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Bergamo is a land of faith and culture. Between the last strip of the Lombard plain and the chain of the Alps, Bergamo is a land of great religiosity, rich in a historical, artistic and cultural heritage that has been splendidly preserved even in the smallest towns.
Since the Middle Ages, pilgrims from all over Europe have trod the Roman roads driven by faith to reach Rome and Jerusalem. One of these roads crosses Bergamo, the Via Palmaria or Burdigalense, skirting the numerous castles and sanctuaries.
In the province of Bergamo there are 106 Marian Itineraries dedicated to Our Lady. Some are well-known such as the Sanctuary of Caravaggio, others are known only in the region such as the Sanctuary of the Madonna della Cornabusa in the Imagna Valley, or that of the Blessed Virgin of Graces in Ardesio, in the Seriana Valley.
Itineraries in the footsteps of Pope John XXIII
A religious itinerary through the Bergamo area can only start from the birthplace of the good Pope: Sotto Il Monte. You can walk in his footsteps by visiting the birthplace of Pope John, where he was born on November 25, 1881, in a typical peasant farmhouse still preserved today in its dignified poverty.
Not far away is S. Maria in Brusicco, where Angelo Roncalli received Baptism and celebrated his first Mass there. Worthy of a visit then is Cà Maitino; here the bishop and later Cardinal Roncalli spent his holidays. Now it is a house museum, where you can admire frescoes, paintings and gifts received from the Pontiff or Rome and during his numerous assignments. Very special is also the Tower of St. John, an ancient watchtower dear to the memory of Pope John, who often climbed it.
In Fontanella, a small hamlet of Sotto il Monte, stands the Abbey of Sant'Egidio, a jewel of Romanesque art of the tenth century still magnificently preserved, surrounded by greenery and the quiet of woods and vineyards. An oasis of peace and tranquility, it houses the Center for Ecumenical Studies founded by Father David M. Turoldo.
Continuing our journey, not to be missed is the Sanctuary of the Madonna del Bosco in Imbersago, on the banks of the Adda. On August 29, 1954, the patriarch of Venice, Cardinal Angelo Roncalli, the future Pope John XXIII, crowned the simulacrum of the Virgin and Child.
To find another place very dear to the Pope, you have to move to the heart of the Imagna Valley, where on the slopes of a mountain in the hamlet of Cepino di Sant'Omobono Imagna stands the Sanctuary of the Madonna della Cornabusa carved out of a natural cave.
It is one of Bishop Angelo Roncalli's favorite places of prayer. It is a natural cave in which a statuette of Our Lady of Sorrows is kept, found at the beginning of the 1500s by a deaf-mute shepherdess who miraculously recovered after the discovery.
Mariani itineraries in Bergamo and surroundings
Let's start from the city of Bergamo with the Sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin of Sorrows in Borgo Santa Caterina, which was born from popular devotion back in 1597. The first stone was laid on July 11, 1603.
From the historic center of the city we pass on the outskirts to the Sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin of the Chestnut (via Fontana 13), which still presents itself in its sixteenth-century structure.
On the outskirts of Bergamo, in the direction of the Imagna and Brembana Valleys, not far away, stands the Sanctuary of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin in the municipality of Sombreno, where a mammoth rib found in the surrounding clayey soil is preserved, initially venerated as a relic.
While in the direction of Treviglio, in the countryside around Stezzano there is the Sanctuary of the Madonna dei Campi. According to tradition, there was a chapel with the image of the Madonna, to which the peasants were very devoted. One day eight centuries ago, a woman saw a great light and the Madonna and Child appeared to her.
Marian itineraries in the Brembana Valley
In Val Serina in Algua there is the Sanctuary of the Madonna del Perello, one of the oldest in the Bergamo area; the first church dates back to 1413, the year in which the Madonna appeared to a farmer. Continuing along the valley in San Giovanni Bianco is the Sanctuary of the Madonna della Costa. It is the most popular sanctuary in the Brembana Valley and its origins date back to the fifteenth century.
Passing through the Taleggio Valley, in the Brembuilla Valley in Gerosa, in a valley reachable via a mule track, in a secluded position, there is the Sanctuary of the Madonna della Foppa, built in the sixteenth century following a miraculous event.
Marian itineraries in the Bergamo plain
The most famous Sanctuary in the whole Bergamo area is undoubtedly the Sanctuary of Santa Maria del Fonte in Caravaggio, a destination for continuous pilgrimages not only from our country. The grandiose complex, commissioned by St. Charles Borromeo and built in the sixteenth century by the architect Pellegrino Tibaldi (1527-1596), stands on the sacred place where in 1432 the Madonna appeared to a local young girl. On the site of the miracle sprang a spring from which millions of faithful draw today.
Not far from Caravaggio in Treviglio stands the Sanctuary of the Madonna delle Lacrime. Founded in 1619, it celebrates the miracle that took place in 1522, when the French troops, who were supposed to put the city to the sword, were stopped by an image of the Madonna crying. General Lautrec, leader of the French, was hit to the point that he canceled the attack and left his sword and helmet in that place, which are still preserved inside the Sanctuary today.
Also in the Bergamo plain, in Urgnano, there is the Sanctuary of the Basella built in memory of an apparition of the Madonna that took place in 1356. Around 1460, Bartolomeo Colleoni , the leader, provided for an expansion of the church.
Marian itineraries in the Seriana Valley
In Ardesio stands the Sanctuary of the Madonna delle Grazie. The church, located in the center of Ardesio, was built to commemorate the miracle that took place on June 23, 1607 when the Virgin appeared to two girls. The miracle was renewed and a canonical process began: in the place of the apparition the inhabitants of Ardesio then built a church.
The Sanctuary of San Patrizio, located on a hill near Colzate, visible along the Seriana Valley between Vertova and Casnigo, contains an ancient church of the late thirteenth century. Isolated on sheer walls so as to look like an ancient fortress, the sanctuary was built starting in 1580 and completed about twenty years later.
While halfway between the town of Pradalunga and the ancient stone quarries is the Sanctuary of the Forcella whose name derives from the place of passage on the famous ancient Mercatorum road. During the plague of 1630, the inhabitants of Pradalunga vowed to build a sanctuary on the Colle della Forcella, dedicated to the Madona della Neve.
The Sanctuary of the Madonna del Frassino in Oneta, located in front of the Alben Rocks, dates back to the very early 1500s, in Val del Riso. The Sanctuary houses, inside, the statuary group that recalls the miracle that took place on July 2, one of the early 1500s, when, according to tradition, a spring gushed on the place where it stands today that cured a shepherdess from the eye disease that disturbed her.
Going down towards Bergamo you will find the Sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin of Altino, which stands in the hamlet of Vallalta in Albino. Devotion has it that in the place where the Sanctuary stands, the Madonna, in 1946, appeared to a thirsty man and a living gush of water gushed from a rock.
In Nembro there is the Sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin of Zuccarello, which stands on a hill above the town. The church is built on the ruins of a castle in the early 1500s to enclose an ancient and venerated Marian image.
Marian Sanctuaries in Val Camonica and Valle Imagna
The best known Sanctuary is the one dedicated to the Madonna della Torre in Sovere. The main altar, in polychrome marble, modeled and decorated with inlay by Fantoni, is surmounted in the center by the small tribune with the fresco depicting the Madonna.
The Sanctuary of the Madonna del Castello in Almenno San Salvatore was built in the sixteenth century overlooking the Brembo river on the site of an ancient castle, dominates a wide view and is leaning against the ancient Parish Church of San Salvatore (VII century), one of the best preserved of the entire Bergamo pre-Romanesque.
The great masterpieces of art in Bergamo and its province
Let's start from Bergamo and point out among the great masterpieces in the province of Bergamo the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in the heart of the Upper Town. Built in the twelfth century as a vow to the Virgin, the Basilica has preserved the original Romanesque structure on the outside.
The layout is in the shape of a Greek cross, but the interior, modified in the '500 and '600, is sumptuous; among the works of great value we have the choir stalls and the inlays of the iconostasis, which depict biblical stories, made in the first half of the sixteenth century to a design by Lorenzo Lotto by the master carvers G. F. Capoferri and G. Belli.
Details of Lorenzo Lotto's inlays Photo: Copyright © Visit Bergamo
The Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore houses the remains of the composer Gaetano Donizetti and his teacher Simone Mayr. In the left aisle, the precious Baroque confessional by Andrea Fantoni (1704-1705) presents an apology for confession. The Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore is flanked by the Colleoni Chapel, a mausoleum commissioned by the Bergamo leader for himself and his daughter Medea.
Fifteen kilometers from the city, in the direction of Lecco, is the splendid Abbey of Pontida, a valuable Benedictine monastic complex founded by Alberto da Prezzate in the eleventh century, seat of the historic oath in 1167. The current structure dates back essentially to the Renaissance period in which important restoration works were carried out.
Starting from Bergamo and going up the Seriana Valley, you will find the Basilica of San Martino in Alzano Lombardo. The Basilica, in the heart of the historic center, has three naves with the magnificent side Chapel of the Rosary in a splendid Lombard Baroque ensemble. The Church, where the famous pulpit of the workshops stands out, the result of the collaboration of the Fantoni and Caniana families, is very rich in side altars, stuccoes, frescoes and beautiful paintings.
The Sacristies with sculptures and wooden furnishings by Fantoni are annexed to the church.
Continuing on, you reach Clusone, where one of the most important religious complexes in the Bergamo area is located: the Basilica of Santa Maria Assunta, built at the end of the seventeenth century.
Adjacent, the fifteenth-century Church of the Disciplini with frescoes depicting the life of Jesus and on whose façade stands the evocative cycle of frescoes that illustrates, according to traditional medieval instances, the theme of Death and Dance of Death.
On the plain, on the other hand, in Caravaggio you can visit the Church and the adjoining Convent of San Bernardino, founded in 1472 to commemorate the Franciscan friar who had brought peace among the local populations. The interior preserves remarkable frescoes of the sixteenth century.
Romanesque churches in the province of Bergamo
Another period that has greatly enriched the Bergamo area is the Romanesque. In the area of the Romanesque Park of Almenno, a few kilometers from Bergamo, there are Romanesque churches of great value, including the extraordinary Temple of San Tomé, a small circular church whose builders in the eleventh century were inspired by the temple of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.
Not far away is the Church of San Giorgio, which preserves a splendid cycle of frescoes from the twelfth and twelfth centuries, an important example of medieval painting in Bergamo.
On the Bergamo island in Bonate Sotto stands the Church of Santa Giulia, whose first construction many scholars date back to the Lombard period, probably in the VII-VIII centuries. The church was completely rebuilt in the Romanesque period, perhaps between the eleventh and twelfth centuries.
The Museums of Sacred Art in Bergamo and its province
BERNAREGGI MUSEUM
The Bernareggi Diocesan Museum of Sacred Art in Bergamo documents the culture of the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries in the Bergamo area through works of art and objects of worship and essentially illustrates the period from the Council of Trent to Vatican II.
SAN MARTINO MUSEUM
San Martino Museum of Sacred Art in Alzano Lombardo preserves an interesting collection of sacred art.
BENEDICTINE ABBEY MUSEUM
The Museum of the Benedictine Abbey of Pontida houses sculptures, paintings, altarpieces, architectural fragments, panels and furnishings from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries in four rooms.
Texts: edited by Michela Milesi and Visit Bergamo
Photo: Copyright © Visit Bergamo / Dimitri Salvi and Copyright © Sisterscom.com / Shutterstock
Reproduction prohibited.
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Where to stay in Bergamo and its province
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How to reach the Mariani places in Bergamo and its province
There are three Lombardy airports on which the main airlines operate:
Milan Bergamo Airport
Milan Bergamo airport is located in the center of Lombardy a few kilometers from Bergamo, the medieval city built on the hill that is definitely worth a visit. It is possible to rent a car at the airport and leave to reach the Mariani places in Bergamo and its province.
The distances in kilometres to reach the Mariani places in Bergamo and its province starting from Milan Bergamo airport are:
| Bergamo | Island Bergamo | PLAIN BERGAMO | Brembana Valley Imagna Valley | seriana | valley Camonica valley |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Upper Town 8 Km | Under the Mount 20 Km | Stezzano 7 Km | Sombreno 11 Km | Nembro 14 Km | Sovere 41 Km |
Pontida 22 Km | Urgnano 11 Km | Cepino di Sant'Omobono 30 Km | Pradalunga 18 Km | ||
Fontanelle 34 Km | Treviglio 25 Km | San Giovanni Bianco 36 Km | Slate 45 Km | ||
Caravaggio 27 Km | Rapzate 30 Km | ||||
Algua 33 Km | |||||
Oneta 40 Km |
The Sanctuary of the Madonna del Bosco is located in Imbersago, a town in the province of Lecco which is 30 km from Milan Bergamo airport.
Milan Linate Airport
Landed at Milan Linate airport, practically in the center of Milan, it is possible to stop to visit the city or rent a car and leave to reach the Mariani places in Bergamo and its province.
The distances in kilometres to reach the Mariani places in Bergamo and its province starting from Milan Linate airport are:
| Bergamo | Island Bergamo | PLAIN Bergamo | Brembana Valley Imagna Valley | seriana | valley Camonica valley |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Upper Town 50 Km | Under the Mount 48 Km | Treviglio 33 Km | Sombreno 52 Km | Nembro 58 Km | Sovere 88 Km |
Fontanelle 52 Km | Caravaggio 37 Km | Cepino di Sant'Omobono 67 Km | Pradalunga 60 Km | ||
Pontida 60 Km | Stezzano 46 Km | San Giovanni Bianco 73 Km | Algua 70 Km | ||
Urgnano 51 Km | Rapzate 78 Km | ||||
Oneta 82 Km | |||||
Slate 87 Km |
Milan Malpensa Airport
Once you have landed at Milan Malpensa airport, you can rent a car to reach the Mariani places in Bergamo and its province.
The distances in kilometres to reach the Mariani places in Bergamo and its province starting from Milan Malpensa airport are:
| Bergamo | Island Bergamo | PLAIN Bergamo | Brembana Valley Imagna Valley | seriana | valley Camonica valley |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Upper Town 93 Km | Under the Mount 91 Km | Stezzano 89 Km | Sombreno 94 Km | Nembro 100 Km | Sovere 130 Km |
Pontida 102 Km | Treviglio 90 Km | Cepino di Sant'Omobono 109 Km | Pradalunga 102 Km | ||
Fontanelle 110 Km | Caravaggio 92 Km | San Giovanni Bianco 115 Km | Slate 129 Km | ||
Urgnano 95 Km | Rapzate 113 Km | ||||
Algua 115 Km | |||||
Oneta 123 Km |
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