Ferdinando I d’Austria - 1838

The height of the fair’s splendour prior to its decline: in1838, Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria – a cultured and sensitive man – visited Bergamo. The fair, as if by magic, appeared a gilded palace. More than 50 thousand coloured lights were employed. Above the fountain, a temple with transparent columns was erected, while luminescent objects appeared in the water. The emperor, exceptionally well-disposed, visited the stalls and surveyed our produce, purchasing a large number of blankets from a producer from Gandino.
The Strada Ferdinandea – present-day Viale Vittorio Emanuele – was built to mark the Emperor’s visit, connecting Upper Bergamo with the Sentierone and pointing the way forward to what would one day become the city centre.