00031: VALLE BREMBANA; TERRA D’ARLECCHINO, PART II

If I ever doubted that Bergamo doesn’t recognize Arlecchino, I only need to go to Villa d’Almè. Villa d’Almè is about 30 minutes from Bergamo and is the entry point from the north (coming from Switzerland) to the first major Italian city: Bergamo. The highway from the north converges with two others from the south (one from Bergamo, the other from Ponte San Pietro.) The conversion happens at the only major “rotatoria” (roundabout) in Villa d’Almé. 

It is here, in this rotatoria, centrally located where the three main highways meet, that a 10-feet/18 ton statue of Arlecchino is found. The roundabout is knowns as “La Rotonda di Arlecchino.” And Arlecchino stands in the middle of the roundabout with a very clear messages by its feet: “Valle Brembana; Terra d’Arlecchino,” (Brembana Valley, the land of Arlecchino.) 

The statue is made of marble and was sculpted by Milanese artists Nicola Gladiardi. The statue was commission by the people of the valley and the official reveal/inauguration took place in February 2015. 

Just like the smaller modern art Arlecchino statue found in the city of Bergamo welcoming all visitors to the city, this giant statue also welcomes all visitors to the Valley of Brembana, and ultimately to the entire Bergamo region. 

The statue is located in the center of the rotatoria, on top of a marble pedestal. And because the statue is in the middle of the roundabout where the three main highways meet, it’s well-seen by everyone driving by. It is, in fact, a beautiful sight to see, and a testament of the pride the people of Lombardy have for yet another commedia dell’arte character: Arlecchino.