Ber'gamo

Ber'gamo (the ancient Bergomum), a fortified town of Lombardy, situated on low hills, 34 miles NE. of Milan by rail. It has a castle occupying the most elevated part of the town, a cathedral, school of art, museum, lyceum, library, two theatres, &c. Silk, cotton, linen, woollen fabrics, and iron goods are manufactured. It has also an extensive trade in grindstones, quarried in the vicinity. Annually, in the month of August, the largest fair in Northern Italy is held here. Bergamo was destroyed by Attila, 452 A.D.; after the fall of the Roman empire, it became capital of a Lombard duchy, and its inhabitants placed themselves under the protection of the Venetian Republic in 1427. It is now capital of an Italian province. Tiraboschi and Donizetti were natives of Bergamo, and Bernardo Tasso, the father of Torquato, was of Bergamasc descent. Pop. (commune, 1892) 42,500.