Holiday apartment in Martinengo: History, Art and Local Festivals

Martinengo combines medieval architectural history with religious art, local events and food products from local merchants.

History between the Castle and the Town Centre

The first actual castle in Martinengo was completed by Tebaldo in 953. It served as a defensive stronghold, was surrounded by moats and walls, and was monitored by a tower. A later remnant of the fortifications is the former Vallo Colleonesco. Where walls once stood, it is now lined by a shady promenade leading into Martinengo’s late-medieval town centre.

Art and Religious History in Martinengo

The Monastero di Santa Chiara was built by Bartolomeo Colleoni in 1474 to fulfil a vow made by his wife Tisbe. The original, typically Franciscan layout, with two halls separated by a partition wall, a gabled façade, a cloister and a pointed bell tower, is still visible. One wall is completely covered with 15th-century frescoes attributed to the Maestro di Martinengo.

The Convento dell’Incoronata was founded in 1475 at the request of Bartolomeo Colleoni as accommodation for pilgrims along the route of the old Via Francesca. Between 1623 and 1627, Pietro Baschenis painted the partition wall with frescoes. The cloister contains three unusual 18th-century reflective sundials.

Sant’Agata has a three-nave interior with works by Ponziano Loverini, Enea Salmeggia and Giovanni Mauro della Rovere (Fiammenghino). The surviving 15th-century structure of the church can still be seen. Santi Fermo e Rustico contains frescoes by local painters depicting Saints Roch, Defendente and Sebastian, who were invoked during numerous plague epidemics in Europe. The church is probably considered the oldest church in Martinengo; it was originally dedicated to San Salvatore. Its foundation is dated to the period of Lombard rule, between the 6th and 8th centuries AD.

Arcades, Culture and Regional Specialities

In the historic town centre, an antiques and collectors’ market takes place under the medieval arcades on the first Sunday of every month from 8:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Marendì del Palio is a full-course evening meal under the same medieval arcades, where local merchants and the Gruppo Colleoni offer a variety of food products. In 2003, the municipality also approved the De.Co. label “la Patata di Martinengo”.

After its restoration in 2013, the Filandone became a cultural centre in Martinengo. It also houses the municipal archive, which preserves documents dating from the 14th to the 19th century.

Pilgrimage Tradition and Routes

The Santuario Madonna della Fiamma was established at the beginning of the 16th century following an apparition traditionally regarded as miraculous. An annual procession takes place on the second Sunday in October and ends at this sanctuary. The circular route “Da Ghisalba a Romano di Lombardia” is designated as a hiking route.

Other Places

Calusco D'adda, Brusaporto, Fara Gera D'adda, Grumello Del Monte, Fino Del Monte, Sorisole, Cavernago, Bottanuco

For the overarching travel overview: Bergamo.