Lombardy · Bergamo
Clusone
At 648 meters, 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 lies thirty-five kilometers northeast of Bergamo, seat of the upper Val Seriana 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, and it was in this period that both the fresco and the clock on the civic tower were made, a generation apart, for a town governed from the sea.
The upper town holds the old civic core: the oratory and the basilica face each other across the square, with the civic palace and its tower a short walk off, and steps linking the frescoed houses between them. Clusone was awarded city title by Napoleonic decree in 1801 and reconfirmed by the Republic in 1957. A mountain seat of government, twice granted city status under different regimes, that spent its wealthiest century decorating a single square with images of death and the measure of time.
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.
What to see
Oratorio dei Disciplini
Medieval oratory of the Disciplini confraternity, its fresco covering the full façade above the entrance.
Orologio Planetario Fanzago
Clock on the Torre Civica still tracking the sun, moon and zodiac, mounted high on the tower face over the square.
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 tower that carries the planetary 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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We recommend
Where to eat
Not our picks, but places the guides put their name to: a Michelin star, a Gambero Rosso fork, a Slow Food snail, a Michelin Key for the hotels. Worth a table, a counter, or a night when you pass through.
Ristorante Mas-cìRistorante
Ristorante Mas-cì carries a spot in the Michelin Guide.
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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