Civic Archaeological Museum

The first exhibition of the current Archaeology Museum was located in the Loggia under the Palazzo della Ragione, in Piazza Vecchia, where it was simply a “collection of old stuff” and included several epigraphs.

Since then, the collection moved several times: in fact, it required more and more space due to the conspicuous and constant donations over the centuries. Today the Museum is housed in the Cittadella Palace (XIV Century) built by the Visconti family, Milan’s ancient rulers, in a new, expanded exhibition created in occasion of Bergamo brescia Capital of Culture 2023.

Visitors can plunge into history just looking at the museum’s walls. Visiting the Archaeology Museum is like going on a journey across the history of Bergamo and its territory, from its prehistoric background to the Langobardic domination in the Middle Age.
It is very common do find groups of children and kids inside it. In fact, the “Centro Didattico-culturale”, the former “Gruppo Guide del Museo” established in 1981, contributes to give a strong educational spirit to the Museum, by carrying out many guided tours, workshops and activities for children and adults.

An itinerant museum: the other historical seats of the collection.
In 1770, the collection was transferred from the first seat to the palace above the Fontanone fountain, where it remained until 1818, the year it was dismantled and subdivided.

Meanwhile, other collections were created, such as the remarkable donation by the Count Paolo Vimercati Sozzi, consisting of artefacts coming from all over the province, along with many remains discovered by chance in several excavation sites, then registered in the specialized publication “Notizie Archeologiche Bergomensi” published in 1900 by Professor Gaetano Mantovani.

In the Rocca fortress, during the early ‘30s, all the collections were gathered for the first time: unfortunately, they had to be secured during the War. Only in 1960 the Museum finally found its permanent location.