Museums
in Bergamo and its province
Introduction
The Province of Bergamo is proud to offer this updated guide to Bergamo museums
with the aim to raise awareness on the importance of our artistic, historical and
socio-cultural heritage. Museums represent, indeed, the best way to preserve and
disseminate history and to make it revive among communities.
This guide presents 77 museums widespread in the territory of Bergamo. These
numbers show the emphasis that local communities put on their cultural heritage.
The Province of Bergamo has decided to further invest in this resource by developing the so called “Museums map” project, in collaboration with the Lombardy
Region. The valorization and preservation of Bergamo cultural heritage is not only
conceived as a mean to improve one’s knowledge, personality and quality of life, but
also as a key element to attract tourism. This book illustrates how rich and diversified
Bergamo’s heritage is. Such an extraordinary diversity depends on the territory itself,
which comprises high mountains, hills, lakes and valleys, as well as on a thick network relationship that started, in chronological order, with Milan, then with Venice,
subsequently with Vienna, with the unified Italy at a later stage and culminated in
the modernization of the late fifties. Throughout the centuries people from Bergamo
have been remarkably committed to collecting and preserving their cultural treasures. Aware of the benefits that this heritage brings to us and to those who wish to
visit our area, we aim at reinforcing this effort.
Special thanks go to Lombardy Region for supporting this project and to each museum manager for contributing to this guide.
We would like to invite you to visit Bergamo, its province and its museums, whose
magnificent collections will amaze you.
Enjoy a culture-based visit...in our museums!
Giorgio Bonassoli
Giovanni Milesi
Councillor Tourism & Economic
Development
Bergamo Province
Councillor Entertainment,
Arts & Culture
Bergamo Province
Brand for regional Museums
Brand for regional Museum
Collections
Local museum systems recognized by
Lombardy Region
Association of museums in Bergamo
Integrated Cultural System
of Bassa Pianura Bergamasca
Associations of Lombardy museums
Association of botanic
gardens in Lombardy
Association of museums
(19th century) in Lombardy
Museums sorted
by category
Archaeological
Museums
Art
Museums
Ethnographic
Museums
Monothematic
Museums
Naturalistic
Museums
Museum
Itineraries
Science
Museums
Historical
Museums
archaeological
Archaeological
Museums
Civico Museo
Archeologico di Bergamo
Bergamo - Archaeological Museum
Address
Piazza Cittadella, 9 - 24129 Bergamo
Tel. 035.242839 / Fax 035.3831889
[email protected] / www.museoarcheologicobergamo.it
Opening times
- from October to April:
9.00-12.30 / 14.30-17.30
- from April to September:
from Tuesday to Friday
9.00-12.30 / 14.30-18.00
Saturday and Sunday
9.00-19.00
Closing day:
Mondays, Christmas Day and
1st January.
place during the Museum opening
hours.
Bookshop
Museum Publications:
Archaeology Magazine of Bergamo,
monographs, relevant publications.
Library
It can be consulted by prior
appointment.
Admission
Free of charge.
Tours
Guided tours of no more than 25
people can be arranged. They must
be booked in advance and must take
11
Civico Museo Archeologico di Bergamo - Bergamo
Historical notes
These archaeological collections date back to 1561. At that time, classical
culture and antiquity in general were admired in all Renaissance courts
and were wide-spread all over Italy and Europe.
In the same year, (also marked by the start of the building of the Venetian
Walls) the city’s Major Council appointed some local archaeologists to
collect everything related to Bergamo’s “antiquity and cultural memories”
and to put it, at state charges, in the loggia under Palazzo della Ragione.
This was the first location of the Museum. Throughout the centuries, in
particular during the 18th and 19th centuries, the latter has enriched its
collection with new archaeological finds. Over the years the Museum has
been re-arranged and has moved to different places, including the Palace
near the Fontanone (housing the University of Science, Letters and Arts
at a later stage), the Civic Library entry hall and the Fortress.
The various relocations and all the relevant research were completed by
renowned archaeologists, such as G.B.Rota, G. Finazzi, P. Vimercati
Sozzi, G. Mantovani and M. Mirabella Roberti.
The Museum is waiting to be moved to a bigger building, which should
be able to accommodate its vast archaeological heritage. At the moment
the Museum consists of four exhibition rooms and an entry hall, which
normally features temporary exhibitions.
The Museum welcomes about 50,000 visitors a year. It offers an
educational service, organises annual exhibitions, conference cycles and
popular activities for adults. It also carries out research and excavations
and publishes the Archaeology Magazine of Bergamo.
Exhibition criteria
The archaeological finds are displayed in chronological and geographical
order; their various manufacturing techniques are presented in the rooms
also.
The itinerary begins with the Prehistoric and the Protostoric sessions,
with samples from the Palaeolithic, Neolithic, Copper, Bronze and Iron
Age. The oldest finds are some amygdale in chipped stone from Venosa
(Puglia region).
Apart from the above-mentioned finds, the rest of the material
comes from Bergamo province. The illustrations and captions on the
interpretation boards determine the provenance of the finds, especially of
those from the Paleolithic and Mesolithic period that are not included in
12
Civico Museo Archeologico di Bergamo - Bergamo
the exhibition.
The exhibition comprises arrow tips, axes (whose evolution from
the Neolithic to the Copper Age is observable); many fibules, rings,
pendants, bracelets and “armillas”; ceramic and bronze artefacts (the most
interesting of which come from the storeroom in Parre and from the rich
necropolis of Brembate Sotto, Ponte San Pietro, Verdello and Zanica);
several other objects found in Gallic necropolis of the second half of the
Iron Age (late La Tène).
The two following rooms provide a big amount of information about the
Bergomum Romana and its territory.
The material ranges from the “Lapidary”, which is made of stele and
altars, with honorary, funerary and holy epigraphs, to copies of the
Municipium Bergomense which have been found in the city: memorial
tablets related to public works, sacred places and necropolis as well as the
frescoes from the domus in Via Arena (I-II a.C.) are on display. In this
reproduction of Domus Romana some kitchenware were found.
This room also showcases cylindrical and quadrangular altars, marble
fragments (which demonstrate the past existence of an arena in Bergamo)
and floor mosaics. Furthermore, this room includes some Roman copies
of Hellenistic exemplars whose origin is unknown.
The last room, situated in the mezzanine, documents some aspects of
the Lombard period through inscriptions, several gold leaf crosses and
weapon decorations consisting of little iron plates with silver, gold and
brass filaments.
13
Civico Museo Archeologico di Bergamo - Bergamo
Museo Civico
Archeologico
Fornovo San Giovanni - Archaeological Museum
Address
c/o Civic Library
Via Garibaldi, 10 - 24040 Fornovo S. Giovanni
Tel. 0363.337101 - 0363.57666
Opening times
Upon Request.
Please contact the Town Hall
(Register Office)
Tel. 0363.57666
Admissions
Free of charge.
Tours
Groups must book in advance.
14
Museo Civico Archeologico - Fornovo San Giovanni
Historical notes
Between the 3rd and the 1st century b.C., important Roman colonies
settled in the territory of Fornovo. It is thanks to the Roman presence
that various archaeological artefacts (the first of which date back to the
nineteenth century) were recovered.
Situated in the Civic Library hall, the Museum houses a number of finds
which have been found in 1970 during excavation works in the nearby of
the local church bell tower.
Exhibition criteria
This exhibition boasts numerous, well-preserved amphoras, whose factory
seals are visible on their mouthpiece edges.
Furthermore, a small gravestone dating back to the 3rd-4th century a.C., a
reliquary with coins recovered in the surrounding area while ploughing,
some mosaic cards and a medieval sword found along Serio riverbanks are
on display.
15
Museo Civico Archeologico - Fornovo San Giovanni
art
Art
Museums
Accademia Carrara
Pinacoteca
Bergamo - Art Museum
Address
Piazza Carrara, 82/a - 24121 Bergamo
(currently closed to allow for restoration works)
Temporary location
Palazzo della Ragione - Piazza Vecchia - 24129 Bergamo
Tel. 035.399677 - 035.270413 / Fax 035.224510
[email protected]
[email protected]
www.accademiacarrara.bergamo.it
Opening times
- summer opening times
from June to September:
from Tuesday to Sunday 10.00-21.00
Saturday 10.00-23.00
Closing day: Monday.
- winter opening times
from October to May:
from Tuesday to Friday 9.30-17.30
Saturday and Sunday 10.00-18.00
Closing day: Monday.
Tours
Associazione Guide Giacomo
Carrara [email protected]
Associazione Amici dell’Accademia
Carrara [email protected]
Bookshop
Catalogues, publications,
monographs and educational
publications.
Library
Via S.Tomaso, 53 - 24121 Bergamo
Tel. 035.235834
Admission
Admission fee.
19
Accademia Carrara Pinacoteca - Bergamo
Historical notes
This art gallery, created by art collector Giacomo Carrara (1714-1796),
was initially conceived as a design school and Gallery. After the death
of its founder, it was accommodated in a stunning neoclassical building
designed by Bergamo architect Simone Elia and realised between 1808
and 1813.
Carrara Academy was therefore set up thanks to Giacomo Carrara, whose
passion for arts had been going on for 40 years.
Inspired by the Enlightenment ideas, this nobleman donated its collection
of over 1,500 artworks to Bergamo.
Managed by a board of noblemen, this collection prompted many other
generous donations. For instance, the nucleus of Guglielmo Lochis'
collection (1866) is constituted by Italian paintings from the fifteenth and
sixteenth centuries. Another benefactor, who is Giovanni Morelli (18161891), donated paintings and sculptures from the Italian and European
Renaissance. Throughout the years, many other high-profile donators
have contributed to the enrichment of such collection: Federico Zeri
(1921-1998)'s collection, for example, includes sculptures, mainly from
the Baroque era.
Carrara Academy houses stunning Italian masterpieces by Giovanni
Bellini, Sandro Botticelli, Vincenzo Foppa, Andrea Mantegna, Pisanello,
Raffaello and Tiziano. It also displays the works of renown local artists,
including Lorenzo Lotto, Giovan Battista Moroni, Evaristo Baschenis,
Fra' Galgario, Piccio – as well as of the Venetian painters from the
eighteenth century, who became famous for their landscapes: Belotto,
Canaletto and Guardi.
The core of this collection, which comprises over 2,000 paintings, makes
Carrara Academy one of the finest art galleries in Europe as well as
an ideal example of Italian private art collections. Carrara's collections
also include miniatures, sculptures, drawings, engravings, medals and
furnishings.
Since 1958, the Academy belongs to the Civic Museums of Bergamo.
As of October 2008, its historical building is being restored and
technologically improved. Its collections will be rearranged by Mario and
Tommaso Botta according to new criteria.
A selection of 80 paintings is currently displayed on a rota basis in
Capriate Hall, in Palazzo della Ragione, in the upper town.
20
Accademia Carrara Pinacoteca - Bergamo
GAMeC
Galleria d'Arte Moderna
e Contemporanea
Bergamo - Art Museum
Address
Via San Tomaso, 53 - 24121 Bergamo
Tel. 035.270272 / Fax 035.236962
[email protected] - www.gamec.it
Opening times
Permanent Collection
from Tuesday to Sunday
10.00-13.00 / 15.00-19.00
Closing day: Monday.
Temporary exhibitions
Variable visiting hours depending on
various events.
Closing day: Monday.
Services
Bookshop, free audioguides
Permanent Collection, PCs.
Library
From Monday to Friday 14.00-18.00
Admission
Permanent Collection: free of charge.
Variable fees for temporary
exhibitions.
Tours
Please contact the Museum ticket
office.
21
GAMeC Galleria d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea - Bergamo
Historical notes
GAMeC – Bergamo's Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art was
founded in 1991 with a view to promoting modern and contemporary art
and, in a wider perspective, to creating an art district incorporating the
three institutions that belong to the historical Carrara Academy, that are
the Gallery of Ancient Art, the School of Fine Arts and GAMeC.
The latter intends to enrich and promote Carrara Academy's heritage
from the 20th century as well as organise a series of promotional activities
and events aimed at establishing this Museum as a benchmark for
contemporary Italian and international art.
The Museum was managed by the Town Hall until 2000, when the main
backers of the project, that are the Town Hall and Tenaris Dalmine,
formed the GAMeC Association. In 2003 Banca Popolare di Bergamo
and Bonaldi Motori S.p.A. became members of the association.
From an international perspective, GAMec actively collaborates with
prestigious museums and centres of contemporary art, amongst which the
SMAK in Gent, Joan Miró Foundation in Barcelona, Lyon's Museum of
Contemporary Art, PROA Foundation in Buenos Aires, Kunsthaus in
Bregenz are worth a mention.
It also founded AMACI, an association which brings together the most
important Italian museums of contemporary art and which is based at
GAMeC.
GAMeC is situated in front of Accademia Carrara; its buildings once
housed the “Dimesse e Servite” Monastery (fifteenth century). The
restoration of the latter, carried out by the Town Hall administration and
by Credito Bergamasco bank and entrusted to Gregoretti study in Milan,
produced over 2,000 sqm free space, 1,500 of which are used as exhibition
areas.
Exhibition criteria
The Museum houses temporary exhibitions and important events, among
which special mention goes to the following: War is Over 1945-2005.
The Freedom of Art (2005); Giulio Paolini. Fuori programma (2006);
the future of Futurism. From the revolution of contemporary art in Italy
(2007), Yan Pei-Ming with Yan Pei-Ming (2008); Universal Exhibitions.
Arts and Time (2009); The Big Game. Art expressions in Italy 19471989(2010).
The Museum works on various projects based on the promotion of new
artists such as Eldorado and young curators, including Lorenzo Bonaldi
22
GAMeC Galleria d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea - Bergamo
Art award - EnterPrize and Qui Enter Atlas – International Symposium
of New Curators, and other projects focusing on local artists, the most
recent and significant of which are Gianfranco Ferroni's (2007), Dietelmo
Pievani's (2009) and Coter-Fazion-Coter's (2010) exhibitions.
GAMec also realised big exhibitions elsewhere; for instance it organised
Jan Fabre. From the Feet to the Brain (2009) for 53th Venice Biennale;
and El tiempo de l’Arte (“The Time of Art”), for PROA Association in
Buenos Aires (2009). Other initiatives were carried out in prestigious
buildings in Bergamo, including Palazzo della Ragione, the Social Theater
and Sant’Agostino ex-church.
The Museums makes cultural exchange accessible to everybody through
numerous educational activities for schools, groups and families including
laboratories, guided tours, foreign language tours, projects for blind and
disabled people, conferences, debates, movies, workshops, entertainment
and collateral events.
Donations and new acquisitions have allowed the Museum to develop
its Permanent Collections, which have recently been re-arranged in
new spaces and consist of three main collections: Manzù collection,
characterised by sculptures, paintings, drawings, engravings; Spajani
Collection, incorporating 40 works by masters from the 20th century,
among which the paintings by Boccioni, Balla, De Chirico, Morandi,
Casorati and Kandinskij deserve special mention; and Stucchi collection,
including works by Burri and Fautrier.
Paintings by masters from the thirties, like Sironi, and works by
contemporary artists (Alviani, Basilico, Beecroft, Cattelan, Cucchi, Fabre,
Vitone, Xhafa) are also on display.
In 2000 BPU – Banca Popolare di Bergamo acquired Manzu's important
work Bust of Pio (1950) and in 2008 it bought Yan Pei-Ming's
Pope Giovanni XXIII paintings, which are displayed in the Museum
collections. From 2004 onwards, Credito Bergamasco Foundation has
loaned Thirty studies of herbs and flowers to the Museum; the latter is a
rare series of drawings which the artist realised during the second World
War.
GAMeC's heritage has also grown thanks to the collection of
contemporary medals donated by Vittorio Lorioli, the Zucchelli Fund
and Archive, the Finazzi Photographic Fund and Lanfranco Colombo
Photographic Collection.
23
GAMeC Galleria d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea - Bergamo
Museo Diocesano
Adriano Bernareggi
Bergamo - Art Museum
Address
Via Pignolo, 76 - 24121 Bergamo
Tel. 035.248772 / Fax 035.215517
[email protected] / www.museobernareggi.it
Opening times
9.30-12.30 / 15.00-18.30
Closing day: Monday.
Admission
Admission fee.
Discounted rates available.
Tours
Guided visits upon request.
They can be booked at the ticket
office.
Bookshop
Catalogues, publications, educational
and promotional material.
24
Museo Diocesano Adriano Bernareggi - Bergamo
Historical notes
The Diocesan Museum "Adriano Bernareggi" is located at 76, Pignolo
street inside the prestigious Bassi-Rathgeb Palace.
In the thirties Bishop Bernareggi started collecting those objects and
furnishings which became the first exhibition nucleus. Initially the
Museum was situated in "Casa dell’Arciprete" in Donizetti street in
the upper town. At a later stage, the Bassi-Rathgeb family donated the
building to the Diocese.
In August 2000, the new permanent site of the Museum was inaugurated
and was dedicated to its creator Adriano Bernareggi.
Exhibition criteria
The itinerary spans three floors and over 20 rooms, each of which has a
thematic trail and three main chapters: introduction, iconography and
devotion.
From the basement to the second floor of the Palace, a narration leads the
visitors through several testimonies of the local culture from the 16th to
the 19th centuries, in a period spanning from the Council of Trent to the
Second Vatican Council.
These four centuries saw the building and renovation of most churches
in Bergamo and its surrounding area. This remarkably creative effort had
a permanent impact on Bergamo's artistic and architectural heritage:
nowadays the evidence of this heritage is visible in any of the Dioceses.
In order to get a better understanding of the history and meaning of
these artworks, it is essential to explore the religious conception of faith
behind their commission, the liturgical use that determined their forms
and contents as well as the sensitivity of the folks who sang and prayed in
front of them. Museum Bernareggi, apart from displaying its collections,
also provides key information on the historical and cultural environment
in which Bergamo heritage flourished. Well aware that these masterpieces
are based in the churches for which they were conceived and realised,
the Museum is a powerful tool for developing further appreciation of
Bergamo's history and art.
The Museum rooms present both liturgical objects and cult images from
churches, oratories and private houses.
In the latter, many documents of popular mercy were found; they
confirmed the existence of common rituals and usages.
Masterpieces including "Trinity" by Lorenzo Lotto and "The Virgin
with her Son and Saints” by Daniele Crespi share a domestic space with
humble manufacture products that confirm popular devotion. Similarly,
25
Museo Diocesano Adriano Bernareggi - Bergamo
the treasure room, which is furnished with unique goldsmith and
embroidery pieces from the 15th and 16th centuries, is put side by side with
rooms exhibiting the collections of ex-voto paintings and embossing. The
strong educational vocation of the Museum results in a modern display
integrated with a variety of educational and multimedia aids whose
purpose is providing the visitors with a clear and ordered approach to art.
The itinerary ends with a video that, in front of one of the most ancient
maps of the Bergamo area, presents a series of suggestive images aimed at
encouraging the visitors to keep on expanding the territorial knowledge
provided by the museum.
The most representative work of the Museum is "Trinity" by Lorenzo
Lotto, which was painted around 1519 for Disciplini fraternal order,
who used to be based in Bergamo's Trinity church. After escaping the
Napoleonic despoliations thanks to the intervention of Don Giovan
Battista Conti, the painting was placed in the museum of Sant’Alessandro
della Croce parish. Throughout the centuries, “Trinity” has inspired
the most prestigious Bergamo painters, from Moroni to Lolmo, from
Salmeggia to Ceresa.
26
Museo Diocesano Adriano Bernareggi - Bergamo
Museo Matris Domini
Bergamo - Art Museun
Address
Convento domenicano Matris Domini - Via A. Locatelli, 77 - 24121 Bergamo
Tel. 035.3884885 - 035.3884811 / Fax 035.3884837
[email protected] / www.matrisdomini.org
Opening times
Saturday 16.00-17.15
Sunday 10.00-11.15
Other days upon request.
Admission
Optional admission fee.
Tours
Guided visits upon request and
must be booked.
27
Museo Matris Domini - Bergamo
Historical notes
The Museum is situated in the oldest part of the monastery, in the rooms
that, architectural features suggest it, most probably housed the small
church and the refectory.
In 1973, some renovation and restoration works brought to light several
significant frescoes from the 13th, 14th and 16th centuries. This recovery is
of enormous importance, in that some of these frescoes, that have been
attributed to “The first master of Chiaravalle” and to “the Master of the
Tree of Life”, are some the oldest frescoes in the territory of Bergamo.
The monastery decided to preserve and exhibit the works in these
restored spaces. Special attention was paid to the position of the frescoes
on the walls; in order to protect their original context, the oldest frescoes
were indeed placed exactly where they were found.
Exhibition criteria
The first room houses temporary exhibitions. Part of the old ceiling,
which originally belonged to the small church, and several frescoed
hollow flat blocks have been restored.
The second room features a fresco cycle including the following: “Mary
Magdalene” - “The Baptism of Christ” - “A martyr Saint” - “S.Martino”
- “The meeting of Mary with Elizabeth ” - “S. Pietro enthroned” “Madonna enthroned” - “The search for Jesus in the temple”.
Some of the themes suggest the existence of a cycle dedicated to the
Rosary. Between the first and the second room (most probably the
refectory) is an octagonal column whose inscription reads “Mater Domini
1542”. “Three saints” - “Madonna among two Saints” - “The Crucifixion”
- “The Last Supper” - “Christ's entrance into Jerusalem” - “The Fair”,
“The Blessed”, “Two tubicin angels”, “The Hell” are some of the most
significant art works of the second room. These fragments originally
belonged to a much bigger and complex fresco that covered the apse of
the ancient small church and that was dedicated to “the Last Judgment”
(the big fragment representing the Hell and using Dante's Hell as a
reference is very interesting). “S. Domenico among S. Agata and S. Rocco”
is the most recent fresco and dates back to the 16th century.
28
Museo Matris Domini - Bergamo
Raccolte Civiche
di Storia e Arte
Albino - Art Museum
Address
Palazzo Benvenuti - Via Mazzini, 63 - 24021 Albino
Tel. 035.759950 / Fax 035.754718
[email protected] / www.albino.it
Municipal Library:
(via Mazzini, 68 Albino)
from Monday to Saturday
9.00-12.00 / 14.30-18.30
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
20.00-22.00
Opening times
Upon request.
Admission
Free of charge.
Tours
The itinerary "Albino in the
Renaissance and the places of
Giovan Battista Moroni" is available
upon request as is a visit to
S. Bartolomeo Church.
Bookshop
Books on the local history and art
are sold in the library.
29
Raccolte Civiche di Storia e Arte - Albino
Historical notes
The Palace, currently playing host to the Civic Collections of History and
Art, housed Albino Town Hall until 1999. The building dates back to the
15th century, but was largely renovated both internally and externally. It
was the house of the wealthy merchant Benvenuti, who used to sell wool
clothes especially in the Marche region.
When Benvenuti died, the Palace became part of the heritage of S.Anna
Carmelite convent, whose expansion in the 16th century made the search
for urban spaces necessary. It is hard to reconstruct the original structures
of S.Anna monastery, in that throughout the years the building has been
renovated and enlarged.
Evidence of the old complex, founded in 1525 by Lucrezia Agliardi
Vertova, is found in the loggia in the upper floors of the first cloister and
in the portico adjacent to S.Anna street.
S.Anna church, which is almost unanimously attributed to architect
Giovanni Battista Caniana, lies on the southern side of Benvenuti Palace.
This church was realised between 1742 and 1790. Its interesting
Neoclassic façade was inspired by the civic dwellings of Mazzini street.
It is also important to point out that the Palace is located near the house
of Albino painter Giovan Battista Moroni (Albino 1520-1574) in the so
called “sedime dei Mori”, which nowadays houses a nursery school.
Exhibition criteria
The Civic Collections of History and Art is on the first floor. Two of the
rooms exhibit paintings, mostly self-portraits from various local painters,
including Guglielmo Lecchi, Pietro Fassi, Giovanni Cugini, Giuseppe
Siccardi, Mario Signori, Piero Testa, Giovanni Pezzotta and Angelo
Ceroni. In the third room and on the upper floor is the Town Hall
historical archive.
The Civic Collections of History and Art therefore document the art
and history of the Albino area. R.C.S. A. conserves all the information
available on the local territory, including books, maps, photographs,
archive transcriptions, inventories of the parish archives.
The event “Terre d’Albino” takes place in October on an annual basis. It
presents historical-documentary exhibitions as well as various books and
research on the territory. The Town Hall has recently acquired a portrait
of Antonio Ghislanzoni, who was the famous librettist of “Aida” by
Giuseppe Verdi. Angelo Ceroni, a painter from Albino, made the portrait.
30
Raccolte Civiche di Storia e Arte - Albino
Museo d'Arte Sacra
"San Martino"
Alzano Lombardo - Art Museum
Address
Piazza Italia, 8 - 24022 Alzano Lombardo
Tel. 035.516579 / Fax 035.516579
[email protected] / www.museosanmartino.org
Opening times
Sunday 15.00-18.00
Guided visit to the Basilica and to the
three Sacristies: 16.00
Weekdays
Open either in the morning or in
the afternoon for groups previously
booked in only.
Closing day: Monday.
Bookshop
In the bookshop are some books
illustrating the Basilica, three
Sacristies and the Museum.
Admission
Admission fee.
Tours
The 14 rooms of the Museum can
be visited without a guide, while the
three Sacristies and the Basilica
require a guided visit (which should
be booked).
31
Museo d'Arte Sacra "San Martino" - Alzano Lombardo
Historical notes
San Martino Museum of Sacred Art was created in 1995 thanks to priest
Alberto Facchinetti and some collaborators, such as Sir Valerio Mazzoleni.
These people strongly wanted to popularise the devotion artworks of the
Alzano territory, which attested the faith of the numerous donators from
Alzano and which included some sacristies, a basilica and some precious
furnishings. After the restoration of the sacristies, which took place between
February 1992 and October 1994, the Museum rooms were accommodated
in “The Palace”, the ancient building where Pelliccioli counts resided. The
Palace was restored and arranged for exhibiting purposes by architects Carlo
and Riccardo Panigada.
After the extinction of the Angaran family, the palace was acquired by the
Gritti-Morlacchi counts. In 1854 it was donated to Alzano parish which, in
turn, sold it to the municipality of Alzano Lombardo in 1872. In 1953
Mons. Cesare Patelli paid £ 4.000 for the building; he was meant to use it as
a sacred art Museum. After more than forty years his desire was realised: the
Museum was inaugurated on 7th November 1994 in the presence of
Bergamo Bishop Mons. Roberto Amadei and was consecrated on 8th
November 1995 by Bishop Angelo Paravisi of Crema.
Exhibition criteria
The itinerary covers three floors and each exhibition room follows a specific
educational criteria. The visitors can appreciate precious paintings, sculptures
and goldsmith objects. The Basilica origins, development and current
state are also documented, with the purpose of educating the visitors about
the furnishings, tools and rituals of the Catholic faith.
The three sacristies represent an important part of this itinerary. They are
accessible through the Museum, the corridors and the hallways, whose
works, etymological tables and boards allow a better understanding of the
artists who worked here.
The Museum consists of fourteen rooms. It actively and continuously
endeavors to master its own collection; in order to realise this, the ground
floor accommodates some rooms for educational activities, meetings and
conferences about sacred and artistic themes. Mons. Angelo Paravisi and the
educational room (dedicated to Mons. Cesare Patelli) for instance, actively
encourage the local community to join and contribute to these activities.
Management, the ticket office and the bookshop are also located on the
ground floor.
In this guide, we decided to select only the most interesting artworks with
32
Museo d'Arte Sacra "San Martino" - Alzano Lombardo
the aim of stimulating the curiosity of the visitors, which will enhance their
knowledge thanks to the support of our guides also.
The first floor is accessible through a grey stone staircase, whose bearing wall
displays a canvas by Giovanni Raggi featuring “The blessing of Balaam”. It
was realised for the Rosary Chapel in 1767 and was replaced by canvas from
the 19th century at a later stage.
The main floor comprises three wings arranged around the central staircase.
This disposition allows the reconstruction of the itinerary from a spatial
perspective.
The first wing incorporates room 1, 2 and 3, which form a “visual spyglass”
for those who get to it through the grand staircase. The most notorious
artists of this area are Antonio Marinoni, Gian Paolo Cavagna and Carlo
Ceresa. Room 4 is accessible through room 2. Room 4 displays “San
Cristoforo” by Jacopo Robusti, also known as Tintoretto.
The second wing of the main floor houses rooms 5, 6 and 7, accessible
through a corridor to the right-hand side of the staircase. These rooms
highlight the rich heritage of the liturgical furnishings, which is made of
chalices, ostensories and crosses.
In the third wing Room 8, 9 and 10 play host to the vestments and the
altar piece of San Pietro Martire by Palma the Elder. The canvas by Enrico
Albricci is at the end of the corridor, on the staircase that reconnects this
floor with the entrance. The work was created in 1767 for the Rosary Chapel
and features the killing of Sisara by Gael.
The second floor is the mezzanine of the Palace and includes four rooms.
Room 11 displays “Calvary” by Beniamino Simoni, that “Visitazione”
cloistered nuns gave to this Museum for safekeeping. Room 12 and 14 are
dedicated to the Fantoni and Caniana families, while in room 13 is a PC
workspace that allows access to the Museum website.
Room 12 and 14 are the last restored rooms to be exclusively dedicated
to these families, whose sculptors and cabinet-makers/architects brought
prestige to Alzano. Their creative activity started with copies of the
medallions carved in the pulpit (by Andrea Fantoni) and culminated with
Giovan Battista Caniana's works for the second sacristy. “Calvary” in room
11 is a peculiar work from 18th century since this authentic “Mons Sacer”
was realised according to the popular representations of sacred subjects,
which characterised Italian Northern regions.
33
Museo d'Arte Sacra "San Martino" - Alzano Lombardo
Le Sagrestie della
Basilica di San Martino
Alzano Lombardo - Art Museum
Address
Piazza Italia, 8 - 24022 Alzano Lombardo
Tel. 035.516579 / Fax 035.516579
[email protected] / www.museosanmartino.org
Opening times
Sunday 15.00-18.00
Guided visit to the Basilica and the
three Sacristies 16.00
Weekdays
Open either in the morning or in
the afternoon for groups previously
booked in only.
Closing day: Monday.
Bookshop
In the bookshop are some books
illustrating the Basilica, the three
Sacristies and the Museum.
Admission
Admission fee.
Tours
The 14 rooms of the Museum can
be visited without a guide, while the
three Sacristies and the Basilica
require a guided visit which should
be booked.
34
Le Sagrestie della Basilica di San Martino - Alzano Lombardo
Historical notes
The three Sacristies were built on some gardens adjacent to San Martino
church during the 8th decade of the 17th century. They were used by
the local clergy to meet up, pray and get prepared for the religious
processions.
They were planned by architect Gerolamo Quadrio, who realised the
so-called “overturned L plan”, where the short side accommodated the
first sacristy, the angular conjunction the second one and the long side
the third sacristy. Furthermore, the Architect opened the first sacristy in
front of the fifth bay of the church, whereas the third sacristy was opened
towards the vicarage.
The existence of a direct passage to the vicarage allowed the priest to
perform the purification ritual privately and before the celebration mass,
without having to pass by the road.
Exhibition criteria
The First Sacristy
Architectural features
The plan of this first room is rectangular and longitudinal. There is a barrel
vault constructed on four big central pillars, two each side, that divide the
lateral walls into three deep niches home to a built-in wardrobe.
A continuous frieze moves the surface behind the jutting cornice
surmounted by a barrel vault and decorated with festoon stucco, supported
by angels and enriched by masks, faces and a variety of phytomorphic motifs.
Stuccoes
The stuccoes were realised between 1677 and 1678 by Giovanni Angelo
Sala, who arrived at Bergamo from Lugano (Ticino) in 1641 after being
accused of murdering his wife (he was cleared at a later stage).
In 1651 Mr. Sala worked in some prestigious construction sites which made
him famous, among which Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica, Madonna dei
Campi in Stezzano, Sombreno (Paladina-Bergamo) Sanctuary, Matris
Domini Monastery in Bergamo and Santa Grata Monastery in the Upper
Town. From 1659, he started collaborating with Gerolamo Quadrio for the
decoration of San Martino Church and its sacristies in Alzano.
This collaboration resulted in a work whose refinement is obtained through
an extremely detailed finishing. In order to produce this effect, the artist
used a fine marble powder, which was applied to polychrome backgrounds;
the latter were painted with precious natural pigments, including malachite
green, yellow, and red ochre.
35
Le Sagrestie della Basilica di San Martino - Alzano Lombardo
Furnishings
The furnishing consists of six chestnut wardrobes, which are built in some
niches: four angular single-door wardrobes and two double-door wardrobes,
realized between 1679 and 1680 by Grazioso Fantoni, known as “Il Vecchio
di Rovetta”.
The structure of the single-door wardrobe is made of two Solomonic
columns holding a high carved gable surmounted by an interrupted
tympanum; each of them includes the statues of the Church Fathers, namely
Sant'Ambrogio, San Gregorio Magno, Sant'Agostino and San Gerolamo.
Small angels are on the oblique sides of the tympanum and display some
characteristic features of the Saint they represent. For instance, an angel
alongside San Gerolamo holds the stone the Saint used to beat himself with
during his spiritual retreat in the desert.
The restoration of the furnishing brought to life an inscription dated 1680
on Sant'Ambrogio’s back reading “A.F.S.R.” which stands for “Andrea
Fantoni Scultore di Rovetta”.
The finding is precious in that it documents Andrea’s first contribution (he
was 21) to San Martino Church as Father Grazioso’ s collaborator.
The above-mentioned architectural structure of the wardrobe encloses a
door embossed with the medieval motif of “the mermaid with a forked tail”,
which represents good and evil. A coffer completes the lower part of the
wardrobe, which is located above the chest that links all the wardrobes.
Even though they are not equipped with a gable, the double-door wardrobes
follow the above-mentioned scheme and culminate in some big-sized
sculptures organised into three iconographical groups on each wardrobe.
On the left wardrobe the sculptural group of San Martino who ascends to
heaven accompanied by a multitude of angels, occupies a central position;
alongside San Martino, archangel Gabriel turns the devils away from heaven
(on San Martino’s right), and the allegorical representation of the Truth,
which wins the world’s Heresies (on San Martin’s left side).
The molding of the right-hand wardrobe features San Pietro in a central
position; on his left-hand side is the representation of the Holy Spirit, which
triumphs over all sins, as well as the superb sculpture of Death
triumphing over all world’ governments (papacy, empire and Moorish
world).
A skeleton with golden wings represents the allegory of Death; it expresses
the spirit of the Baroque that is that “memento mori”, that eternity able to
defeat the mortality of power and life.
The Second Sacristy
Architectural features
Located between the first and the second sacristy, the second sacristy was
a small chapel that priests used for the rites, which preceded the religious
service; these rites were called “secret rites”, given that they were performed
36
Le Sagrestie della Basilica di San Martino - Alzano Lombardo
privately and without laymen. This function is confirmed by a marble plate
on the cornice of the door connecting the first sacristy with the second one.
The chapel has got a monumental altar realised by Selva, in front of the first
Sacristy and surmounted by “The Crucifixion” by Veronese, which symbolises
Death and The Passion of Jesus Christ.
Stuccoes
They were realised in Sala’s workshop, which was guided by Gerolamo. The
latter was the son of Giovanni Angelo, deceased in 1688. Festoons of fruit
held by some angels constitute the thick and redundant decorations; volutes
with abstract leaves realised on malachite and yellow/red ochre backgrounds
and little angels provide a frame to the various memorial tablets on the walls.
Gerolamo Sala had a more innovative and enthusiastic approach than his
father, who worked on the first Sacristy. Gerolamo interpreted decoration as
the main feature of architecture; this conception leads to the elimination of
the walls behind these decorations.
Frescoes
Realised in 1689-16990 by painter Antonio Cifrondi from Clusone, the
frescoes represent some episodes of the life of Jesus Christ, from the Last
Supper to the Ascension. These mural paintings live inside some mixtilinear
medallions and are framed by elegant stuccoes. Unfortunately, these frescoes
were largely repainted in 1892. The destruction of the original painting
during a restoration, indeed, made the repainting of the plaster necessary,
according to the reconstruction-restoration principle.
Furnishings
From 1690 two workshops worked together in order to create the coffers:
Fantoni workshop realized wood sculptures, whereas Caniana workshop
project-managed the furniture and the decorative inlay of the coffers and
upper cabinets.
The design of these coffers, guarded by Fantoni di Rovetta Association (it
takes care of all drawings for Alzano artistic construction site) represents the
original project for the furniture that covers the four walls of this room,
with some variation near the doors.
The modular coffers are separated by small atlas, surmounted by cabinets and
framed by a cornice that alternates antropomorphic amphoras (above the
pilasters) with a fretwork (above the doors).
The design was approved by the Mayor of the sacristy-board, his signature
reading: “Ant.o Camozzi Sin.co”.
The choice of the coffer depended on the function of this Sacristy, which
was smaller than the others were. In each cabinet were the personal liturgical
objects of each member of Alzano sacerdotal college, which had between
thirty and forty priests.
37
Le Sagrestie della Basilica di San Martino - Alzano Lombardo
The works slightly differ from the original project due to a subsequent
intervention by the Fantoni family, who introduced walnut atlas in order to
separate the various coffers as well as boxwood allegorical statuettes in order
to divide the different cabinets.
The amphoras were replaced by a “Martirium Elogium” in walnut, which
reflects the anti-reformism of the Jesuits and whose ovals carved in redtinted boxwood depict the story of the Exodus and of Jesus Christ at the two
sides of the room. Fantoni worked on this complex work, which is almost a
miniature, until 1701. In a relatively short time frame, which concluded in
1692, the Caniana family inlayed the cabinets and the coffers with vegetable
motifs alternated with “male/female” in the windowpanes, framing them
into a “saltarello” cornice.
In the centre of each door is an animal with a religious meaning (a dove, a
pelican, a lion, a stork) whose image is repeated at least one additional time
in one of the 34 cabinets with an inverse chromatism: the light wood is
molded into a dark contour and viceversa. Alongside the Sacristy altar are
two small dressers that interrupt the linear sequence of the coffers and
connect Fantoni’s kneelers. The one at the right-hand side houses “the
masterpiece”. The latter is “the proof of capability” that Andrea Fantoni and
his workshop had to undertake in 1690 in order to be entrusted with this
project. The masterpiece is a boxwood oval representing the Deposition of
Christ, with Andrea Fantoni’s signature,(“A.F.”). This artwork was
simultaneously realised with an oval depicting the Crossing of the Red Sea,
which is situated alongside the other episodes of the Exodus.
The contract was signed only in 1692. At the entrance, two stalls connect the
coffers with the doors, which were inlayed by Giovan Battista. The dressers
follow the same motif; each of them is crowned by an oval, with two
miracles by San Martino, Alzano Lombardo patron. In the upper frieze, two
small inlay ovals show the name of their author and the completion date of
their intervention.
The Third Sacristy
Architectural features
The third Sacristy, which constitutes the long side of the already-mentioned
inverse “L” plan, is a rectangular room that develops longitudinally and that
is orthogonal to the axis of the first Sacristy.
Used by Alzano collegiate church as a gathering place, its wooden stalls
along the long walls visually recall the image of a “small Conclave”.
Stuccoes
Gerolamo Sala, who realised these stuccoes, continued the decoration of the
thirst Sacristy (concluded in 1691), as it is demostrated by the date on the
capital of the angular right-hand pilaster which was found between 1992
and 1994 during its last restoration. In this room, the decoration is more
38
Le Sagrestie della Basilica di San Martino - Alzano Lombardo
sober than the second Sacristy and is present on the friezes and the ribbed
vault. This sober style is probably determined by Gerolamo's student, Stefano
Mesci to whom; the figures above the fountains and the characteristic angels
with “a long face” above the entrance door were attributed.
Frescoes
Three Bible stories prefiguring the Eucharistic theme of sacrifice are located
in three panels in the centre of the vault. They tell Abele's, Abraham's and
Melchisedec's Sacrifice. These episodes are put side by side with frescoes
of angels, painted in the sail vault above the windows. These angels hold
liturgical objects (incense burners, braziers, chalices, saucers etc.) that
reiterate the symbolic meaning of the central episodes. They were painted by
Giulio Quaglio from Como in 1727.
Furnishing
Through the decorations of the second Sacristy Giovan Battista Caniana
gained such notoriety that he decided to move to Alzano. In 1694 the artist
chose the ancient and noble Costa quarter and began to accept commissions
in Bergamo and its province.
He married Brigida Erba, who belonged to a well-off family, and became the
main painter of the Caniana workshop in Alzano Lombardo. In this period,
San Martino vastry-board decided to furnish a room dedicated to the clergy
gatherings and put the Caniana workshop in charge of the whole project.
Giovan Battista also designed the pattern of the stall. It is a chest whose
decorated back follows the architectonic theme of the “temple” façade.
This is modularly repeated 11 times on the left-hand side, 17 times on the
right-hand side and two times on the side near the entrance door. Even
though there are several variations in the decoration of the pilasters and
friezes, the vegetable motifs prevail.
The decoration of the tarsias on the left side is arranged according to
the following criteria: in the pilasters, the leading motif is constituted by
branches of leaves and fruit held by tiny “look-like elves” angels who live
behind the biodimensional surface of the wood. In the upper and lower
friezes are abstract interlaced vegetable motifs, inspired by the embroidery.
According to the local tradition, the latter were realised by Giovan Battista's
daughter, Caterina Caniana (1697/1784), who taught embroidery at the
Jesuit school run by the “Visitazione” cloistered nuns. This information
is confirmed in the woman's biography, written by her nephew Giacomo
(1750/1802), an architect and an inlayer, and by the mother-of-pearl inlay
of the upper frieze, in that Caterina excelled in such technique. The Caniana
family also designed and realised the first four altar-frontals, with three
episodes concerning the Life of Christ and the first one related to the Life
of Moses. Later on the work was interrupted in that the sacristy-board
wanted to finance the realisation of a celebratory apparatus for the transfer
of San Bonifacio's and Santa Felicita's relics (celebrated only in 1700), and
39
Le Sagrestie della Basilica di San Martino - Alzano Lombardo
to finance the pulpit project as well. Because of this, the workshop dedicated
only to block squaring works, putting the altarfrontals on hold (which were
concluded with the remaining episodes of the “Life of Christ” in 1880 by
Giulio Masnada, whose signature was “F.T.” , Fra' Topolino (Mouse) because
he was short). The side in front of it does not have any decoration, and in the
lower frieze Caterina's “embroideries” are replaced by the light and vibrant
motif of “little angels'games”. The upper frieze presents some idyllic pastoral
landscapes.
This is the side where the study of Santa Maria Maggiore del Capoferri's
tarsias and Giovan Battista Caniana's contribution are more
evident. Two pilasters interrupt the sequence of the vegetable motifs;
military objects, including armours, helmets and swords, replace the latter.
The Fantoni di Rovetta Association preserves the design of these pilasters,
whose copy lives in the Museum; its scroll signature reads “Gio. Batta
Caniani”. Supposedly, it was originally painted on wood as well, however
an old, aggressive restoration, erased it. Since this work was carried out in
a relatively long time frame, at least 15 years, the master collaborated with
his sons and with a nephew also. Francesco Antonio Caniana is, indeed, the
author of the two stalls, whose decorations are completely original and less
abstract than the previous ones; that is probably one of the reasons why they
were realised at a later stage.
In the pilasters he inserted “grotesques” interwoven liturgical objects; in
the lower frieze he included still life with musical instruments, whereas in
the upper frieze are traditional Jewish liturgical objects. Francesco Antonio
concluded the decoration by angularly disposing a small multi-moulded
tarsia, with the three symbols of Architecture, Sculpture and Painting on it:
the square, compasses and paintbrush are also the emblems of the Caniana.
This family specialised in a variety of arts, as Giovan Battista's demonstrated
in 1712 with his first architectonic project, which is San Michele church,
located a few meters away from the Basilica that subsequently became the
family mausoleum.
40
Le Sagrestie della Basilica di San Martino - Alzano Lombardo
Civica Raccolta
d'Arte Contemporanea
"Egidio Lazzarini"
Calcio - Art Museum
Address
Via Papa Giovanni XXIII, 127 - 24054 Calcio
Tel. 0363.968444 int. 2 / Fax 0363.906246
[email protected] / www. comune.calcio.bg.it
Opening times
Upon request.
Admission
Free of charge.
Tours
Visits are not guided and should
be booked.
41
Civica Raccolta d'Arte Contemporanea "Egidio Lazzarini" - Calcio
Historical notes
Established in February 2004, the collection consists of around
one-hundred paintings and sculptures presented at exhibitions and
competitions, which were promoted by the Town Administration and
which hosted various artists of national standing.
Exhibition criteria
The collection spans different rooms divided by technique and belonging.
The first room displays the artworks donated to the Town Hall by various
artists, including Enrico Baj and Remo Brindisi.
In other three rooms of the upper floor are artworks by Trento Longaretti,
Egidio Lazzarini, Mario Cornali, Giovanni Repossi, Rinaldo Pigola, Carlo
Pescatori. The Town Hall owns all these works.
The Photography and Cinematography Museum is annexed to “Egidio
Lazzarini” Civic Collection of Contemporary Art. The open-air mosaic art
itinerary also belongs to the Town Hall cultural heritage. It is composed of
around 50 murals.
42
Civica Raccolta d'Arte Contemporanea "Egidio Lazzarini" - Calcio
Pinacoteca Civica
Caravaggio - Art Museum
Address
Piazza Giuseppe Garibaldi, 9 - 24043 Caravaggio
Tel. 0363.3561 / Fax 0363.350164 (town hall)
[email protected] / www.comune.caravaggio.bg.it
Opening times
Upon request.
Amission
Free of charge.
Tours
Upon request.
43
Pinacoteca Civica - Caravaggio
Historical notes
Caravaggio's picture-gallery was founded in 1967, when the works that
came from San Giovanni Battista and San Bernardino churches and that
belonged to the Civic Hospital became the property of the Town Hall.
After a recent and necessary restoration, the works, which were waiting
for a proper exhibition place, were temporarily situated in Gallavresi
palace, home to the Town Hall. The works already owned by the
Town Hall complemented the ones coming from the Hospital. These
paintings were realised by the Neoclassic artist Giovanni Moriggia from
Caravaggio, to whom a “study-day” was dedicated on occasion of the
second centennial of his birth (1796).
Exhibition criteria
The paintings, spanning from the 15th to the 19th century, adorn the walls
of the grand staircase that leads to the first floor of the palace, as well as
the superb and wide council room and the main offices of the same floor.
Among the paintings, the following are worth a mention: six paintings
with “Episodes of the life of Mary and Joseph” by Cristoforo Ferrari
de' Giuchis (painter from Caravaggio from 16th century) - “Isacco's
Sacrifice” by Andrea Lanzani (Milano, 1641-1712) - “Rosary Madonna
with S. Domenico and S. Rosa” by Stefano Maria Legnani also known
as il Legnanino (Milano, 1661-1713) - “Enthroned Madonna with Son
and S. Giovannino among the Saints Francesco, Gerolamo, Elisabetta
and a devout person” by Nicola Moietta (painter from Caravaggio from
16th century) - “Appearance of Jesus to S. Rocco and S. Carlo” by Giulio
Cesare Procaccini (1574-1625) - “S. Salvator d'Horta among sick people”
by Luigi Reali (notizie 1643-1660) - “S. Pasquale Baylon workshipping
the Eucaresty” di Antonio Paglia (Brescia 1681-1747) - “S. Giovanni da
Capestrano workshipping Madonna” by Giovanni Stefano Doneda also
known as il Montalto (Treviglio 1612- Milano 1690). With regard to
Giovanni Moriggia, his major works are: some drawings which were
preliminary to the frescoes in the famous Caravaggio Sanctuary - “The
Disputation of S.Agostino” - “Susanna and old people” - as well as some
portraits and allegoric paintings. Of particular interest are a wooden
crucifix from the beginning of the 16th century and a Couple of angels
holding candles. This work, made of carved, golden and polychrome wood
from the 15th century, is conserved in two display cabinets.
44
Pinacoteca Civica - Caravaggio
MAT - Museo Arte Tempo
Città di Clusone
Clusone - Art Museum
Address
Palazzo Marinoni Barca - Via Clara Maffei, 3 - 24023 Clusone
Tel. 0346.25915 - 0346.22440
[email protected] / www.museoartetempo.it
Opening times
From Monday to Friday
15.30-18.30
Saturday and Sunday
10.00-12.00 / 15.30-18.30
Bookshop
Publications by MAT, the Town
Hall, Clusone Library and Baradello
Cultural Circle.
Admission
Free of charge.
Tours
Guided visits for single persons and/
or groups of maximum 15 people.
Booking is compulsory and
should be made at least 5 days in
advance. Itineraries and laboratories
for nursery and primary schools,
thematic itineraries and labs for
children and families are also
available.
45
MAT - Museo Arte Tempo Città di Clusone - Clusone
Historical notes
MAT – Museum of Art and Time was founded in 2005 in the superb
rooms of Marinoni-Barca Palace (17th century) and is located in the
historic centre of the town. The artworks amount to around eighty pieces
and include paintings, drawings, sculptures and embossings by local and
“foreign” artists. The works come from some collections that Sant’Andrea,
Querena, Trussardi Volpi and Nani families donated to Clusone Town
Hall. Sant’Andrea family also donated paintings by Cifrondi, Carpinoni
and Ricchi.
Very rare copies of tower clock mechanisms dating back to different ages
are displayed. They belong to Gorla Collection, which Bergamo Province
gave to Clusone. The contrast between creative genius and the flow of
time is represented by an instant on a canvas or by the stroke that marks
the dance of the hours.
The last collection left at the Museum comes from the Suardi legacy of
the Orphanage and includes paintings from the 16th to the 20th century,
among which Cavagna’s and Palma The Young’s canvas.
Exhibition criteria
MAT heritage originally derives from Sant’Andrea collection, which
was gathered around 1920. It is composed of the legacy of Giovanni
Sant’Andrea (1848-1920), the last exponent of a noble family from
Clusone, and by the substantial collection of the Gallizioli family, which
is a legacy by Erichetta, Giovanni’s mother.
Throughout the time, the MAT heritage has grown to incorporate
paintings, sculptures, prints, books and furnishings dating back to the
16th-20th century, mainly from Lombardy (especially Milan and Bergamo).
Sant’Andrea's Collection
The painting collection is largely formed by “family portraits” as well as
still natures, mythological and devotional canvases. Of interest are the
unusual and charming representation of the Annunciation by a capable
Lombard artist from the 17th century, a scenographic Family of Dario
presented to Alessandro by Alessandro Lanfranchi from Bergamo (16621730), and works by the most prominent Clusone artists, some of whom
played a major role in the Lombard and national artistic context of their
time. Furthermore, on display is the elegant Roman Piety (1645 c.) by
Pietro Ricchi from Lucca , whose big altar piece featuring Madonna
with the Son, Tobiolo and the Angel, Sant’Orsola and two Dimesse (mid 17th
century) is conserved in Santa Maria Assunta parish Church.
MAT received by Ponte Selva Orphanage the monumental Pietà by
46
MAT - Museo Arte Tempo Città di Clusone - Clusone
Jacopo Negretti, also known as Palma the Young. The painting, which
dates back to the early 17th century, was situated in Sacro Cuore di
Gesù Church in Ponte Selva. The two portraits of Ferrante Ambiveri and
Sofonisba Martinoni Ambiveri are among the best of Bergamo painter
Giovan Paolo Cavagna, whose first portraits show a severe realism.
Domenico Carpinoni - Antonio Cifrondi
Domenico Carpinoni (1566-1658), eccentric exponent of the figurative
atmosphere spread by the international Mannerism, created a remarkable
version of The Entombment of Christ, which shows influences from the
Venetian painting of the 16th century (Tiziano, Palma il Giovane, Jacopo
Bassano) and from prints by foreign artists.
Antonio Cifrondi (1656-1730), renown for his vivid imagination and for
being one of the fastest painters of his era, realised the impressive Portrait
of a man in profile, as well as two variants of the same iconographic theme,
which is The Entombment of Christ, which abounds in Jordan-esque
allusions and in artistic virtuosity.
Lombard school – 18th century
Portrait of a Gentleman was inspired by the elegant sobriety of the
Lombard painters (Legnanino, Ghislandi, Ceruti) of the 1830’s.
Two Portraits of noble women were initially attributed to Bortolo Nazari
from Clusone, however they have recently been prudently attributed to a
non-identified artist from Bergamo who operated around 1730.
The women’s clothes are so detailed that through them it is possible to
identify women’s fashion trends in the early 18th century in Bergamo.
The intense Portrait of the Carmelitan Angelo Torriani demonstrates the
artistic capability of Davide Loreti (1708-1768) from Marche region,
whose rare works are well known in Rome.
Lattanzio Querena
Lattanzio Querena (1768-1853) played a major role in the artistic era
between Neoclassicism and Romanticism.
He worked between Bergamo and Venice, where he became Domenico
Maggiotto’s student and got in contact with Antonio Canova.
In MAT, his specialization in sacred paintings and altar pieces is fully
confirmed by a remarkable group of paintings consisting of the portraits
of his wife Giovanna Baldissini, of his mother-in-law and his daughtersin-law as well as of a Self Portrait, which shows introspective affinity with
Andrea Appiani e Pietro Benvenuti.
Still Natures
The two Still Natures with musical instruments are of good quality and
were probably realised by some followers of Evaristo Baschenis, who
are likely to have imitated the famous masterpiece conserved in Carrara
47
MAT - Museo Arte Tempo Città di Clusone - Clusone
Academy in Bergamo.
Clusone in the 20th century: an artistic and cultural crossroads.
In the 20th century, Clusone was involved in the cultural events on a
national scale thanks to its local artists, able to bring their products
outside their native town, and to the fact that in crucial periods Clusone
had become the main reference point for artists and intellectuals.
The local artist Giovanni Trussardi Volpi (1875-1921) managed to
stand out in Rome. He was Antonio Masci’s disciple and trustee, whose
sophisticated portraits were appreciated by the demanding artistic
environment of Munich, which contended with Paris for the role of art
capital of Europe.
MAT presents various thematic paths by Giovanni Trussardi Volpi; this
way the meaning and the charm of his art can be fully appreciated.
Thanks to Attilio Nani (1901-1959) and his family workshop, sculpture
was able to contribute to the modernization and innovation of the culture
of art. Attilio Nani gained such a reputation for his embossings that
from the twenties onwards his works were presented to prestigious events,
including Monza Biennale, Milan Triennale, Venice Biennale, Roma
Quadriennale.
During World War II, Clusone and its surrounding area housed many
painters, sculptors, scholars and, as such, became the crossroads for
cultural exchanges and relations. Bartolomeo Calzaferri, Ezio Pastorio
(1911-2006), Attilio Nani and Giacomo Manzù (1908-1991), used to
meet up in Clusone. The nearby Rovetta hosted Arturo
Tosi and other illustrious personalities from Lombardy region and from
elsewhere. These are crucial years for the artistic growth of Manzù, who at
the time lived in Clusone with his wife Tina and his son Pio, while
keeping in touch with some important people in Milan and Rome.
During these years Manzù’s production developed an intimate
relationship between light, that becomes almost plastic, and art, that
elegantly analyses the day-to-day feelings and human relationships.
Gallery
Apart from the Main Hall, a highlight of the Museum is the Gallery with
its original decorations from the late 17th century. It contains frescoes
depicting the allegories of the Virtues (Honesty, Pity, Peace and Order) in
contrast with the allegories of the Vices (Contention, Waste, Idle, and
Fraud).
The soul of the Time
From time immemorial, men have observed the sky, the stars, the rhythm
of the seasons and have discovered a cycle that they learnt to use to their
advantage. This means that time enabled men to turn their passive
observations into forecasts, which in turn allowed them to regulate their
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MAT - Museo Arte Tempo Città di Clusone - Clusone
activities. The measurement of time, considered both as time of the year
(calendar) and as time of the day (clock time), became essential for men
to organise their tasks.
The ancient world measured time through the direction and projection of
the sun, like the sundials, the flow of the water or of the sand, or like in
the hourglasses.
The Romans introduced mechanical hydraulic water clocks, where the
power came from the water flow. They were situated in the main squares
of the town, so that everybody could benefit from them.
When the modern mechanical clock was invented in the Middle Ages,
it immediately became the time reference for the whole community. The
device was initially placed on towers and belfries, his only function being
that of striking. The clock-face was added later on.
Tower clock mechanisms
The Province of Bergamo entrusted MAT with this important Italian
collection dating between the 16th and 20th century.
The movements have been selected with the purpose of showing different
clockwork styles belonging to different ages as well as the various
construction techniques documenting the evolution of this mechanism,
from the circular-cage structure without the clock-face in Late Gothic
style to the industrial production of the early 20th century.
A combination of science, calculation, technique and art contributed to
the realisation of an object that was not constructed to be admired and in
which local communities invested a considerable amount of money. Apart
from the cost of the device itself, maintenance was extremely expensive.
A specialised worker, called “Temperatore”, was in charge of the daily
windering of the weights, which guaranteed the movement of the gears.
The itinerary among these amazing machines includes some public
buildings of the town and the tower of the splendid Palazzo Comunale
(17th-18th century), which is where the astonishing Planetary Clock,
which is still working today and which was realised in 1583 by Pietro
Fanzago, is situated.
The light movements of the sun and the moon, the hours of the day
together with the length of the night, the equinoxes and the solstices,
the Zodiac constellation, the lunar years, the months, the hours and the
minutes are all still observable on the clock.
Inside the tower, the old mechanism, manually wildered on a daily basis
for more than four-hundred years, constitutes a mechanical masterpiece.
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MAT - Museo Arte Tempo Città di Clusone - Clusone
Museo della Basilica
di Gandino
Gandino - Art Museum
Address
Piazza Emancipazione, 7 - 24024 Gandino
Management
Via Bettera, 14 - 24024 Gandino
Tel. 035.745425 / Fax. 035.745425
[email protected] / www.gandino.it/museobasilica
Opening times:
- from March to October:
Saturday, Sunday and public holidays
14.00-19.00
Last entry 18.00
The ticket office includes guided
visits by “Amici del Museo” Group.
They should book the visit in
advance.
Admission
Admission fee.
Discounted rates available.
Library
The Museum library boasts over
20.000 volumes. It can be consulted
upon previous agreement with
the Museum Management.
Tours
Big and small groups and school
groups can always visit the Museum.
50
Bookshop
Publications concerning the
Museum and the history of Gandino
community are available.
Museo della Basilica di Gandino - Gandino
Historical notes
The Museum of the Basilica in Gandino, intended to gather the many
works of the parish Church, was designed by provost Giovanni Bonzi and
inaugurated on 15th December 1929.
The project of a Museum housing the treasures of the Basilica was
encouraged by Mons.Angelo Roncalli, who visited Gandino several times.
The Museum was situated in the Vicar house, which was a 16th century
palace near the Basilica. As the palace was too small to house all these
works, the building was restored and enlarged in 1963 by provost
Antonio Giuliani.
A further enlargement was carried out in the eighties by Mons.
Alessandro Recanati, who realised the crib and the textile session by using
an old structure near the original Museum.
In 1965, the Museum has been recognised on a national scale as “medium
Museum belonging to a religious authority”. Together with Santa Maria
Assunta Basilica, which has been recognized as a national monument,
the Museum represents the most important and the richest sacred art
collection of the whole province.
Exhibition criteria
At the entrance are a monumental polychrome wooden crucifix of
German provenance and a cross-painted on two sides, which was
originally located in the 15th century Church and which represents a
unique exemplar in the Lombardy region.
The first section on the ground floor conserves the 16th century Flemish
tapestry coming from Bruxelles factories.
They consist of two series: a profane series, featuring hunting scenes, and
a sacred one, telling the Life of the Virgin: the Birth, the Presentation to
the temple, the Annunciation, the Visit to S. Elisabetta and the Transit;
the last one was commissioned by Bartolomeo Castello in order to adorn
the church choir. On the left is a 15th century choir in parchment with
sixteen illuminated initials. Various ancient furnishings and stunning
wooden sculptures of Lombard and German manufacture from the 15th
and 17th centuries are also displayed. At the end of the room are the
precious silver cover of the main altar and the collection of antependium
in ancient fabric.
Special mention goes to the hanging embroidered in golden filigree, with
Emperor Massimiliano's coat of arms. According to oral tradition, the
latter was obtained from the harness remains of an old imperial
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Museo della Basilica di Gandino - Gandino
chariot (16th century).
The multiple-pile velvet hanging (a silk or satin velvet sprinkled with
silver and gold particles), at whose centre is an image of the Virgin
surrounded by angels (1460) is also valuable. The multi-piled crimson
velvet with an ostensory and leather angels and the green hanging in
damask are also displayed.
The same display cabinet conserves the precious silver decorative piece
of the main altar, which was realised by some Italian and German
goldsmiths between the 17th and the 18th century.
Among the various parts composing this altar decoration, the upper
temple-shaped “Tribuna” (1676), which is surmounted by a silver cross
(1609), is of particular interest.
The second session of the ground floor is almost entirely occupied by the
picture gallery. The latter comprises the grand Assunta altarpiece (realised
by the Venetian Alvise Benfatti), the canvas “Christ falls below his cross”
by Frangipane, the small-sized "The Holy Communion of S. Casimiro"
attributed to Belluno painter Sebastiano Ricci, a recently restored “Christ
Deposition” and some canvases by Clusone painter Carpinoni. There
are also several works by local artists, including Loverini, the Servalli
brothers, Ghirardelli, Urbani, Frana, Colombi and Radici.
At the beginning of the stairs leading to the upper floor is a "Rosary
Madonna", wearing an elaborated dress from the 18th century.
On the ceiling of the staircase leading to the second floor are 22 boards
featuring a macabre dance.
The first room of the second floor displays some vestments that stand
out for the splendid cloths realised between the 15th and the 18th century,
among which the most prominent are Corpus Domini vestment (in
silk and gold, produced in France), the canopy, S.Ponziano vestment
(produced in Venice) and the red-velvet cope (Venice, 16th century). The
collections of fine liturgical laces and linen and golden laces produced
between the 16th and the 20th centuries are significant.
The richness and variety of these cloths has earned Gandino Museum a
special place among analogous museums in Europe and worldwide.
The second floor also hosts many carved wooden statues manufactured
in Lombardy and Germany between the 15th and 17th centuries. At the
end of the path is the Treasure Room, where sacred furnishings can be
admired.
Among the numerous monstrances, chalices, vases, candlesticks, incense
burners, incense boats and gold or silver-iron crosses, the following
furnishings stand out: a gold and silver processional cross signed by
Matreniano de’ Filippis (Milano 1455), a tricuspid silver monstrance
in Gothic style (1527), a “solar” monstrance from the 16th century, an
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Museo della Basilica di Gandino - Gandino
Ambrosian monstrance in silver from 1605, a silver chalice whose cup
case is in filigree and chisel, a silver and gold chalice from the 16th century
whose cup case is finely chiseled (both chalices are
Hungarian), a silver and gold ciborium created in Vienna in 1598 and
a statue of Madonna del Patrocinio from the 17th century. Fragments
of frescoes from the knocked-down S. Maria ad Ruviales church (15th
century) and from other sites, including Maffiolo da Cazzano’s and
Marinoni’s workshops, are also displayed.
53
Museo della Basilica di Gandino - Gandino
Accademia di Belle
Arti Tadini
Lovere - Art Museum
Address
Palazzo dell’Accademia - Via Tadini, 40 - 24065 Lovere
Tel. 035.962780 / Fax 035.4345158
[email protected] / www.accademiatadini.it
Opening times:
- from May to September:
from Tuesday to Saturday
15.00-19.00
Sunday 10.00-12.00 / 15.00-19.00
- April and October:
Saturday 15.00-19.00
Sunday 10.00-12.00 / 15.00-19.00
- from November to March opening
upon request. Opening times: are
the same as the above-mentioned
times for groups and guided visits
(which should be booked).
Admission
Admission fee.
Discounted rates available.
54
Tours
It is possible to organise guided
visits for groups and activities for
schools. They should be reserved
and paid beforehand by contacting
the Museum educational services
(also during the closing time)
Mobile. 349.4118779 or
[email protected]
Bookshop
It includes a selection of catalogues
of exhibitions run by the Academy
and some publications about
Neoclassic culture and postcards.
Accademia di Belle Arti Tadini - Lovere
Historical notes
Luigi Tadini (Verona, 1745 - Lovere, 1829) symbolises the typical “amateur
nobleman” who loved progress, art and sciences and actively strove to
achieve the political, social and cultural welfare of the community.
The cultural project of the Earl is set in the active discussion about the
educative function of this Museum. Such debate was animated by the
Enlightenment ideas and by that strong civic feeling which, between the
18th and the 19th centuries, saw the foundation of the privately-owned
Carrara Academy (Bergamo, 1795), Picture Gallery by Paolo Tosio
(Brescia, 1832), Malaspina Building of fine arts (Pavia, 1833), Ala Ponzone
Institute (Cremona, 1842), which put the basis of the current Museum
network in Lombardy.
Carrara Academy is the most charming of the above-mentioned
institutions: apart from benefiting from a superb location on the lake, it is
the only one that has kept its original collection, library and historical
archive united in its original building.
Earl Tadini and his family used to go to Lovere on holidays; after the tragic
death of his son Faustino due to the collapse of a building, he stayed away
from the town for quite a long time. He came back in 1818, determined to
build a palace hosting his art collections. Sebastiano Salimbeni, an “amateur
architect”, carried out the project. The palace, designed around the chapel
dedicated to Faustino Tadini (commemorated through a Stele by Antonio
Canova), was due to host not only Tadini’s collection, but the design and
music school which became an important reference point for the territory.
The construction was realised between 1821 and 1824. In 1827, it could
already house all of Tadini’s art collections, which until that moment lived
in its private residence in Crema. Tadini Academy of Fine Arts formally
established in 1829, which is when its founder died. It is among the oldest
museums in Lombardy and expresses the love for Neoclassicism.
The School of Music is still active, with a regular academic year as well as
specialisation summer courses for violinists, cellists and lyrical singers.
From 1927, the Concert Hall has been hosting prestigious chamber music
concerts with singers of international standing. The event takes place
annually in April and May.
Exhibition criteria
The superb palace overlooks the lake and has retained its old charm.
Luigi Tadini's collection reflects the various artistic interests of this
nobleman, whose ideas were influenced by the Lombard Enlightenment
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Accademia di Belle Arti Tadini - Lovere
and whose library incorporates literary, philosophical, historic and scientific
books.
Earl Tadini was, indeed, passionate about most forms of art, technique
and nature: not only did he collect paintings, sculptures, drawings and
chinaware, but also minerals, fossils and animals.
His thought is summarised on the simple dedicatory epigraph which is
situated on the entrance grand staircase and which he personally dictated:
A. MDCCCXXVI / LITTERIS ARTIBUS NATURAE / DICATUM.
The core collection is Antonio Canova's production (the Tadini family
personally knew the artist), whose most significant works are Religion, a rare
terracotta sketch for Clemente XIII's monument and Tadini Stele,
commemorating Faustino, the Earl's son, which is one of the last
masterpieces of the sculptor.
The Gallery, which is accessible through three flights of stairs, is composed
of 23 connected rooms arranged according to the old criteria: Archaeological
room is one of the few works in Lombardy that kept its 19th century
furnishing and all the rooms display ceilings painted by Luigi Dell’Era
from Treviglio (1826).
The itinerary includes an elegant selection of art objects in Neoclassic
style, among which is an impressive chinaware collection from the most
important Italian and European factories, including Meissen, Sevres, Real
Factory from Naples.
The masterpieces Madonna and Child by Jacopo Bellini, Sant’Antonio from
Padua by Antonio and Bartolomeo Vivarini, an altar piece by Paris Bordon,
Portrait of an innkeeper by Giacomo Ceruti also known as Pitocchetto,
three paintings by Francesco Hayez (Ecce Homo, Self-Portrait, Madonna),
a section exhibiting by turns modern and contemporary art objects from
different periods, are a must.
Subsequent adquisitions, after the exhibitions at Tadini Atelier, have
gradually formed the bottom of the modern and contemporary art section.
In this respect, Europars season is of particular interest, in that it presents
high-profile artists from all over the world.
Several frescoes from the 16th century were taken from the outer walls of
some Lovere houses and collected in the conference room. They document
the Academy's commitment to preserve and valorise territorial resources.
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Accademia di Belle Arti Tadini - Lovere
Museo d’Arte
Contemporanea di
Luzzana - Donazione Meli
Luzzana - Art Museum
Address
Castello Giovanelli - Via Castello, 1 - 24069 Luzzana
Tel. 035.822829 / Fax 035.822860
[email protected] / www.museoluzzana.it
Opening times
Wednesday 14.00-18.30
Saturday 9.00-12.30
Sunday 15.00-18.00
Other days and hours can be
reserved (compulsory reservation for
groups and school groups) Tel. and
Fax 035.944777 (Pro Loco Trescore
Balneario).
57
Museo d'Arte Contemporanea di Luzzana - Donazione Meli - Luzzana
Historical notes
Situated in Giovanelli Castle (13th-17th century) which in 1989 became the
property of the Town Hall, the Museum is the result of sculptor Alberto
Meli's and his wife, the painter Ester Gaini's donations of around 220
artworks. Both figurative and abstract works express different artistic periods,
from the post-war to 2003, which is when Alberto Meli died. The works are
inspired by both the elegant, modern European culture, that the artist
experimented for a decade when, in Lugano, he got in touch with illustruous
personalities and traditional culture, which is where the artist's cultural roots
are best expressed.
The Museum also displays the works of some of the major exponents of
the early 20th century avant-garde art movements, including Arp, Probst,
Richter and Valenti. The Museum also houses a Neolithic flint-carved “lunar
calendar” (4500-2500 b.C.), featuring the seeding, harvest and the rest
seasons.
Open-door museum
Luzzana also offers the opportunity of taking a naturalistic-historic walk
through the streets of its medieval quarter in order to explore its peculiarities
and to spot the numerous artworks spread around the town. Giovanelli
Castle is the most prominent architectonic building of this small medieval
district, made of narrow streets, arcades, houses with stone miniatures. The
Castle primitive structure dates back to the 13th century; later on (16th and
17th centuries) it was first enlarged and then turned into a residence. In the
historic centre are “Fortilizio” and its tower defending the West side (13th
century) and the Patriarca palace (18th century). A visit to S. Antonio parish
recreation centre and to the parish church are a must; the latter contains
various and significant artworks.
The itinerary follows the stunning water valley, formed by Bragazzo torrent
and its small waterfalls and pools.
The enormous rupestrian sculpture “The Giant” by Giosuè Meli (1841) is
carved in living rock. According to popular traditions, it represents a young
giant who is making a huge effort to hold the mountain. The sculpture is
accessible from Costa hamlet by going down the medieval path until the
grove where the sculpture is situated.
The Museum runs painting and sculpture courses. It has a multimedia room
as well as an educational-creative laboratory for children and for those who
love art, irrespective of their age. The project “Art for the school” allows the
access to the lab for personal experiments and offers diversified cultural
itineraries.
The structure is also included in a circle of tourist itineraries in Cavallina
Valley, which comprises the visit to Lorenzo Lotto's frescoes in Trescore
Balneario, to Val Cavallina Museum in Casazza, to Tadini's Academy of
Fine Arts in Lovere and to “Buca del Corno” in Entratico.
58
Museo d'Arte Contemporanea di Luzzana - Donazione Meli - Luzzana
Exhibition criteria
The first two rooms of the picture gallery display around 60 works by the
painter Ester Gaini Meli. Their chronological order is meant to show the
artistic growth of the painter, whose last production period is marked
by the switch from figurative to abstract landscapes, by a wise use of the
colour and by an essential and direct language.
In the third room Alberto Meli's laboratory was reconstructed with tools and
semi-finished sculptures; important artefacts help the visitors to understand
Meli's handcrafted technique. Crucifixes and saints occupy part of the
room; Meli kept on producing them on a vast scale for all his life. These
subjects are characterised by a dramatic power that Meli derived from the
Religious Text, showing an impressive ability to synthesise.
The fourth room features a life-size San Francesco with some animals; this
painting ideally expresses Meli's love for nature.
The fifth room is dedicated to tradition and to territorial features; several
bronze and terracotta portraits represent local people telling stories belonging
to the local history.
In the sixth (the central room) and the seventh room, The Genesis and The
Maternity are presented. Figurative sculptures related to the academic period
of the artist are side by side with abstract sculptures closely related to
the period in Switzerland, where Meli was in touch with the major art avantgarde exponents of the 20th century and where he was working in Hans Jean
Arp's workshop. During The Genesis and Maternity period, the artist
made an effort to interpret the theory of evolution, which he expressed in a
very personal, peculiar way.
The 8th and 9th rooms are dedicated to art avant-guard artists from the early
20th century, including Arp, Probst, Richter and Valenti, as well as to some
abstract sculptures by Meli.
The tenth room displays The Cross Stations, realised in lead and personally
molted by Meli, and various interesting versions of The Genesis. Both works
strongly express the theory of evolution, which was enormously
valued by Meli.
A highlight is also a high relief by Giosué Meli (Luzzana, second half of the
19th century).
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Museo d'Arte Contemporanea di Luzzana - Donazione Meli - Luzzana
Museo del Monastero
di Pontida
Pontida - Art Museum
Address
Piazza Giuramento, 155 - 24030 Pontida
Tel. 035.795025 / Fax 035.4385427
[email protected] / www.monasterosangiacomo.it
Opening times
Upon request.
Admission
Free of charge.
Tours
Upon request.
60
Museo del Monastero di Pontida - Pontida
Historical notes
The Museum was established in 1976 in order to celebrate the ninth
century of the monastery foundation.
On this occasion, some rooms, originally used as canteens and kitchens,
were restructured with a view to housing the monastery artworks and relics.
Exhibition criteria
The itinerary starts with a series of archaeological finds belonging to the
old monastery, which are situated before the entrance. These artefacts were
recovered in 1966 during the restoration of the square opposite the abbey.
These works intended to celebrate the 8th century of the famous “oath”.
The Museum consists of four rooms.
In the first room “Pentecost”altar piece stands out. It was attributed to the
Marinoni, a family of painters who operated in the Bergamo area in the
16th century and that presumably realised the frescoes of the sacristy, the
main room and the upper cloister. Of interest is also the triptych “Madonna
della Misericordia with Saints Giovanni Battista and Gerolamo”, attributed
to a Lombard-Venetian painter from the 15th century and “S. Giacomo's
Martyrdom” by Giovan Battista Ferrari. The first room also plays host to
“Madonna in glory with Saints” by Luca Martinelli, a painter belonging
to Bassano school and “S. Benedetto” by Carlo Ceresa, donated by S.
Benedetto nuns from Bergamo.
The second room comprises some furniture and furnishings, some small
paintings realised with copper and an artwork attributed to the Chapel.
The third room stands out for the “fake architecture” in its ceiling paintings
(18th century), some water-coloured prints reproducing Palazzo Ducale
cloths. Pontida architect Carlo Amati realised them and donated them to
the Museum, together with some furnishings and richly decorated chairs.
In a small chapel of the fourth room are several sacred furniture and on the
walls are some paintings of various provenance and from various eras.
61
Museo del Monastero di Pontida - Pontida
Palazzo Furietti Carrara
Presezzo - Art Museum
Address
Via Vittorio Veneto, 1267 - 24030 Presezzo
Tel. 035.4376798 / Fax 035.4375239
[email protected] / www.isolabergamasca.com
Opening times
During the exhibition period and
upon request.
Admission
Admission fee for temporary
exhibitions.
Tours
Upon request.
Bookshop
Catalogue about temporary
exhibitions, book about Furietti
Palace and informative material on
Bergamask island.
62
Palazzo Furietti Carrara - Presezzo
Historical notes
Furietti Carrara Palace in Presezzo is one of the architectonic buildings that
mostly contributed to the artistic enrichment of Bergamo territory.
Even though the core nucleus was founded between 1580 and 1590, the
current structure was rearranged by Nicolino da Calepio at the end of the
18th century according to Neoclassic parameters. The fresco cycle realised
by Bergamo painter Giovan Paolo Cavagna (Bergamo 1550 ca - 1627)
dates back to the ninth decade of the 16th century. Visible traces of these
frescoes allow to reconstruct the vast original iconographic project, in
which Bible and sacred stories are side by side with mythological and
profane episodes. This is a crucial element to master the studies on profane
paintings as well as the decoration of Bergamo lordly palaces from the 16th
century.
On the West side of the palace is an elegant arcade whose groin vault
is decorated with grotesque paintings, featuring the Seasons and the
Theological and Cardinal Virtues. The frescoes in the main hall, accessible
through the arcade, represent “The Labours of Hercules”. The other
three smaller rooms are also accessible through the same arcade; their
vaults represent “The cart of Apollo”, “Susanna al bagno” and “Judith and
Olofernus”.
Exhibition criteria
First floor: Permanent Museum with works by Agazzi Prize.
Ground floor: fresco cycle by G.P. Cavagna.
Subterranean exhibition space: Temporary exhibitions.
63
Palazzo Furietti Carrara - Presezzo
Collezione Anita e
Rinaldo Pigola
Romano di Lombardia - Art Museum
Address
Palazzo della Comunità - Piazza Roma - 24058 Romano di Lombardia
Tel. 0363.982341 / Fax 0363.982337
[email protected] / www.comune.romano.bg.it
Opening times
Sunday and the first Saturday of
every month 10.00-12.00
Admission
Free of charge.
64
Collezione Anita e Rinaldo Pigola - Romano di Lombardia
Historical notes
In March 1995, the artist Rinaldo Pigola donated to his hometown,
Romano di Lombardia, 42 works and 15 sketches representing “The
Stations of The Cross”, which he realised within the space of fifty years.
The collection is currently hosted by Palazzo della Comunità (also known
as Palazzo della Ragione), a building from the 14th century which has been
adapted several times, especially in the 16th and 18th centuries and has been
recently restructured also. Thanks to the donation of other 11 works by
Pignola's heirs in 2001, nowadays the collection is composed of 68 works.
The Palace façade, dominated by a big sandstone San Marco lion, alternat
es cobblestones with bricks; it is held by big pilasters connected by slightly
lowered big arches and is decorated by an elegant earthenware cornice.
Under the external arcade is a stone table from Zandobbio, which is likely
to be a Roman find. Originally octagonally shaped, it was broken in 1609
and until the 19th century was used as fish counter.
Exhibition criteria
The Collection (also named after the donor's wife, Anita Dodesini,
deceased in 1989) has two rooms on the first floor, one of which hosts the
Town Council.
The works follow a chronological order and allow exploring the artistic
growth of Rinaldo Pigola (Romano di Lombardia, 1918).
In the Council room are the works belonging to Pigola's first period: they
were painted in oils or tempera, on canvas, table or paper. They are portrays,
still natures, landscapes illustrating the typical environment of Romano di
Lombardia. There are also some polinaterics from the sixties. The following
works are worth a mention: Paesaggio a Romano “Ultima neve” (1944),
Madonna Fontana (1944), Bambino col sacco (1950), Ritratto di Anita
(1949/50 e 1987), Fiori (1950), Farfalla sulla finestra (1950).
On the wall in front of the entrance is a big canvas by the same artist. It was
acquired by the Town Hall and represents the local country life.
The contiguous room highlights the polymeric paint-sculptures on canvas
or table, which have recently been acquired as well as three small sculptures
in iron and cement, which are Maternity, The cat, The crucifix (1989).
Of interest are also the following compositions: Travel to the North (1961),
Blue Structure (1973), Red (1977), and Ochre (1989). The donation is
largely illustrated in the volume “Anita and Rinaldo Pigola Donation.
Drawings, paintings and sculptures” edited by Romano di Lombardia Town
Hall in March 1995.
65
Collezione Anita e Rinaldo Pigola - Romano di Lombardia
MACS
Museo d’Arte e Cultura
Sacra
Romano di Lombardia - Art Museum
Address
Vicolo Chiuso, 22 - 24058 Romano di Lombardia
Tel. 0363.902507 / Fax 0363.913868
[email protected] / www.arteculturasacra.com
Opening times
Wednesday and Thursday
9.30-12.30
Friday, Saturday, Sunday and public
holidays 9.30-12.30 / 15.00-19.30
Christmas, Easter, Boxing Day and
New Year's Eve 16.00-19.30
Open all days for school groups hours to be agreed. Tickets are sold
until 1 hour before closing time.
Bookshop
Educational and informative
material as well as catalogues and
publications about exhibitions and
events are available in the Museum.
Admission
Admission fee.
Discounted rates available.
Tours
Upon request it is possible to benefit
from guided visits and educational
laboratories.
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MACS Museo d'Arte e Cultura Sacra - Romano di Lombardia
Historical notes
The Museum of Sacred Art and Culture, inaugurated on 14th September
2006, is located in the historic centre of Romano di Lombardia.
This used to be a commercially oriented area; indeed its arcade streets
hosted three weekly markets.
The Museum occupies a recently renovated estate of noble provenance;
the building is very interesting from an architectonic perspective. The
inner building has a Renaissance style with frescoes as decorative
elements, so that the same containers form part of the Museum.
The Museum offers a rich artistic and devotional heritage composed
of sacred processional furnishings, wooden and tombstone sculptures,
furniture, paintings, but also archive documents. It is also open to
welcome new artworks, as the alternation of the permanent and
temporary exhibition demonstrates.
Exhibition criteria
The collections and the artefacts adhere to a chronological order, starting
from the origins of Romano di Lombardia, continuing with Renaissance,
Baroque, 18th and 20th century works, and finishing with some exemplars
of contemporary sacred art, such as terracottas, tombstones and wooden
sculptures, paintings, goldsmiths and furnishings belonging to the local
heritage. Among the various goldsmith objects are “Pace” (Peace) in niello
technique from the second half of the 15th century and the Ambrosian
monstrance from the 16th century.
The Museum also houses a rich collection as well as several reliquaries
spanning from the 17th century to nowadays.
The Museum is accessible through a portico, after which is a small
court leading to the permanent and temporary exhibition rooms, to
Management office and to the storage area.
There is also a conference room and some rooms dedicated to educational
laboratories. In order to encourage study and research, a library has been
annexed to the Museum. Such a library is divided into four main sections,
where one can consult various ancient texts, art magazines and more. In
the same building is the old parish archive as well as the Museum archive.
Furthermore, the Museum houses the donation by Rinaldo Pignola, one
of the most renowned Romano di Lombardia painters of contemporary
art, recently deceased.
MACS heritage has recently grown thanks to two new collections.
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MACS Museo d'Arte e Cultura Sacra - Romano di Lombardia
Vittoria and Antonio Borelli collection is composed of over thirty
remarkable Russian icons from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, while
Giacomo Dodesini collection comprises 103 devotional statues almost
entirely situated under bell jars, with Christ, Mary and Saint images made
with wax, embroidered cloth, paper, carved wood, glass and terracotta.
The Museum has other secondary sites, situated at about a hundred
meters away from its main location.
They are:
- a room on the ground floor of Misericordia Arcades (15th century) in via
Colleoni
- two rooms which already house SS. Sacramento and S. Rosario
Confraternities adjacent to the sacristy of the provost church.
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MACS Museo d'Arte e Cultura Sacra - Romano di Lombardia
Casa Museo Fantoni
Rovetta - Art Museum
Address
Via Fantoni, 1 - 24020 Rovetta
Tel. 0346.73523
www.fondazionefantoni.it
Opening times
- from July to September:
from Tuesday to Sunday
15.30-17.30
- other months: upon request for
groups.
Bookshop
Monographic material.
Admission
Admission fee.
Discounted rates available.
Tours
All the guided visits are by the
Foundation and by Rovetta Pro
Loco during summer months (for
bookings, please Tel. 0346.72220).
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Casa Museo Fantoni - Rovetta
Historical notes
The old house-workshop of the Fantoni family is located in the historic
centre of Rovetta, in Seriana Valley. It boasts an extremely rich heritage,
documented by the activity of the various family generations, who
incessantly operated from the 15th to the 19th century. Their 17th-18th
century production includes numerous sacred and profane representations,
which are scattered in the Bergamo and Brescia area. The repertoire
comprises all types of religious furnishings and devotional images. It also
includes a big architectural staircase as well as the planning and execution
of some religious buildings.
The workshop still contains the drawings and the wood and terracotta
models realised in the study phases, the projects that were sometimes
commissioned and the execution plans for the workers. Besides the projects
and models elaborated by different Fantoni generations, the core of the
drawings comprises graphic backgrounds coming from other artistic
environments, which throughout the time has increased thanks to the
updating needs of the workshop and to the ambitions of some family
members. The collections include wood and marble works realised by
Fantoni between the second half of the 17th century and the end of the 18th
century.
The artistic collections are integrated by a rich memorial archive, work
contracts, epistolaries and updates on the artworks and their production
times. Books on the workshop activity and management complete these
testimonies.
This important artistic and historic heritage has been conserved by the
master offspring and has subsequently joined the Fantoni Foundation
collections, created in 1968 on Giuseppe Fantoni's will.
The foundation aims at conserving, researching and promoting this
heritage. It is also a centre for artistic, historic and ethnographic research on
the territory and organises events to valorise local culture.
Exhibition criteria
The artistic collections of the Fantoni Foundation are exhibited in the
living and working environment of the workshop with the purpose of
highlighting the link between artistic objects and their production
place.
A thematic event aimed at attracting an always-increasing number of
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Casa Museo Fantoni - Rovetta
exemplars and getting the public to know the workshop production as well
as the artistic background of its exponents is organised on an annual basis.
The visit can be completed with some thematic videos.
In the external spaces of the building, temporary exhibitions are arranged.
They explore the historic, artistic and ethnographic elements of the local
culture. The vast courtyard regularly houses concerts and cultural events
during the summer.
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Casa Museo Fantoni - Rovetta
Museo Casa di Arlecchino
San Giovanni Bianco - Art Museum
Address
Via Oneta - 24015 San Giovanni Bianco
Tel. 0345.42458 / Fax 0345.43495
[email protected] / www.sangiovannibianco.org
Opening times:
- from November to March:
Saturday and Sunday
10.00-12.00 / 14.30-17.30
The remaining days should be
booked.
- April, May, June, October:
Monday and Tuesday (upon
reservation)
from Wednesday to Friday
14.30-17.30
Saturday and Sunday
10.00-12.00 / 14.30-17.30
- July and September:
Tuesday upon reservation
Remaining days
10.00-12.00 / 14.30-17.30
- August: all days
10.00-12.00 / 14.30-17.30
72
Admission
Free of charge.
Tours
Visits should be booked.
Bookshop
Illustrative leaflets.
Museo Casa di Arlecchino - San Giovanni Bianco
Historical notes
Oneta district is typically medieval and is made of cobblestone streets and
stone and wood arcade houses.
Nowadays Oneta is an essential and compact architectonic complex, which
some time ago had a defensive function. On the West side of the district is a
suggestive square surrounded and “protected” by some stone houses, among
which the so-called “Casa di Arlecchino” stands out. This particularly elegant
building is evocative of the old Mercatorum street and dates back to the 15th
century.
From Oneta, Cornello dei Tasso medieval core (hometown to the renowned
Tasso family, who invented the first postal service using horses) is easily
accessible through the old merchant road.
The noble family Grataroli used to live in “Arlecchino House”, but moved to
Bergamo (in Bernareggi Museum) in the 16th century and subsequently to
Venice, where they enrolled to Serenissima patrician order and where they
were put in charge of the customs secretariat twice. Their success also depends
on Zanni's vicissitudes. At the time Venice was crowded with these servants
from Bergamo whose clumsy, simple but at the same time sharp manners
inspired the grotesque motifs represented by “commedia dell'arte” (a play with
improvised dialogue).
In the second half of the 16th century Alberto Ganassa from Oneta, after
his brilliant first appearances at the Gonzaga and Estensi courts, starred
Arlecchino in front of the Emperors of France and Spain.
In the light of the above, Arlecchino House claims its major role as the
founder of the court and popular theater.
Exhibition criteria
The structure of the external stone walls and the plan of Arlecchino House
suggest that the latter originally was a fortified house. Externally it is
characterised by elegant round arcades and by Gothic windows, whereas
internally are traces of the frescoes and decorations that cover the walls and
wooded ceilings.
The entrance, accessible through a stone staircase, is decorated by a fresco
featuring a hairy man holding a cudgel that resembles “homo selvadego”, the
typical man inhabiting the Alps.
The visit to Arlecchino House starts from the appreciation of its architectonic
and decorative elements and is in contrast with the luxury of the Grataroli
family. This ostentation is evident in the joust of the knights represented in
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Museo Casa di Arlecchino - San Giovanni Bianco
the so called “camera picta” (15th century) and in the challenge of the primitive
man who “controls” the entrance and who threats to exclude whoever refuses
to recognise his role as creator of those Alpine rituals related to survival.
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Museo Casa di Arlecchino - San Giovanni Bianco
Museo Civico
"Gianni Bellini"
Sarnico - Art Museum
Address
Via S. Paolo, 8 - 24067 Sarnico
Tel. 035.912165 / Fax 035.912165
[email protected]
Opening times
Saturday 09.30-12.00 / 15.00-19.00
(Summer months) 20.00-22.30
Sunday 10.00-12.00 / 15.00-19.00
Admission
Free of charge.
Tours
Upon reservation for groups and
educational itineraries for school
groups.
75
Museo Civico "Gianni Bellini" - Sarnico
Historical notes
Inaugurated in 2002, the picture galley was established thanks to Gianni
Bellini, who donated about 150 works, mostly paintings from the 16th, 17th
and 18th century. Throughout all his life, Ganni Bellini had collected such
works and decided to donate them to Sarnico community at a later stage.
Apart from the paintings, some precious furniture, interesting marble and
wooden statues and four processional crucifixes are part of such donation.
The Picture Gallery is connected to the oldest part of Gervasoni Palace,
a 15th century building situated in the highest point of Sarnico historic
centre. The Palace, which was was a nun convent and later became a private
residence, retains traces of its old function, mostly in a part of the cloister, in
its impluvium floor and its gallery.
Remarkably restored with all the modern technologies to conserve the
artworks, Gervasoni Palace offers an extremely interesting itinerary
comprising several exhibition rooms. This path concludes in the last room
of the upper floor, where natural light is filtered through the big skylight;
this way a perfect visibility of the artworks is achieved. On the ground floor
is a vast, well-equipped room for musical activities and concerts.
Exhibition criteria
The works span three floors: on the ground floor and first floor are some
small lateral rooms that are used as exhibition spaces.
Along the walls of the second floor is a gallery, while the centre of the
room, which is open to the floor below, is closed by a dedicated floor which
is currently under renovation and which is used as an exhibition space as
well. A wide skylight covers everything and makes this room exceptionally
bright.
The works are divided by regional schools - Lombardy, Venice,
Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, Rome and Naple schools - and adhere to a
chronological order, as the recently published scientific catalogue of the
picture gallery demonstrates.
The rooms at the ground floor and first floor are dedicated to the most
significant sacred and profane works; the second floor plays host to the
so-called “minor genres”, such as landscapes, battles, still natures and
architectonic unconventional works.
The most significant paintings of the Lombard school are: the big altar
piece “Madonna with the Child and San Filippo Benizzi” by Francesco
Zucco, (17th century); “San Francesco in ecstasy hold by an angel” by
Giovan Battista Discepoli also known as lo Zoppo da Lugano (mid 17th
century); “Oration in the garden” by Giovanni Stefano Danesi also known
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Museo Civico "Gianni Bellini" - Sarnico
as Montalto (mid 17th century); “Allegory of the time” (The three ages of
man) by Stefano Maria Legnani also known as Legnanino (second half of
the 17th century); “Landscape with Elia nurtured by a crow” by Bernardo
Lucas Sanza (late 17th century); “Madonna with Sons and saints” by Johann
Georg Fockhetzer, (mid 18th century), which prepares the homonimous
altar piece situated in San Filippo Neri church in Lodi.
Significant paintings of Venice school are: “The Lamentation of Christ”
by Jacopo Negretti also known as Palma The Young (early 17th century);
“Madonna with Child and two devotous people” by Francesco Frigimelica
(1620-30 circa); “Sant’Antonio from Padua with Son and angels” by
Antonio Balestra workshop (early 18th century).
Remarkable paintings of Genova schools are: “Apollo with its lyre and the
young Baccus in the landscape” by Valerio Castello circle (mid 17th century).
Remarkable paintings of Emilia school are the small masterpiece
“Madonna with Son among Saints Gerolamo and Margherita di Antiochia,
del Maestro dei dodici apostoli” (early 16th century); “San Gerolamo
meditating in the landscape” by Ippolito Scarsella also known as Scarsellino
(late 16th century); “Santo Stefano workshipping the crucifix”, a small
masterpiece by Lucio Massari (1620 circa).
Significant paintings of Rome school are “The Incredulity of San
Tommaso” by Daniel Seiter (late 17th century); “Lucrezia” by Francesco
Trevisani (1710-1720 circa). Significant paintings of Naple school are
“Penitent Madonna” by Luca Giordano (1660 circa); the rich and Baroque
still natures by Nicola Casissa and Francesco Lavagna (early 18th century).
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Museo Civico "Gianni Bellini" - Sarnico
Museo Civico "Ernesto e
Teresa Della Torre"
Treviglio - Art Museum
Address
Vicolo Bicetti, 11 - 24047 Treviglio
Tel. 0363.317506-502 / Fax 0363.317309
[email protected]
www.comune.treviglio.bg.it / www.sbi.bassapianura.bg.it
Opening times
Tuesday and Thursday
15.30-17.30
Other days upon reservation.
Admission
Free of charge.
Tours
Guided visits are free during opening
times and are upon request in the
other days.
Bookshop
Various catalogues.
78
Museo Civico "Ernesto e Teresa Della Torre" - Treviglio
Historical notes
The Museum was officially founded in 1963, when the Town Hall executed
the testamentary will of prof. Pier Luigi Della Torre. Prof. Della Terra was a
neurosurgeon of European standing as well as a Medical Director and
the chief physician of Treviglio hospital.
In 1962, Della Torre donated his collections to Treviglio Town Hall with
the purpose of establishing a Museum dedicated to his father and mother,
respectively Ernesto and Teresa Della Torre. It is a heterogeneous collection
comprising furniture, tapestries, vases, miniatures and paintings. In 1931,
the Town Hall already owned some works by the famous Treviglio painter
Giovan Battista Dell’Era (Treviglio 1765, Firenze 1798).
The last offspring of the artist, Colonel Oscar Dell’Era, had donated some
of his drawings to Milan Civic Museums and a nucleus of 250 drawings
and 15 paintings to Treviglio Town Hall.
The Town Hall had owned the gallery of Grossi house for quite some time.
It comprises portraits of poet and novelist Tommaso Grossi (1790-1853)
and his family. They were all realised by Carlo Gerosa (1805-1878), famous
for his portraits of Milan aristocracy and upper middle class.
In 1986, the renowned painter Trento Longaretti from Treviglio donated
a corpus of artworks, selected among drawings, engravings and paintings,
whose aim is the illustration of his artistic growth.
The paintings by Bergamo, Brescia and Crema winners of “Treviglio
Prize” also belong to this collection. The Prize was organised in the mid
fifties by the Mayor Attilio Mozzi and lasted until the early sixties. The
institution keeps on acquiring works through legacies and donations. The
archaeological collection, that includes artefacts partly owned by the Town
Hall and partly by the State, is annexed to the Museum. An agreement
with Ministero dei Beni Culturali has already been made in order to
permanently exhibit this last section in Treviglio Museum; the latter will
become the reference point for all recoveries in the area.
The material is displayed in three different rooms.
Exhibition criteria
Picture Gallery
The Museum collections are displayed on the first floor of an old convent
complex of S. Benedetto nuns; it also houses the civic library, in whose vast
hall all the collections are exhibited.
On the right wall are two works coming from the old hospital: they are
two altar pieces by Legnanino and Maletta. In the centre of the room are
some dressers containing some drawings, which were initially attributed
to Dell’Era, but recently assigned to Prenner, an Austrain artist from the
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Museo Civico "Ernesto e Teresa Della Torre" - Treviglio
early 18th century. On the wall in front of the entrance are some paintings
and drawings by Giovan Battista Dell’Era. The most impressive works are
his “Self-Portrait” and two drawings representing the race of the Berber
knights along del Corso street in Rome.
At bottom of the staircase is Della Torre collection, consisting of sculptures,
drawings and various objects. A highlight is a canvas by Waterliet Master,
Rogier van Der Weiden's disciple. He realised a “Deposition” that imitates
the style and motifs of his Master. The canvas “Madonna with the Child” by
Giambono is also of great interest. The central display cabinet displays some
objects based on drawings from the 18th century, which were realised by the
firm Cassani in the early 20th century.
Coming back to the entrance hall, a display cabinet presents some
interesting drawings and engravings by Rembrandt, Guercino and
Correggio.
In the centre of the room, a round table holds four panels with four
portraits on it. They portray the family of poet Tommaso Grossi (19th
century) and were donated by Engineer Giuseppe Grossi.
Coming back towards the entrance hall, on the left side are some works of
“Treviglio Prize”, which was a painting competition organised in the fifties
by the Mayor Mozzi.Scarpanti, Alebardi, Vitali, Lazzarini are some of the
artists who took part in the initiative. A small section is dedicated to Trento
Longaretti. In the opposite display cabinet are the drawings (around 300)
donated by Cassani. This part of the exhibition represents an interesting
collection of local and Lombard paintings, spanning from the 19th century
to nowadays.
Archaeological section
This section, named after Arch. Giuseppe Oggionni, is on the first floor of
the Civic Cultural Centre. The three rooms – Protohistory, Roman History
and Medieval History- conserve: the celtic tombstone (1st century a.C.)
recovered in 1980; a case containing over 100 coins from the late Roman
Empire period and other artefacts. The medieval halls consist of three
reproductions of the “Castrum Vetus”, Treviglio in the 11th century
surrounded by a triple ditch, a walled Treviglio and the Gothic House.
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Museo Civico "Ernesto e Teresa Della Torre" - Treviglio
Museo "Santa Maria
Assunta"
Vertova - Art Museum
Address
Via Rimembranze, 2 - 24029 Vertova
Tel. 035.711220 / Fax 035.711220
[email protected] / www.retemuseibergamo.it
Opening times:
Open all Sundays and public holidays
(no reservation needed) 15.30-18.00
The ticket sale stops at 17.00
Closing days 2010: 7/3, 4/4, 19/9,
3/10, 1/11, 25/12.
Bookshop
The Museum guide is on sale at the
entrance of the Museum.
Admission
Admission fee.
Discounted rates available.
Tours
The visit is always guided by the
Museum volunteers. It is possible to
book guided visits during the
week. Mobile: 338.7731512
81
Museo "Santa Maria Assunta" - Vertova
Historical notes
The monumental complex of the parish church is situated in the highest
point of the historic centre. Through the artworks conserved in the parish
church and in the rooms of the adjacent Museum, the faith of Vertova
inhabitants is expressed. A Museum was necessary to house the enormous
heritage of the parish church, which is dedicated to its three patron saints:
Madonna Assunta, San Marco and San Patrizio.
Vertova people, whose faith has deep and ancient roots, have always shown
an intense devotion to their patron saints, namely Santa Maria Assunta, to
whom they dedicated their parish church; San Patrizio, whose sanctuary
dominates the surrounding valley and San Marco, a tradition trasmitted by
the Venetian Republic of Serenissima, which was always paying attention to
the religious beliefs of the folk he subjected.
The Parish Museum of Vertova, strongly wanted by its priest Enzo Locatelli,
was inaugurated in 2008 with the purpose of collecting, conserving and
valorising some precious paintings, wooden sculptures and goldsmith
objects.
Exhibition criteria
The visit to the Museum comprises two different, consequent itineraries:
the guided visit begins at the lateral entrance of the church, which is
accessible through a portal in Renaissance style. The visitors will appreciate
eight lateral altars with the chorus, the naves, aisles, and the old and new
sacristy.
In this first part of the visit a highlight are some wooden and marble
sculptures by A. Fantoni and G.B. Caniana, some frescoes by C. Bellosio,
E. Salmeggia (Talpino), D. Carpinoni, and many more. Of particular
interest is the Crucifix located on the homonimous altar. The crucifix,
which represents one of Andrea Fantoni's masterpieces, was realised with
the collaboration of his nephew Gian Bettino. The statue is dated 1725, as
demonstrated by a sign (with Fantoni's signature on it) recovered during
the restoration works in 1930. It features Christ on his Cross and has
adjustable wings, so that the “Deposition of the Cross” can be represented.
The latter is the core of the processions which take place on Good Friday
on an annual basis and it is when Vertova people most intensely manifest
their faith.
The visit continues through the Museum rooms, where Vertova patron
saints - Madonna Assunta, San Marco and San Patrizio – are analysed
through a beautiful canvas by Bergamo painter Giovanni Galizzi, who
worked in Venice in the 16th century.
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Museo "Santa Maria Assunta" - Vertova
The following section is dedicated to the iconography of Virgin Mary.
Great artists from the 18th century, including Giovanni Carobbio and
Antonio Cifrondi, painted Pregnant Mary, the Coronation of the Virgin
and Rosary Madonna.
Another room is dedicated to some Vertova sacred buildings that were run
down or whose internal decoration was significantly renovated, among
which Trinity Chapel by the Marinoni's workshop with its chunks of
frescoes is worth a special mention.
The section dedicated to the treasure displays precious reliquary busts, an
interesting cross-shaped reliquary in copper and silver and gold, attribuited
to Lorenzoni (a Vertova family) workshop and a precious cope
by a Venetian workshop (15th century).
Finally, a video documenting a traditional Good Friday in Vertova prompts
reflection on the death and resurrection of Christ. An incredibly realistic
Crucifix and a fine Lamentation from the 16th century reinforce such
reflection.
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Museo "Santa Maria Assunta" - Vertova
Pinacoteca Comunale
Vertova - Art Museum
Address
Centro Culturale Testori - Via Convento, 12 - 24029 Vertova
Tel. 035.711562 / Fax 035.720496
[email protected] / www.comune.vertova.bg.it
Opening times
Upon request.
Admission
Free of charge.
Tours
Upon request.
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Pinacoteca Comunale - Vertova
Historical notes
In the 1950s, Vertova Town Hall acquired the ex-Cappuccini convent from
the Bonomi family. The convent is situated in the highest part of the area.
This ancient building is linked to the historic happenings, which determined
the presence of Cappuccini friars in the village. After an adequate restore
and renovation, it became a Cultural Centre named after art reviewer and
playwright Giovanni Testori, and a Civic Library as well.
There is also a park well equipped for children activities and for relaxing.
In 1972, the Town Hall Administration organised the 1st Painting
Competion in Vertova and decided to acquire the work of the winner; this
way the collection was enriched with one additional piece per year (the
competion took place on an annual basis). Two small rooms on the first floor
of the complex were arranged to house these increasing number of paintings,
which are now permanently exhibited.
Exhibition criteria
The Museum is important in that is one of the few museums of
contemporary art in the Bergamo province.
The most significant artists are: Enrico Prometti, winner of the first
competition, Luigi Scarpanti, Gialuigi Lizioli (who depicted Bergamo Alta),
Gianni Bergamelli and Francesco Coter (first ex-equo winners in 1979),
Piero Urbani, Calisto Gritti, Attilio Steffanoni, Italo Ghilardi (who
portraited a beautiful teenager wearing a red dress), Orfeo Locatelli, Mario
Signori, Mino Marra, Francesco Normanni, Alfa Pietta, Patrizia Masserini,
Andrea Boyer, Mario Malfer, Sergio Battarola, Luca Vernizzi (the Town
Hall bought both his winning artwork and the other work he presented
also), Roberto Nociti, Giovanni Bonaldi, Claudio Acchiardi, Mino Marra,
Angelo Capelli, Vittorio Consonni, Mauro Capelli (winner in 2009). On
the entrance staircase are the following paintings: “Clusone Hills” , which
Vittorio Bellini donated to the Town Hall, “View of sails with colours”
which Vanni Bellini's heirs donated to the Town Hall and “Finding at dawn”
by Oscar di Prata.
In the ex-church, which is now a conference and meeting room, is another
donation by Vittorio Bellini: a big polyptyc dedicated to “The Stations of the
Cross” which was realised in 1989-1990 and belongs to the Picture Gallery.
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Pinacoteca Comunale - Vertova
Museo d'Arte Sacra
San Nicolò
Zanica - Art Museum
Address
Sacrestie della Chiesa Parrocchiale - Piazza Giovanni XXIII, 7 - 24050 Zanica
Tel. 035.671029 / Fax.035.671029
[email protected] - [email protected] / www.parrocchiazanica.it
Opening times
When the parish church is open and
no Masses are being celebrated.
Gennaro, in 2 volumes:
vol.I: XVI-XVII century
vol.II: XVIII-XIX century.
Admission
Free of charge.
Tours
On Sunday afternoon school groups
and groups can benefit from guided
visits and educational itineraries (the
calendar is available on the parish
website). Alternatively, visits can be
reserved through Maura Vezzali,
Tel. 035.670017
Bookshop
"Zanica Arte e storia nella
parrocchiale" by Alessandra Di
86
Museo d'Arte Sacra San Nicolò - Zanica
Historical notes
The collection was put together by priest F. Luiselli who, during his working
period in the parish (1990-2002), collected sacred paintings and furnishings
from Zanica churches as well as from the attic of the church and parish
house. This production was placed in such secluded places that it would have
been lost or stolen if the priest had not found it.
The restored material was put in the sacristies and in other dedicated spaces
near those sacristies.
Exhibition criteria
The first sacristy was realised in 1890 when the church was enlarged and two
aisles were added to it.
The following works are of great interest:
- “S.Antonio” by Camillo Procaccini
- “S.Ignazio from Loyola” by Bergamo painter Enea Salmeggia (17th
century), whose signature has been found during the restoration works
- “Saints Martino, Nicola from Bari, Elena, Stefano and Alessandro” by an
anonymous artist
- a series of frescoes coming from the church that was run down in 1720 1730. The frescoes feature “S.Giovanni” , “S.Pietro” , “The symbols of the four
Evangelists”
− a series of monochromes coming from the pulled-down catafalque which
was used for funeral functions.
These monochromes are likely to have been realised by Enrico Scuri, who
in 1841 replaced Giuseppe Diotti in the management of Carrara Academy
School.
The second sacristy is dominated by an imposing wardrobe covering all
four walls by the Caniana family; restoration brought to light some inlays
which had been completely repainted. In the top part of the sacristy are the
portraits of some priests who worked in Zanica parish.
This sacristy leads to other spaces dedicated to the collection and
conservation of different artworks, which are:
- “The Annunciation” by the Marinoni family, famous painters from Seriana
valley from the 15th century
- the polyptyc Madonna dei Campi, by Marinoni, framed in an elegant
cornice from the 17th century and composed of five panels: the central one
represents “La Madonna with Son” whereas the lateral panels represent
“S.Giovanni Battista” , “S.Stefano” , “S.Nicola” and “S.Giuseppe”
- “The Adoration of the sheep farmers” , by Bartolo Litterini;
- “The dinner of Emmaus” by Cifrondi
- two benches from the 16th century with the coat of arms of the donators
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Museo d'Arte Sacra San Nicolò - Zanica
- candlesticks, lamps and devotional objects used by local confraternities
during processions
− in a small display cabinet are two old missals and a tablernacle from the
18th century.
The second room, which is smaller than the previous one, incorporates some
frescoes representing various saints.
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Museo d'Arte Sacra San Nicolò - Zanica
Museo di San Lorenzo
Martire
Zogno - Art Museum
Address
Via 11 Febbraio, 98 - 24019 Zogno
Tel. 0345.91083
www.brembana.info
Opening times
Upon request.
Admission
Free of charge.
Tours
Upon request.
Bookshop
Leaflets and some texts by the
Museum Historical Archive.
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Museo di San Lorenzo Martire - Zogno
Historical notes
This exclusively religious Museum was established in 1985 in the house of
the ex Jurisdiction, which was acquired by the Parish in 1963 to play host to
the sacred furnishings. Restored between 1980 and 1985, it was brought to its
original state and was meant to host the collections of the future Museum.
The exhibited paintings, sculptures, liturgical furnishings and devotional
objects come from Zogno Parish and from the collection of don Giulio
Gabanelli, San Lorenzo priest, who was the main creator of this charming
Museum.
Exhibition criteria
The exhibition order highlights the need to conserve sacred furnishings and
vestments, which are no longer in use due to the liturgical reform of the
Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican. A celebratory exhibition
revives memories of the sacred pre-council rituals. Special attention is also
paid to the various forms of popular piety.
The material spans three floors. It is partly arranged in display cabinets and
represents the redemption operated by Christ and celebrated by the Church,
the celebration of Christ in the sacraments, in the rosary and in the
Christian re-birth.
The itinerary starts at the entrance floor with a prehistoric sun idol which
demonstrates that the man has always looked up in the sky in search of a
light able to “brighten” his existence. In this room, alongside frescoes from the
15th and 16th centuries and other sculptures, are four big thematic display
cases, decorated with decals, and a long showcase with copies of old precious
laces.
In the first display cabinet the physical and mystical presence in the
Eucaristia and the cosmic triumph of Christ are observable through the
wooden sculpture of the Child (17th century), the silver ostensory and the
carved cornice with the Agnus Dei.
The second display case is dedicated to S.Ambrogio, S.Agostino, S.Narno and
S.Carlo Borromeo, who are the saint founders of the Lombard Church. Four
silver brass busts conserve the saint relics.
In the third display case, wooden polychrome sculptures from the 14th and
15th centuries illustrate the Calvary story.
The itinerary ends in front of the stunning cabinet displaying “The Grand
Mass of S. Lorenzo”(saint patron of Zogno), which is evoked through the
superb vestments in red velvet , which are embroidered in gold, silver and
polychrome silks. Around it the celebratory furnishings are arranged and the
old banner of the Confraternity is on the background.
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Museo di San Lorenzo Martire - Zogno
On the upper floor are the themes of Santo Viatico, of the devotion to Rosary
Madonna, and of “Messa funebre”.
The first display cabinet displays figures and symbolic objects that evoke the
procession of Santo Viatico.
At the centre of the second display cabinet, the 15 tondos of the mysteries
(16th century) frame an old wooden statue representing Madonna with the
Child. Precious liturgical vestments and chunks of the canopy from the 18th
century used during Corpus Domini processions can be admired in the
following cabinet.
Black is the main colour in the display cabinet dedicated to “High Mass of
the funeral”: in the centre, the figure of Christ resurrection alludes to the hope
of an eternal life. Of particular interest are the black silk vestments designed
by Luigi Angelini and embroidered in silver by Zogno cloistered nuns.
A long central showcase exhibits old objects for the celebration of the Mass.
Of particular interest is also the collection of bells, which were moulded
between the 15th and 18th century and whose exhibition criterion allows their
ringing. Giovanni Anselmi from Serina moulded the oldest bell, dated
1525.
A highlight is also the mechanism of a tower clock realised in 1756 by
the Gritti family. They lived in Miragolo, a Zogno hamlet famous for its
clock production. The lower floor hosts two big central display cabinets and
various small display cabinets along the walls. The big cabinet exhibits richly
decorated old copes in silk and brocade, wooden sculptures of Lombard
production (16th century), silver lamps, three stunning alms and some altar
cards.
The lateral display cabinets collect small objects related to the faith of local
people: small images, scapulars, small
medals, small stoops and rosaries.
A recently restored organ (1686) coming from a small Church of the territory
completes the itinerary on this floor.
The most interesting paintings are:
- “The Pietà” by Giovan Paolo Cavagna (1556-1627)
- “Vergin Mary in the Temple” by Palma The Young (1544-1628)
- “S.Lorenzo” anonymous, late 16th century
- “Gesù deriso e flagellato” by Pietro Muttoni also known as Vecchia (16051678).
In the conference room "Priula” the following stands out:
- “Madonna and Saints” attributed to Palma il Vecchio (1480-1528)
- “The Martyrdom of S.Stefano” by Carlo Ceresa (1609-1679)
- “The Deposition of Christ" anonymous, 17th century.
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Museo di San Lorenzo Martire - Zogno
ethnographic
Ethnographic
Museums
Museo Etnografico
della Torre
Albino - Ethnographic Museum
Address
Via S. Maria, 10 - 24021 Comenduno di Albino
Tel. 035.753710 / [email protected]
Opening times
Sunday 10.00-12.00
Admission
Free of charge.
Tour
Guided visits upon reservation.
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Museo Etnografico della Torre - Albino
Historical notes
The Museum activity started in 1989, when it was managed by a group
of volunteers belonging to the Association for della Torre Ethnographic
Museum. The collection comprises various tools and objects, which
were collected in order not to disperse a cultural heritage that was part of
the peasants’ life as well as the craftsmen’s. It is located in villa Regina Pacis,
which was previously owned by the Briolini family (silk manufacturers) and
now belongs to the Town Hall, in the spaces that once stored the products
delivered by the croppers. The building has a cornice with floral motifs
along the walls.
Exhibition criteria
Despite the variances that a mountain area can have, the territory of the
middle-lower Seriana Valley is homogeneous and has its own characteristics
that make it completely different from the Upper Seriana Valley (North)
and from the Plain (South).
The period of interest is the first half of the 20th century, an era that kept a
strong continuity with the previous ages but not with the present times; the
latter indeed went through the big economic development of the period
after WWII. We decided to document various activities of the peasants and
artisans, which at the time represented a large part of the population, even
if the textile industry played a bigger role from an economical
perspective. Our visitors are mainly school groups.
The sect ion maize-wheat
Since the diet subject proved to be very popular and given that we already
had most of the tools for arranging the objects, on the ground floor an
itinerary documenting the sequence maize-wheat from the field to people
dinner tables was set up.
The collected materials follow a circular movement, with bound and
determined exhibition spaces and with enough space for visitors. The south
part of the room includes less imposing tools and documents the different
cultivation stages: manuring, cultivation, seeding, weeding and the earthing
up of the growing cereals. The following space, situated in the semi-circular
area of the tower, presents the collection of maize and wheat.
In the North wall the techniques to treat cereals are documented:
desiccation and maize hulling, wheat threshing, weighing, milling (a
millstone was taken by Fassi mill in Albino) and sieving.
The exhibited materials also highlight the technological evolutions of that
period; we exhibited both very simple manual tools and manual machines
or complex machines driven by animals. Although the latter were already
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Museo Etnografico della Torre - Albino
used at the beginning of the century by the most prestigious farms, not all
the farmers in the valley used them.
First f loor exhibitions
The spaces on the first floor of the Museum have been arranged to
accommodate the already-existing exhibitions, which used to be too
crowded and which comprise the following: a country kitchen and a
bedroom, the activity of a shoemaker, a turner, a carpenter, a blacksmith.
There is also a space reserved to the cheese factory, the woodcutter and the
tower clocks. In the future, these spaces are likely to be renovated as well.
The basement
The two rooms of the Briolini-Regina Pacis basement have been renovated
as well.
In the first room a typical country kitchen is reproduced. There are various
wine vases and all the tools to turn the grape into wine, some shelves for the
maturation of dairy products and a corner for the conservation of potatoes
and green chestnuts, the bar hooked on the ceiling for the maturation of
salami, moscaröla vine and ollas (ceramic jars) for the conservation of fresh
food and of the fats obtained from the butchering.
This room takes one back to the past; this feeling is reinforced by the
electrical system created by the Town Hall, where insulators and switches
are in ceramics.
The second room of the basement is arranged in a different way; besides
hosting kitchen tools, it houses educational activities, thanks to which
young people can experiment winemaking.
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Museo Etnografico della Torre - Albino
Museo del Falegname
Almenno San Bartolomeo - Ethnographic Museum
Address
Via Papa Giovanni XXIII, 59 - 24030 Almenno S.Bartolomeo
Tel. 035.554411 / Fax 035.554407
[email protected] / www.tinosana/museo.com
Opening times
From Monday to Friday
9.00-12.00
Saturday
15.00-18.00
Sunday
9.30-12.00 / 15.00-18.00
Closing day: August (opening upon
reservation), weekday and National
bank holidays.
Bookshop
Divulgative material, wood objects.
Library:
Open to the public.
Admission
Free of charge.
Discounted rates.
Tours
Upon reservation.
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Museo del Falegname - Almenno San Bartolomeo
Historical notes
In December 1984 Mr. Costantino Sana, owner of Tino Sana company,
had the idea of setting up a Museum about the culture of wood. He started
researching and collecting tools, machines and documents referring to the
old work of the carpenter in that he did not want to lose all those tools,
which reflected an interesting heritage of habits and customs.
The Museum was inaugurated on 20th June 1987 and nowadays offers a rare
and complete testimony of the wood processing culture.
Due to business needs, the Museum was moved to Aldo Moro street and is
now situated in its definite location, which was projected by Arch. Cesare
Rota Nodari and was inaugurated on 28th October 2000.
The building is on three floors and covers 3200 square meters. It contains
4.000 artefacts ranging from the 17th century to nowadays. Some tools are
extremely rare in that they have the decorations or the monograms of their
old owners.
Exhibition criteria
Externally is a water-powdered sawmill, which is made of a metallic
structure closed on three sides. On the front side, which is completely open,
is possible to appreciate the coming and going of the bandsaws, actioned by
a powerful wheel, which, in turn, is actioned by an adequate water jet. In the
inner space of the exhibition rooms, the material is divided into categories
or in contexts reproducing various workshops: turner, carver, carpenter,
cage-maker, clog maker, pattern maker, inlayer, lutist, cooper, chair maker,
blacksmith, cartwright, sailman and boatman.
Of great interest are the workshops of the carpenters which bring the
names of the old craftsmen of the Almenno area and Imagna Valley.
On display are also machines for trunk cutting and wood processing as well
as various working lathes.
Every room expresses the work and the needs of the communities through
the centuries.
The Museum also hosts a precious collection of carriages and carts, among
which are: “Manzoni” chart, the Roman cab, the Sicilian cart and a finely
carved country cart, which was also used for processions.
An extremely interesting section is the one dedicated to the history of
the bicycle; the relevant collection contains rare wood samples like the
“draisine” (1820), “michandina” (1861) and an iron penny-farthing (1880).
There are also bicycles and t-shirts belonging to renowned champions,
including Fausto Coppi, Felice Gimondi, Eddy Merckx, Gianni Bugno, as
well as the first copy of the so called “woodbike” , which was projected by
Costantino Sana.
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Museo del Falegname - Almenno San Bartolomeo
Also linked to the bicycle theme is the section about hawkers; bicycles
equipped with all the relevant tools allowed hawkers to go around various
villages and offer their services.
The activities of the milkman, the scrivener, the knife-grinder, the umbrellamaker, the barber are displayed alongside some relevant reproductions.
Reproductions of some typical local places were also carried out.
On display are the inn with its essential furniture and the accordion and the
peasant house, whose furniture and furnishings reflect Bergamo traditions.
Another section is dedicated to objects of the country life: tools and
machines used in the fields and for milk processing, tools for the wood
carding, spinning and weaving are presented.
The tools for wood processing occupy a privileged place: varieties of tools of
all sizes are displayed.
The visit of the Museum ends with “the puppet shack” (recreated as a
puppet theater), where a puppet show by Enrico Manzoni (also known
as “Risoli”) from the 19th century and two contemporary collections by
Benedetto Ravasio and Giuseppe Belloli are showcased. School children
can see the puppet show upon request.
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Museo del Falegname - Almenno San Bartolomeo
Museo Etnografico
Alta Valle Seriana
Ardesio - Ethnographic Museum
Address
Piazza Monte Grappa, 3 - 24020 Ardesio
Tel. 0346.33035 / Fax 0346.34280
[email protected] / www.comune.ardesio.bg.it
Opening times
For further information, please contact
the Town Hall.
Admission
Admission fee.
Discounted rates.
Tours
Open for school groups and groups
upon reservation.
Bookshop
Museum Publications.
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Museo Etnografico Alta Valle Seriana - Ardesio
Historical notes
Ardesio village is located among the splendid Upper Seriana Valley
mountains, almost at the confluence with Valcanale, and is settled along the
slope that coasts the left side of the Serio river.
Located 600 meters above sea level, Ardesio is now a touristic village that
in ancient times was based on the exploitation of the mining industry. Iron
materials are predominant, but silver and other metals have been abounding
in the area since prehistoric times.
The existence of the mining industry in Roman times is documented by
recovered finds as well as by a passage from Plinio il Vecchio's “Naturalis
Historia”. In the Middle Ages, (1026), Ardesio joined the jurisdiction of
the “curia” of Bergamo bishop until 1427, which is when the village and
the whole valley passed under the power of Venice. During that period,
the mining industry flourished and kept on growing until the middle of
last century, which is when headings fell into disuse and their access was
covered with brambles.
The Museum also collects objects belonging to the other activities that
throughout the centuries have characterised life in Ardesio; the Museum,
founded by the Town Hall in 1982, is currently composed of five sections
spanning two floors and an adjacent building.
Exhibition criteria
In the centre of the first room, called “Community room”, is a scale model
representing Seriana Valley morphology; around it, along the walls, is a
series of photographs illustrating some local places and personalities,
whereas the showcases conserve ancient manuscripts and documents. The
most interesting material relates to the apparition of the Blessed Virgin
Mary in 1607; a sanctuary was built to commemorate such an event.
Alongside it, is a publication by Ardesio priest Antonio Riccardi about the
most important sanctuaries of the time (19th century).
Of particular interest is a manuscript containing the Town Hall Statute
(1507). The room also conserves a manuscript signed by Mussolini. The
document is about the approval of Ardesio coat of arms, which happened
in 1928 during the Kingdom of Italy. It is related to the origin of the village
name, Ardeo et renascor and features a phoenix resuscitating from the
flames.
The second section is dedicated to women's typical activities, namely the
spinning and weaving of hemp, linen and wool produced “in loco”. These
activities required many tools, including oil mills, distaffs, spindles, and a
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Museo Etnografico Alta Valle Seriana - Ardesio
domestic loom, which was reconstructed with ancient wood basing on an
old Scalve Valley loom.
A section of this room on the first floor conserves handiworks in linen,
hemp and silk: there are women's clothes (including the black wedding
dress) and menswear (the “Sunday dress”, which is typical of the emigrant),
as well as studded shoes and clogs. The same room conserves a scale from
the 18th century that was used to weigh the salt which would then be
distributed to the community villages and some frescoes from the 15th and
17th centuries belonging to a private house in Ardesio.
The second floor hosts the third and fourth sections, dedicated respectively
to the miners’ and the woodmen’s work. Alongside the reconstruction of a
heading section are some original pieces of the mine, pneumatic drills,
lamps and acetylene. Two display cabinets present several samples of
minerals, mostly of local provenance; furthermore, various mining tools
(beetles, pickaxes, hammers) and objects realised by blacksmiths are
displayed. All this material is complemented by captions as well as by a
wide documentation comprising beautiful pictures of that time, typographic
papers, and authentical correspondence. The activity of the woodmen is
represented through various tools, such as different kind of saws, a sleigh
(“trona”) for pulling wood bundles down the river, a “hook” for trunk
transportation along the Serio river; there is also a list of wood essences. In
the centre of the room lays an interesting tool: “machina de porgà la rasa”,
that was a machine for purifying fluidified resin, which
was filtered through this press.
The fifth section is composed of a country house from the 15th century,
which is located alongside the Museum, at number 2, Tasso street.
Inaugurated on 1st May 1998, it plays hosts to handcrafted and mountain
agriculture environments.
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Museo Etnografico Alta Valle Seriana - Ardesio
Museo della Valle
Cavallina
Casazza - Ethnographic Museum
Address
Palazzo Bettoni - Via Nazionale, 67 - 24060 Casazza
Tel. 035.810640 / Fax 035.811536
[email protected] / www.museocavellas.it
Opening times
Wednesday
9.00-12.30
Saturday and Sunday
15.00-18.30
Admission
Free of charge.
Tours
Guided visits upon reservation in the
Museum opening times.
Bookshop
Digital documentation centre and
bookshop. Furthermore educational
material can be consulted and can
be downloaded from the website.
104
Museo della Valle Cavallina - Casazza
Historical notes
Situated in Casazza in some rooms of the Bettoni Palace, the Museum tells
the history of working activities through objects and tools belonging to
various ages and uses Cavallina Valley territory as a point of reference.
Exhibition criteria
Before accessing the Museum rooms, on the left-hand side of the entrance
is a space that welcomes the visitor and provides an induction on the
themes of the Museum through a video about the valley territory. This
space plays host to temporary educational and art exhibitions related to the
Museum themes and activities. Every single room has a colour indicating
its specific theme.
The stone room
The first room, called “the stone room” because of its grey colour, illustrates
the morphology and geology of the Valley territory.
On the lower floor is a collection comprising the samples of all kinds of
rocks in this territory, shown both in their raw and processed state, and the
remaining of a Longobard tombstone which was brought to life during
some excavation works near the ancient Pieve di S. Lorenzo. The floor,
covered with gravel, is evocative of the stone theme. Furthermore, on
display are some working tools in stone, a manual millstone for whetstones
and some old boundary-stones found on the road network.
The water room
The second room is called “water room" (for its blue colour) and features
various activities: agriculture, manufacture, everyday life; on display are
some traditional fishing tools; fishing has indeed been practiced in the
local lakes of Endine and Gaiano since prehistory.
The panels represent the localisations as well as some photos of
manufactured objects that used to characterise the valley and disappeared.
The mills ideally show how local people used to produce their objects and
food.
The vegetation room
The third room, called “vegetation room” (green colour), is dedicated to
traditional farming activities; it shows the stages of the cereal, vine and
forage cultivation.
The various phases of the work in the field are deducible. They are the
seeding, the harvesting, the cropping, and the transformation of cereals in
wheat.
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Museo della Valle Cavallina - Casazza
The animal room
The fourth room is “the animal room” (brown colour). The wild fauna
and domestic animals were essential for the valley both as a food source
(breeding and hunting) and as a support to the working activities. Among
the exhibited objects, a highlight is “ol gàbe”, a big basket with an indent
for one's head and to support shoulder transportation.
Silkworm breeding is also illustrated; this production was particularly
important for the proliferation of the spinning mills and women's work in
the factories.
Lombard-Venet ian land register
A PC workspace allows the consultation of the Lombard-Venetian
land registry and of historical maps as well as other related data. Other
historic-documentary materials are also accessible and form part of the
Documentation Centre of the Museum.
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Museo della Valle Cavallina - Casazza
Museo del Mulino
Castione della Presolana - Ethnographic Museum
Address
Via S. Antonio, 1 - 24020 Castione della Presolana
Tel. 0346.60505
Opening times
Every day except Tuesday and
Wednesday.
Admission
Free of charge.
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Museo del Mulino - Castione della Presolana
Historical notes
The ancient mill, located along the torrent that goes down the so-called
“Mill Valley” (for the numerous watermills along that path), is a building
from the 16th century, originally set up as a sawmill.
The mill worked until the 1960s, and then it was abandoned. However, at
a later stage its current owner, who still takes care of its maintenance and
who was passionate about mill-related objects as well as about farming,
renovated it.
Exhibition criteria
The upper floors of the Museum building host a restaurant, whose owners
are always willing to guide the visitors through the Museum, whereas the
Museum itself occupies the two floors below road level.
In the lower floor are perfectly-conserved gears (the most fatigued gears
have got wood cogs so that they can be changed straight away), whose
connection to a big external wheel guaranteed the functioning of all
connected machines.
Among various objects and tools are a machine that butchers used to grind
meats with and to produce sausages, a millstone working through some
cone-shaped gears, a machine for the production of leather goods and some
saddlery for horses.
On the upper floor are two grindstones, directly connected to underlying
transmission shafts; one of the grindstones used to grind wheat, while the
other used to grind maize.
On display are also some everyday life objects, such as a sewing machine
from the 19th century, some containers for milk transportation, a cob gin, a
carding machine, a bedwarmer (a“mònega” in Bergamo dialect), a pair of
wood skis.
Other everyday objects also appear on the walls of the restaurant hall; they
are meant to celebrate the simple and hard life of the mountain people and
have now fallen into disuse.
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Museo del Mulino - Castione della Presolana
MUPIC
Museo delle Pietre Coti
della Valle Seriana
Nembro - Ethnographic Museum
Address
Via Ronchetti, 29 - 24027 Nembro
Tel. 035.471362 / Fax 035.471343
[email protected] / www.mupic.nembro.net
Opening times
Upon request. A calendar of opening
times is being produced.
Admission
Free of charge.
Tours
Upon request.
Bookshop
In progress.
A whetstone with the Museum logo is
given to each visitor.
Library
The document section is being
arranged.
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MUPIC Museo delle Pietre Coti della Valle Seriana - Nembro
Historical notes
The Museum of Whetstones of Seriana Valley was established with the aim
of preserving the historical and cultural heritage related to the whetstones.
The latter were used to grind and hone the edges of cutting tools, especially of
the scythe, whose cutting efficiency was essential for the provision of the
annual forage.
Nembro, Pradalunga and Albino were the best producers of whetstones for
centuries. With the mechanization of agriculture in the 19th century this
activity, which employed over one-thousand people in the Bergamo area,
became marginal.
The Museum is at 29, Rocchetti street, Nembro. Its building used to belong
to the Bonorandi family, which owned one of the two whetstone factories in
Nembro. The factory remained active until the sixties of last century.
The Museum was inaugurated and open to the public on 23rd December
2007.
Exhibition criteria
The Museum of Whetstones of Seriana Valley provides its visitors with
the possibility to get to know the various stages of the long and difficult
whetstone working. This happened in headings stretching for over
thousand meters “in the bowels of the mountain”. The exhibition itinerary
leads the visitors through the quarry and its natural environment as well as
through the markets, mostly international, where the “hyper perfect”
whetstones were sold. The itinerary explores the specific techniques which
obtained whetstones from quarried flagstones; it also illustrates the finishing,
labelling, packaging and dispatching of the whetstones.
Apart from some specific tools, a special mention goes to a big “fitadura”,
which is an automatic polisher for polishing whetstones, and to some boards
showing the stages of stone working and documenting the importance,
the antiquity and the geological features of these stones.
A video room has been equipped to allow the visitor to observe how
whetstones were used during the traditional haymaking, while an optical
device made of two telescopes illustrates the genesis, structure and internal
composition of the whetstones.
An educational area has also been arranged; it hosts groups of 20 students.
It comprises different sections on rocks. There are also some workshops
retracing the stages of stone working; it is possible to utilize microscopes
to analyse the stones.
The documentary section is being arranged.
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MUPIC Museo delle Pietre Coti della Valle Seriana - Nembro
Museo Etnografico
Oneta - Ethnographic Museum
Address
Via G. Verdi - 24020 Oneta
Tel. 035.707117 / Fax 035.708125
[email protected] / www.comune.oneta.bg.it
Opening times
Sunday 14.00-16.00
Admission
Free of charge.
Tours
Other days and times upon request.
Tel. 035.707523
Notes
The Museum will be relocated to its
new location which is Pinì House.
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Museo Etnografico - Oneta
Historical notes
The Museum was set up thanks to Francesco Epis, who collected historic
memories of the economy of the valley and its everyday life for over thirty
years and later on donated them to Oneta in an attempt to keep the past
alive.
Exhibition criteria
Even though at the present time the Museum is in one room, a wider space
will be soon provided.
On the left-hand side of the entrance, the following objects are worth a
mention: old photos of some local personalities and episodes of local life.
On the right is a collection of domestic sewing machines as well as the
first television which was installed in Riso Valley.
A display cabinet contains some memoires from World War I, some
cameras (the oldest dates back to 1880), minerals and fossils from Alben
and from elsewhere.
A special corner is dedicated to the mines, represented through pictures and
the reconstruction of a heading with trucks and tools. On the opposite side,
a chimney, a big pot (still used during the village festivals) and objects for
butter and cheese processing give an insight into how domestic life was in
the past.
The hard life of the peasants, comprising farming, breeding and
woodcutting, is illustrated through different kinds of tools; the valley woods
and the carpenter tools complete a varied and interesting itinerary.
A small table gathers the shoemarker tools; in the central shelf, spinning
and carding machines are evocative of the linen and hemp processing that
used to take place in the valley. Nest and local fauna specimens conclude
this collection.
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Museo Etnografico - Oneta
Maglio Museo
Ponte Nossa - Ethnographic Museum
Address
Via dei Magli, 7 - 24028 Ponte Nossa
Tel. 035.701054 / Fax 035.703631
[email protected] / www.maglinossa.it - www.comune.pontenossa.bg.it
Opening times
July and August and for special
events (please visit the event page).
An abstract of the chapter of the
drop forges; the Museum CD and the
brochure are available also.
Admission
Free of charge.
Discounted rates for students.
Tours
For single individuals or groups upon
reservation.
Bookshop
The book on Nossa and its drop
forges by G. Carlo and Valentino
Salvoldi is available as well as the
book titled “The Drop Forges and
waters of Nossa” by M.Rossi and
A.Gattiglia.
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Maglio Museo - Ponte Nossa
Historical notes
The Drop Forge Museum is situated in a building, which has been
renowned since the 16th century. It is a hydraulic-powered trip hammer
used for the production of nails and mining tools as well as for agriculture,
for the production of shovels, pickaxes, pitchforks and hoes. The Trip
Hammer worked until 1964 and was subsequently restored; since 1985, it
has been put in the Museum. Maglio Museum was erected along one of the
shortest rivers in Italy, namely Nossa river. Even though the latter
is only five-hundred meters long, it is considered a river for its abundant
and constant flow. The valley has a particular charm and throughout the
centuries, the river has created many work opportunities: besides supplying
a washhouse and a small power station, its water drove the vanes of four
forges and two mills.
The activity of the trim hammers of Nossa rivers is very ancient, even
though its exact origin has not been established yet. It is part of a system
that throughout the centuries has always tried to reduce the waste of water.
Exhibition criteria
The Museum is composed of a main room and three other exhibiting
rooms. Graphic boards clearly show the various construction phases of the
tools. The central room contains the following well-preserved mechanisms:
a big hammer whose handle is a trunk, activated by a wood driveshaft, and
a heavy millstone; they are activated by two wheels, which are visible from
the outside of the building. When the Museum is open, all these
mechanisms are activated.
The forge is still running also and the furnace still uses the air coming from
the hydro-wind pump powered by a nearby canal.
On the upper floor are a model of a hydro-wind pump, a grindstone and of
the whole building; through these models, which were expressly created for
blind people, the visitors get a better understanding of how these
machines worked and how they were built.
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Maglio Museo - Ponte Nossa
Laboratorio Museo
Pietre Coti Ligato Fratelli
Pradalunga - Ethnographic Museum
Address
Via S. Martino, 12 - 24020 Pradalunga
Tel. 035.767790 / Fax 035.5096908
[email protected] / www.ligatofratelli.com
Opening times
From April to October guided visits
should be reserved.
Admission
Free of charge.
Tours
Guided visits should be reserved.
Bookshop
Books and DVDs are available.
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Laboratorio Museo Pietre Coti Ligato Fratelli - Pradalunga
Historical notes
Sharpening has been a process of paramount importance since Otzi times.
5300 years ago, indeed, this hunter from Similaun used to refine the flint
tips of some farmers.
The development and spread of the whetstone as a sharpener for cutting
tools (scythes, sickles etc.) started in the ancient world and has not stopped
so far. One the oldest sharpening artefacts dates back to the II millennium
b.C. It comes from Kha tombstone, which is located in the Egyptian
necropolis of Der El Medina and conserved in the Egyptian Museum in
Turin. In Roman times (I century b.C.), Plinio il Vecchio stated that Italy
produced the “acquaries cotes”.
The first production of whetstones in Pradalunga and Seriana Valley is
attested by Bergamo Statutes (1248-chapter, coll. XIV); the same rules set
up for metals on 2nd January 1249 were applied to whetstones. The Statute
of Seriana Valley (1434) will follow the same rules as Bergamo's. At those
times Pradalunga whetstones were already exported to Northern Europe
through Bellinzona and Trento and overseas through
Genova.
From the 16th to the 19th century, the same families who established
Piazzalunga (Piccinini, Gavazzi, Chiodelli) started producing whetstones
and introduced some relevant innovations (hydraulic honing machines).
Their activity was so successful that they won the contract related to Venice
customs and that during the 19th century they gained important awards
on occasions of some international exhibitions and shows (in Melbourne
in 1880, in Milan in 1881 and in Turin in 1884). In 1927, after the success
obtained at Tripoli international show, Giovanni Battista Gavazzi's factory
became one of the main whetstone factories.
Thanks to their peculiar geological conformation, Pradalunga whetstones
can sharpen blades without damaging them or wearing them out; this is the
feature that made these whetstones gain an international reputation.
Quartz, a “hard” stone material, is of animal origin; it derives, indeed, from
the tiny remains of organisms with a silicon skeleton and is homogeneously
included in a “soft” material in ideal proportions. The highly experienced
quarrymen managed to tell whetstones from other stones and to follow the
“vein” even in the dark.
The properties and production of the whetstone have been explored by
prestigious personalities, including Giovanni Maironi da Ponte, Antonio
Tiraboschi, Angelo Mazzi, Antonio Stoppani, Enrico Caffi and many
more.
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Laboratorio Museo Pietre Coti Ligato Fratelli - Pradalunga
Exhibition criteria
The art of whetstone excavation and processing has been passing down
from generation to generation since various centuries. In order to keep
these traditions alive, Ligato Fratelli F. & M. company continue its centuryold production (Gavazzi/Piccinini factories) and conserve old tools, objects
and historic relics in its original building.
The itinerary features the different stages of whetstone processing.
The elements in the exhibition room show how whetstones were processed
in old times. They include quarry tools, typical hammers used in the first
stages of the intermediate forging operated by pickax machines used in
the first mechanical stages, some labels, stamps and parcels for the
commercialization of this unique product, which was exported to five
continents.
In the laboratory, it is possible to observe a rare collection of stones, which
were used worldwide for sharpening cutting tools as well as a collection
of all whetstones from the quarries of the Bergamo territory. Scythes of
different shapes and sizes, which were used both in Europe and overseas,
are also exhibited.
A must is the visit to the whetstones' excavation site; the place is easily
accessible by car or on foot. The itinerary begins in Pradalunga main
square, heads to Della Forcella Sanctuary, which conserves numerous ex
voto mainly related to the activities of the quarry, goes into the wood for a
short while, and terminates at Sbardellata quarries. The huge pile of waste
products coming from the quarries is very visible and shows the importance
that this activity has had in Pradalunga throughout the centuries.
Near the quarries archaeologists found some siliceous “semi-finished”
products dating back to the III-II millennium b.C. They are only a small
part of the vast trade of siliceous tools that took place in those areas; these
products also attest that such industry had been present in the territory
since pre-historic times.
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Laboratorio Museo Pietre Coti Ligato Fratelli - Pradalunga
Museo Etnografico
Schilpario - Ethnographic Museum
Address
Via dei Goi - 24020 Schilpario
Tel. 0346.55393 / Fax 0346.55275
[email protected] / www.cmscalve.bg.it
Opening times
From Tuesday to Sunday 15.00-18.00
Admission
Admission fee.
Discounted rates.
Tours
Guided visits for groups and school
groups upon reservation.
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Museo Etnografico - Schilpario
Historical notes
Schilpario village is situated at the eastern extremity of Scalve Valley, at the
end of a wide meadow valley crossed by Dezzo river and surrounded by thick
spruces. The whole valley is wrapped into an imposing amphitheater of
some of Orobie’s highest peaks, that are Presolana massif, Mount Venerocolo,
Pizzo Camino and the peaks of Campelli with Cimon della Bagozza.
Schilpario, the main centre of the valley, is 1135 m. above sea level and is
now a renowned holiday resort in both summer and winter. Its historic and
cultural past is represented in the Ethnographic Museum. The hard life of
the local people is analysed through documents, photos, working objects
and everyday life products. Due to the inclement weather, structural and
economic conditions, men, women and teenagers were obliged to work
incessantly in an attempt to raise the economic profile of their valley.
The most typical works, which were carried out until recent times, are:
farming and stock- breeding; dairy farming and sheep-farming; forest
exploitation and hemp and linen cultivation and processing; carpenter,
charcoal burners, mining activity and furnaces. Whereas the forest and
mining activities were reserved to men, all the others activities could be
carried out by women also; these works were in addition to the traditional
female roles, such as the mothering and housekeeping.
At the age of 10-12 years old, people began working; they were transporting
materials.
Exhibition criteria
The Museum was set up between the 1970s and the 80s and inaugurated in
July 1986. The fact that it was situated in an ancient renovated building that is
an integral part of the ethnographic and cultural complex (on the upper floor
is the library) is extremely interesting.
Outside the building is the wheel of a mill, whose paddles are activated by
the Dezzo river which flows next to it. The wheel is connected to a gear
wheel that, in turn, activates the grinder, the oil mill, a press for linseed oil
production and the wheat machine. This fascinating complex of machines is
located in the Museum basement, while instruments and tools are between
this floor and the upper one, which is at road level.
At the entrance, two deeply furrowed stones represent the hard work of those
people, who used sleds to pull the iron ore of the local mines down the river.
The tools for the work in the fields are displayed in another room. They are:
a ploughshare, a plough, a seeding machine, a harrow, an oxbow, a hoe, a
scythe, a rake, a pitchfork, various kinds of spades, among which one is used
for cutting straw (taia paia). Linen, hemp, wheat and potatoes were the most
cultivated products. Various original objects are linked to stockbreeding,
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Museo Etnografico - Schilpario
sheep-breeding and dairy farming. They are: a calf muzzle, an instrument for
straightening the horns of the cattle; various types of basin and bowl for milk
or milk cream; various types of churns and stamps for moulding butter; an
original wooden instrument from 1794 called “tessera”, used for measuring
and registering milk delivery (scales were still unknown).
The forest surrounding Schilpario was a huge resource: either the wood was
turned into coal (there are two furnaces in Schilpario, one in Vilminore and
one in Dezzo) or its bark was used for roofing purposes.
The exhibition continues with the representation of the typical female
activities, which are the spinning and weaving of linen, hemp and wool with
the relevant tools (scutcher, combs, reels, spinning wheels, looms); everyday
life activities, including religious practices (an iron cross and some ex-voto)
and child care (a wood cradle, a go-cart, and some toys). An enormous pot
(“culdera”) for heating milk up for the dairy farming or for boiling water (for
butchering purposes or for doing the laundry). The itinerary on the ground
floor ends with some kitchenware and domestic objects used in everyday life.
On the lower floor of the Museum, besides the above-mentioned machines,
the following is exhibited: some harnesses of draught animals, a cart wheel
and two carts for people transportation. The carpenter and charcoal
burner professions are attested through planes, chisels, drills, the trestle
for the construction of clogs or coal-related objects. A small lateral room
conserves some mining tools, including pneumatic hammers, sleds for the
transportation of the mineral, bits of rope for the cableway, which was used
more recently.
The mining Museum better documents the importance that such activity
had in Scalve Valley. All the sections of the Ethnographic Museum are
integrated by illustrative panels; particularly moving are the trunks, passports
and travel documents of the emigrants,who, from the Venetian domination
onwards, had been frequently forced to leave the valley in search of a more
remunerative employment.
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Museo Etnografico - Schilpario
Parco Minerario
Ing. Andrea Bonicelli
Schilpario - Ethnographic Museum
Address
Località Fondi - 24020 Schilpario
Cell. 347.8163286 / 331.6253770
[email protected] - [email protected] / www.minieraschilpario.com
Opening times
- July and August:
every day 9.00-12.00 / 13.30-17.30
- In the remaining months, bank
holidays and pre-bank holidays the
hours are the same (excluding
November, December, January and
February).
Itineraries: Gaffione mine (2 hours’
visit, partly on board of the small train
and partly on foot), Bèrbera Mine (visit
on foot and only upon reservation).
Admission
Admission fee.
Discounted rates.
Tours
It is possible to organise some
educational labs for school groups.
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Parco Minerario Ing. Andrea Bonicelli - Schilpario
Historical notes
From a geological point of view, Scalve Valley belongs to the orographic
complex of the Orobie PreAlps.
The latter are rich in minerals, especially ores, but also barite, copper, lead,
zinc and fluorite.
In the past the iron mines have dramatically contributed to the subsistence
of Scalve Valley inhabitants; they are located near Schilpario, along the path
leading to Campelli and Vivione Passes.
Presumably the exploitation of Scalve Valley mineral wealth began in 300
b.C.: some commercial documents from the 11th century recorded the trade
of 5 tons of iron per year.
For centuries, consortiums of small owners were in charge of the mining
and quarrying for this material. At that time, mining work was extremely
hard due to the inhumane conditions in which hundreds of men and
teenagers
had to work. When in 1930 firms such as Ilva, Breda and Falck took over,
modern technologies were introduced and an intense exploitation of the
mines continued until 1972, which is when the activity stopped because it
had become anti-economic.
The furnaces of Schilpario and Dezzo produced an enormous amount of
tools as well as arms (under the Venetians).
Exhibition criteria
In the Ethnographic Museum of Schilpario, in a small lateral room on the
ground floor, the mining activity is documented through photos, captions
and some objects to be in charge of the mining and quarrying of this
material.
Andrea Botticelli Mineral Park documents the human side of the mining
industry in a complete and touching way. The park, inaugurated in June
1998, is an authentic mining Museum, which was open inside the so-called
“Gaffione” heading. The first 2 kms are by train, while the subsequent 1 km
is on foot.
At the entrance of the gallery is Gaffione, at an altitude of 1244 m., about
4 kms away from Schilpario, slightly below the mining village of Fondi,
whose small church is dedicated to S. Barbara.
The itinerary project was implemented within 1 year’s time by a group
of local amateurs, whose “Ski-Mine Cooperative” aimed at keeping the
memories of that hard word alive.
An experienced guide leads the visitors through the bowels of the mountain
and explains the mining typology, mostly siderite and hematite, as well as
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Parco Minerario Ing. Andrea Bonicelli - Schilpario
quarrying and transportation methods. Some spotlights powered by a
generator were put in place for the visitors; they replace the old acetylene
lamps used by the miners.
Mining methods and tools were archaic: workers would dig into a heading
until they found the “vein” and would then “cultivate” the mineral.
“Chimneys” to follow the “vein”and “ponors” for the discharge of the iron
ore are still present. In the past, after being sorted, the ore was taken outside
with some small baskets (of which some specimens have been conserved)
by the so-called “purtì” (12-13 year-old guys) who, being short, were very
suitable to such a task.
The trams for ore transportation were introduced at a later stage. The ore
was piled up outside the mine and the so-called “strusì” pulled it down the
river with dedicated sleds (“lese”). Some trams are conserved at the entrance
of the mine and inside the heading, where the original trails still lie.
The mineral wealth of Scalve Valley is confirmed by two sections, which are
connected both to the mining Museum and to the ethnographic Museum,
and which conserve various types of minerals, mostly of local provenance.
One section is hosted by S. Marco hotel in the near Pradella hamlet, while
the other one is in the historic Gregori palace (Schilpario, Padre Maj
street). The latter was a gratuitous loan by its owner to the Town Hall,
with the purpose of playing host to temporary exhibitions.
In both sections are some display cabinets exhibiting various minerals, from
iron ores (siderite, pyrite, hematite) to copper minerals (malachite, azurite,
chalcopyrite), from barite formations to aragonite crystals. This charming
world of shapes and colors is a benefit to the historic and environmental
heritage of Scalve Valley.
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Parco Minerario Ing. Andrea Bonicelli - Schilpario
Museo della Civiltà
Contadina
Torre Pallavicina - Ethnographic Museum
Address
Località Villanuova - Via SS. Nazario e Celso, 49 - 24050 Torre Pallavicina
Tel. 0363.996522 / Fax 0363.996779
[email protected]
www.comune.torrepallavicina.bg.it
Opening times
Upon request
Admission
Free of charge.
Tours
Upon request.
124
Museo della Civiltà Contadina - Torre Pallavicina
Historical notes
This small Museum of peasant culture was created, organised and enriched by
the then Mayor of Torre Pallavicina, Gen. Vittore Paloschi, who also donated
most of the exhibited pieces. The other donator is Mr. Galli.
The Museum opened to the public in 1995.
Exhibition criteria
The materials, which are exhibited along the walls, on shelves or inside glass
cabinets, are arranged according to their usage. They are peasant tools (hoes,
pitchforks, axes, pickaxes, sickles and small sickles), domestic kitchenware and
chimney tools, spinning objects, barber and carpenter tools.
On display is an interesting collection of toys from the thirties as well.
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Museo della Civiltà Contadina - Torre Pallavicina
Museo e Villaggio
Africano
Urgnano - Ethnographic Museum
Address
Via G.B. Peruzzo, 142 - 24059 Basella d'Urgnano
Tel. 035.894670 - 035.19966723 / Cell. 345.2689113 / Fax 035.5096977
[email protected] / www.museoafricano.it
Opening times
From Monday to Friday 9.00-17.00
Sunday 14.00-18.00
Closing day: Saturday.
Admission
Admission fee.
Discounted rates available.
Tours
Guided visits upon reservation by a
group of volunteers specialised in
intercultural education.
Bookshop
Publications and gift shop.
126
Museo e Villaggio Africano - Urgnano
Historical notes
The African Museum and Village, founded and inaugurated in 1984 by
Passionisti missionaries (a religious congregation established by S.Paolo
della Croce in 1743), have recently moved from Calcinate (Basella hamlet)
to Urgnano. The Museum is meant to educate people about the traditions,
habits and principles of different folk as well as to highlight the social,
artistic and spiritual changes that are currently happening in Sub-Saharan
Africa.
The Museum spans three floors, housing the permanent exhibition, the
congress room and the educational multimedia laboratories.
The Museum is an open and flexible institution, as it is demonstrated by
the facilities for disabled people, the informative guides, the multimedia
systems and the creation of an authentic African village in the nearby park.
Exhibition criteria
The Museum is divided into two different areas, which are connected to
each others: one area hosts permanent exhibitions, while the other one plays
host to temporary exhibitions.
Videos and audios coming from different positions lead the visitors through
the chosen itinerary in a completely automatic way.
The permanent exhibition houses 33 African artworks distributed in 18
display cabinets which are visible on the four sides or on the three sides,
depending on the characteristic of that specific object. The Sub-Saharan
territory, which is renowned for the production of plastic art, is very wide.
This vastness implies the development of many styles, which reflect the
culture of a mixed population. These styles should not be defined by a
Western perspective; it would be a vain attempt to impose our idea of
order; furthermore generalisations do not have much sense if referred to
such a wide topic. From Mali to Burkina Faso, from Gambia to Sierra
Leone, along the Guinea Gulf until Nigeria, to Cameroun, to Gabon, to
Congo and Angola, are a series of states whose borders were determined by
colonial governments that did not pay attention to the demography, groups,
cultural affinities and common traditions.
The Museum proposes a series of examples rather than a geographic
itinerary. Among the most significant works are the Dogon and Lobi
sculptures, masks of Burkina Faso, the elegant Baulé figures, a Mahongwe
reliquary, a Tellem altar, a Mahen Yafe head, some Akan terracotta, an Igbo
statue and a Babanki pilaster. Even if these artworks are very popular in the
Western art market, their main intent is to tell a “secret” history which is
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Museo e Villaggio Africano - Urgnano
still unknown to our society.
In the area dedicated to temporary exhibitions, the Museum organises an
exhibition centred on Africa (toys, musical instruments, painting techniques
etc.) on an annual basis.
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Museo e Villaggio Africano - Urgnano
Museo Civico Etnografico
Alta Valle Brembana
Valtorta - Ethnographic Museum
Address
Via Torre, 1 - 24010 Valtorta
Tel. 0345.87713 / Fax 0345.20808
[email protected] / www.brembana.info
Opening times
- August: every day
9.30-12.00 / 15.00-18.00
- From September to July: please
contact the attendant at
Tel. 0345.87847
Closing day: Monday.
Admission
Admission fee.
Discounted rates available.
Tours
Guided visits with groups and school
groups upon reservation.
Bookshop
Monographic material.
129
Museo Civico Etnografico Alta Valle Brembana - Valtorta
Historical notes
The Civic Ethnographic Museum of Alta Valle Brembana was established
and developed with a specific purpose: the rediscovery and conservation of
the past.
The Museum explores a culture based on material signs (places, houses,
furniture, furnishings, frescoes, and working tools) but above all on the
values which are lost nowadays: daily hard work, intelligence and patience,
genuine faith, simplicity and sobriety.
The idea of such Museum originated in the seventies thanks to Valtorta
Mayor, Pietro Busi, and the priest Angelo Longaretti. They found hundreds
of objects from different ages in various attics and basements. The
House of the magistrate's court was chosen to host the Museum; the Town
Hall acquired and renovated it to this purpose.
Since then the Ethnographic Museum has become the centre of a museum
network that spans all historic places of the territory, including della Torre
Church, whose precious frescoes adorn its walls, the mural paintings at the
crossroads of old mule tracks, the external frescoes, the mill, the grindstone,
the mines, the forges, the sawmill (which in the past used to dominate
much of the local economy) and the clock tower.
Exhibition criteria
The Museum comprises a section dedicated to agriculture, one to milk
production and one to numerous handicraft activities; in all these sections
the working places and the interiors are reproduced faithfully. A proper
space is assigned to different religious aspects as well.
A wood door leads to an ample porch ( “àndec”), where the following is
exhibited on the floor or along the walls: tools for farming, sheep and cattle
farming, sylviculture, as well as fox, chamois, roe traps and a fish pot.
Highlights are the big foot-powered grindstone, a corn grinder and a fan
for cereal cleaning.
On the ground floor are some finds related to wine growing and wine
making. The typical quadrangular fireplace (“stua”) is situated at the centre
of the cobblestone floor and shares space with the furnishing and the
kitchenware (that is how old houses used to be arranged in Valtorta), the
shoemaker’s workshop, the dairy farming (“casera”) for the production of
milk and dairy products.
The principal floor (piano nobile), which is furnished with chest-benches,
frescoes recovered in local farmsteads and cabins and sacred furnishings,
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Museo Civico Etnografico Alta Valle Brembana - Valtorta
leads to three rooms exhibiting some home life furnishings, including a
wide kitchen-living room with a chimney, a tailor laboratory with sewing
and tailoring tools and a bedroom.
The corridor of the upper floor houses the carpenter tools and the
workshop furnishings. Iron production is illustrated through various objects
placed in a wide hall. Near the storage area is the room dedicated to wool,
hemp and linen weaving.
The drop forge mill, the sawmill, the forges and the mines
The Museum itinerary continues with the visit of the buildings of the
mill, drop forge, sawmill as well as the remains of a forge. The mill was
reconstructed at the edges of Marcia Valley. A few years ago the iron
processing complex was annexed to it as well as the mill, including its corn
and barley grinders, and the old forge for nail production. They are all
located on the banks of the Stabina torrent, along the old mull track, near
Costa and Scasletto quarters.
From 2007, apart from the mill at the entrance of the village, it is possible
to visit the sawmill, which was entirely restructured and is still running.
Close to the Caravino torrent, in the Frer hamlet, it is possible to visit the
remains of the mines as well.
Last but not least, the furnace (“la calchera”) in which lime was produced
by firing tombstone materials is located near the new power station, before
Fornonuovo hamlet.
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Museo Civico Etnografico Alta Valle Brembana - Valtorta
Museo del Territorio
"La Fabbrica sul Viale"
Verdello - Ethnographic Museum
Address
Viale XI Febbraio - 24049 Verdello
Tel. 035.4191415 - 035.870234
[email protected] / www.verdellopericittadini.it /museo-del-territorio/
Opening times
Upon request
Closing days: the whole month of
August, from 24th December to 7th
January and 1st May.
Admission
Free of charge.
Tours
Guided visits upon reservation.
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Museo del Territorio " La Fabbrica sul Viale" - Verdello
Historical notes
The Museum contains farming objects and tools, but also domestic
furnishings, toys, furniture and tools used by the artisans.
Andrea Baraldini, a farmer from Mantua who moved to Bergamo province
when he was young, in the eighties started collecting everything related to
the complex and charming peasant world.
Thank to his patience and persistance, he managed to collect over
two-thousand pieces within the space of about twenty years. The local
administration was so impressed with such an effort that it decided
to establish a place to collect such material in order to raise awareness
among the population. They acquired and restored a disused factory along
the entrance of the village; this factory now houses the Museum of the
Territory.
The idea of creating a Museum of the Territory originated from the
recovery of some archaeologic pieces, which attested the presence of the
first settlements in the surrounding area. A room reproducing the local life
in the pre-Roman age will be arranged soon.
Exhibition criteria
The exhibited pieces are organised into sections. Each room is equipped
with illustrative boards, which explain how local people used to work and
live.
The work in the fields and in the farmyard
Farming has a special link with nature (morphology, hydrography, climatic
elements). The choice of specific cultivations, the working typologies and
the life of the peasants, indeed, depend on the above-mentioned factors.
After the work in the fields, various activities took place in the farmyard,
including the threshing and desiccation of cereals, cheese preparation, corn
onthe cob shucking, measurement of the crops.
The stable
Animals had an essential role both in the peasant life and in the farmstead
spaces as working force and raw material providers. Horses and cattle
required different equipment, from horseshoes to mangers, from yokes to
brushes for cleaning horse coats. Not only was the stable the place that
hosted animals, but it was also a collective meeting point for the peasants
who, during winter evenings, used to gather to tell local stories and
memories.
The bread
Bread was prepared in the farmsteads with the cultivated cereals, from
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Museo del Territorio " La Fabbrica sul Viale" - Verdello
which flours were obtained. These flours were used for mixed bread, which
was partly made of wheat white flour and party with yellow corn flour.
The meat
Cattle and swine breeding were the pivotal activities of the farmsteads of
Bergamo plain. Butchering was frequently done by the peasants themselves
and was supported by a “norcino”.
The milk
Even though until the 20th century the dairy sector of Bergamo territory
was mostly confined to the mountain villages, the collected pieces allow the
reconstruction of such activity, from the milking to the transformation of
milk into butter and cheese.
The wine
Even if throughout the 18th century the vineyards of the plain had slowed
down due to mulberry production, the winemaking practive never stopped.
The weaving activity
Weaving had always been a widespread activity in the country. Sheep
farming implied a subsequent wool weaving; linen and hemp producers
partly cultivated it for their family needs. The reels, the carding machine
and some equipment represent this domestic practice.
The shoemaker and the saddler
Shoemakers and saddlers had their own workshops in the cities, but in the
country, they did not; they worked at their clients' homes or farms instead.
Some of the tools changed depending if the artisans were itinerant or were
based somewhere. The work of carpenters, smiths and knife-grinders are
documented through a rich collection of tools and equipment as well.
The kitchen
It was the core of the house, the only space to be heaten up by either
the chimney or the stove. Children learnt to walk there, supported by a
baby-walker, while men used to shave with some objects, which are now
exhibited alongside kitchenware, toys and a laundry tub.
The bedroom
Hardly ever, was the bedroom warmed up; for this reason, a bed warmer
was necessary. Alongside it are a basin and a jug, which lie on a mirror
tripod and which replace the washbasin, which was absent for lack of water.
The Museum has two external areas as well. One area is covered and houses
big-sized pieces, such as wagons, gigs, ploughs, harrows, a country kitchen.
The amount and variety of these materials, which belong to different ages,
allows retracing the development of the territory; that is why a cartographic
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Museo del Territorio " La Fabbrica sul Viale" - Verdello
documentation has been realised.
The latter includes relevant documents, cadastres (together with the stock
list of the belongings of ecclesiastic administrations and of the lords) and
land registries and is aimed at analysing the landscape transformations that
have happened througout the last two centuries. Thanks to some donations
and some research on the sources, the Museum offers a library, a newspaper
library comprising volumes and newspapers whose main subject is the
history of agriculture, an archive with original documents from the 19th and
20th centuries on the history of agriculture, some photos documenting the
local social history and economy and an audiovisual resource.
A special space is dedicated to exhibitions on specific themes.
They are periodically arranged in order to give, particularly to school group,
the chance of visiting both the exhibition themselves and the Museum.
There is also a screening room for the projection of educational videos.
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Museo del Territorio " La Fabbrica sul Viale" - Verdello
Museo della Valle
Zogno - Ethnographic Museum
Address
Via Mazzini, 3 - 24019 Zogno
Tel. 0345.91473 / Fax 0345.50866
[email protected] / www.museodellavalle.com
Opening times
From Tuesday to Sunday
9.00-12.00 / 14.00-17.00
Closing day: Monday.
Admission
Admission fee.
Discounted rates.
Tours
Guided visits upon reservation and
upon payment.
Bookshop
Brochures, educational material,
publications.
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Museo della Valle - Zogno
Historical notes
Doctor Vittorio Polli is the man who had the idea of establishing an
ethnographic Museum dedicated to Brembana Valley. He was born in Zogno,
in the current Museum palace, and has always collected everyday life objects
and tools with the purpose of conserving them. Friends and acquaintances
were involved in Doctor Poli's research, cleaning and restauration works.
The Museum, officially set up in 1976, was inaugurated in 1979.
In 1982 in Stockholm, it was awarded the title of “Best European Museum
of the year 1981”. In 1986 it was recognised at “Moral Institution” by the
Lombardy Region. It was given its current name in December 1999.
The Museum can also boast interesting editorial activities mainly including
ethnographic publications. In order to keep its strong links with the territory,
the institution promotes an intense cultural activity.
Exhibition criteria
The Museum spans three floors and dates back to the 17th century; its orginal
structure was restored.
The itinerary begins on the ground floor with a room dedicated to iron
processing, which is one of the oldest traditions in Brembana Valley.
In this space are an enormous bellow and objects used in the house or in the
fields, in the saddleries or in the workshops.
On the first floor is a typical kitchen and in the following room is a bedrom.
Room 5 is dedicated to agriculture, while room 6 presents the interiors of a
mountain hut. Room 7 displays the shoemaker workspace, with the
bench (“cavra”) for clog manufacturing and the workspace of the pork
butcher. In the latter one of the most important events of the year, that is the
killing of the pork and the production of sausages for the winter season, is
commemorated. In order to relax after such a hard working day, men used
to go to the inn (room 8), where they could drink and play cards, darts and
draughts.The objects of room 9 and 10 are evocative of old professions (sweep,
chestnut collection) or of professions which have undergone significant
transformations (woodcutter, carpenter, knife-grinder). Room 11 features
weaving activities, clocks made in Miragolo, different kinds of lamps realised
by Serina craftmen. In room 12, which is dedicated to folk religiosity, are some
ex voto and some rattles used to communicate the beginning of the service on
Easter eve, when bells were still tied.
On the ground floor, the courtyard is reserved to summer concerts. It exhibits
some means of transportation as well as some farming machines.
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Museo della Valle - Zogno
monothematic
Monothematic
Museums
Museo Donizettiano
Bergamo - Monothematic Museum
Address
Via Arena, 9 - 24129 Bergamo
Tel. 035.4284769
Fondazione Bergamo nella storia
Piazza Mercato del Fieno 6/A - 24129 Bergamo
Tel. 035.247116 - 035.226332 / Fax 035.219128
[email protected] / www.bergamoestoria.org
Opening times
- from October to May:
from Tuesday to Friday 9.30-13.00
Saturday and bank holidays
9.30-13.00 / 14.00-17.30
- from June to September::
9.30-13.00 / 14.00-17.30
Closing days: Monday, Christmas and
New Year’s Eve.
Bookshop
Publications and educational material,
gadget.
Admission
Admission fee.
Discounted rate.
Tours
Upon request.
141
Museo Donizettiano - Bergamo
Historical notes
The Museum, which is situated in the ex-Council Hall of Bergamo
(Consiglio della Misericordia Maggiore), was open to the public in 1906
thanks to two important donations. One donation consists of precious
collections of Donizetti relics, which belonged to baroness Giovanna
Ginevra Rota Basoni Scotti. The second donation is constituted by
furnishings from the room where Donizetti (a composer from Bergamo)
died. Cristoforo Scotti, who hosted the composer in his last years of life,
owned the furnishings.
The donation by the Scotti family followed the popular success of an
exhibition organised to celebrate Donizetti's birth anniversary (he was born
in 1897). The family expressly linked their donation to the construction of a
dedicated Museum.
The new institution also contains the Town Hall rich collection of relics
and documents that at that time was conserved in “Angelo Mai” civic
library. This heritage has grown throughout the years thanks to the constant
research and the valorisation carried out by Guido Zavadini from Parma.
Of particular interest are the precious archive and the first Museum
calatogue, edited in 1936.
At the end of 2002, Donizetti Museum became part of the museum
network run by Fondazione Bergamo.
Exhibition criteria
The stunning room is in Neoclassic style and features frescoes by Vincenzo
Bonomini. It is accessible through a hall, which is part of the Museum
itself, along whose walls are an interesting gallery of portraits of musicians
and Bergamo painters from the 19th century. On the left-hand side of
the entrance, the following portraits stand out: "Gaetano Donizetti" by
Ponziano Loverini, "Amilcare Ponchielli" by Cesare Tallone, "Giovanni
Simone Mayr" by Enrico Scuri, "Vincenzo Petrali" by Cesare Tallone,
"Pietro Rovelli" by Enrico Scuri. On the right-hand side, "Antonio Dolci"
and "Alessandro Nini" by Giuseppe Villosi are worth a mention.
The Museum visit offers different itineraries. Various paintings (by Diotti,
Villosi, Coghetti) decorate the walls and are a sort of continuation to the
local portraits in the hall. The musical instruments show the evolution of
music in the 19th century. Personal testimonies allow the reconstruction
of Donizetti's biographic and artistic vicissitudes, while documents and
iconographic representations reconstruct the environment of the theaters,
“impresarios”, interpreters in which Donizetti worked, and in which his
fame strengthened after his death.
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Museo Donizettiano - Bergamo
A short itinerary follows the composer's life from his birth (in the first
display cabinet a drawing on paper by Francesco Coghetti portrays
Donizetti's parents), to his first school exercises, which were done until
1815 with the support of teacher Giovanni Simone Mayr (the second
display cabinet contains his autographs).
With regard to his artistic production, a highlight are: the libretto for
Henry of Burgundy, a play by Morelli who was performed in Venice in
1818; the original manuscripts of the sacred and chamber compositions
that Donizetti created and performed with Mayr before and after his
stay in Bologna; the precious autograph of the score of the second act of
“l’Elisir d’amore” (Elixir of Love – Sanquirico's drawings for Scaligeri's
scenographies are still conserved). There are numerous objects which used
to belong to the master, including his travel “necessaire”, his Turkish pipe
(a present by his brother Giuseppe) and, in the second room, the bed and
armchair used by Donizetti during his sick period.
Various objects document the myth of Donizetti, which originated when he
was still alive and continued after his death.
Among the musical instruments, a splendid Bosendorf fortepiano, which
Donizetti bought from baroness Rota Basoni in 1844, stands out.
The grand piano, which originally belonged to the family of Donizetti’s
wife (Virginia Vaselli), is extremely valuable from an artistic and historic
perspective. On the lid is a piece of the letter in which Donizetti defined
conservation as the best way to remember his art: “Do not sell for any price
that piano that contains all my artistic life from (…) many Anne, Marie,
Fauste, Lucie are whispering into it (…)".
The third room displays some musical instruments, among which are a
Kaspar Lorenz fortepiano belonging to Giovanni Simone Mayr; two
armonium from the 19th century, a Fourneaux and a Graziano Tubi with an
electromechanic recording device; a whole collection of wind instruments
from the first half of the 19th century,
including a clarinette d'amour manufactured by Lange in Turin; a small
cello who belonged to Alfredo Piatti.
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Museo Donizettiano - Bergamo
MBPM
Museo Beata Pierina
Morosini
Albino - Monothematic Museum
Address
Chiesa parrocchiale di Fiobbio - Piazza Beata Pierina Morosini, 1 - 24021 Albino
Tel. 035.770005 / Fax 035.770005
[email protected]
Opening times
Sunday 14.30-18.00
In the summer, the Museum is open
on Saturday also.
Visits can be done in other days upon
reservation.
Admission
Free of charge.
Bookshop
The Museum hosts a records office of
religious memories and the Blessed
Morosini’s biographies.
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MBPM Museo Beata Pierina Morosini - Albino
Historical notes
The Museum, which opened in 1987 and was completely renovated in
2007, was set up with the purpose of commemorating and getting people
to know the blessed Pierina Morosini (Fiobbio di Albino, 7th January 1931),
oldest sibling of a numerous and humble peasant family.
On 4th April 1957, while he was coming back from her work in a cotton
mill, the young lady was attacked by a man who tried to rape her. The girl
tried to turn him down, but the guy hit her head with a stone. The attacker
fled away leaving the girl in pain. When one of his brothers found her, she
had fainted. He immediately took her to Bergamo Hospital, where she died
three days later, on 6th April 1957.
Pierina's tragic death, her soberness and her strong faith prompted the
Church to start the process for her beatification, which ended on 4th
October 1987, when Pope Giovanni Paolo II beatified her. Pierina's corpse
is in Fiobbio parish church in an urn realised by sculptor Claudio Nani.
Exhibition criteria
The new Museum was planned and designed by architect Edoardo
Milesi in 2007, which is also when the 50th anniversary of Pierina's death
was celebrated. An over-sized crucifix dominates the entrance. These
dimensions, too big for the place, symbolise the importance of Christ in
Pierina's life.
In the first part of the room are Pierina's clothes and objects, including
a simple black apron, her clogs, a sewing machine and other humble
objects. On the left are some documents and images summarising the most
significant moments of “the Blessed's” life, including her prayer book and
her spiritual books. There are also some documents attesting the stages
of her beatification. On the showcase lying in the centre of the room are
some objects that commemorate important events and anniversaries, such
as Pierina's beatification, the 50th of her death etc. On the right wall, a
showcase contains her reliquaries, the bandages she was wearing at hospital
and the scarf that her brother used to wrap her head when he found dying
Pierina on the path. On the walls are some portraits of the blessed Pierina.
The biggest one was exhibited in Saint Peter Church in Rome on occasion
of Pierina's beatification and was realised by painter Angelo Capelli. In
the future, the Museum is meant to incorporate a small chapel designed
by Edoardo Milesi. A very short corridor leads to a chapel facing East.
This location lets light penetrate from a crack above the altar and, as a
consequence, illuminates the crucifix on the wall.
The crucifix, realised by Giancarlo Defendi, is conserved in the Museum.
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MBPM Museo Beata Pierina Morosini - Albino
Museo della Fotografia
e Cinematografia
Calcio - Monothematic Museum
Address
Via Papa Giovanni XXIII, 127 - 24054 Calcio
Tel. 036.968444 int. 2 / Fax 0363.906246
[email protected] / www.comune.calcio.bg.it
Opening times
Upon request.
Admission
Free of charge.
Tours
Upon request.
146
Museo della Fotografia e Cinematografia - Calcio
Historical notes
Founded in February 2004, it is the only Museum of this kind in Bergamo
province. It is located in one wide space adjacent to the Town Hall library
and contains photographic and cinematographic tools, volumes, catalogues,
films, different devices, reviews and other material related to the history of
photography and film making. Furthermore, the room is equipped with a
darkroom for educational laboratories and with a small thematic library.
Exhibition criteria
The material is displayed in cases and adheres to a chronological order that
allows exploring most happenings of the 20th century. "Egidio Lazzarini"
Civic Collection of Contemporary Art is annexed to the Museum.
The outdoor museum itinerary is part of the Town Hall cultural heritage
and comprises about fifty murals.
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Museo della Fotografia e Cinematografia - Calcio
Museo del Presepio
Dalmine - Monothematic Museum
Address
Via XXV Aprile, 179 - 24044 Brembo di Dalmine
Tel. 035.563383 / Fax 035.563383
[email protected] / www.museodelpresepio.com
Opening times
- November, December and January:
Weekdays 14.00-18.00
Sunday 9.00-12.00 / 14.00-19.00
- other months: from Thursday to
Sunday 14.00-18.00
Admission
Admission fee.
Discounted rate.
Tours
Guided visits upon request by “Amici
del Presepio” of Dalmine.
Bookshop
Educational material about the crib
construction.
148
Museo del Presepio - Dalmine
Historical notes
Giacomo Piazzoli warmly supported the idea of a Crib Museum in Brembo
(Dalmine). His passion for engravings and wood sculptures originated
when, teen-aged, he was learning the tricks of the trade in the Gritti
and Manzoni workshops. The awareness of the historic, artistic and
religious importance of the crib, lead him to create the first section of
“Friends of the Crib” in Dalmine in 1966, followed by the Museum
foundation in 1974.
Throughout the years, this unique collection, centred on the Nativity event,
has grown thanks to purchases, donations, legacies. This collection is now so
rich that its 1200 sqm exhibition space allows visiting only some of the 900
Museum artworks.
Historical pieces, commissioned artworks, examples of contemporary crib
art coming from all over the world illustrate an art whose symbologies are
passed along from generation to generation.
Historically Saint Francis of Assisi is credited with creating the first nativity
scene in Greccio on 24th December 1223. In fact the first nativity scene as a
plastic representation dates back to 1291 and is now located in Santa Maria
Maggiore Basilica in Rome. The crib is composed of eight statues carved in
marble by the famous sculptor and architect Arnolfo di Cambio.
The crib was initially realised for churches, but it soon became a cult object
and spread among the folk. Tuscany was one of the first Italian regions to
spread this new cult, followed by the Kingdom of Naples and, generally
speaking, by the Southern regions. The compositions, besides
showing the genius and creativity of their artists, were a faithful reflection
of the habits and customs of that age and of the place that saw their
creation.
Exhibition criteria
The collection spans two floors and comprises over 900 cribs divided into
eras, geographical provenance, dimensions and material. The oldest works
express the variety of styles, material and composition typology of the
various Italian “schools”.
The Museum boasts beautiful crib specimens from the 18th century, which
is considered the golden age of the crib.
Particularly prestigious are Neapolitan cribs, which are characterised by the
typical rock and a classic temple falling into decay, symbol of the decay of
the Pagans and the advent of Christianity. The notation of Naples everyday
life in the 18th century confirmed that the crib was not meant for religious
people only; it also highlights the choice of a fresh and clear narrative style,
characterised by that irony which is so typical of people from Naples.
The oldest artworks date back to the late 16th century and are in wood with
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Museo del Presepio - Dalmine
a decorative gold leaf. A Genoa crib from the 18th century commissioned by
Garaventa is particularly valuable.
The figures, realised in plaster, recall Michelangelo's style; their gestures are
theatrical and moving and among the various characters is the man who
commissioned the crib praying down on his knees.
A highlight is a Bergamo crib: widespread in the territory from the 18th
century, it documents the authentic and strong faith of Bergamo folk. This
plaster crib reproduces the life of peasants, shepherds, knife-drinders,
woodcutters or pipers; these workers are the protagonists rather than the
background of the nativity scene.
The landscape is as important as the above-mentioned people are. It can
be a farmstead, which would reflect the Lombard artistic tradition (15th
century) of depicting everyday life, or the courtyard of a country house
with its microcosm depending on the rhythm of the day and of the seasons.
Everything contributes to originating that intense atmosphere of hope
that preludes Christmas. Alongside these artistic pieces are some peculiar
collections concerning the Nativity as well. The visitors will be amazed by
a small crib contained in a pistachio seed or will be surprised to listen to
the history of Jesus Christ through an electrical educational crib that was
created in 1966 and that occupies 80 sqm.
Among the contemporary crib schools, which are in the Museum, a special
mention goes to the Sicilian school, whose tradition can still be observed
thanks to beautiful terracotta specimens by Angela Tripi and Giuseppe
Criscione. Calabrian, Apulian, Ligurian and Trento schools are a highlight
as well.
The Museum also comprises the works of European schools of Catholic
faith, such as the Spain and Polish schools. Furthermore, there are several
specimens from all over the world, from Northern Europe to Africa, from
America to Australia to the Far East. Even though all these cribs have the
nativity theme in common, each of them shows some peculiarities and
country-specific traditions that make them unique.
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Museo del Presepio - Dalmine
Museo della Basilica di
Gandino - sez. Presepi
Gandino - Monothematic Museum
Address
Piazza Emancipazione, 7 - 24024 Gandino
Management:
Via Bettera, 14 - 24024 Gandino
Tel. 035.745425 - 035.746115 / Fax. 035.745425
[email protected] / www.gandino.it/museobasilica
Opening times
- from November to February:
Saturday, Sunday and bank holidays
14.00-19.00
last admission 18.00
Guided visits by “Amici del Museo”
Group are included in the ticket price.
Bookshop
The volumes about the Museum
itself and the history of the Gandino
community are on sale.
Admission
Admission fee.
Discounted rates.
Tours
Big and small groups can book a
Museum visit.
151
Museo della Basilica di Gandino sez. Presepi - Gandino
Historical notes
The Gandino Museum of the Cribs, inaugurated on 25th December 1988,
spans six rooms on the first and second floor of the 17th century palace once
occupied by a primary school.
Besides Nativity- themed paintings and several sacred furnishings, on
display are about 400 cribs from over 60 countries. Part of the collection
was a donation by Mons. Lorenzo Frana from Gandino, a Permanent
Observer of the Holy See to UNESCO who
deceased in 2005. Throughout the year the collection has grown thanks
to the donations of other people from Gandino, including Mons. Angelo
Gelmi, Bishop in Bolivia and Mons. Bonazzi, a papal nuncio in Africa and
in South America.
The nativity scenes are displayed in display cabinets located along the walls
and in the centre of the rooms, while on the walls are some paintings,
mostly canvas and “torn” frescoes. The collection is named after Giovanni
Paolo II; the precious skullcap that the Pope donated to a Brasilian crib
is also conserved in the Museum. There are also works from prestigious
Spanish, French and Italian artists and from unknown African and South
American sculptors. The works were made of various materials, including
wood, blown glass, ceramics, ivory, bamboo, the dried skin of some tropical
fruits and corn leaves.
Exhibition criteria
First room: the display cabinets on the left conserve cribs from the South
American states of Guatemala, Perù, Bolivia, Ecuador, Argentina, Chile
and Mexico as well as some miniatures (in walnut kernel, in mother of
pearl, etc). The 19th century crib in Byzantine style is impressive; a family
from Gandino, who donated it to the Museum at a later stage, acquired it
in Istanbul. The Child, wrapped in precious cloths, gold and fur coats,
resembles a small czar.
The right-hand display cabinets exhibit some Spanish and African works
made of different precious wood essences, such as lime, Brazilian araucarias,
African ebony, mahogany, walnut etc. Spanish artists are the heirs of
the oldest and classic pre-cib tradition, dating back to S.Francesco d'Assisi
era. At the bottom is an extremely rare Indonesian nativity scene. On the
wall, some Vietnamese gloss varnished panels in wood that were used by
the small Catholic communities of the Far East are displayed. On the
background are some paintings by Raffaele Pisello from Caltagirone, who
taught in Gandino secondary school for quite a long time. The Museum
also conserves some stunning crib specimens from Spain, Italy and
Capodimonte, which were made of various terracotta types, for instance
varnished, polychrome and raw terracotta.
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Museo della Basilica di Gandino sez. Presepi - Gandino
Second room: in the first display cabinet a Sicilian crib made of handfinished terracotta and decorated with cloths stands out. The crib by the
Spanish artist J. Traité Olot dominates the room; it won a UNESCO
exhibition. For years, it was transported to and from the Basilica, until it
was permanently exhibited in the Museum due to its fragility.
Below this crib are other statues by the same author. On the walls are
several Christmas-themed stamps from all over the world. The central
cabinets display various traditionally Italian specimens, among which a
feature is the Ligurian crib from the 19th century and some wood-carved
specimens from the Dolomites. This room also contains many African
cribs in different wood essences, in ivory and other precious materials,
some Alsatian cribs and Black Forest (Germany) nativity scenes with a
music box in their interiors. There are cribs in aluminium foil coming from
Krakow as well as works by street artists. The cribs in Muran glass realised
by Archimede Seguso and his atelier are worth a special mention: one is
amber-coloured and the other one is a mix of colours.
The commemorative Christmas-themed medal collection, which was issued
by Paris mint, is very interesting, too.
Third room: the contains cabinets on the right-hand side display some
African pieces by the Masai tribes from Kenya. The symbol of the Museum
is a bronze work by François Laurat representing the hand of God with a
comet that, falling from the sky, offers his Son. In the central display
cabinets is a Brazilian Baroque crib from the 18th century.
There are also a rare Thailandese, a Bolivian and a bizarre Andorran
cribs. In the latter the nativity scene is on one corner: some people bring
presents and in the foreground are people drinking and eating in an inn.
The Ecuadorian specimen in black coral, where an iguana replaces sheep,
is stunning. Other cribs are made of ivory, while the wood ones are by a
contemporary sculptor from Camerun, whose innovative cribs do not
feature the typical African figures. A crib from Tirol, some other important
pieces from South America and a big church crib, which is made in plaster
and is representative of Bergamo tradition are interesting, too. At the
bottom of the room is a wonderful crib made of Murano glass and gold,
which was created by Archimede Seguso and acquired in 2000. Only two
specimens were produced: one is in this Museum, and the other one is
conserved in S.Marco sacristy in Venice. A highlight is the beautiful room
furniture from the 16th and 17th centuries.
Exhibition rooms in the second floor: this floor is dedicated to some
peculiar Christmas-themed works coming from the Basilica and the
Museum of sacred art. The big display cabinet exhibits some “torn” frescoes,
including the Annunciation (15th century), which comes from the crypt
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Museo della Basilica di Gandino sez. Presepi - Gandino
of Disciplini in Santa Croce church, and the more recent Nativity lunette
(17th century), coming from an aristocratic house. Two canvas from the
17th and 18th century, which are the annunciation to the shepherds and
the Holy Family, lead to wooden doors from the 15th century, which came
from the main altar of the old church (the latter was pulled down partly to
make room for the new one). Externally two big wood panels feature the
Annunciation. When the doors are open, one can admire some episodes
of the Virgin's life inspired to Durer's prints. They are four wood-carved
panels representing the Annunciation, the visit to S.Elizabeth, the Nativity
and the Adoration of the shepherds.
The doors open in front of an altar dedicated to the Virgin, with an
unpainted altar piece which was likely to represent an Assumption or a
Coronation. Opposite the doors is a statue of Madonna with the Child
from the 16th century attributed to the Lombard sculptor Pietro Bussolo,
who was particularly active in Seriana Valley.
The Annunciation fresco from the 15th century by Maffiolo da Cazzano's
workshop is remarkable as well. Other similarly themed frescoes adorn the
room; the fresco of St. Mary of Health, for example, is workshipped in S.
Gottardo sanctuary.
The display cabinet dedicated to Giovanni Paolo II “inaugurates” the
second room. The cabinet contains the Brazilian crib that the Pope donated
on occasion of the Museum opening as well as a work in oils and the
skullcap, which is a present from Mr. And Mrs. Franchina Torri. There is
also a series of cribs from all over the world, among which a Romanian crib
in silver and onyx, some Spanish and African cribs as well as two panels
from the 16th century coming from the Museum of sacred art stand out.
In the last room is a cup in golden copper foil which in the past was
used to show the Holy Sacrament in the Basilica and which comprises a
representation of Jesus Child. Of particular interest is also an old icon of the
Virgin with the Child. In the big display cabinet is the resin nativity scene,
which lies in the Basilica and which was used during Christmas 2007.
Francesco Della Madonna from Gandino painted the exhibited
processional banners representing some episodes of Jesus’s childhood.
The central display cabinet plays host to wooden bas and high-reliefs
from Africa and South America, a collection of missals and old Bibles
representative of Christmas iconography and printing methods (from
Guthemberg to the most recent ones), from the incisions in black and
white to the lithographies to color print. The texts come from the Museum
of sacred art or from the parish library; some of them were donated by
Mons. Carnazzi. Laterally is a big antiphonary from the beginning of the
16th century, placed opposite the etching of the Adoration of the Shepherds.
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Museo della Basilica di Gandino sez. Presepi - Gandino
Museo della Basilica di
Gandino - sez. Tessile
Gandino - Monothematic Museum
Address
Piazza Emancipazione, 7 - 24024 Gandino
Management
Via Bettera, 14 - 24024 Gandino
Tel. 035.745425 - 035.746115 / Fax. 035.745425
[email protected] / www.gandino.it/museobasilica
Opening times
- from November to February:
Saturday, Sunday and bank holidays
14.00-19.00 last admission 18.00
Guided visits by “Amici del Museo”
Group are included in the ticket price.
Admission
Admission fee.
Discounted rates.
Bookshop
The volumes about the Museum
itself and the history of the Gandino
community are on sale.
Library
The Museum library boasts over
20.000 volumes which can be
consulted upon previous agreement
with the Museum Management
Tours
Big and small groups can book a
Museum visit.
155
Museo della Basilica di Gandino sez. Tessile - Gandino
Historical notes
Open in 1985, the Museum is situated in the same lateral wing as the
Basilica Museum, which is where Museo del Presepio is located as well.
The Museum consists of a collection of objects and equipment that
characterised the economic history of Gandino Valley, whose sustenance
mostly depended on the textile industry.
Exhibition criteria
The Museum occupies some rooms on the ground floor and part of the
external porch, which hosts the most cumbersome equipment, such as:
- a teaseling machine with vegetable cards which produced the so called
“pannilana” (woollen cloths) Gandino Valley is renown for.
- a machine to set and make woollen cloths compact
- a drying room (partial) also called “ciodera”.
The rooms conserve some smaller-sized objects which were also used for
processing fabrics:
- a hand press
- some scales
- a jacquard loom (some punch cards predetermined the fabric design) and
a tool for card punching and preparation
- a machine for the folding of the fabric
- a hemming machine
- some wool-winders
- pattern books
Furthermore, scaled-down reconstructions of a cleaner's shop and a drying
room are exhibited.
156
Museo della Basilica di Gandino sez. Tessile - Gandino
Museo del Tessile
Leffe - Monothematic Museum
Address
Via Mosconi 5 (head office), 67 (museum) - 24026 Leffe
Tel. 035.733981
[email protected] / www.museodeltessile.it
Opening times
Saturday and Sunday 14.00-17.00
Different times apply for the month of
August.
Library
Books about weaving, spinning and
laundry are available upon request.
Admission
Free of charge.
Tours
Guided visits upon request. Midweek
openings, educational itineraries and
labs available for school groups.
Bookshop
Handovers and small looms for textile
educational laboratories are available.
157
Museo del Tessile - Leffe
Historical notes
Inaugurated in 2005, the Textile Museum faithfully reflects the local textile
tradition. It creates continuity between the present and the past, which is
where local folk can find their roots.
The Museum is owned and managed by A.R.T.S. (Associazione Ricerche
Tessili Storiche Onlus). A.R.T.S. Onlus was established in 2003 by a group
of volunteers in charge of collecting, conserving and exhibiting the
local textile heritage, which is composed of documents, machines and
various testimonies. This heritage, which throughout the years has grown
thanks to many donations, has lead to the foundation of this Textile
Museum.
Exhibition criteria
The objects are arranged according to the different methods that the Leffe
and Bergamo territory employed to process textile fibres, silk, wool and
linen.
In the section dedicated to silk, a circular wringer (4, 5 m in diameter) from
the end of the 18th century coming from Leffe spinning-mill stands out. In
the section on loom developments, are a typical medieval loom, two hand
looms with wooden jacquard machines and, last but not least, a mechanical
dobby loom from the 10th century.
Other sections include some measurement and check tools, such as
dynamometers, torques, precision scales, reelings as well as wheel lug nuts
and wind wheels. Of particular interest is wool processing. This activity is
represented by a wheeled wringer (1750) with 12 lug nuts (one of the first
attempts to industrialise wool spinning), by a machine for fulling woollen
clothes and by pattern books whose fabrics date back to the 19th century”.
In the itinerary are also some equipment and machines for linen and
cotton processing, with a typically Japanese wood wringer from the the 19th
century and a rare circular machine for the realisation of the mechanical
lace which was manufactured in England at the end of the 19th century.
Some books and pattern books belonging to a cleaner's shop (19th century)
will be inaugurated soon. Along the itinerary are some drawings for
jacquard fabrics, which were realised in the 20th century.
158
Museo del Tessile - Leffe
Museo "Giovan Battista
Rubini"
Romano di Lombardia - Monothematic Museum
Address
Via Adelaide Comelli Rubini, 2 - 24058 Romano di Lombardia
Tel. 0363.910810 / Fax 0363.911722
[email protected] / www.comune.romano.bg.it
Opening times
Sunday 10.00-12.00
Other days upon request.
Admission
Free of charge.
159
Museo "Giovan Battista Rubini" - Romano di Lombardia
Historical notes
The Museum was founded in 1872 thanks to the devise of Adelaide
Comelli, who was the widow of the famous tenor Giovan Battista Rubini
(Romano di Lombardia, 1794-1854). The Museum is located in Rubini
palace, which was built in 1845.
Bergamo architect Pagnoncelli, the same architect who had planned Romano
di L. municipal palace and Rubini’s country house (“la Gasparina”), planned
the building. The rooms of this late Neoclassic palace are decorated with
frescoes, stuccos and mosaic floors in Venetian style.
There is an inner courtyard with a porch. In the flooring is Rubini's coat of
arms, whose three circles indicate the precious stones of the family name.
The upper floors host a school, while some rooms accommodate the Town
Hall offices and the Civic Music Association, which is named after G. B.
Rubini. His French wife, Mrs Comelli, was a soprano. She lived twenty
years more than her husband did; in this while, she gathered his memoires.
Exhibition criteria
The Museum, which used to occupy only one room (called “oval room”) on
the upper floor, nowadays spans five rooms adjoining the ground floor.
In the entrance hall, some images and lythographies of the tenor are
exhibited.
On the first room, called “pool room”, are portraits, furnishings and clothes
of Rubini and his relatives.
On the second room, called “pirate room” for the pirate fresco that made it
famous, are memoires from Rubini as a singer. It is a big hall where musical
auditions and parties used to take place.
The third room, characterised by a beautiful frescoed ceiling, collects
furnishings and objects that used to decorate the family rooms.
The painting depicts places the author visited during his activity.
In the first room, arranged as a picture gallery, are many prints that Rubini
bought in the big European capitals, or that he received as a present. In
order to respect her husband's will, Rubini's widow left all her husband's
collections to some civic institutions, which would then give it to poor
singers; she also decided that in the palace a high school should be
established.
160
Museo "Giovan Battista Rubini" - Romano di Lombardia
Camaitino - Casa dei
ricordi di
Papa Giovanni XXIII
Sotto il Monte Giovanni XXIII - Monothematic Museum
Address
Via Camaitino, 12 - 24039 Sotto il Monte Giovanni XXIII
Tel. 035.792956 / Fax 035.792956
Opening times
- winter opening times
8.30-11.30 / 14.30-17.30
- summer opening times
8.30-11.30 / 14.30-18.30
Closing day: Monday.
Address
Free of charge.
161
Camaitino - Casa dei ricordi di Papa Giovanni XXIII - Sotto il Monte Giovanni XXIII
Historical notes
“It is thought that Camaitino, the first house of the Roncalli family from
Sotto il Monte, was founded by Martinus Roncalli, also known as Maytinus
de Valle Imania (15th century)”. This is what Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli
wrote in “Appunti per una biografia” (Giornale dell’Anima. Ed. San Paolo,
1989). Subsequently, various property owners owned the house, until when
in 1925 the future Pope rented some rooms to baron Giovanni Maria
Scotti with the purpose of using the palace as his summer residence. In
1959, the noble Scotti Guffanti family donated to the Pope the rooms he
already lived in, whereas the Italian government acquired the building
development and its surrounding with the aim of constructing “Casa dei
ricordi” (the House of the memories).
The latter was entrusted to Poverelle nuns, who restored and made rooms
suitable to their new function.
Exhibition criteria
The itinerary begins with the entrance hall and comprises various rooms on
the ground and first floor which conserve documents, relics and memories
of Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli's life and work.
On the first floor are his studio, living room and bedroom with furnishings
and fittings from Palazzo Apostolico Vaticano, which is where Giovanni
XXIII died, and part of Pontificia Chapel.
On the ground floor Camaitino oratory, which was blessed in 1791, is
visitable as well. People of various provenances continually visit the museum
collection. Among the different artworks, the bronze works by Giacomo
Manzù stand out.
In the entrance hall of the old house (16th century) are some frescoes which
Mauro Pelliccioli “torn” from the external façade in 1926. They represent
Martino Roncalli's coat of arms, a Divine Maternity, S. Antonio and
S.Bernardino from Siena.
162
Camaitino - Casa dei ricordi di Papa Giovanni XXIII - Sotto il Monte Giovanni XXIII
Pinacoteca
Giovanni XXIII
Sotto il Monte Giovanni XXIII - Monothematic Museum
Address
Via Colombera, 5 - 24039 Sotto il Monte Giovanni XXIII
Tel. 035.79110 / Fax 035.791198
www.papagiovanni.com
Opening times
Sunday and bank holidays
8.30-12.00 / 14.00-17.30 (during
summer 18.30)
Admission
Free of charge.
163
Pinacoteca Giovanni XXIII - Sotto il Monte Giovanni XXIII
Historical notes
Located in Pope Giovanni XXIII's hometown, the Museum contains a
series of works that artist Natale Bertuletti donated to P.I.M.E. (Pontificio
Istituto Missioni Estere) at the end of the eighties with the purpose of
paying tribute to the supreme Pontiff.
Exhibition criteria
Besides some portraits of Pope Giovanni, the Museum contains the images
of the most significant places for the Pope, which are Sotto il Monte (his
home town), Bergamo, Paris (where he became papal nuncio and received
the cardinal's biretta), Venice (after leaving this city in order to attend the
Roman Conclave, the Pope was elected Supreme Pontiff ).
On the upper floor is Capelli room. On occasion of the Pope beatification,
another Bergamo painter called Angelo Capelli payed tribute to this
important event by donating a series of works aimed at commemorating
such a big personality. Besides the works of the two above-mentioned
artists, are some interesting paintings, including a portrait of Bergamo
Bishop Radini Tedeschi (Angelo Roncalli was his secretary) realised by
Antonio Quarti as well as a portrait of Mons. Roncalli (1929) by the
Bulgarian painter Vassilev, which he realised when the Pope was a papal
nuncio in Bulgaria. On the second floor a beautiful crib has been arranged
as well.
164
Pinacoteca Giovanni XXIII - Sotto il Monte Giovanni XXIII
Archivio Storico SAME
Museo Storico SAME
Treviglio - Monothematic Museum
Address
Viale Francesco Cassani, 15 - 24047 Treviglio
Tel. 0363.421695 (archivio) - 0363.421757 (Museum) / Fax 0363.423695
[email protected] / www.samedeutz-fahr.com/museo/index.htm
Opening times
From Monday to Friday (upon
reservation) 9.00-17.00
Closing days: Christmas festivities
and August.
Library
From Monday to Friday (upon
reservation) 9.00-17.00
Admission
Free of charge.
Tours
Guided visits in English, French and
German upon reservation. Access for
disabled people.
Bookshop
Bookshop, gift shop, digital copies of
technical documents, auditorium.
165
Archivio Storico SAME / Museo Storico SAME - Treviglio
Historical notes
The idea of putting models, projects, patents and documents together
and create a dedicated Museum originated in 1970, when a room of the
Museum of Science and Technology in Milan exhibited a reproduction of
the famous Cassani tractor and other models coming from SAME firm.
The firm understood the importance of documenting the history and
development stages of its own technology; it indeed organised an exhibition
of historic models restored in 1989 and created the above-mentioned
Museum in 1996. The latter was located next to the firm production lines.
SAME Historic Museum, inaugurated in 2008, is housed in a wide-open
space and spans around 2.500 sqm. SAME Historic Archive, strongly
encouraged by the firm Management, was inaugurated in December 2004.
The Archive, which spans a renovated area of 200 sqm and which used
to host the spare parts warehouse, collects, conserves and valorises the
documentation of SAME history as well as the Group brands, which are
Lamborghini, Hürlimann and Deutz-Fahr.
Internally the following is conserved: over 11.000 archivistic units which
are organised in a rich sound library, a specialised library with a section
about Dissertations and publications on farm mechanisation in Italy, an
extraordinary technical documentation (original drawings, patents,
instruction and maintenance manuals, workshop manuals, catalogues about
spare parts, scale-down models), advertisement (catalogues, leaflets, printed
advertisements, calendars, house organs, videos, historic merchandising), a
press review and the balances of SAME DEUTZ-FAHR Group.
Exhibition criteria
The Museum, whose entrance hall is dominated by the figure of Francesco
Cassani by Francesco Messina, is an authentic representation of the history
of farm mechanisation. It conserves precious materials documenting the
history of such company. It is more than a mere exhibition of tractors:
the most significant stages of farm mechanisation are featured through
perfectly conserved prototypes and machines, as well as original, textual and
iconographic material.
Tractors play a pivotal role. Among the 35-exhibited models, the most
significant one, Cassani tractor 40 Cv (1927), was the first diesel engine
in the world. It represents therefore a cornerstone of farm mechanisation.
Next to it are the petrol Auto-Mower 10 HP (1947), Sametto 120 (1957),
Puledro 35 (1960) and Centauro 55 (1965).
Some German machines, including the Deutz MTZ 120 tractor (1929),
represent the history of the Deutz-Fahr brand, re-war models such as
166
Archivio Storico SAME / Museo Storico SAME - Treviglio
Deutz F1M 414 (1936) and F22 from 1939, as well as a Fahr MDL
combine harvester from 1957.
Tractors Hürlimann 1K 10 (1930) and H 12 are very elegant, too. They date
back to the first years of the fifties and are oil-powered.
Lamborghini caterpillar DL 30 (1957), Lamborghini 1C (1964) and a twowheel drive DL 25 (1955) are stunning sports machines, characterised by a
strong personality and a special attention to design.
Next to these machines are some technical files and documentary
iconographic material, including operative manuals, sales literature and
some advertisements.
167
Archivio Storico SAME / Museo Storico SAME - Treviglio
naturalistic
Naturalistic
Museums
Museo Civico di Scienze
Naturali "Enrico Caffi"
Bergamo - Naturalistic Museum
Address
Piazza Cittadella, 10 - 24129 Bergamo
Tel. 035.286011-2 / Fax 035.286019
[email protected] / www.museoscienzebergamo.it
www.triassico.it
Opening times
- from April to September:
9.00-12.30 / 14.30-18.00
Saturday and bank holidays
9.00-19.00.
Closing day: Monday.
- from October to March:
9.00-12.30 / 14.30-17.30
Closing days: Monday, Christmas, 1st
January.
Tel. 035.286055 (Monday and
Thursday 9.00-12.00).
Bookshop
Museum Magazine, Junior Book
Series, postcards and gadgets.
Admission
Free of charge.
Tours
Educational guides organise thematic
guided visits for school groups,
groups, libraries, cultural
associations. Guided visits upon
reservation.
171
Museo Civico di Scienze Naturali "Enrico Caffi" - Bergamo
Historical notes
Museo Civico di Scienze Naturali, named after its first director Enrico
Caffi (1866-1948), was established in 1918 and originally comprised some
geological, botanic, zoological and ethnographic collections coming from
private donations and from the scientific cabinet of Regio Technical
Institute. After many moves, in 1960 the Museum was finally located
in the viscount estate in Cittadella square (Upper City) where, besides
the exhibition which is on the first floor, are offices, laboratories, study
collections and a library.
Throughout the years, the Museum has arranged and enlarged both its
spaces and collections in order to develop a more intense educational and
research activity.
Exhibition criteria
The visitor is welcomed into the Museum by the life-size reproductions of
an adult and a baby mammoth. Museum “E.Caffi” is the only Museum of
natural history in the Bergamo province. It created an itinerary for
blind and partially sighted people by introducing tactile panels and captions
written in Braille.
The tactile itinerary gives visitors the chance of touching and handling
various natural finds. The youngest visitors can also take part in educational
and recreational activities.
On the left-hand side of the ample entrance hall, the zoology of the
vertebrates is exhibited. The display cabinets dedicated to fish contain
samples of the main groups, including selachian mouldings a life-size
copy of “Latimeria”. This fish, considered extinct, was fished in 1938 off
the SouthAfrican coasts. The amphibious cabinets show some naturalised
specimens. Much space is devoted to reptiles, including various species of
cheloni (turtles and tortoises), of snakes, lizards and crocodiles.
A special mention goes to a Nile crocodile for its dimensions and for
the way it was prepared. The part dedicated to birds houses most of the
nest building species in Europe as well as some other species from other
Continents.
Specimens of ostriches, emus and penguins have in common the loss of
the ability to fly, while the raptors stand out for their big species that have
disappeared from the Alps, including the predator of the lambs and the
griffon.
The following room is dedicated to all orders of mammalians. Of great
interest are some monotremes (platypus and echidnas) and the last
specimen of the brown bear that was killed in the province of Bergamo
172
Museo Civico di Scienze Naturali "Enrico Caffi" - Bergamo
(Brembana Valley) in 1891.The room dedicated to lepidoptera is accessible
through the mammalian room. The room focuses on the most popular
group, which is butterflies, and considers them as an ideal expression of
biodiversity.
Besides the exhibition of several specimens, through a PC workstation it is
possible to consult the “Antonio Curò” lepidoptera-logical collection from
the 19th century, which nowadays is still one of the most renowned
collections on a national scale.
On the right-hand side of the mammalian room is the allosaurus room,
dominated by the reproduction of the skeleton of a huge carnivorous
dinosaur from the Jurassic period. It was a frightening predator, which
could be as tall as 4 meters and as long as 13 meters. Such reconstruction is
supported by educational panels, which provide detailed information about
the dinosaurs, including the last discoveries on the origin and evolution
of these animals, their morphological and functional characteristics, their
social and eating habits. Part of this room is reserved to an initiative called
“Draw your Museum”, where both children and adults are provided with
tools to master their knowledge of the natural world.
The following room hosts the “Systematic Paleontology” section. A series
of display cabinets conserve the fossils of some specimens of the main
vegetable and animal species that throughout the geological eras have
populated our planet. Some of these finds are rare and perfectly conserved;
worth a mention are the Paleozoic corals, the piritizzate ammonites, the
fossil insects in the amber or fossilised in limestone and, among the
vertebrates, some extinct mammoth teeth and a mammoth tusk from
Siberia. A feature is the mould Eryops megacephalus, the fossil of a
Paleozoic amphibious.
The following room focuses on the last 6 million years of the history of the
earth. A series of display cabinets contain fossils from the Pliocene period
that were recovered in the Bergamo territory. The interesting exhibition
of finds documents the last time that the sea reached the low parts of our
valleys creating fjords landscapes (at that time man did not exist yet).
Faunal remains and beautiful leaves coming from the vegetables that
colonised the lands above sea level are now visible in the sediments that
once belonged to the bottom of the sea and that today are at 300 meters
above sea level due to the raise of an Alpine chain. A big cabinet gathering
the skeletal remains of big mammalians recovered in Valgandino wood
mines dominates the centre of the room. They are the elephants (Elephas
meridionalis) that used to live in the territory of Orobie about 1,5 million
years ago; to this purpose a tactile area, illustrating the evolution of the
grinding teeth of these fossil elephants has been arranged. In the same
room are some display cabinets dedicated to the origin and evolution of
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Museo Civico di Scienze Naturali "Enrico Caffi" - Bergamo
man. The introduction concerns the phylogenesis of the humankind, while
the last display cabinet features the main recoveries in Italy and in the
local area.
The room “Bergamo…220 million years ago” centres around the fauna
from the Noric period, which is when the Bergamo territory was covered
by warm and shallow sea waters; numerous islands with a thick vegetation
were part of the picture as well. The fossils of this geological age are among
the most important for both their scientific value (these finds are renowned
all over the world) and their cultural value. A special mention goes to the
oldest flying bird, the Eudimorphodon ranzii, and the well-conserved
Italophlebia gervasuttii dragonfy. The display cabinet on the table exhibits a
full-size reproduction of the big, 4-meter long reptile, while a PC at the
entrance shows the stages of the animal recovery. Furthermore, a big
reconstruction of the environment of that time with the casts of the main
recovered species has been realised.
On the upper floor, “Carsismo” room presents a geomorphologic
phenomenon widespread in the Bergamo territory: the aggressive action of
waters melts the carbonate rocks, produces characteristic superficial shapes
(ploughed fields, sinkholes, carsic valleys etc.) and subterranean shapes
(caves, wells, stalactites, stalagmites).
The final part of the room focuses on the forms of life living underground
and on the use that men made of caves and cavities.
The following room is dedicated to “Systematic Mineralogy” and to
“Petography”. After an introduction on the criteria to classify minerals and
rocks, the stress is put on the main mineral deposits of the Orobie territory
and on the mineral and mine activities that strongly influenced the local
economy, especially in the mountains. The adjacent room centres on “The
Geology of the Orobie Territory” and illustrates the main events that have
characterised Bergamo territory throughout hundred of millions of years. A
big plastic highlights the geology and distribution of the rocky formations
in the territory.
In 1998, in the East wing of Cittadella, which has been recently restored,
the exhibition called “Laws of nature. 2000 Ark” was inaugurated. The main
subjects are the protection of the fauna and the threats to the environment,
which are habitat destruction, commerce and hunting. A special section
is reserved to naturalistic parks and to the most important environmental
associations.
The South wing of Cittadella hosts an exhibition about extra-European
cultures. In the new ethnographic section are important donations,
including artefacts and objects of great artistic and ritual value attributed
to African and American cultures; they allow the visitors to virtually travel
174
Museo Civico di Scienze Naturali "Enrico Caffi" - Bergamo
abroad, both spatially and temporally.
This room was dedicated to Aldo Perolari. In 1989, he donated to the city
of Bergamo a collection of objects belonging to 86 cultures of Sub-Saharan
Africa. Such collection constitutes the most important nucleus of the
Museum. A highlight are the objects belonging to Costantino Beltrami,
who discovered Mississippi springs and who gathered fundamental ritual
material on Amerindian folk.
After a few renovation works, the exhibition sector of Museo Civico
di Scienze Naturali “E. Caffi” has recently enlarged: it now comprises
Cittadella West side as well and spans about 2.500 smq. Thanks to the
width of the exhibition space, it is now possible to host some temporary
exhibitions and to permanently house educational laboratories.
175
Museo Civico di Scienze Naturali "Enrico Caffi" - Bergamo
Orto Botanico di
Bergamo "Lorenzo Rota"
Bergamo - Naturalistic Museum
Address
Scaletta di Colle Aperto - 24129 Bergamo
Viscontea Hall, Management, Offices, Herbarium, educational Services
Passaggio Torre di Adalberto, 2 - 24129 Bergamo
Tel. 035.286060 / Fax 035.270318
[email protected] / www.ortobotanicodibergamo.it
Opening times
- March:
09.00-12.00 / 14.00-17.00
- from April to September:
09.00-12.00 / 14.00-18.00
Saturday, Sunday and bank holidays
09.00-19.00
- October: 09.00-12.00 / 14.00-17.00
Closing months: from November to
February.
Admission
Free of charge.
Tours
Activities available upon reservation.
176
Orto Botanico di Bergamo "Lorenzo Rota" - Bergamo
Historical notes
The Botanic Garden was inaugurated in 1972. The persons who promoted
its institution are Eng. Luciano Malanchini, Head of the Garden Services
and Guido Isnenghi, an agrotechnician interested in the local flora and
characterised by a strong aesthetic sensitivity. The original idea was quite
innovative in that it aimed at reproducing natural local environments. Such
purpose was confirmed by the original name of the Museum, which was
Giardino Botanico Bergomense, and by the fact that the Museum was
named after Lorenzo Rota (1855-1918), the first man to describe the flora
of Bergamo province. Alpine Calcofile and acuidofile species are devoted
such a degree of attention that for many years the Botanic Garden has been
considered an Alpine botanic garden.
After a management crisis between 1983 and 1987, which lead to its
closure, the Garden was revitalised; initially it became a section of Museo
Civico di Scienze Naturali, then an autonomous museum entity and in
2004 the Botanic Garden became an authentic Museum.
In 2002, on occasion of the celebrations for the 30th year of its foundation,
the Network of Lombard Botanic Gardens (Rete degli Orti Botanici della
Lombardia) was created; still now the Botanic Garden of Bergamo is the
main one.
During these years, the activity and popularity of the Botanic Garden have
grown so much that visitors increased from 2.439 in 1991 to over 15.000
annually on average. The exhibition space, which used to span 1350 smq,
now occupies 2.400 smq, thanks to the creation of new sectors dedicated
to Mediterranean plants, to the theme “The Plants and The Man” and to
tropical plants. In 2008, the “Succulent Plants” exhibition was inaugurated,
from the following year the ring itinerary between Colle Aperto little
ladder, and Polveriera (17th century) was open.
In 2005, the Garden managed to increase its exhibition and educational
activities thanks to the arrangement of Sala Viscontea, which is a covered
space in which exhibitions alternate with conferences, educational
laboratories, concerts and other events. The offer is therefore extremely
varied and is extended to the months where, due to seasonal reasons,
the exhibition of the life plants is closed. Visits to the Garden and Sala
Viscontea amount to 30,000 on an annual basis.
Exhibition criteria
The Botanic Garden is a small feud of the Plant kingdom which gathers
the main representative of the categories into which botanists divide the
177
Orto Botanico di Bergamo "Lorenzo Rota" - Bergamo
over 250.000 species of our planets. This small institution, whose richness is
one of its main strengths, has been defined by Gardenia as a “jewel” hidden
in Mura Venete (the Venetian Walls). The Garden is reachable only on foot
and is therefore far away from the noise and the traffic of Colle Aperto. The
vast landscape spans the roofs and monuments of the Upper City as well as
the hills until Calepio Valley, on the foothills of Bergamo PreAlps.
This is a place to attend in all seasons; it has indeed an important
educational function: it organises annual exhibitions, guided visits,
laboratories for children and adults, dialogues, conferences, refresher courses
and cultural events. Its mailing list keeps visitors up-to-date with the latest
events. Every Sunday afternoon there are guided visits whose contents
varies weekly.
A new exhibition space is Viscontea Hall, which is located in a strategic
position between Cittadella square and “La Crotta” park; the suggestive
historic place dates back to the 14th century and turned out to be a perfect
polyfunctional space for the activities promoted by the Botanic Garden.
The Herbarium, also called Hortus Siccus Bergomensis, is conserved in the
archives and labs. The recent collection of the General Herbarium, which
can be consulted upon request, comprises at least 40.000 samples, including
the Herbarium of the above-mentioned doctor and botanist Lorenzo Rota
(1818-1855). The Garden conserves the natural vegetable heritage as well
as the threatened ecosystems. A successful initiative was the re-introduction
of Osmunda regalis, a fern that Lorenzo Rota found in Calepio Valley in
1853 and along Adda river. The fern, which in the last decades had been
declared extinct, was re-introduced in the same places about twelve years
ago. Hortus Pictus Bergomensis gathers botanical paintings realised with
a naturalistic technique and included “Wild Flora” collection by Riccardo
Rigamonti, who painted the regional flora during WWII. Such collection is
part of the temporary exhibition. The Botanic Garden manages the Archive
of Bergamo Botanical Bibliography. The latter is organised with Bergamo
Province within a local project (Agenda 21), a programme by the United
Nations, which focuses on the sustainable exploitation of natural resources.
178
Orto Botanico di Bergamo "Lorenzo Rota" - Bergamo
Museo di Storia
Naturale "Don
Bernardino Gavazzeni"
Caprino Bergamasco - Naturalistic Museum
Address
Collegio Convitto Celana - Via Papa Giovanni XXIII, 2/a
24030 Caprino Bergamasco
Tel. 035.781002 / Fax 035.781002
[email protected] / www.collegiocelana.com
Opening times
Guided visits for groups upon
reservation.
Admission
Free of charge.
Bookshop
Museum Guide.
179
Museo di Storia Naturale "Don Bernardino Gavazzeni" - Caprino Bergamasco
Historical notes
It is thanks to Don Bernardino Gavazzeni, who taught Sciences at “Celana”
college at the end of the 19th century that an important collection was
created. The latter comprises materials and naturalistic finds which are
conserved and exhibited in a wing of the Institute and which represent a
good educational support for students.
The collection kept on growing until the first years of last century.
About 15 years ago, the College Management decided to re-arrange and
re-catalogue the collection.
Besides its scientific importance, such collection can boast historic
importance, as it is demonstrated by the exhibition of the finds, which
maintains the typical style from the 19th century. This Museum takes the
visitors back in time, between the 19th and the 20th century. The furniture,
the display cabinets and the original cases have been maintained and
restored; furthermore, the information on the educational supports is still
hand-written and includes both scientific and “vulgar” denominations.
Exhibition criteria
The visit begins with the big reproduction of a dark bear killed in the
Primaluna area (Lecco province) in 1886 and which was one of the last
bears to be hunted in the Orobie territory.
In the following room a big display cabinet showcases some wood, paper,
wax and leather reproductions of mushrooms realised between the end of
the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. A cabinet conserves
four volumes of a precious Herbarium that, due to the fragility of the
materials, can be consulted only for study reasons.
There is also a room dedicated to the fossils, minerals and rocks coming
from the Celana territory and from Orobie PreAlps.
The main room, which is divided into three aisles, conserves specimens of
vertebrate and invertebrate fauna from all over the world, among which the
following are worth a special mention:
- two aviary-shaped cases exhibiting exotic and extremely colorful birds.
- exotic mammalians, including armadillos, platypus, an ant eater (most
probably one of the first specimens in the Bergamo area to be displayed).
- the predator case with a beautiful golden eagle (donated to the Museum
in 1901), a volture (now gone extinct in our areas), a griffon and an
eagle owl – an otter (gone extinct in Lombardy) which student Angelo
Renzanico donated in 1898.
- from Africa: an ostrich, a crocodile, a Greater kudu` and a Grevy zebra
(typical from the Ethiopian plateau).
- a tiger, a wapiti deer with beautiful horns.
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Museo di Storia Naturale "Don Bernardino Gavazzeni" - Caprino Bergamasco
- various skeletons of fish, amphibious, reptiles and small mammalians.
- a kangaroo from “New Holland” (that is how Australia was called at that
time), a seal, a sea turtle
- a cabinet containing a malacologic collection of about 150 shell species.
A small room, which is used as a reception, hosts a small, modern weather
station.
The visit continues along the corridor of the College main entrance; on its
walls are numerous display cabinets displaying the scientific-educational
instruments, which formed the so-called “Physics Room”.
There are also instruments for measuring the territory (theodolites), for
optics and electromagnetism exercises and some others for mechanic and
acoustic tests.
In the big hall overlooking the library is a big Celestial Globe which has
recently been restored and which was realised in 1694 by Giacomo Cantelli
from Vignola (Estensi’s cartographer). Its drawings and bright colours
represent the constellations people knew of at the time.
This Globe is the only reproduction by Cartelli that has been conserved
until the present day.
An interesting library is also connected to the Museum. Up to now,
the library is still unfit for use in that its materials need arranging
and cataloguing. An incunable, several cinquecentine and seicentine
books, some religious and scientific treatises, some of which can boast
extraordinary color illustrations, are worth a mention.
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Museo di Storia Naturale "Don Bernardino Gavazzeni" - Caprino Bergamasco
Parco Paleontologico
di Cene
Cene - Naturalistic Museum
Address
Pedestrian access Via Cava, 28 - 24020 Cene
Parking area Via Bellora (the park is accessible through a short bicyclepedestrian path)
Tel. 0346.22400 / Fax 0346.22957 (Mountain Community)
Tel. 035.729318 (Park, during opening times to the public)
[email protected] / www.valleseriana.bg.it - www.triassico.it /parco/cene/
Opening times
- May:
Sunday 14.00-18.00
- June:
Saturday 14.00-18.00
Sunday 10.00-12.30 / 14.00-18.00
- from July to September:
Saturday and Sunday
10.00-12.30 / 14.00-18.00
Admission
Free of charge.
for groups and school groups) upon
reservation by the Park Educational
Guides.
School groups and groups should
book by phoning: Tel. 035.206055
(from Monday to Thursday 9.0012.00).
Bookshop
At the Park Reception Centre some
postcards and educational and
popular publications are available.
Tours
Guided visits (during the whole year
182
Parco Paleontologico di Cene - Cene
Historical notes
Situated on Bue mountainside, the Park occupies an area, which until 1965
was used for mining activities and was called “Cava Ratta”.
When, in 1965, a big landslide dramatically damaged the quarry machines
and equipment, the mining industry ceased its activity and for some years,
the site remained abandoned.
Paradoxically, from a cultural point of view the landslide was beneficial,
in that it brought to life a paleontologic layer of paramount importance.
Such site started to attract numerous amateurs, whose “illegal” removal
of valuable finds enormously damaged the site, until when, in 1970,
don Antonio Canova’s systematic gathering of the existing fossils gave
extraordinary results.
The study and valorization of this site began after Canova’s intervention:
excavations were carried out in a scientific way; this brought to life
those exceptional fossils that made Parco di Cene gain an international
reputation as one of the most interesting paleontological parks in the
world. In 1973, the perfectly –conserved skeleton of the oldest flying reptile
(Eudimorphodon ranzii) in the world was found. Nowadays Museo di
Scienze Naturali “E.Caffi”, which has carried out research and excavations
activities since the beginning, conserves these finds.
Criteri espositivi - Itinerario di visita
At the entrance of the Park is The Visitor Reception Centre, a wide space
that contains educational boards, equipment to welcome visitors (mostly
school groups) and volumes and materials for educational activities. The
educational boards illustrate the geology of Seriana Valley and of the “Cava
Ratta” area (which is where the Park is located) and explain the causes of
fossilization. There are also boards documenting the most important fossils
recovered in the Park; each specimen is represented through a photo as well
as through all the relevant scientific data and some curiosities as well. Some
other boards indicate the causes that determined the foundation of the Park
as well as the ongoing initiatives to valorise it.
The landslide that originated Parco di Cene (the first Paleontological Park
in Lombardy) is accessible through a wide path.
The educational activities of the Park include guided visits, theoretical
lessons, laboratories and outdoor activities. In the outdoor spaces of The
Visitor Reception Centre, a new area for guided educational activities has
recently been arranged. Thanks to this new space, school children as well as
adults can directly experiment the work of paleontologists, which centres on
the delicate recovery of fossils.
183
Parco Paleontologico di Cene - Cene
Museo Civico
di Scienze Naturali
"Alessio Amighetti"
Lovere - Naturalistic Museum
Address
Exhibition centre
Parco di Villa Milesi - Via Marconi, 23 - 24065 Lovere
Tel. 035.960032
Operating headquarters
Piazza Vittorio Emanuele, 2 - 24065 Lovere
Tel. 035.983729
[email protected] / www.museoscienzelovere.it
Opening times
Exhibition centre
Every day except Wednesday
15.00-18.00
Guided visits upon reservation also in
other hours.
Operating headquarters
Every day except Saturday and
Sunday 9.00-12.00
Bookshop
Museum Guide, CD and handovers.
Admission
Free of charge.
184
Museo Civico di Scienze Naturali "Alessio Amighetti" - Lovere
Historical notes
The Museum was established in 1996 by the Town Hall, which put “Amici
del Museo” Association in charge of the Museum management. The
Association, founded in 1995 in Lovere, delegates the scientific work to a
Committee of experts in various disciplines, which is coordinated by the
so-called “Conservatore”.
The Museum aims at raising awareness on the naturalistic heritage of
the local territory, on its values and on the importance of conserving the
natural environment. The experts work as volunteers; management expenses
are paid thanks to public funding coming from Lovere, the Mountain
Community of Bergamo Lakes, Bergamo Province, Lombardy Region,
thanks to private donors and to membership fees.
“Amici del Museo” Association organises exhibitions, conferences,
educational activities on sciences, refresher courses, naturalistic and cultural
trips and publications.
The leading publications are “A Guide to Bird Collection”, “A Guide to
Lepidoctera”, the handovers called “Earth Sciences” and “Suggestions for
educational activities” (ornithology and mineralogy). There are also some
CDs titled “The Museum minerals”, “Lovere in the 19th century”, “The Life
and the Work of the Lake”, “The Mouth of Oglio river”, “Herbe pincte”,
“The Shells”, “Useful Sebino plants”, “Sciences under a beach umbrella”,
“Nature in watermark”, “The Snakes of Camonica Valley and of Upper
Sebino”, “Italian Birds”,“The Birds of Upper Sebino area”, “Trees, herbs and
perfumes of the Bible”.
Exhibition criteria
The bird room houses around 200 naturalised specimens coming from
the surrounding lakes and mountain areas and is arranged according to
environmental criteria. The most interesting specimens are some herons,
which rarely live near the lakes, a golden eagle, an eagle owl and a superb
copy of capercaillie.
The mineral room contains specimens of eight mineral families: overall
speaking there are 150 types of minerals, which are catalogued and
arranged according to their chemical composition. There are also specimens
coming from Val Palot (Duadello hamlet), which is an extremely interesting
mineral site.
In the antropoid room, the “Bertoli-Castellazzi” and “Milesi” butterfly
collections stand out. There are also some dioramas. In the same room is a
mollusc collection, which was also donated by Doct. Milesi.
185
Museo Civico di Scienze Naturali "Alessio Amighetti" - Lovere
A small room plays host to The General Museum Herbarium as well as the
documentation for the study of botany with a mycology section.
In the educational room is a laboratory equipped with microscopes and
systems to acquire images. In the same room, two display cabinets show
some mammalians and the specimen of a Tibetan bear.
186
Museo Civico di Scienze Naturali "Alessio Amighetti" - Lovere
Museo dei Minerali e
della Miniera
Oltre il Colle - Naturalistic Museum
Address
Via Funivia, Zorzone - 24013 Oltre il Colle
Tel. 0345.95313 / Fax 0345.95661
www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it
-Opening times
- January, March, October and
December: Sunday and bank holidays
15.00-17.00
- April and September: Sunday and
bank holidays 15.00-18.00
- August: every day from 1st August
until 20th August.
Other days and hours upon
reservation.
Admission
Optional fee.
187
Museo dei Minerali e della Miniera - Oltre il Colle
Historical notes
Founded in Zorzone in the seventies as a mineral collection and exhibition,
the Museum moved to a new building, was given a new name and became
an authentic Museum in 1994. It comprises the mineral and the mining
sections. Its curator, Franco Palazzi, an experience topographer, passionately
gathered minerals, cartographies and testimonies of the mining industry.
Many miners who worked in the local mines also contributed to the
establishment of this Museum. Since then, the Museum has kept on
increasing its cultural activities. A new space dedicated to the environment
and to the “Oltre il Colle” territory will be open soon.
It will combine testimonies from the past with the latest ones.
Exhibition criteria
The floor at street level will soon host two rooms: they will be a multimedia
room and a room centred around the local territory.
On the first floor below street level is the mineral section, whose 15
display cabinets gather over 1600 minerals largely coming from Seriana
and Brembana valleys, but also from all over the world. Plattnerite (lead
dioxide) and Wulfenite (lead molybdate) are among the most significant
minerals.
Along the staircase leading to the second floor are a small display cabinet
with fluorescent minerals and another cabinet with personal (but workingrelated) documents. At the bottom of the stairway is the mining section.
It features a series of educational boards, which analyse the history of local
mines and their importance as main economic activity of the valley. All the
material exhibited in this section is original. The photos, the plans, the old
working tools and the objects used by miners document this hard work as
well as the age during which these instruments were utilised.
A headings with its carts and tools have been reconstructed for educational
purposes.
188
Museo dei Minerali e della Miniera - Oltre il Colle
Museo Brembano di
Scienze Naturali
San Pellegrino Terme - Naturalistic Museum
Address
Villa Speranza - Via S. Carlo, 32 - 24016 San Pellegrino Terme
Tel. 035.22141 (library)
[email protected]
www.comune.sanpellegrinoterme.bg.it
Opening times
Upon request and reservation.
Admission
Free of charge.
Tours
Guided visits should be booked
beforehand.
Bookshop
Guide to Brembano Museum,
Triassico.it bookmarks
Library Scientifica Malanchini
Only upon reservation Tel. 035.22141
189
Museo Brembano di Scienze Naturali - San Pellegrino Terme
Historical notes
Founded in 1978, the Museum initially comprised the paleontology section
only, while the entomology section was added at a later stage. The Museum
has always conserved and valorised materials from Brembana Valley only,
with the purpose of keeping its natural heritage well alive.
In 1996 the Museum moved to Villa Speranza, where the exhibition space
was as wide as to comprise five sections: paleontology, entomology, zoology,
earth sciences and botany.
Since 2007 the Museum has been part of “Triassico.it” Museum network,
together with the paleontology and geology sections of Museo Civico di
Scienze Naturali “E.Caffi” di Bergamo, with Parco Paleontologico di Cene
and with Monumento Naturale della Val Brunone (Berbenno).
Exhibition criteria
The paleontology section
This room gathers the fossils of the main stratified sequences of Brembana
valley. The fossils come from rock dating back to the period between the
end of the Permian and the Triassic (from 260 to 199 millions of years ago).
The main feature is the precious collection of Triassic vertebrates, which
were mainly found in Endenna, near Zogno. They bear witness to the rich
biodiversity of Noric warm and cold seas, a biodiversity characterized by
Carbonate platforms, barrier reefs and shallow lagoons. Some display
cabinets contain numerous shellfish, big and small predator fish
(Saurichthys e Birgeria), the ancestors of coelacanths (Holophagus) and
tiny pholidophora. There are also other fish (Paralepidotus and Legnonotus)
living in the platform area, whose strong set of teeth specialize in the
grinding of shells for eating purposes.
The waters used to be populated with Placodonts (Psephoderma alpinum),
which are extinct reptiles looking like turtles; the Museum conserves their
thick shells. The waters were crowded with bigger reptiles as well, such
as the Phytosaur, whose jaw is exhibited and the Endennasaurus, which
specialised in water hunting. A feature is also the small and precious tail
of the arboreal reptiles called Megalancosaurus, whose strong claws were
suitable for life in the trees. In the other display cabinets are some other
fossils dating back to different periods, including the Paleozoic footprints
of amphibia which were found near Passo San Marco, the precious black
ammonites from Lenna, the invertebrates of the bright and massive
limestones of the middle valley.
The entomology section
Attilio Torriani, who is one of the founders of the Museum, donated the
entire lepidoctera collection. The latter is composed of over 700 different
190
Museo Brembano di Scienze Naturali - San Pellegrino Terme
species from the seventies and eighties, coming from Sedrina as well as the
North border of the valley and Passo San Marco. It is the widest lepidoctera
collection of Brembana Valley.
In the Etimology room the various aspects of the life of lepidoctera, which
are scientifically divided into Ropaloceri (“club-antennae”) and Eteroceri
(antennae of different shapes), are explored thanks to a series of boards full
of colorful drawings. A series of cases containing lepidoctera specimens
complete the presentation of the typical species of the valley.
The Alpine diorama - “Conca del Calvi amphi-theater”
A Museum exhibiting room is dominated by a Diorama representing the
natural landscape of Calvi Mountain Hut (2015 m) in Orobie Prealps. On
the background are some of the highest Orobie peaks, which are Aga Peak
(2720 m), Diavolo e Diavolino (2914 e 2810 m) and Grabiasca Mount
(2705 m). Inside the diorama are some rare specimens of typically Alpine
fauna, which create a suggestive atmosphere.
The botanical section
Throughout the years Museo Brembano di Scienze Naturali has increased
its scientific material by combining explanations with knowledge as well as
with material concerning the territory of Brembana Valley. For this purpose,
different illustrative boards have been arranged. They describe the flora from
Brembana Valley in detail, with a stress on flowers.
Several boards arranged along the walls constitute this section. Such boards
present Prealpine flora through photos and through a path that analyses
various mountain habitats, including tree-lined prairies, scrubs along
rivers, termophile forests, hills and red fir forests, which are typically from
Brembana Valley.
The geology section
In this section, an open display cabinet showcases several rock samples
which can be touched and analysed and which illustrate the stages of the
geological evolution of the valley.
Multimedia room and “Malanchini” scientific library
Museo Brembano di Scienze Naturali complete its cultural program with a
Multimedia Room and a Scientific Library.
The Multimedia Room has 50 seats and is currently used for scientificnaturalistic laboratories as well as for guided visits and themed evenings,
which centre on the importance of a Museum as a resource to explore the
history, geology and nature of Brembana Valley.
“Malanchini”Scientific Library, which is named after its donator Prof. Eng.
Luciano Malanchini, is located in the “Torretta room” of Villa Speranza. It
gathers thousands of extremely valuable scientific books about the Bergamo
territory or, more specifically, about Brembana Valley.
191
Museo Brembano di Scienze Naturali - San Pellegrino Terme
Museo di Minerali
e Cristalli
Schilpario - Naturalistic Museum
Address
Via Pradella, 3 - 24020 Schilpario Frazione Pradella
Tel. 0346.55024 / Fax 0346.55024
[email protected] - [email protected]
www.scalve.com/albergo.sanmarco - www.albergo-sanmarco.it
Opening times
Saturday and Sunday
9.00-12.00 / 15.00-20.00
From Monday to Friday upon
reservation.
Admission
Free of charge.
Tours
Guided visits upon reservation.
Bookshop
Education material can be consulted.
192
Museo di Minerali e Cristalli - Schilpario
Historical notes
The Museum is situated inside San Marco Hotel in Pradella hamlet
(Schilpario).
It was established in 1980 thanks to Mr. Antonio Pizio, whose passion for
the crystals lead him to create an always-growing collection and to study
the mineral science.
When people and above all school groups started to express a strong
interest in these natural wonders, Mr. Pizio decided to found a “Museum”
in order to show everybody the stunning mountain creations and the
underground wonders (including the mines) of our territory.
The school groups that visit the mineral and crystal collection can acquire
essential geological knowledge on the territory.
Exhibition criteria
The Museum provides the visitors with general descriptions as well as
detailed scientific explanations of the origin and evolution of minerals and
crystals.
193
Museo di Minerali e Cristalli - Schilpario
Museo Civico di Scienze
Naturali "Severo Sini"
Villa d'Almè - Naturalistic Museum
Address
Via L. Milesi, 16 - Villa d’Almè
Tel. 035.6321137
[email protected] - [email protected] / www.museosini.it
Opening times
Tuesday 10.00-12.00
Saturday 9.30-12.00 / 15.00-18.00
Sunday (the last Sunday of each
month) 10.00-12.00
Library
On-site consultation.
Admission
Free of charge.
Tours
Guided visits and laboratories upon
reservation. School groups and
groups should book by phoning
the following mobile number:
340.8686610 or 335.8214808
Bookshop
Monographs on minerals, shells,
butterflies.
194
Museo Civico di Scienze Naturali "Severo Sini" - Villa d'Almè
Historical notes
The Museum was established thanks to Prof. Severo Sini, a naturalistic
expert and amateur who, once he moved to Villa d’Almè in the fifties,
started ordering and cataloguing the specimens of his collections, which
indeed represent the first nucleus of the Museum.
Throughout the year, the Museum heritage has grown thanks to private
donations and acquisitions.
“Amici del Museo Civico di Scienze Naturali S. Sini” Association started
managing the Museum and organising promotional activities in 2006. This
Association is located in the same building as the Museum.
Exhibition criteria
Besides a room used as reception, the Museum is composed of two
exhibition rooms, which are located in the Town Hall palace.
The display cabinets of the first room on the ground floor display some
paleontological finds, shell collections, some stuffed animals typical of our
territory and a mineral collection with finds, which were recovered in our
province.
Along the walls of the room are the cases conserving the lepidoctera
collection.
In the second room on the ground floor are the mineral collections and the
Museum library, which, thanks to some donations, has recently reached
over 2000 books, whose subject is either scientific or historic.
The mineral selection is particularly interesting for the educational itinerary
guiding the visitors. For the most significant minerals, some magnifying
glasses have been arranged so that people can appreciate their structure and
color. The minerals are of various provenances. A display cabinet gathers the
main specimens, while in other display cabinets the collection is systematic;
this allows the visitors to get a comprehensive view of the exhibited
material. Educational dossiers contribute to reach this scope as well. At
last, another display cabinet, above which lies a map of Bergamo territory
with the necessary information, is dedicated to minerals. The latter were
recovered or came from mines, which were still active in our province until
a few years ago.
195
Museo Civico di Scienze Naturali "Severo Sini" - Villa d'Almè
Arboreto Alpino Gleno
Vilminore di Scalve - Naturalistic Museum
Address
Loc. Dos - 24020 Vilminore di Scalve
Tel. 329.6207960
[email protected] / www.gleno.it
Opening times
- from April to November:
Saturday, Sunday and bank holidays
13.00-18.00
Tour agents and organised groups
can book off- hour visits.
Admission
Admission fee.
Discounted rates available.
Tours
An educational guide is available for
guided visits.
196
Arboreto Alpino Gleno - Vilminore di Scalve
Historical notes
Gleno Alpine Arboretum was inaugurated in 2007 and was realised
by Albrici Vannisa farm company with the collaboration of passionate
local botanists. The wood exhibition originated from a research, which
lasted many years; Manfredo Bendotti catalogued the plants with the
collaboration of Filippo Tagliaferri.
The arboretum is populated with around one-hundred native wood species.
Exhibition criteria
A naturalistic itinerary and a covered exhibition space have been arranged
in Vilminore di Scalve, along Gleno valley, close to a rural path in an area
dominated by the imposing Presolana massif.
The itinerary comprises the following activities:
− visits on indicated and commented itineraries
− study and educational activities
− recreational and playtime activities
The park, which covers 6.000 smq, includes:
- trees and shrubs typical of Scalve Valley
- an area of about 1.000 smq for typical cultivations, such as potatoes and
linen
- picnic areas where visitors can relax and admire the wonderful
surrounding landscape
- an area equipped for wood coal production according to traditions.
The exhibition space hosts the following:
- specimens and technical dossiers of the native species of Scalve Valley
- some boards on Gleno dam
- bonsai of local species
- multimedia materials (Cd-Rom) about the flowers, medicinal plants,
mushrooms, mountain shelters, pastures etc. of Scalve Valley
- a room equipped for educational activities and seminars.
With the support of the educational laboratories, the visitors can get
familiar with the local flora and the tree species of the arborethum through
informative dossiers.
Qualified operators (Corso Fattorie didattiche Regione Lombardia)
manage the educational animation.
197
Arboreto Alpino Gleno - Vilminore di Scalve
Museo Faunistico
Viminore di
Vilminore
diScalve
Scalve--Museo
Naturalistic
Naturalistico
Museum
Address
Via Sabotino, 3 - 24020 Vilminore di Scalve
Tel. 0346.51317 / Cell. 347.0882503
[email protected] / www.scalve.it/faunistico/
Opening times
sabato 20.00-22.00
Saturday
20.00-22.00
domenica
Sunday
20.00-22.00
20.00-22.00
Tutte leevening
Every
sere dabetween
fine giugno
the a
end
fineof
agosto.
June
and the end of August.
Admission
Ingresso
Offerta libera.
Optional
payment.
Tours
Informazioni
visite
Visite guidate
Guided
visits upon
su richiesta.
request.
198
Museo Faunistico - Vilminore di Scalve
Historical notes
The Museum originated from Nello Baldoni's love for animals, which lead
him to collect a pre-existent fauna collection in his house.
Exhibition criteria
All the animals living in Orobie Alps and PreAlps during the whole year
are represented in their natural habit. In the first room is the typical Alpine
fauna, including both mammalians and birds. The second room focuses
on the small Alpine migratory fauna (mostly birds), while the third room
contains some European anatidae.
199
Museo Faunistico - Vilminore di Scalve
itineraries
Museum
Itineraries
Percorso Muri Dipinti
Calcio - Museum Itinerary
Address
Via Papa Giovanni XXIII, 40 - 24054 Calcio
Tel. 0363.968444 int. 2 / Fax 0363.906246
[email protected] / www.comune.calcio.bg.it
Itinerary
The itinerary starts from 127, Pope
Giovanni XXIII street (previous
Municipal Palace) and continues
through the historic centre of the
village.
The visit is free and requires at least
two hours.
Each art work is provided with a name
tag whose function is to make the
visitors learning experience easier.
203
Percorso Muri Dipinti - Calcio
Historical notes
The Project started in the nineties and throughout the years has continued
thanks to the tradition of painting frescoes in the village streets. Nowadays
about 50 “murales” feature the history of Calcio and its everyday life,
from sheep farmers along Oglio river to the rural life, from the Patron
processions to the building of the first bridge on the river, from Regina della
Scala to the railway passage, from the mills to the first oil light.
There are remarkable ceramic and wood works. Furthermore, some huge
paintings along the walls make the street of the centre alive. The works
by both famous and less famous Italian artists belonging to Italian and
European academies of arts aim at promoting and telling the history of
Calcio. The latter is part of the Italian Association of painted Villages
(ASSIPAD - Associazione Italiana Paesi dipinti).
Exhibition criteria
The open-air itinerary develops along the village streets and squares and is
supported by illustrative material, which can be consulted at the Town Hall
Library and URP.
The whole mural collection can be accessed by paying a fee. It comprises
photographic material where each single work is explained in detail.
The same material can be consulted on the Town Hall website.
A plate by each art work indicates its Author, the year in which it was
created, the title and a short description.
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Percorso Muri Dipinti - Calcio
Percorso Museale
Vilminore di Scalve - Museum Itinerary
Address
Piazzale della Chiesa - Via Arciprete Acerbis - 24020 Vilminore di Scalve
Tel. 0346.52804
[email protected] / www.scalve.it
Opening times
Bell tower
Upon request and upon reservation.
Church
Every day.
Centro Culturale "Giovanni XXIII"
weekdays
9.00-12.00 / 15.00-17.00
Admission
Free of charge.
Tours
Upon request and upon reservation.
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Percorso Museale - Vilminore di Scalve
Historical notes
This Museum is an itinerary structured around Vilminore di Scalve parish
church, its bell and its recent underground library rather than a typical
permanent exhibition of old objects or art works.
The promoting Committee named “Fondazione Chiesa Arcipresbiterale
Plebana di S. Maria Assunta e S. Pietro Apostolo”, in 1996 and 1997
promoted the restoration of all manufactured products of Vilminore Parish
Church.
Exhibition criteria
Besides maintaining its external structures, the Parish Church has restored
all its paintings and has realised a lighting system (which can be activated
by the visitor) which makes each single art work perfectly visible.
At the entrance, a small guide is available; it indicates all the works, their
position in the church and their respective authors. Among the numerous
and renowned artists who worked in Vilminore, the following are worth a
mention:
− Enrico Albrici, a Vilminore painter from the 18th century who realised
both canvases and frescoes, the most famous of which are “The Martyrdom
of S.Peter” (in the church counter- façade), the frescoes on the aisle,
S.Salvatore altar piece and two canvases on the presbytery.
− Domenico Carpinoni, to whom “The Mysteries of Rosario” (located on
the homonymous altar) have been attributed
− Giovanni Raggi, who realised the vault ovals as well as the main altar
piece in the apse “Assumption of Mary”
− Giovanni Paolo Cavagna, one of the most renown Bergamo artists of the
16th and 17th centuries, who painted the canvas named “St. Francis receives
the Stigmata” which is located in “Madonna di Lourdes” church
− Carlo Ceresa, who painted S. Antonio from Padua while praying
− Francesco Capella who realised some canvases featuring some episodes
of The Virgin's life
− Querena, Galizzi, Locatelli (more recent artists).
Among the manufactured products, stand out the main altar by the Fantoni
workshop and the organ, which is originally from the 16th century but was
restored several times by important organ factories (especially the Bossi
factory).
The sacristy and its paintings (mainly portraits of Vilminore archpriests and
some canvases which used to be conserved in Pieve di San Pietro church
and S. Maria Assunta parish church before being demolished at the end of
the 17th century) will soon be restored.
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Percorso Museale - Vilminore di Scalve
Inside the bell are some boards offering information about the history of
this material as well as its restoration works. An old tower clock mechanism
is conserved there as well. It is also possible to go up to the bell tower and
to the wooden top. The climbing should be done gradually: the bell, indeed,
is 67 meters tall.
After the bell, one can visit the new library Giovanni XXIII Cultural
Centre, which houses. The latter houses the private book collection
of Mons. Gaetano Bonicelli. The latter donated his collection to his
hometown at the end of his pastoral activity. Other spaces focus on objects
and art works owned by the parish church or donated by Mons. Bonicelli
himself.
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Percorso Museale - Vilminore di Scalve
science
Science
Museums
Museo Scientifico
"Explorazione"
Treviglio - Science Museum
Address
Market square area - Piazza Cameroni, 3 - 24027 Treviglio
Tel. 0363.317502-506 / Fax 0363.317309
[email protected] / www.explorazione.it
Opening times
Sunday 15.00-18.00
Admission
Free of charge.
Tours
Educational visits and laboratories for
school groups upon reservation.
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Museo Scientifico "Explorazione" - Treviglio
Exhibition criteria
EsplorAzione is a permanent interactive laboratory, which offers a space
for children, teenagers and adults as well as an extremely rich program of
scientific laboratories, which make learning fun. This scientific section is
completely interactive. The 50 PC workstations introduce the visitors to
interesting and curious scientific experiments.
The exhibition space is divided into four sections:
- An historic section, which exhibits some equipment that already belonged
to the Museum
- A section about physics, whose interactive “exhibits” can be activated by
the visitors themselves
- A logical-mathematical section with applicative and interactive labs
- A multimedia section with software and scientific audiovisual material.
“Explorazione” is an interactive, fun exhibition aimed at carefully selecting
scientific itineraries for children and teenagers. This educational resource
can be “exploited” by people of all ages as well.
The section proposes the following activities:
- Guided visits for primary and secondary schools with the chance of
taking scientific experiences upon request
- Free entry with the support of an experienced tutor in the afternoon
hours
- Themed exhibitions and lab activities throughout the year
- Scientific seminars for professors
- Conferences on present-day scientific subjects
The interactive Laboratory is meant to:
- Spread scientific culture through activities that directly involve people and
stimulate their desire for learning and discovering new things
- Raise a new scientific sensitivity among students
− Contribute to the improvement of the scientific-educational proposals
for the primary and secondary schools.
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Museo Scientifico "Explorazione" - Treviglio
historical
Historical
Museums
Museo storico
di Bergamo
Bergamo - Historical Museum
Address
Piazza Mercato del Fieno, 6/A - 24129 Bergamo
Tel. 035.247116 - 035.226332 / Fax 035.219128
[email protected] / www.bergamoestoria.org
Rocca Museo storico -19th century
section
Piazzale Brigata Legnano - 24129
Bergamo
Tel. 035.221040
Opening times
- from October to May:
9.30-13.00 / 14.00-17.30
- from June to September:
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
9.30-13.00 / 14.00-17.30
Saturday and bank holidays
9.30-19.00
Closing days: Monday, Christmas day
and New Year’s Eve.
Ex convento di San Francesco exhibition section
Piazza Mercato del fieno 6/A - 24129
Bergamo
215
Opening times
- from October to May:
9.30-13.00 / 14.00-17.30
-from June to September:
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
9.30-13.00 / 14.00-17.30
Saturday and bank holidays
9.30-19.00
Closing days: Monday, Christmas day
and New Year’s Eve.
Museo Donizettiano (see dossier)
Campanone
Piazza Vecchia - 24129 Bergamo
Tel. 035.247116 - 035.226332
Opening times
- from November to February:
Saturday and bank holidays
9.30-16.30
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and
Museo storico di Bergamo - Bergamo
Friday open upon reservation
- from March to October:
from Tuesday to Friday 9.30-19.00
Saturday and bank holidays
9.30-21.30
Closing days: Monday, Christmas day
and New Year’s Eve.
Admission
Admission fee.
Discounted rates available.
Torre dei caduti
Piazza Vittorio Veneto - 24122
Bergamo
Tel. 035.247116 - 035.226332
Opening times
Upon reservation.
Bookshop
Publications, gadgets.
Tour
Guided visits by the educational
services upon request.
Historical notes
Even though Museo storico di Bergamo was established in 2004, his
history dates back to 20th September 1917, which is when it was
inaugurated in the University building (Upper City) under the name
of Civico Museo e archivio del Risorgimento. The Museum reflects the
widespread thought of Ciro Caversazzi, according to whom the world
conflict that was taking place at that time represented the last war of the
Risorgimento and would lead to the Italian unification.
The first exhibition nucleus is constituted by the four donations of Camozzi
Vertova, Locatelli Milesi, Società veterani e reduci and Invernizzi-Nullo.
Other legacies that followed shorlty afterwards highlighted the need of a
wider Museum space; the Museum was therefore moved to the renovated
Rocca complex (owned by Bergamo Town Hall) in 1933.
After being closed during WWII and being renovated shortly afterwards,
the Museum re-opened in 1959. In 1960, which celebrated the centenary
of the Expedition of the Thousand, Alberto Agazzi enlarged the Museum
and a new section dedicated to the Italian resistance movement was created.
During the seventies, the Museum underwent a crisis, due to the need
of re-arranging and renovating its spaces. In 1997 the newly renovated
Museum was renamed as “Museo storico della città” and was located in San
Francesco ex convent.
The Museum exhibition itinerary and its educational activities are in line
with the cultural project created by
Roberto Galati and put into practice by a group coordinated by Mauro
Gelfi. The project centres around the political-military events as well as
the economic-social situation of the city and its surrounding territory and
adopts a global historical perspective.
At the end of 2002 Fondazione Bergamo nella Storia was founded with the
purpose of protecting and valorising the important historic, cultural and
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Museo storico di Bergamo - Bergamo
artistic heritage of the Bergamo territory. The Association also intended
to create an outdoor Museum; the latter would show how the city and the
province have changed from a urban, social, political and economic point of
view within a century.
In 2004, the renovated exhibition dedicated to the 19th century was
inaugurated in the restored Rocca building.
On occasion of the 150th anniversary of the Hunter of the Alps arrival
(8th December 2009, an event which marked the end of the Austrian
dominion), the exhibition itinerary was partially re-arranged. The politic,
military and city-related themes were mastered through iconographic and
documentary material. It was the first time that the Museum had exhibited
some pieces from his collection, including some large-format reproductions
of images from the Sestini photographic archive as well as art works and
documents belonging to institutions and private collections.
Exhibition criteria
Rocca Museo storico - 19th century section
The itinerary explores the history of Bergamo from 1797 to 1870 and
analyses the social, economic, political and cultural changes the city and its
province went through.
A wide typology of materials is available, from paintings to everyday
life objects, from documents to arms, from military uniforms to satirical
cartoons, from photos to flags; captions and dossiers support them all.
Some environments (the liberty pole, the Fair, a spinning mill, the small
theater in Borfuro street, a classroom, Porta Nuova) were reproduced
with the aim of contextualising particularly significant events or subjects
and create an emotional connection with the visitor. Some touch screens
and projections lead the visitors through Bergamo revolution (1797), the
industrial development, the Expedition of the Thousand, the political and
family lives of patriots Gabriele Camozzi and Alba Coralli. Along the
itinerary, some time lines indicate the main local and international events
year by year.
After a short introduction on the Venetian dominion (attested by coins
which were recovered during the restoration of S. Francesco convent
in 1938), the itinerary begins with the liberty pole, which was located
in Piazza Vecchia to document the events that took place in Bergamo
Republic in 1797. It continues by describing Napoleon supremacy.
Special attention is paid to the economic situation of those times, which
is documented through graphics, charts, thematic maps produced by
Fondazione per la storia economica e sociale di Bergamo. The narration
continues with the new Austrian supremacy (which in 1814 replaced
Napoleon and saw the incorporation of the Lombardo-Veneto region into
217
Museo storico di Bergamo - Bergamo
the Austrian Empire) in the background. The economic and social role of
the Fair is analysed through a dedicated area and through some significant
places and personalities of Bergamo cultural environment, including the
University, Carrara Accademy, the Social Theater, the poet Pietro Ruggeri
da Stabello and the composer Gaetano Donizetti.
The image of the city is reconstructed through maps of the time, views,
posters with statistical data and the project of the main city street that
is viale Vittorio Emanuele II (it used to be called strada Ferdinanadea).
Furthermore, a multimedia station shows plans obtained from the
computerization of data of the registry office dating back to 1853.
The various political and social elements of the 1848-1849 Revolution
are analysed and compared with the national scenery. Special attention
is devoted to the main protagonists of Risorgimento, who are brothers
Giovan Battista and Gabriele Camozzi.
The reproduction of a spinning mill highlights the importance of silk
within Bergamo economy in the middle of the 19th century and the related
social and political role that silk entrepreneurs had at the time.
The itinerary continues by presenting the political and military events
related to the second Italian war of independence and to the unification of
Italy. The section ends with the reproduction of the Camozzi literary salon
near Genova, which symbolizes the patriotic debate in the ten years (18491859) which were crucial to the unification. The salon is complemented by a
multimedia station dedicated to the political and family history of Gabriele
Camozzi and his partner Alba, which used to attend these meetings.
With regard to the Expedition of the Thousand (1860), Bergamo is the
city which sent the biggest number of volunteers (174 patriots) to support
Garibaldi in the Southern regions and that is why it is now also known as
“City of the Thousand” (Città dei Mille).
In the section dedicated to the Expedition of the Thousand, the
personalities, the events and the thoughts and motivations of Bergamo
volunteers are explored through documents, paintings and pictures as
well as military equipment. The theater of the Filodramatic Circle, which
is where the enrolment of Bergamo volunteers took place, was also
reproduced; a multimedia station shows the relevant facts through written
testimonials by
Guido Sylva and Francesco Cucchi. A pantheon concludes this session
by comparing the myth of Garibaldi and his volunteers with the huge
problems in the Southern regions, mainly the brigandage, which
exacerbated after the unification.
The narration examines the role that Bergamo people played in the
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Museo storico di Bergamo - Bergamo
National unification, from the enrolment to Garibaldi insurgent attempts
in Sarnico and Aspromonte in 1862 and in Rome in 1867 (animated by a
few faithful patriots, including Francesco Nullo and Francesco Cucchi), to
the participation in the third Italian war for independence (1866), which
involved Bergamo people not only from a military point of view, but also
from an assistential perspective thanks to the newly-born committee of
“Associazione italiana di soccorso pei soldati feriti e malati in tempo di
guerra” ( basically the future Red Cross).
The satirical cartoons of some newspapers clearly illustrate the strength of
the political debate that was going on at the time.
In the last part of the itinerary, the city and its province are presented
from a territorial and urbanistic perspective as well as from a social (public
and private welfare system and school system) and productive point of
view. With regard to production, in that period traditional activities and
equipment co-existed with the products of industrialisation: working tools
used in the fields or in the house symbolize the working class, while a
multimedia station describes the industrialisation process. The reproduction
of Porta Nuova, which represents the supremacy gained by the lower city
in the second half of the 19th century, plays host to documents and photos
featuring the electoral debate, the institutional symbols in urban places,
the rules on prices, the duties, the railway network, the celebration of
Risorgimento and the periodical press.
219
Museo storico di Bergamo - Bergamo
Museo dei Tasso e della
Storia Postale
Camerata Cornello - Historical Museum
-
Address
Via Cornello, 20 - 24010 Camerata Cornello
Tel. 0345.43479 / Fax 0345.43479 - 0345.42556
[email protected] / www.museodeitasso.com
Opening times
- January and February:
Saturday 14.00-17.00
Sunday 10.00-12.00 / 14.00-18.00
- from July to September:
from Wednesday to Friday
10.00-12.00 / 15.00-18.00
Saturday and Sunday
10.00-12.00 / 14.00-18.00
Closing days: Monday and Tuesday.
- remaining months:
from Wednesday to Saturday
14.00-17.00
Sunday 10.00-12.00 / 14.00-18.00
Closing days: Monday and Tuesday.
Admission fee for guided groups.
Bookshop
Publications and various material,
including educational material and
Museum publications.
Admission
Free of charge for single individuals.
220
Museo dei Tasso e della Storia Postale - Camerata Cornello
Historical notes
Cornello dei Tasso is easily reachable from San Giovanni Bianco. Before
taking the new gallery, one has to turn right, follow the old state highway
along the river and take a path 200 meters afterwards. This cobblestone
path leads to Cornello dei Tasso small historic centre, which still conserves
its original medieval structure. In the past the village was placed along
“Mercatorum road”, and was therefore the centre of trade with Valtellina,
Bergamo and Venice. The decline of such commercial road began at the end
of the 16th century, which is when the Republic of Venice, in an attempt
to increase trade with Valtellina, built a new valley road, the Priula, which
crossed the entire Val Brembana but no longer passed through Cornello.
The village was thus cut off from traffic. Its centuries of isolation helped
preserve the original layout of the village.
Cornello dei Tasso rises on a rocky spur (“corna” or “cornel” means
“rocky spur”) and is characterized by the superimposing of four levels of
buildings. In the lower part, a number of buildings are aligned horizontally,
overhanging the Brembo river, which shows the original fortified character
of the village. Between the first and the second level of building is the
layout of the old Mercatorum road, whose stone arcades and wooden beam
ceilings make the village unique.
The third level of building is wider and more diversified; it comprises
remarkable architectonic buildings as well as humble houses that preserve
their external old structure. Cipriano and Cornelio church dominates the
village. It was built on an original structure from the 11th century whose
ruins are still observable in the sacristy. Its elegant bell in Romanesque style
has got mullioned windows and an ogival on its façade.
Inside the Church is an interesting fresco cycle dating back to the 15th and
16th centuries, some of which have been attributed to the Baschenis family
from Averara. Of great interest are “The Miracle of Saint Jiles ” ( the patron
of blacksmiths) for the environments, dresses and working tools from the
15th century, “S.George”, “S.Agatha”, and “ The Adoration of the Magi”.
Cornello was the hometown of the Tasso family. They established a private
mail company which monopolised all postal services in Europe from the
14th century.
The Tasso family: men of letters and postmasters
The name Cornello is linked to the Tasso family. Even though the latter
is widely renowned only for its two men of letters who are Bernardo
Tasso and his son Torquato (author of “Jerusalem Delivered”), it can be
also considered as one of the first multinationals in Europe, given that for
centuries it had the monopoly of the postal services in Europe.
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Museo dei Tasso e della Storia Postale - Camerata Cornello
Initially the whole family took part in the foundation and management
of this company (Compagnia del Corrieri della Serenissima). After 1460,
some members of the Tasso family were put in charge of the Papal postal
services and carried out such a task until 1539. In the meantime other
family members, especially brothers Francesco and Janetto, undertook
on contract the Tirol postal services. The King of Spain Filippo I and the
Emperor Carlo V officialised such contract with a series of postal treaties.
This marked the beginning of a new, golden era for these people, who were
the postmasters of the Imperial posts for centuries.
Such role allowed the Tasso family to create a thick network of relations
with various European cities, which made them earn special privileges,
honours and coat of arms. In the 17th century the German branch of the
family, also known as Thurn und Taxis, attained princely rank.
The documents conserved in Bergamo archives confirm that the Tasso
family was originally from Cornello and that its first member was Omodeo.
Despite its complexity, the Tasso line unanimously managed to defend
his economic interests and family privileges. One of the most significant
documents is the will of Ruggero Tasso, who was the brother of the famous
Giovan Battista, Simone, Maffeo and Davide. They replaced their uncle
in the management of the Imperial postal services and organised them in
Germany, in Milan, in Spain and in Venice. After inaugurating the Imperial
postal services in Venice, Davide spent his last years in Cornello, in the
palace that still conserves the family coat of arms, decorated by an imperial
eagle.
Exhibition criteria
The Museum spans two estates, one of which is owned by the Town Hall,
while the other is a gratitious loan by the Province of Bergamo.
Once the visitor reaches the small square in front of the Church, he can
get to the Town Hall estate by going up some steps in local stone. The
first small room of the Town Hall building contains some documents,
materials, volumes, dissertations and old books about Bernardo and above
all Torquato Tasso. The room is dedicated to Mons. Daniele Rota, who
donated all the exhibited material. There are also the copy of a bronze bust
of Torquato Tasso, realised in plaster by Attilio Nani, and different editions
of “Jerusalem Delivered”.
In the second upper room are some documents concerning the postal
activity of the Tasso family in Bergamo,
Zogno, Bretto and the hamlet of Camerata Cornello. The same room
comprises a section dedicated to the history of the postal services after the
Tasso family; such section gathers material from the History Museum of
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Museo dei Tasso e della Storia Postale - Camerata Cornello
the Ministry of Communications in Rome.
Of particular interest are a stamping machine used in the post offices of the
Kingdom of Italy (1877 -1890), a Morse telegraph (1873) and a copy of the
first transmitting antenna device (1895), which Guglielmo Marconi used
for his experiments in Griffone Valley in Pontecchio.
On the ground floor is the audition room, which screens educational videos.
The estate belonging to Bergamo Province is used to welcome the visitors
and provide them with educational material.
Along the walls of the ground floor is a genealogical tree draft of the main
branches of the Tasso lineage. The most famous Tasso postmasters are
also represented (for instance, Francesco Tasso 1450-1517). The modern
methods they introduced are explored as well, such as the establishment
of ordinary rather than random connections among the most important
cities, stop stations every 20-25 kms for the change of the dispatch rider (a
man or a horse), well-defined travelling times, and prices depending on the
service.
Another section features the House of Absburg, which put some members
of the Tasso family in charge of various postal services.
The centre of the room is dominated by a copy of Penny Black, the first
postage stamp, which was issued in 1840 by Hill and that Angelo Bolaffi
donated to the Museum. There are also five stamps issued in Italy by the
Lombardo Veneto Kingdom and donated by Adriano Cattani.
At the entrance, the Bookshop showcases publications and educational
material produced by the Museum. On the upper floor, a series of
display cabinets exhibit some Tasso stamps as well as the history of
communications in various European countries.
The third room contains an interesting postal station model from Piemonte
from 1815 as well as James Van Der Linden's and Paolo Volmeier's
donations, which have enlarged the Museum throughout the years.
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Museo dei Tasso e della Storia Postale - Camerata Cornello
Museo Navale
"Ottorino Zibetti"
Caravaggio - Historical Museum
Address
Centro Civico S. Bernardino - Viale Papa Giovanni XXIII, 17 - 24043 Caravaggio
Tel. 0363.3561 / Fax 0363.350164
[email protected]
www.comune.caravaggio.bg.it/la_citta/museo_navale.asp
Opening times
Sunday 15.00-18.00
Admission
Free of charge.
Tours
Guided visits upon request
Tel. 0363.356213 (Cultural
Department).
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Museo Navale "Ottorino Zibetti" - Caravaggio
Historical notes
“Ottorino Zibetti” Maritime Museum was established in 1978 as a tribute
that Mrs Giuseppina Bietti paid to the memory of her deceased husband,
who was a naval pattern maker and a collector of “seaside relics”.
Successive donations enriched this collection. The Museum is located in
S.Bernardino Civic Centre, a previous convent which was restored by Arch.
Sandro Angelini in 1973 and which used to host the convent of the Order
of Friars Minor (1472).
Exhibition criteria
The only Museum room features scale-down reproductions of famous
sailing ships, historic relics, rare shells and a sea library. The various
pieces are arranged according to their use, provenance and construction
technique. The most interesting relics are the following: the propeller
of the M.A.S. X15 torpedo with which captain Luigi Rizzo defeated
“Santo Stefano” Austrian battleship on 10th June 1918; a corner of “the
red curtain” and some fragments of the gondola of the “Italia” airship run
by Umberto Nobile (donated by the radiotelegraphist of “Krassin”, the
Russian icebreaker); the commando of the “Baionetta” corvette with which
King Vittorio Emanuele II exiled on 9th September 1943; a precious relics
belonging to “Scirè” submarine; a very old English sextant, a rare gondola
“iron”, a helm wheel from the 16th century and a copper and bronze diving
suit from 1890.
Successive donations concerning ship models enriched such heritage with
faithful reproductions, including a model from “Amerigo Vespucci” naval
school, a Polish-style xebec, a Spanish frigate and models of submarines
and German and Dutch tug boats. On display are also some Roman wine
amphoras from Aquilea from the first century a.C., which the captain
of the Third Army, the Duke of Aosta, donated to the lieutenant general
Giuseppe Zibetti. The latter was the father of Eng. Ottorino, from whom
the Museum took its name. The interesting collection of corals, sponges,
sea fans, shells, sea animals and fossils represents a useful educational
section.
225
Museo Navale "Ottorino Zibetti" - Caravaggio
Museo Ricordi delle
Guerre
Grassobbio - Historical Museum
Address
Palazzo Belli - Via Roma, 46 - 24050 Grassobbio
Tel. 035.525314 / Fax 035.4241688
Opening times
Sunday (every last Saturday of the
month) 15.30-18.00
Other opening times can be agreed
over the phone.
Admission
Free of charge.
226
Museo Ricordi delle Guerre - Grassobbio
Historical notes
The Museum commemorates the participation of Grassobbio inhabitants in
the event of the 20th century; it is indeed exclusively dedicated to the local
people who died and fought during these conflicts. On display are wide and
bright showcases, documents, many of which are original and are dedicated
to the awards that were given to Grassobbio folk both for their valorous
acts during the conflicts (medals and crosses) and for the participation in
these events (certificates of knighthood). Such material was collected and
recovered thanks to a detailed and minutious research among the local
families.
Exhibition criteria
On each certificate is a picture of the document holder, so that the
personalities that brought prestige to the village are visually remembered
also. Among the relics, the flag of WWI fighters and the flag of those who
survived the German WWII concentration camps are worth a mention.
A photographic exhibition documents the main initiatives of the
Association, from its foundation to the present day.
Furthermore, a small library, which can be publicly consulted, has volumes
about the history of the war period, especially of WWII.
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Museo Ricordi delle Guerre - Grassobbio
Raccolta "Memoria della
Comunità"
Romano di Lombardia - Historical Museum
Address
Piazza Rocca,1 - 24058 Romano di Lombardia
Tel. 0363.982341 - 0363.912186 / Fax 0363.982337
[email protected] / www.comune.romano.bg.it
Opening times
Thursday, Saturday and Sunday
10.00-11.30
Closing day: the whole month of
August.
Admission
Free of charge.
Tours
In order to arrange guided visits,
please contact the Museum.
228
Raccolta "Memoria della Comunità" - Romano di Lombardia
Historical notes
In 1946 the Romano di Lombardia section of the “Combattenti e Reduci”
Association, and in particular secretary Pietro Garavelli, started gathering
militar relics from various wars and some photographs of the Roman fallen
soldiers. They intended to pay tribute to the fellow citizens who were killed
during one of the conflicts. Throughout the years, the collection has grown
so much that a small Shrine Museum was established in 1965 and that in
1991 it was moved to some rooms on the first floor of Viscontea fortress.
It was named “Community Memorial Museum”.
The fortress (la Rocca) is a massive, imposing 13th century castle, which
has been modified several times throughout the years. The changes have
produced a superimposition of architectural elements of different ages and
styles, which have regained their unity throughout the time.
The fortress has a quadrangular plant, four high towers at the corners and
crenellated walls. It is accessible through a portal protected by a tower
risalit; a masonry bridge has now replaced the portal drawbridge. Inside the
fortress are two courtyards called “big Court” and “Court of the Venetian
Chanchery”. The boardroom (“Big Hall”) and the chapel (“Small Church”)
are worth mentioning.
Exhibition criteria
The three connected rooms preserve a huge amount of material, which
has accumulated throughout the years and keeps on growing thanks to
donations.
The fourth room hosts the “Combattenti e Reduci” Association. The focus
is on military relics, such as a cross, uniforms, arms, bombs, helmets, prison
relics, letters, documents, plates, photos, personal and military documents of
captain Perrucchetti, who founded the Alpini (mountain warfare soldiers)
companies, a first-aid box from WWI equipped with all tools, a series of
tridimensional pictures of WWI.
229
Raccolta "Memoria della Comunità" - Romano di Lombardia
Museo Casa Ceresa
San Giovanni Bianco - Historical Museum
Address
Via G. Milesi, 1 - 24015 San Giovanni Bianco
Tel. 0345.43926 (Sig.ra Pedercini) / Fax 0345.43495
[email protected] / www.ceresa.info
Opening times
Groups and school groups should
book in advance.
Admission
Free of charge.
Tours
Guided visits upon reservation.
Bookshop
Brochures per itinerary, monography
about Giuseppe Milesi and
illustrative leaflets.
230
Museo Casa Ceresa - San Giovanni Bianco
Historical notes
Ceresa House, which became a Museum in 2007, forms part of the
“Brembo Renaissance” itinerary in that Carlo Ceresa, famous portraitist and
author of sacred altar pieces, was born in San Giovanni in 1609. Being both
the centre and the beginning of the itinerary, Ceresa House is strategically
positioned: situated along the Brembo river, alongside the Parish Church,
it is located in the oldest part of the village. During the recent restoration
of the building a study and archive room and a permanent exhibition
space have been created on the ground floor, while on the upper floor is a
vast exhibition room with wood truss ceiling that plays host to temporary
exhibitions.
Of particular value are the passages of the basement that overlook the
Brembo river next to the waters that activated the water-powered trip
hammers of the Zignoni forges. Since the restoration of these forges has
not been completed yet, here are represented some samplings of their
typical handmade productions, which from the Zignoni family has been
handed down from generation to generation until present times.
Exhibition criteria
Ceresa House is the starting point of the itinerary, which leads the visitor
through 16 canvases in 8 San Giovanni Bianco churches. Ceresa House,
enriched by the iconographies of its collected works and by the reviews
of the latters, represents an ideal point of reference for the studies on the
Ceresa family. The Museum also commemorates other artists from San
Giovanni, such as Boselli, Cariani, Gozzi, Steffani and the painter
Giuseppe Milesi.
The Museum also preserves an important community memory, namely
Salvetti fund. The latter documents the huge amount of archivistic sources
consulted by Salvetti while writing the historical monograph about San
Giovanni Bianco and its hamlets.
On the ground floor is a study centre; the upper floor proposes various
itineraries, where art exhibitions are periodically organized. In the basement
is Bepi Belotti collection, which comprises old iron objects and tools from
the late Middle Ages until now. Malanchini-Vacha paleontologic collection
and Luigi Redondi mineral collection, which were recently donated to the
Museum, also belong to Ceresa House heritage.
231
Museo Casa Ceresa - San Giovanni Bianco
Museo " Mons. Guglielmo
Carozzi"
Seriate - Historical Museum
Address
Via Venezian - 24068 Seriate
Tel. 035.294135 / Fax. 035.294135
Opening times
- May, June, July and September:
Sunday (the first and the third of the
month) 9.30-12.00
Admission
Free of charge.
Tours
It is possible to book off-hour visits.
232
Museo "Mons. Guglielmo Carozzi" - Seriate
Historical notes
The Museum was founded at the beginning of the thirties as a random
collection of finds and documents about the Seriate territory and its
inhabitants. This initiative was promoted by Ercole Piccinelli, President
of the “Combattenti” Association, who provided one of his estates (the
exhibition is still in the same place) and by the vice-president Guido
Pelliccioli.
This collection became a permanent Museum at a later stage and was
inaugurated on 28th September 1975. Thanks to the effort of a group of
volunteers, in 1995 president Cav. Dino Capelli managed to catalogue
all the exhibited objects and documents. He was also able to retrace their
history thanks to the personal memories of Seriate folk.
Exhibition criteria
The Museum, located on the first floor of the building in Venezia street and
to the left of the parish church façade, is composed of seven rooms.
Room 1
Room one is called “WWI room” in that it gathers relics concerning this
conflict. The most interesting materials are: a plate warmer used in the
fields, some uniforms, the pictures of a field hospital, decorations and
certificates of merit earned by Seriate people, the memoires of the main
personalities of that time (the Duke of Aosta, Cesare Battisti, Antonio
Locatelli, etc.), a tombstone with the names of Seriate fallen soldiers.
Room 2
In this room, called “Risorgimento room”, one can admire portraits of
some Garibaldi supporters, some manuscripts, royal proclamations, a letter
by Gabriele D’Annunzio and a collection of old tables of “Domenica del
Corriere”, featuring war episodes and braveries.
Room 3
The “ArchPriest room” is named after Mons. Guglielmo Carozzi, who has
been Seriare Archpriest for over 50 years. In a display cabinet, some sacred
furnishings and some clothes belonging to the priest can be admired.
Besides several photographs representing everyday life in Seriate with
Mons. Camozzi as a main character, are images recalling his friendship
with Pope Giovanni XXIII, who was one of his fellows in the seminary.
Room 4
The “Sport room” exhibits the photos and memoires of the sports
personalities that brought prestige to Seriate both on a national and
233
Museo "Mons. Guglielmo Carozzi" - Seriate
international scale. Of particular note is the collection of etchings which
painter Tasca donated to the Museum.
Room 5
The “room of the Personalities” conserves the portraits of some illustrious
and meritorious personalities from Seriate. Of particular note is a
photograph dating back to the beginning of the 20th century. In it is Seriate
bridge and its workshops that overlook the street and the parish church.
Room 6
In the so-called “Seriate room” are photographs commemorating the life
of some people from Seriate. It is considered as memoire room in that
the episodes and the people who made Seriate renowned are documented
through some images.
Room 7
Room 7 is dedicated to the Radici family, heir of Piccinelli Count. Like
room 6, it conserves some everyday life memories of Seriate. Among the
paintings, a self portrait by painter Angiolo Alebardi stands out.
234
Museo "Mons. Guglielmo Carozzi" - Seriate
Rifugio-Museo
"Malga Lunga"
Sovere - Historical Museum
Address
Loc. Malga Lunga (located at 1235 mt.) - 24060 Sovere
Tel. 035.981107 (Town Hall di Sovere) - 035.979326 (segretaria Museo)
Cell. 347.4763335 (Refuge)
Opening times
The external part of the Museum is
accessible, while the internal one
can be visited only in the scheduled
opening periods (Saturday, Sunday
and bank holidays, excluding the
months of December, January and
February).
long) until Teade di Valpiana hamlet.
One should then proceed on foot on
a path or paved road for about 15/20
minutes. A municipal authorisation
is needed in order to go by car from
Teade to Malga.
Tours
When the refuge is shut, visits
should be requested in advance.
Notes
It can be reached on foot from
Sovere, Gandino, Endine and
Ranzanico; by car one should start
from Gandino and follow a winding
but paved carriageable road (10 Kms
235
Rifugio-Museo "Malga Lunga" - Sovere
Historical notes
In 1979, Knight Gianni Radici donated the so-called “Malga Lunga”
building (in a pretty precarious state of conservation) to Sovere Town Hall.
Once restored by some Resistance fighters, the building became a mountain
hut and was inaugurated in September 1981. A small room is dedicated to
the “Resistance Museum” in remembrance of a tragic episode of
the Italian Resistance. The 53th “Garibaldi” partisan brigade guarded
the Malga Lunga area; on 17th November 1944, some detachments of
“Tagliamento” Brigade of Salò Republic encircled the 53th squat, captained
by Giorgio Paglia and quartered at Malga Lunga. After a battle, when the
ammunitions run out, partisans surrended. Two wounded men were killed
with a bayonet, while the others were transferred to Costa Volpino, where
they were shot. Giorgio Paglia managed to survive, however, after asking for
his fellow liberation, he was the first one to be shot.
When in October 2006, the National Association of Partisans of Italy of
the Bergamo province received “Malga Lunga” as a gratitious loan, the
estate was renovated. The renovations of the internal and external ground
floor have now concluded. The Mountain Hut houses the Museum of the
53th Garibaldi brigade; the second allotment will soon play host to the
Museum of Bergamo Resistance.
Exhibition criteria
The Museum of “Garibaldi” 53th Brigade is on the ground floor of Malga
Lunga and is accessible through the square. The Museum room conserves
the following: pictures of young fallen soldiers, the copies of the letters
they wrote to their families before dying; other photographs, some album
collections featuring personalities and episodes of the partisan war, the
documentation of the main military operations of the brigade. There are
also some posters of the time and the 53th Brigade publications. Part of
the room is dedicated to pictures of different stones, monuments and
tombstones related to the Resistance in that area.
236
Museo "Mons. Guglielmo Carozzi" - Seriate
Museo del Soldato
Zogno - Historical Museum
Address
Via Cesare Battisti, 31 - 24019 Zogno
Tel. 0345.92221 / Fax 0345.91223
[email protected] / [email protected]
Opening times
Upon request.
Admission
Free of charge.
Tours
Guided visits should be booked by
phoning the Group Manager: Mobile.
338.6374668 or the Secretary:
Mobile. 347.0303760
237
Museo del Soldato - Zogno
Historical notes
The Alpini group from Zogno dedicated a wide space of their renovated
building to a small Museum gathering military relics and finds from the
20th century.
In the room are some hats, helmets, bayonets, mess kits, rifles, while on the
walls are old skis, snow shoes, rucksacks; this material represents the hard
life of Alpini on the mountain. On display are also some uniforms, cloaks,
old photos and a huge volume containing all the names of the Lombard
soldiers who fell during WWI (1915/18).
The Museum is constantly growing thanks to various donations.
238
Museo del Soldato - Zogno
General
index
Letters of index
Bergamo
Accademia Carrara Pinacoteca ......................................................................................................... p.19
Civico Museo Archeologico di Bergamo ......................................................................................... 11
GAMeC Galleria d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea ............................................................. 21
Museo Civico di Scienze Naturali "Enrico Caffi" .................................................................. 171
Museo Diocesano Adriano Bernareggi ............................................................................................. 24
Museo Donizettiano ........................................................................................................................................ 141
Museo Matris Domini ......................................................................................................................................... 27
Museo storico di Bergamo ....................................................................................................................... 215
Orto Botanico di Bergamo "Lorenzo Rota" ............................................................................... 176
Albino
Museo Etnografico della Torre (Comenduno) ........................................................................ p.95
MBPM Museo Beata Pierina Morosini (Fiobbio) ................................................................... 144
Raccolte Civiche di Storia e Arte ........................................................................................................... 29
Almenno San Bartolomeo
Museo del Falegname ................................................................................................................................ p. 98
Alzano Lombardo
Museo d'Arte Sacra "San Martino" ................................................................................................. p.31
Le Sagrestie della Basilica di San Martino ................................................................................... 34
Ardesio
Museo Etnografico Alta Valle Seriana ........................................................................................ p.101
Calcio
Civica Raccolta d'Arte Contemporanea "Egidio Lazzarini" ..................................... p.41
Museo della Fotografia e della Cinematografia ..................................................................... 146
Percorso Muri Dipinti ..................................................................................................................................... 203
Camerata Cornello
Museo dei Tasso e della Storia Postale
...................................................................................
p.220
Caprino Bergamasco
Museo di Storia Naturale "Don Bernardino Gavazzeni" (Celana)
.....................
p.179
Caravaggio
Pinacoteca Civica ........................................................................................................................................... p.43
Museo Navale "Ottorino Zibetti" ......................................................................................................... 224
Casazza
Museo della Valle Cavallina ................................................................................................................. p.104
Castione della Presolana
Museo del Mulino
.........................................................................................................................................
p.107
Cene
Parco Paleontologico di Cene ........................................................................................................... p.182
Clusone
MAT - Museo Arte Tempo Città di Clusone
..............................................................................
p.45
Dalmine
Museo del Presepio (Brembo)
...........................................................................................................
p.148
Fornovo San Giovanni
Museo Civico Archeologico
...................................................................................................................
p.14
Gandino
Museo della Basilica di Gandino ...................................................................................................... p.50
Museo della Basilica di Gandino-sez. Presepi ..................................................................... 151
Museo della Basilica di Gandino-sez. Tessile ......................................................................... 155
Grassobbio
Museo Ricordi delle Guerre
................................................................................................................
p.226
.........................................................................................................................................
p.157
Leffe
Museo del Tessile
Lovere
Accademia di Belle Arti Tadini ............................................................................................................. p.54
Museo Civico di Scienze Naturali "Alessio Amighetti" ................................................... 184
Luzzana
Museo d'Arte Contemporanea di Luzzana - Donazione Meli
p.57
..................................
Nembro
MUPIC Museo delle Pietre Coti Val Seriana
.........................................................................
p.109
Oltre il Colle
Museo dei Minerali e della Miniera (Zorzone)
.....................................................................
p.187
.....................................................................................................................................
p.111
..................................................................................................................................................
p.113
Oneta
Museo Etnografico
Ponte Nossa
Maglio Museo
Pontida
Museo del Monastero di Pontida
......................................................................................................
p.60
Pradalunga
Laboratorio Museo Pietre Coti Ligato Fratelli
..................................................................
p.115
Presezzo
Palazzo Furietti Carrara
.............................................................................................................................
p.62
Romano di Lombardia
Collezione Anita e Rinaldo Pigola .................................................................................................... p.64
MACS - Museo d'Arte e Cultura Sacra ............................................................................................. 66
Museo "Giovan Battista Rubini" .......................................................................................................... 159
Raccolta "Memoria della Comunità" ............................................................................................... 228
Rovetta
Casa Museo Fantoni
....................................................................................................................................
p.69
San Giovanni Bianco
Museo Casa Ceresa ................................................................................................................................... p.230
Museo Casa di Arlecchino (Oneta) ........................................................................................................ 72
San Pellegrino Terme
Museo Brembano di Scienze Naturali
.......................................................................................
p.189
Sarnico
Museo Civico "Gianni Bellini"
.............................................................................................................
p. 75
Schilpario
Museo di Minerali e Cristalli (Pradella) .................................................................................... p. 192
Museo Etnografico ........................................................................................................................................... 118
Parco Minerario Ing. Andrea Bonicelli ............................................................................................ 121
Seriate
Museo "Mons. Guglielmo Carozzi"
..............................................................................................
p.232
Sotto il Monte Giovanni XXIII
Camaitino - Casa dei ricordi di Papa Giovanni XXIII
....................................................
p.161
Pinacoteca Giovanni XXIII
.........................................................................................................................
163
Sovere
Rifugio - Museo "Malga Lunga"
......................................................................................................
p.235
Torre Pallavicina
Museo della Civiltà Contadina (Villanuova) ........................................................................... p.124
Treviglio
Archivio Storico SAME-Museo Storico SAME ................................................................... p.165
Museo Civico "Ernesto e Teresa Della Torre" ............................................................................. 78
Museo Scientifico "Explorazione" ..................................................................................................... 211
Urgnano
Museo e Villaggio Africano (Basella) ........................................................................................... p.126
Valtorta
Museo Civico Etnografico Alta Valle Brembana ................................................................ p.129
Verdello
Museo del Territorio "La Fabbrica sul Viale"
.......................................................................
p.132
Vertova
Museo "Santa Maria Assunta" ............................................................................................................. p.81
Pinacoteca Comunale ...................................................................................................................................... 84
Villa d'Almè
Museo di Scienze Naturali "Severo Sini"
................................................................................
p.194
Vilminore di Scalve
Arboreto Alpino Gleno .............................................................................................................................. p.196
Museo Faunistico .............................................................................................................................................. 198
Percorso Museale ............................................................................................................................................. 205
Zanica
Museo d'Arte Sacra San Nicolò
.........................................................................................................
p.86
Zogno
Museo del Soldato ........................................................................................................................................ p.237
Museo della Valle ............................................................................................................................................... 136
Museo di San Lorenzo Martire .................................................................................................................. 89
Thematic index
Archeological Museums
Bergamo
Civico Museo Archeologico di Bergamo
....................................................................................
p.11
...................................................................................................................
p.14
Fornovo San Giovanni
Museo Civico Archeologico
Art Museums
Bergamo
Accademia Carrara Pinacoteca ......................................................................................................... p.19
GAMeC Galleria d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea ............................................................ 21
Museo Diocesano Adriano Bernareggi ............................................................................................. 24
Museo Matris Domini ......................................................................................................................................... 27
Albino
Raccolte Civiche di Storia e Arte
....................................................................................................
p.29
Alzano Lombardo
Museo d'Arte Sacra "San Martino" ................................................................................................ p.31
Le Sagrestie della Basilica di San Martino .................................................................................. 34
Calcio
Civica Raccolta d'Arte Contemporanea "Egidio Lazzarini"
....................................
p.41
...........................................................................................................................................
p.43
Caravaggio
Pinacoteca Civica
Clusone
MAT - Museo Arte Tempo Città di Clusone
............................................................................
p.45
......................................................................................................
p.50
............................................................................................................
p.54
Gandino
Museo della Basilica di Gandino
Lovere
Accademia di Belle Arti Tadini
Luzzana
Museo d'Arte Contemporanea di Luzzana - Donazione Meli
.................................
p.57
......................................................................................................
p.60
.............................................................................................................................
p.62
Pontida
Museo del Monastero di Pontida
Presezzo
Palazzo Furietti Carrara
Romano di Lombardia
Collezione Anita e Rinaldo Pigola ................................................................................................... p.64
MACS - Museo d'Arte e Cultura Sacra ............................................................................................. 66
Rovetta
Casa Museo Fantoni
.....................................................................................................................................
p.69
San Giovanni Bianco
Museo Casa di Arlecchino (Oneta)
...................................................................................................
p.72
..............................................................................................................
p.75
Sarnico
Museo Civico "Gianni Bellini"
Treviglio
Museo Civico "Ernesto e Teresa Della Torre"
........................................................................
p.78
Vertova
Museo "Santa Maria Assunta" ............................................................................................................. p.81
Pinacoteca Comunale ...................................................................................................................................... 84
Zanica
Museo d'Arte Sacra San Nicolò
........................................................................................................
p.86
Zogno
Museo di San Lorenzo Martire ........................................................................................................... p.89
Ethnographic Museums
Albino
Museo Etnografico della Torre (Comenduno)
........................................................................
p.95
Almenno San Bartolomeo
Museo del Falegname ................................................................................................................................. p.98
Ardesio
Museo Etnografico Alta Valle Seriana ........................................................................................ p.101
Casazza
Museo della Valle Cavallina ................................................................................................................. p.104
Castione della Presolana
Museo del Mulino
.........................................................................................................................................
p.107
Nembro
MUPIC Museo delle Pietre Coti Val Seriana
.......................................................................
p.109
.....................................................................................................................................
p.111
..................................................................................................................................................
p.113
Oneta
Museo Etnografico
Ponte Nossa
Maglio Museo
Pradalunga
Laboratorio Museo Pietre Coti Ligato Fratelli
....................................................................
p.115
Schilpario
Museo Etnografico ...................................................................................................................................... p.118
Parco Minerario Ing. Andrea Bonicelli ............................................................................................ 121
Torre Pallavicina
Museo della Civiltà Contadina (Villanuova)
..........................................................................
p.124
..........................................................................................
p.126
Urgnano
Museo e Villaggio Africano (Basella)
Valtorta
Museo Civico Etnografico Alta Valle Brembana ................................................................ p.129
Verdello
Museo del Territorio "La Fabbrica sul Viale"
.......................................................................
p.132
..........................................................................................................................................
p.136
Zogno
Museo della Valle
Monothematic Museums
Bergamo
Museo Donizettiano
...................................................................................................................................
p.141
Albino
MBPM Beata Pierina Morosini (Fiobbio) .................................................................................. p.144
Calcio
Museo della Fotografia e della Cinematografia
................................................................
p.146
Dalmine
Museo del Presepio (Brembo)
...........................................................................................................
p.148
Gandino
Museo della Basilica di Gandino-sez. Presepi .................................................................. p.151
Museo della Basilica di Gandino-sez. Tessile ......................................................................... 155
Leffe
Museo del Tessile
.........................................................................................................................................
p.157
Romano di Lombardia
Museo "Giovan Battista Rubini"
.....................................................................................................
p.159
Sotto il Monte Giovanni XXIII
Camaitino - Casa dei ricordi di Papa Giovanni XXIII ................................................... p.161
Pinacoteca Giovanni XXIII ......................................................................................................................... 163
Treviglio
Archivio Storico SAME-Museo Storico SAME
...................................................................
p.165
Naturalistic Museums
Bergamo
Museo Civico di Scienze Naturali "Enrico Caffi" .............................................................. p.171
Orto Botanico di Bergamo "Lorenzo Rota" ................................................................................. 176
Caprino Bergamasco
Museo di Storia Naturale "Don Bernardino Gavazzeni"(Celana)
...........
pag. 179
Cene
Parco Paleontologico di Cene ......................................................................................................... p.182
Lovere
Museo Civico di Scienze Naturali "Alessio Amighetti"
...........................................
p.184
....................................................................
p.187
........................................................................................
p.189
Oltre il Colle
Museo dei Minerali e della Miniera (Zorzone)
San Pellegrino Terme
Museo Brembano di Scienze Naturali
Schilpario
Museo di Minerali e Cristalli (Pradella)
...................................................................................
p.192
Villa d'Almè
Museo di Scienze Naturali "Severo Sini"
...............................................................................
p.194
Vilminore di Scalve
Arboreto Alpino Gleno .............................................................................................................................. p.196
Museo Faunistico .............................................................................................................................................. 198
Museum Itineraries
Calcio
Percorso Muri Dipinti
................................................................................................................................
p.203
Vilminore di Scalve
Percorso Museale
........................................................................................................................................
p.205
Science Museums
Treviglio
Museo Scientifico "Explorazione"
................................................................................................
p.211
Historical Museums
Bergamo
Museo storico di Bergamo
...................................................................................................................
p.215
Camerata Cornello
Museo dei Tasso e della Storia Postale
....................................................................................
p.220
....................................................................................................
p.224
Caravaggio
Museo Navale "Ottorino Zibetti"
Grassobbio
Museo Ricordi delle Guerre
..............................................................................................................
p.226
Romano di Lombardia
Raccolta "Memoria della Comunità"
.........................................................................................
p.228
..................................................................................................................................
p.230
San Giovanni Bianco
Museo Casa Ceresa
Seriate
Museo "Mons. Guglielmo Carozzi"
..............................................................................................
p.232
.....................................................................................................
p.235
Sovere
Rifugio - Museo "Malga Lunga"
Zogno
Museo del Soldato ........................................................................................................................................ p.237
Bergamo Province
Giorgio Bonassoli, Councillor Tourism & Economic Development
Giovanni Milesi, Councillor Entertainment, Arts & Culture
Texts
Texts edited by the Museum Managers
English traslation
By Tiziana Bertuletti - Bergamo University
Photographs
Museum photo archives and the photo archive of Bergamo Province
Publishing coordination
Mariagrazia Frescura, Giuseppina Di Salvo and Danila Bresciani,
Bergamo Province
Multiconsult S.r.l. - Bergamo
Editing
Ornella Previtali - Bergamo Province
Graphic design and layout
Multiconsult S.r.l. - Bergamo
Printed by
CPZ S.p.A. - Costa di Mezzate
A special thanks goes to the Museum Managers and Curators and to the
Territorial Development Managers.
Sponsored by
copyright © 2011 Bergamo Province