Gaetano Donizetti's birthplace
The house where Gaetano Donizetti was born in 1797 is a site of great historical and cultural significance. Its oldest section – the rooms once inhabited by the Donizetti family – dates back to the 14th–15th centuries and has retained much of its original character, offering a fascinating glimpse into everyday life in centuries past. Following extensive work to make the building fully accessible, Gaetano Donizetti’s Birthplace has been open to the public since 2009 and is managed by Fondazione Teatro Donizetti.
Birthplace has been open to the public since 2009 and is managed by Fondazione Teatro Donizetti.
Identified through research carried out by Ciro Caversazzi and published in 1924, the medieval building extends over five floors. Due to its position on the slope of the hill in Borgo Canale, only four storeys are visible from the street above, while all five can be seen from the road below, today’s Via degli Orti.
The Donizetti family lived in the basement, originally built as an open portico and later enclosed and divided into living quarters and service areas for the entire building. A central corridor separated a woodshed, well and icehouse on one side from a two-room apartment overlooking the valley on the other.
The building was purchased by the Municipality of Bergamo in 1925, following a public fundraising campaign launched the previous year. In 1926 it was declared a National Monument in recognition of its historical significance. After remaining unoccupied from 1929 until the mid-1930s, it once again became a private residence until the mid-1960s.
The basement was restored and opened to the public on the occasion of the centenary of Donizetti’s death in 1948, with further restoration work carried out in 1973. In 2007, the Municipality of Bergamo launched a comprehensive restoration and renovation of the entire building, leading to its full reopening in 2009. The new exhibition layout was entrusted to Fondazione Donizetti.
ONLY ELECTRONIC PAYMENTS ARE ACCEPTED. ADVANCE ONLINE BOOKING IS RECOMMENDED.
REDUCED ADMISSION
- Children aged 10 and under
- Visitors aged 65 and over
- Season ticket and festival pass holders of Fondazione Teatro Donizetti
- Students attending theatre schools, music schools and the Bergamo Conservatory
- Visitors with a certified disability of 75% or above
FREE ADMISSION
- Children aged 5 and under
- Licensed tour guides
Visitors entitled to reduced admission must present valid proof of eligibility at the entrance, such as an ID card, membership card or other appropriate documentation.
