The city of Bergamo has Celtic origins. Its name derives from the words "Berg" (a mountain) and heim (a house). Surrounded by the Pre-Alps, the city was soon conquered by the Romans who did not miss an opportunity to use this natural strategic stronghold.

With the end of the Roman Empire, Lombards and Franks followed one another in the dominion of the city until the era of the Municipalities, when the Town Hall became an important medieval center.