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BERGAMO (anc. Bergomum)

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Originally appearing in Volume V03, Page 772 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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BERGAMO (anc. Bergomum) , a See also:city and episcopal see of See also:Lombardy, See also:Italy, See also:capital of the See also:province of Bergamo, situated at the See also:foot of the See also:Alps, at the junction of the Brembo and Serio, 331 M. N.E. of See also:Milan by See also:rail, and 26 m. See also:direct. Pop. (1901) See also:town, 25,425; See also:commune, 46,861. The town consists of two distinct parts, the older Citta Alta, upon a See also:hill 1200 ft. above See also:sea-level, strongly fortified by the Venetians, and the new town (Citta See also:Bassa) below, the two being connected by a funicular railway. The most interesting See also:building of the former is the See also:fine Romanesque See also:church of S. Maria See also:Maggiore, founded in 1137 and completed in 1355, with a See also:baroque interior and some interesting See also:works of See also:art. Adjoining it to the See also:north is the Cappella See also:Colleoni, with a richly sculptured polychrome See also:facade, and a modernized interior, containing the fine tombs of Bartolommeo Colleoni (c. 1400-1475), a native of Bergamo, and his daughter See also:Medea. The See also:work was executed in 1470-1476 by Giovanni See also:Antonio Amadeo, who was also employed at the Certosa di See also:Pavia. The See also:market-See also:place (now Piazza See also:Garibaldi) contains the See also:Gothic Palazzo Vecchio or Broletto; See also:close by are the See also:cathedral (1614) and a small See also:baptistery of 1340, rebuilt in 1898.

The See also:

lower town contains an important picture-See also:gallery, consisting of three collections of works of north See also:Italian masters, one of which was bequeathed in 1891 by the art critic Giovanni See also:Morelli. Bergamo has fine See also:modern buildings and numerous See also:silk and See also:cotton factories. It also has a considerable See also:cattle market, though its yearly Fiera di S. Alessandro (the See also:patron See also:saint) has lost some of its importance. See also:Railways radiate from it to See also:Lecco, See also:Ponte della Selva, Usmate (for See also:Monza or Seregno), Treviglio (on the See also:main See also:line from Milan to See also:Verona and See also:Venice) and (via Rovato) to See also:Brescia, and See also:steam tramways to Treviglio, Sarnico and See also:Soncino. The See also:ancient Bergomum was the centre of the tribe of the Orobii; it became, after their subjection to See also:Rome, a See also:Roman See also:municipality with a considerable territory, and after its destruction by See also:Attila, became the capital of a Lombard duchy. From 1264 to 1428 it was under Milan, but then became Venetian, and remained so until 1797. Remains of the Roman city are not visible above ground, but various discoveries made are recorded by G. Mantovani in Not. Scay., 1890, 25. (T.

End of Article: BERGAMO (anc. Bergomum)

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