Gaetano Donizetti’s Natal Home

The house where Gaetano Donizetti was born is a five-storey building dating back to medieval times. The Donizetti family lived in the basement. Purchased by the Municipality of Bergamo in 1925, the building was declared a National Monument in 1926 as it was «of historical interest». To mark the first centenary of Donizetti’s death (1948), and then in 1973, the basement was restored and opened to the public. In 2007, the Municipality of Bergamo began restoration work that led to its full opening in 2009 and to the management being entrusted to the Fondazione Teatro Donizetti (Donizetti Theatre Foundation).

The visit includes access to the various rooms of historical interest in the building to provide an overview of the life of the composer from Bergamo, with references to the events linked to his Maestro Mayr and to the theatre.

IMPRONTE SONORE (SOUND FOOTPRINTS) – Devices to accompany the visit

“Impronte Sonore” (“Sound footprints”) is a sound journey into the past, into the voices and noises at the time and in the places of the young Gaetano Donizetti. Using a binaural microphone recording, an immersive holophonic narration has been created, evoking the everyday life of a humble 19^th century family, and immersing the listener in three-dimensional sound environments.
“Impronte Sonore” (“Sound footprints”), thanks to its peculiarity compared to a traditional audio guide, accompanies the user not through sight but through hearing. The application allows the user to customise the route and time of the visit. The visitor can thus navigate freely among the contents of the three floors of the Natal Home, “The house where he was born”, “The Pupil and the Maestro” and “The Donizetti Theatre” respectively.