BERGAMO OFFICIALLY AMAZING
The hug of Bergamo Walls is a world record: 11.507 participants.

Sunday, July 3rd 2016: Bergamo becomes a Guinness World Records city. It was a love record, actually: the largest hug in history. People from Bergamo and from outside, close to one another, came together to ask for the Venetian Walls to be included in the UNESCO world heritage list.

“Be realistic, pursue the impossible”. Albert Camus would have been proud of Bergamo, of its Walls and of the 11.507 people gathered there on Sunday July 3 rd to hug them and to hug each other.
A world record set for a noble cause: the inclusion of Bergamo Venetian Walls in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The result was really unbelievable: children, adults and elderly people joined the event to show their deep love towards an art and engineering masterpiece built almost 500 years ago.

It’s official: it was the longest hug relay in history!
One, two, ten, one hundred, one thousands, 11.507 hugs! An incredible number!
The feeling of sharing was tangible and it spread from one person to another. It also became virtual and managed to invade the Internet and the social networks.
Eleven thousands people hugging around a Venetian masterpiece of art and engineering, built in the XVI Century.
The outcome was a masterpiece, as well: the Walls – majestic and full of history – managed to get people together instead of separating them.
The numbers speak for themselves. Besides the world longest hug relay, we are also in the running for another record: the highest number of couples hugging. 5.730!
However, numbers cannot describe the atmosphere of true sharing and brotherhood of that special day.
Our goal for the future is very clear: the inscription of the Venetian Walls in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list in 2017!