SENTIERONE, Sentierone

The Sentierone is the place in Lower Bergamo where the locals meet up, take a stroll, go shopping and spend their leisure time.

Built where the renowned eighteenth-century fair area used to be, it has the same vibrant atmosphere of a place to meet, do business and socialize, and indeed frequently hosts all sorts of events, with lively stalls adding extra vitality to the city center throughout the year.

Take a walk along the bright archways of the Quadriportico, with its marble inlay work, and savor a taste of local life: you’ll find restaurants, boutiques and shops of all kinds. You’ll have the chance to admire delightful little corners and side streets, as you take a leisurely stroll around. And before you move on, why not treat yourself to a coffee or an aperitif in one of the bars and cafés that enliven this part of the city?

If you’re a fan of music or theater, just cross the street, where you’ll find the famous opera house named after the great composer from Bergamo, Gaetano Donizetti.

The Sentierone was built in 1620, but at the beginning of the 20th century, the area was entirely rebuilt based on the project by the architect Marcello Piacentini. By building the Quadriportico, Piacentini transformed the existing avenue running along the main axis of what has since been known as the Centro Piacentiniano, a set of elegant buildings that today form the heart of the Lower Town.

Now press pause and move on to the adjacent Piazza Vittorio Veneto.

The square is dominated by the austere façades of the banks and the obelisk dedicated to Napoleon. The tower you can see is dedicated to the Fallen, and it is the modern-day symbol of the city. Its construction in stone, ideally linking it with the towers in Upper Bergamo, definitively marked the move of the political and administrative center of the city to Lower Bergamo.

If you climb to the top of the 45-meter-high tower, you’ll be rewarded with an extraordinary view!

Before I go, an interesting fact: in 1998, there was a direct line between nearby Piazza Dante with the Maternity ward of the city’s hospital. Parents were invited to press a button each time a child was born, and when the street lights in the square lit up more brightly, it meant that a new baby had come into the world!