Bergamo is located in Lombardy, in northern Italy, right at the foot of the Alps region. This area of Italy was already inhabited by Celtic populations during the 5th century BC. Around the 3rd century BC, the Gauls conquered this part of our country, and it became known as Gallia Cisalpina. The first historical evidence of populations settled here dates precisely to the year 223 BC, when it is certain that Roman military forces were present in the area. In 49 BC, Julius Caesar granted the city the status of "Municipium, " which began its process of Romanization. Bergomum, the Latin name of Bergamo, always had various public buildings protected by walls, some of which still exist, and large medieval fortifications. These fortifications remained relatively intact after the fall of Rome, so much so that Bergamo was called by historians "operibus munitae, " that is, "surrounded by walls. " The Roman urban settlement was not limited to the hillside area enclosed by walls, but several authors actually also speak of significant development in the suburbs around the roads that today lead to the Città Alta. This hierarchical structure of the urban area, including a civitas murata, i. e. , the city, and the suburbia on the plain below, remained substantially unchanged over time and was actually "officialized" by the Lombards, who divided the urban territory into two real quarters. The key role played by the Città Alta is thus reinforced, as it was the seat of the Bishopric. In confirmation of this, the church of S. Maria Maggiore was built, the city's most prestigious monument, constructed on the site of a small church of which it bears the name. A milestone in Bergamo's history was its incorporation into the Venetian State in 1428, which lasted for over three and a half centuries. The interventions made during this period had a significant impact on the city's layout, such as the reconstruction of the Town Hall and a new Cathedral. The Bergamasque territory remained under the dominion of the Republic of Venice until its disappearance in 1797. The city then became part of the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia and was finally annexed in 1859 to the Kingdom of Sardinia and Savoy, which later became the Kingdom of Italy.