Bergamo and Its Surroundings – Crespi d’Adda
Crespi d’Adda is located near the city of Bergamo. The town is famous for being one of the first ‘company towns’ (Villaggio Operaio) in Europe and in Italy specifically. A visit here is a fascinating tour of one of the historical milestones in terms of industry and advanced working conditions in Italy during the 19th century.
It is recommended for all who are staying in Bergamo and looking for a few hours of exploration, or for those staying in Milan seeking a day trip (which can be combined with a tour of the city of Clusone in the Val Seriana valley).
Recommendation for a Day Tour Near Bergamo in the Town of Crespi d’Adda
The Crespi d’Adda route includes the following sites:
Workers’ Houses
Owner’s House of the Factory =
School =
Church – Chiesa del Santissimo nome di Maria
Doctor’s House
Factories
The Laundry Basin
Managers’ Houses
Cemetery
Starting Point: Corso Alessandro Manzoni
Ending Point: Cemetery
The tour can be on foot or by car. If you decide to do it on foot, park your car near the bar Bar Gelateria Cristallo. If you decide to take the tour by car, stop at the specified points and be sure to park according to the instructions.
In general, the place is not considered a museum, but rather a town in every sense. Therefore, avoid noise, and entry into the yards of the houses is prohibited as they are private homes.
To reach the town of Crespi d’Adda, use the highway 4A – (both from Milan and Bergamo). Exit at Capriate interchange. After the toll booth, always follow the signs directing you to the town.
The road does not prepare you for what awaits you in this special town. Until the town, the area looks completely normal, a suburban town near Bergamo. Don’t forget to turn left onto Via Crespi in the town of Capriate San Gervasio, continue straight, cross above the highway, and reach the last houses of the town of Capriate San Gervasio. There begins Corso Alessandro Manzoni and then…
Crespi d’Adda is a small town considered one of the first examples of “company towns” (Villaggio Operaio) built by enlightened industrialists throughout Europe and North America during the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Cristoforo Benigno Crespi, an Italian textile manufacturer, purchased a one square kilometer valley between the Brambro and Ada rivers in 1875. Crespi’s original intention was to build a cotton factory on the banks of the Ada.
The Adda River, one of the largest and longest in Italy, was once a border between the Duchy of Milan and the Republic of Venice. Soldiers from both sides were stationed along this line to guard the boundaries of each city-state.
Crispo decided to build three-story residential buildings for the workers around the factory, based on a familiar European model. The work began in early 1878. These houses can be seen upon entering the town, on the right side. As mentioned, these are the first houses of the project, located very close to the cotton factories. The working life and leisure hours were almost within the same vicinity.
Here, you can park your car and enjoy coffee or a light breakfast at Bar Gelateria Cristallo.
Behind these buildings, prominently visible due to their height and architecture, is the home of Mr. Crispo himself, the owner of the entire project. A house built like a large medieval fortress. You can reach it on foot or by car and admire it from outside.
Back to the main street, Corso Alessandro Manzoni. On the left stands the school for the town’s children. Understanding that most of the day, adults – both men and women – would be dedicated to factory work, a school was built so that children would have employment and a place for learning during the day. The school is adjacent to the church and was under the auspices of religious figures.
The church was built at the request of Cristoforo, inspired by the church of Busto Arsizio, his hometown.
Note the statue of the figure near the road – this is Cristoforo Crispo.
On the left, just before the school, on the hill, are two houses overlooking the residents’ homes from above. These are the parsonage and the doctor’s house. The view from above of these two officials conveys a message: they watch over you both health-wise and spiritually.
The son of Crespi, Silvio, took over the management of the corporation in 1892 and made several changes. He began to build small houses with their own gardens intended for single families, somewhat distanced from the large houses (which were each intended for multiple families). This plan met with great success, as in the decades that followed, there were no strikes or similar occurrences in pursuit of a more private life for each family.
These can be seen on the other side of the road (to the left, eastward – if coming from the main entrance) behind the church. Five rows of private houses, divided into three groups.
Today, these houses are home to private families, some descendants of families who lived here at the time, while others purchased them privately.
Arrive at the central square via the main road. To the right, you will see the factories, and to the left, a turn onto Viale Vittorio Emanuele II.
Look at the factories: the buildings, in a long row, lack regular windows. The natural light and air were provided to the workers, who spent most of their day inside the factory, through windows in the rooftops of the buildings, from top to bottom. Nevertheless, to instill in workers the significance of their workplace, they added faux windows shaped like rose windows and faux doors with pointed arches to the outer walls (yes, faux, not all doors have a real opening and the windows have no openings at all). These give the observer a feeling of a church – an important, respected, and sacred place. This is how Mr. Crespi wanted the workers to feel about their workplace every morning upon arriving at the factory.
Turn left onto Viale Vittorio Emanuele and at the first turn, turn right onto Via Giuseppe Garibaldi, where you will see, on the left, still the workers’ houses, and at a certain point, the style of the houses changes.
These are the managers’ houses which enjoy a larger, more spacious home with a wider garden area.
On the right side of the street, you will see the laundry basin that received hot water from the nearby factory.
Thoughts on ecology and recycling.
Continue down the street, and on the left, you will see more upgraded buildings; these belonged to the factory’s senior management.
On Via Guglielmo Oberdan, a bit further along, there is a house that looks like a farm. Here, they raised animals, planted in gardens, and produced basic goods for all the residents: milk, eggs, firewood, vegetables, and fruits.
The town is surrounded by woods. On days of rest and festivals, the residents would go on organized hikes in nature, within walking distance.
The cemetery is also within the area. At the end of the main road, there is a large gate, beyond which the graves of the town’s residents are arranged neatly, along with a large mausoleum for the Kraspi family at the center. The message is clear again: at the end of the road that provides workers with livelihood and life through the factories, lies the final station of life. Everything one needs is found here, there is no need to search for anything elsewhere.
In 1995, UNESCO declared the village a World Heritage Site.
