Palazzo Nuovo

Palazzo Nuovo is a beautiful palace in Bergamo, located in the upper part of the city, Città Alta, on the northern side of the Piazza Vecchia, across the square from the Palazzo della Ragione.

The palace currently houses the Angelo Mai Civic Library, one of the most important historic preservation institutions in Italy, with over 677,000 volumes, 2,200 incunabula and 16,800 manuscripts.

SHORT HISTORY

Palazzo Nuovo, as it was called in contrast to the Palazzo Vecchio (Palazzo della Ragione), was built by the architect Vincenzo Scamozzi to house the city’s town hall.

The construction of the palace began in the early 17th century, and was definitively completed only in 1958 with the placing of six statues, works of the sculptor Tobia Vescovi, on the facade overlooking the Piazza Vecchia.

The access loggia, which lightens the facade, was designed by the architect Andrea Ceresola, who was also responsible for the reconstruction of the Palazzo Ducale in Genoa.

The white marble facade was built in 1928 by the architect Ernesto Pirovano, who took into account the initial project of Scamozzi.

The Angelo Mai Civic Library, which was initially housed in the Palazzo della Ragione, was transferred in 1928 to the Palazzo Nuovo.

ART AND ARCHITECTURE

The facade of the palace develops on two superimposed orders, with a small mezzanine on top. The first order is characterized by the arches of the loggia, while the second by a series of nine windows that open behind an elegant balustrade. Both the windows of the second order and the arches of the loggia are enclosed by overlapping Doric columns.

From the loggia, we pass to the atrium, built in Neoclassical style, adorned with marble and commemorative headstones. Among the most significant ornamental works in the atrium are the so-called Colonna Camozzi, a lectern carved in the shape of a tree with the coats of arms of Bergamo and Brescia, the marble bust of the poet Paolina Secco Suardo, the marble bust of Jacopo da Calepio, the bust of Bartolomeo Colleoni and other lesser-known ones.

The interior is decorated with grotesque and allegorical frescoes by Pietro Baschenis.

HOW TO GET THERE

The closest bus station is in Piazza Mercato Scarpe, about 290 meters away, on the bus Lines 1 and 3. In the Piazza Mercato Scarpe, there is also the Funicular to Città Basa. To find the palace on foot, use the map below.