Palazzo della Libertà

Palazzo della Libertà is a palace in Bergamo, located in the homonymous square, in the modern part of the city, Città Bassa.

SHORT HISTORY

Palazzo della Libertà was built between 1937 and 1940 on a project by Alziro Bergonzo, to become the local headquarters of the National Fascist Party. The palace was named Casa Littoria and dedicated to Antonio Locatelli, airplane pilot in the First World War.

The palace was inaugurated on October 28, 1939, the anniversary of the March on Rome of 1922, when Benito Mussolini came to power.

The basement of Casa Littoria was used as a prison during the Republic of Salò, that existed between September 1943 and May 1945. After April 25, 1945, the palace housed the headquarters of the National Liberation Committee.

The property passed to the State, and various public offices were housed there. Today, it houses the Prefecture, the offices of the Court, the State Forestry Corps and various offices of the Municipality.

ART AND ARCHITECTURE

Palazzo della Libertà has a parallelepiped shape, entirely covered with Zandobbio marble.

The main facade, overlooking the square, consists of an imposing portico of twelve giant pillars, holding an architrave bearing the dedication to Antonio Locatelli. In front of each column, there is a copper lamp.

The central access to the palace is surmounted by a balcony for public speeches, equipped with a mobile copper podium. The ceiling of the pronaos is decorated by circular elements. The roof is completely flat.

Above the main portal, there is a frieze with eight bas-relief panels, work of the sculptor Leone Lodi.

Inside, after the access staircase, you enter the monumental atrium, originally illuminated by stained glass windows and a skylight. Here, on the wall that separates it from the former hall of the old guard, there is the Heroic life of Antonio Locatelli, painted in 1940 by Antonio Giuseppe Santagata.

The works of Contardo Barbieri, Arnaldo Campanetti, Gianfilippo Usellini and the sculptures of Nino Galizzi and Edoardo Villa are also kept in the palace.

HOW TO GET THERE

Palazzo della Libertà is located about 1 kilometer away from the Bergamo railway station. The closest bus stop, Piazza della Libertà, is located in front of the palace, on the bus Line C.