Visconti Citadel (Bergamo)

Visconti Citadel (Bergamo)
Cittadella Viscontea di Bergamo
Lombardia, Northern Italy
The tower at the entrance of the Citadel (Torre della Campanella)
Visconti Citadel (Bergamo)
Coordinates	45°42′20″N 9°39′33″E / 45.70556°N 9.65917°E / 45.70556; 9.65917
Type	Citadel
Site information
Owner	Bergamo municipality
Open to the public	Yes
Condition	Good
Site history
Built	14th century
Built by	Bernabò Visconti
Materials	Bricks, Stone

The Visconti Citadel of Bergamo is a medieval fortification in Bergamo, Lombardy, northern Italy. It was built in the 14th century by the Visconti of Milan and later expanded by the Colleoni of Bergamo. It lies in the western sector of Bergamo's Città Alta (Upper Town).^[1]

History

In 1355, Bernabò Visconti initiated the construction of the Citadel to consolidate his power over Bergamo.^[2] The Citadel incorporated a pre-existing fortress and part of the nearby medieval walls. It belonged to the defensive system of the Città Alta of Bergamo, strengthening the western sector on San Giovanni Hill and integrating the fortification in the eastern sector on Sant'Eufemia Hill. The Citadel comprised an enclosure fortified with towers. It was closed to the north by the Hospitio Magnum, the seat of a military garrison.^[1]

Under the Venetian domination, the defensive strategy of Bergamo was modified, and the Citadel's role changed. No longer needed as a fortress, the Citadel was abandoned and put up for sale in lots. This transition caused the obliteration of the original Visconti structure, marking a significant shift in the Citadel's history.^[1]

In 1958, restorations began, reasserting the Citadel's historical importance. The surviving parts of the ancient fortified nucleus of La Crotta, including the imposing Adalberto tower, were recovered. The Hospitio Magnum building, the arched

The Citadel hosts municipal services with social and cultural interest, such as the La Crotta public garden, the Civic Museum of Natural Sciences, the Civic Archaeological Museum, the Pocket Theater, the Institute of Geology, and the Montessori Center.[1]

References

Sources

• Conti, Flavio; Hybsch, Vincenzo; Vincenti, Antonello (1993). I castelli della Lombardia. Provincie di Bergamo e Brescia (in Italian). Novara: Istituto Geografico de Agostini.
  OCLC 635677243
  .
• Vincenti, Antonello (1981). I Castelli viscontei e sforzeschi (in Italian). Milano: Rusconi Libri S.p.A. Immagini.
  OCLC 8446824
  .

• Cittadella viscontea – complesso, Bergamo (BG)
• Visit Bergamo, Bergamo official tourism website – Cittadella Viscontea