These are the words with which one of the 5 most important composers of all time describes, in a letter to Simone Mayr, the home of his family of origin.
Donizetti’s birthplace, decreed a national monument, is here in Bergamo, in Borgo Canale, where in those days the buildings were rather dilapidated and poor.
The composer’s family lived in the basement of the building, which today can also be visited on the ground floor, accessed via a narrow staircase.
The room was very spartan, consisting of two rooms that served as a kitchen and bedroom, as well as rooms used as a well and icebox.
A destiny that appears marked, that of Donizetti: in his life he wove notes creating immortal compositions just as his parents wove cloth.
In fact, the Maestro’s parents were tailors and belonged to that humble segment of the population that earned a living working for the lords of the rich palaces of Città Alta.
Donizetti redeemed his humble origins by becoming world famous and bringing luster to his city.
For some time now, it has been possible to relive a day in the Donizetti house thanks to the Impronte sonore project: a multimedia journey that evokes through sounds the life of a typical 18th-century family in the Bergamo area, a truly amazing immersive experience.