Lombardy · Bergamo
Clusone
At 648 meters in upper Val Seriana, capital of the macabre fresco and the 1583 planetary clock above its civic tower.
Known for
TRIUMPH OF DEATH
1485 façade fresco by Giacomo Borlone de Buschis, joining three medieval death themes in a composition without parallel in European art.
OROLOGIO FANZAGO
Astronomical clock from 1583 on the Torre Civica, tracking planets, equinoxes, solstices and zodiac signs alongside the hours.
VAL SERIANA
Capital of the upper Val Seriana mountain community, at 648 meters between the Bergamasque Prealps and the Orobie chain.
When to visit
Best · May–Oct
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
- Best
- Hot or crowded
- Quiet
- Mostly closed
Why come
Clusone sits at 648 meters in the upper Val Seriana, thirty-five kilometers northeast of Bergamo and the administrative seat of its mountain community. The first written record is a deed from 774 transferring the rocca from Charlemagne to the monks of Saint Martin of Tours. Under Venice, from the late fifteenth century onward, the town reached its artistic and commercial peak.
Two things draw people here. The first is the Oratorio dei Disciplini, whose 1485 façade fresco by Giacomo Borlone de Buschis combines the Triumph of Death, the Danza Macabra and the Three Living and Three Dead in a single composition, a synthesis unique in European medieval art. The second is the Orologio Planetario Fanzago, built in 1583 by Pietro Fanzago on the Torre Civica and still tracking the planets, sun, moon, equinoxes and zodiac. Clusone was awarded city title by Napoleonic decree in 1801 and reconfirmed by the Republic in 1957.
The Sunday letter
We haven’t written Clusone’s letter yet.
One town every Sunday, with the photo, the food, the festa. Be there when this one comes up. Free, by Peter & Sophia from Pietrasanta.
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What to see
Oratorio dei Disciplini
Medieval oratory of the Disciplini confraternity, whose 1485 façade fresco joins the Triumph of Death and the Danza Macabra in a single composition.
Orologio Planetario Fanzago
Astronomical clock built in 1583 by Pietro Fanzago on the Torre Civica, tracking planets, sun, moon, equinoxes, solstices and zodiac.
Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta
Seventeenth-century basilica across from the Oratorio, with a tall bell tower and Baroque interior at the heart of the upper town.
Palazzo Comunale
Civic palace on Piazza dell'Orologio, beneath the Torre Civica that carries the Fanzago clock.
Centro storico
Medieval upper town with painted façades, frescoed houses and the steps between Piazza Orologio and the Disciplini.
The slow-trip planner
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Living here
- Population 8,537
- Off the beaten pathi
- Pharmacy in town
- High school within a 30-minute drive
- Nearest airport Milan, 49 min drive
- Regional capital Milano, 1 h 31 min drive
Tags & datadesignations · numbers · sources
Recognised as
The numbers
- Elevation: 648 m
- Population: 8,537
- Surface area: 26.19 km²
These figures were compiled from public directories — ISTAT, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata — and from the official listings of the guides named on this page. Town details change; verify with official sources before you travel.
Close by
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