LAZZARETTO, Lazzaretto

Hi, my name’s Jill, and I’m your personal guide. Along with MyWoWo, I’d like to welcome you to one of the wonders of the world: the Lazaretto of Bergamo.

Many people who pass by here on their way to the stadium are unaware that hundreds of years ago, plague sufferers used to come here to spend the last days of their lives in the Lazaretto.

This enormous building dates back to the early 16th century, and was erected in the countryside, well away from the town center, to halt the spread of the plague.

Inside, there is a huge grass courtyard, at the center of which once stood the church of San Rocco and San Sebastiano, to whom hopes were entrusted for a miraculous recovery. The infected were lodged in small rooms that can be seen from the portico, each with a small door and a window.

Inside the rooms, there is a fireplace in the middle of the wall, a toilet with a small window to let the air in, a washbasin and a simple wall cupboard. The rooms were lit with oil lamps or candles....