.
There are so many wonderful photo ops here, generally considered one of the most beautiful piazza in all of Italy, and that's saying something because every town in Italy has a piazza. But this one is quite special with these old medieval, preserved buildings and cafes and great sites all around it.
The majestic Palazzo Della Raggione stands at one end of the main piazza, constructed in the Gothic style 800 years ago as a government building, the seat of the administration of the city in the medieval period. The loggia underneath the Palazzo della Reggione, with monumental pointed arches, served to host the city public meetings and is still a popular gathering place.
At the center of Piazza Vecchia stands the Contarini Fountain, a Renaissance masterpiece adorned with sculptures and bas-reliefs. The fountain adds to the square's elegance and serves as a focal point for gatherings, photos and events. The white Zandobbio marble octagon features sphynxes, lions and snakes. It was put in the middle of the square in 1780 both for aesthetic and practical reasons, as most homes lacked running water (you can still quench your thirst drinking from one of its sphinxes’ mouths).
The white granite Renaissance building on the north end is the Palazzo Nuovo, built originally from 1604, and took 300 years to finish, ending in 1928. It served as Bergamo's Town Hall for most of that time until 1873. Since 1928, it has been hosting one of Italy's most renowned libraries, the Civica Angelo Mai, with an incredible collection that includes ancient and precious books from the 1500s, engravings, manuscripts, and 600,000 volumes in total. The terrace in front is a popular gathering place for locals and a convenient spot for visitors to sit down and rest and do some people-watching.
In the heart of Piazza Vecchia stands the Civic Tower, otherwise known as the Campanone, which with its height of 53 metres, offers a breathtaking panoramic view of the old town. You don’t have to climb the 230 steps because they have a glass elevator whisking you up in 30 seconds.
It provides a commanding view across the Old Town from the open-air perspective, with a great angle on two piazzas, three churches, towers, domes, and the distant hillside landscape beyond. The Tower has three big bells at the top which ring frequently, including the largest, called Companone, which is the popular name for this tower.
Lower level of the tower is Palazzo del Podesta, built in the second half of the 12th century as the home for the municipal mayor of Bergamo. It now showcases historical exhibits including archeological finds in the basement, dazzling contemporary displays, and a loggia courtyard in the Renaissance style
The main piazza is connected to Piazza Duomo and its three major churches, the Basilica, Cathedral and Colleoni Chapel. Italy's old Gothic and baroque churches are always fascinating to visit, but here there is something curious about placement of the these churches: they are hidden! The buildings are large, but cannot be seen from the main street or piazza. They are in their own space in Piazza Duomo, tucked in behind the arches of Palazzo della Raggione. They could be easily missed, so be sure to find them.
This spectacular Colleoni Chapel is perhaps the most beautiful building in Bergamo, an authentic Italian Renaissance masterpiece featuring an overwhelming mass of decoration that dazzles the eye, yet it is not a large building.
The main focal point is the massive tomb and gilded equestrian statue of Bartolomeo Colleoni, one of Italy's most famous mercenary captains. A fearless soldier and great leader who spent his whole life fighting all over Italy, especially for the Republic of Venice, and was born here in Bergamo.
The Basilica is considered to be the most important building in Bergamo, built in the Romanesque style from the year 1137, in thanks to the Virgin Mary for sparing them from a plague. The building was completed in 1355, and then later the interior was decorated in this high Baroque style.
Massive tapestries cover many of the walls, making this space look somewhat like the hall of a medieval castle. Every square inch of the walls and ceiling is decorated with sculptures and paintings. Frequent live performance of organ music adds to the spiritual atmosphere as you wander about looking at these grand sights.
The Basilica is adjacent to Piazza Vecchia, where we come out into a lovely evening glow. Once again, you'll come back into this piazza many times during your visit.
The Cathedral of Sant'Alessandro is a wide, lofty structure with transept and dome, a semicircular choir and gilt arabesques all over the walls and ceiling, dedicated to the patron of Bergamo, St Alexander. It's a building constructed entirely of white marble in the Renaissance style, then, later in the 17th century it was embellished with Baroque angels, cherubs, and saints looking down from above.
The Duomo holds numerous treasures, including paintings by Tiepolo, and gilded marble inlays, and the mortal remains of St Alexander kept in an urn inside the high altar. Emerging again into Piazza Duomo, we see the octagonal Baptistery, first constructed inside the Basilica, then moved out here in 1661.
You'll probably come back into this piazza many times during your visit, night and day.
