The palace bears the name of the patron, Enrico Frizzoni, who by testamentary will wanted it to be the seat of the Town Hall.
The work of Rodolfo Vantini, the palace was built between 1836 and 1840 in the neoclassical style: in fact, the twelve Corinthian pilasters that divide the windows of the facade, as well as the portico with the eight Ionic columns that you will find once you cross the entrance, are taken from Greco-Roman architecture.
During institutional celebratory events, you will have the opportunity to visit the interior of the building as well!
At the end of the grand staircase, you will find the room used for council meetings.
Instead, if you enter the Hall of Mirrors, you will be able to admire the wonderful mosaic floor, with the Frizzoni coat of arms in the center, consisting of two arrows tied by a ribbon.
On the ground floor, in the Galleria dei Cardinali you will find portraits of cardinals from Bergamo, including Angelo Roncalli, who became Pope John XXIII. Palazzo Frizzoni is also a picture gallery: in fact, it houses 80 paintings from the Accademia Carrara.
Its history is linked not only to the political life of Bergamo but also to Protestantism, which has been integrated here since the time of Venetian rule. The Frizzoni family, in fact, were and still are Waldensians of Swiss origin.
At the end of the 18th century, the founder of the Bergamasque “branch,” Antonio, left the Catholic Grisons to move to Bergamo, where many fellow countrymen, mainly merchants, had preceded him since the 16th century and had prospered. Since then, the family has always been part of the city’s social and cultural fabric, participating in public affairs (Antonio was a city councillor in Bergamo’s first municipal council in 1802), establishing merchant associations, and taking part in revolutionary movements.
Their contribution to the Risorgimento – the Italian unification movement – was significant, a tangible testament to the fact that they had by then become Bergamasque in every respect. Giovanni Frizzoni, Antonio senior’s grandson, went to the Rocca to demand that the Austro-Hungarian occupiers cease the bombardment of the lower city and was taken prisoner.
During this period, the palace had a dual existence: on one hand, it served as the headquarters of the Austro-Hungarian gendarmerie, and on the other, it was a clandestine meeting place for local patriots. It was the era when the families of Antonio junior’s two sons resided there. It is said that while one family entertained foreign officers in the grand painted halls of the residence with parties and banquets, the other facilitated meetings of revolutionaries at the back of the building.
A story, therefore, full of events and loyalty to the land that welcomed them—a story that is reflected in the frescoes, coats of arms, and paintings of Palazzo Frizzoni, which became the town hall in 1933, six years after Enrico Frizzoni’s bequest to the city following his death.
The first baby pit stop in the City of Bergamo recently opened at the entrance to the building: even if out for a ride downtown, mothers will be able to find changing tables, cozy spaces for breastfeeding, chairs for a moment’s rest and toys for their babies here.
The park is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Admission allowed for children aged 0 to 10 years, accompanied.