The Porta San Lorenzo formed the gateway into the city for those arriving from the Valleys north of Bergamo and from countries beyond the Alps.
It owes its ancient name to the church that stood on the site and was torn down by the Venetian government to build the Walls.
The second appellation by which it is known, Porta Garibaldi, on the other hand, derives from an important historical event: in June 1859 Giuseppe Garibaldi, under the command of his volunteers the “Hunters of the Alps,” entered Bergamo through this very gate and freed it from Austrian rule.
Garibaldi was a distinguished leader with a major role in the unification of Italy.
He can be said to have had a special connection with Bergamo: in 1860 he led the Expedition of the Thousand, of which as many as 174 Bergamasks were part.
They set sail from Quarto (Genoa) and docked in Marsala (Sicily) with the aim of sailing up the peninsula and liberating the South from Bourbon rule: in Teano, near Caserta, Garibaldi met the King of Sardinia Victor Emmanuel II and handed over to him the territories of southern Italy that he had recently conquered.
Precisely with reference to this expedition, Bergamo is also called the “City of the Thousand.”
Curiosity:
Porta San Lorenzo was the only gate to be closed for a time, precisely from 1605 to 1627, as it was considered difficult to guard to avoid ambushes.
Travelers from the Bergamo valleys, however, who entered the city through this passageway, protested strongly and obtained its reopening.
Like the other gates of the Walls, until the 20th (century) at 10 p.m. every night it was closed to ensure the safety of the city.