Bergamo is world famous for its Venetian Walls, dating back to the 16th century and still visible today in all their grandeur.
You should know, however, that back in medieval times, the powerful Visconti family that ruled over Bergamo (as well as Milan, among others) had the so-called “Muraine” built : a wall to defend the villages that had developed over the centuries along the routes that connected the city to neighboring towns.
This work completed the fortifications built on the hills, where St. Vigilius Castle crowned the city’s defensive apparatus.
Along the perimeter of the Muraine were the six gates that connected Bergamo to the roads outside: fortified and equipped with drawbridges over the moat, these entrances also performed duties control functions, opening in the morning and closing in the evening.
The Muraine belt also included 31 square towers and another round tower; they were dismantled completely in 1901, when the entrance to the city became free again and there was no longer a need to pay duty, the toll for access.
However, one vestige still remains: the round Torre del Galgario (the name comes from calchera or calcarium, lime kiln), which was one of the key towers of this defensive system, located in a strategic position because it was the intersection point of multiple road routes that are still widely used today.