Piazza Mercato delle Scarpe ---

A place historically dedicated to trade and commerce, it is situated at the meeting point of the most important access roads to the Città Alta. According to tradition, it owes its name to the ancient presence of the Shoemakers' Guild, which had its headquarters in the fourteenth-century palazzo whose façade is still preserved and now houses the funicular station that began operations in 1887. In the medieval city, artisans and merchants were organized into guilds, whose activities were regulated by statutes approved by the Municipality, some of which are still preserved today in the Civica Biblioteca. Text by Mauro Gelfi, Museo Storico di Bergamo Rosanna Paccanelli Gavazzeni