The newer part of the city spreads across the flatlands at the base of the old town. It’s well-appointed with commercial facilities and rows of modern buildings, along with museums and theaters. The Accademia Carrara Museum is particularly famous. Bergamo is known as the birthplace of musician Gaetano Donizetti, and there are numerous classical music performances in town.
That said, although Bergamo is and was such a wonderful place, I get the sense that the Milanese tend to make fun of it a little bit—and the reason is the Bergamasque dialect. Despite its proximity to Milan, some Bergamasque expressions are very unlike the Milanese dialect, and Bergamasque is considered quite unique even throughout Italy. And we’re not talking about some trifling difference like putting the accent on different syllables—the dialect is so unusual that even other Italians have no idea what the locals are saying. I’ve often run into situations where other Italians will make fun of the Bergamo people as being backward just because they feel left out of a conversation they can’t understand.
Italians say a lot of things about the Bergamo people—that they’re hard workers, for one—but one new thing I discovered is that the phrase “Madman Thursday,” which is used in Italian legends, apparently came from Bergamo.
Right next to Bergamo is a 12th-century structure called Astino Abbey. The place is notable not only for its gorgeous buildings and natural surroundings, but also for its complex history.
Interestingly, the role of the abbey changed dramatically through the ages. In the 19th century, it was used as a mental asylum. This conversion from a religious center to a medical and social services facility must have reflected the needs of those times.
Starting in the 20th century, the neglected buildings were restored and opened to visitors as a cultural center and tourist attraction. The historic abbey buildings and gardens remain, as do signs of its former use as a psychiatric facility. It’s a place where people can experience history up close and the way things are used differently in different eras.
There is still graffiti from the psychiatric patients along with a variety of different spaces for different types of people—including separate men’s and women’s wards as well as rooms for mental patients prone to violence. Bathing was seen as therapeutic, and the bathtubs are preserved, which really takes you back to how things might have been back then.
Back to “Madman Thursday.” The reason this phrase came about was that every Thursday, the staff would take the psychiatric patients out of the facility on the long walk to the town of Bergamo to give them an opportunity to interact with the local residents. It was probably thought to be part of their treatment regimen, but these days, the phrase “Madman Thursday” is often used to refer to everyday events that end up turning into a circus of sorts. When I read up on the facility, I learned that they had a high percentage of cured patients, so maybe those Thursday walks were successful!
