Porta Sant’Agostino

Description

Porta Sant’Agostino has been the main entrance to the Upper Town for a very long time, both for the inhabitants of Bergamo who went up from Borgo Pignolo and for those who came from Venice. Even today, this passage represents the most commonly used way to move from the Upper Town to the Lower Town and backwards, walking or using public and private transportation. The Gate was named after the Monastery nearby, which today houses one of the seats of Bergamo University and whose ex-church was recently restored to host the Lecture Hall. The building of the passage can be dated back approximately to 1575, while the masonry arches on which the Venetian Chief Magistrate Alvise Contarini built the access street lies on in 1780, to replace a wooden drawbridge. On the first floor of the Gate there is a wide room, which used to house the sentries on guard: today, it is used to host concerts or exhibitions from time to time.