The story
As you stand here in the middle of Piazza Vecchia, it is impossible to miss the stone giant rising fifty-two meters into the Lombardy sky. This is the Torre Civica, affectionately known by locals as Il Campanone, or the Big Bell. It has stood as the silent watchman of Bergamo Alta for nearly a thousand years, anchoring this square which the architect Le Corbusier once called the most beautiful in Europe.
Take a moment to look at the tower’s weathered masonry. It began its life in the late 12th century as a private residence for the powerful Suardi family. In those days, Bergamo was a city of towers; noble families competed for prestige by building higher and higher, turning the skyline into a stone forest of defensive fortresses.
Eventually, the municipality took ownership, and the tower transitioned from a private stronghold to a public symbol of the city’s soul. If you decide to make the journey to the top—whether you brave the 230 steps or take the modern lift—you’ll be rewarded with one of the most breathtaking panoramas in Northern Italy. From the belfry, the red-tiled roofs of the Upper Town spread out like a terracotta carpet.
You’ll see the white marble facade of the Palazzo Nuovo, the ancient arches of the Palazzo della Ragione, and the golden details of the Colleoni Chapel. Beyond the city walls, the view stretches across the plains to the south and the jagged peaks of the Orobie Alps to the north. But the real star of the tower is the bell itself.
Cast in 1656, it is the largest bell in all of Lombardy. While its tolling marks the passage of hours today, its most famous tradition occurs every night at ten o'clock. If you are in the city at that hour, listen closely.
The bell strikes exactly one hundred times. This isn't a mistake or a long-winded clock. Historically, those one hundred strikes signaled the nightly curfew and the closing of the city’s four massive gates along the Venetian Walls.
During the centuries of Venetian rule, if you were outside the walls when the hundredth strike rang out, you were locked out until morning. Today, the gates of Bergamo stay open, but the tradition remains a nightly lullaby for the people of the city. As you continue your walk through these medieval streets, let the image of Il Campanone stay with you.
It is more than just a viewpoint; it is the rhythmic heart of Bergamo, a sentinel that has watched over every celebration, every siege, and every sunset this city has ever known.