There was a time when dozens of towers were silhouetted against the skies of Bergamo. They were built in the XII century by powerful families as a sign of wealth and distinction before being used in civil battles that broke out in the city during the period of the medieval communes. Even the tower in Piazza Vecchia, in the heart of the historic centre, was built by one of these families, the Suardi.
As they fell into disuse, almost all the towers were knocked down; the few survivors remain as witness to the medieval past of the ‘city on the hill’. When the fortified buildings were abandoned, their aristocratic owners spent fortunes building large town houses fit for their position.
These houses can be found along the city’s main access roads or in sites considered privileged because of their location, panoramic view or land for creating gardens. Only a few residences with these attributes lie within the Venetian walls, others are located in the typical suburbs that lie along the main streets.