Donizetti Museum
The Donizetti Museum is a cultural site in Bergamo, in Lombardy, Italy. It is dedicated to the composer Gaetano Donizetti, who was born in the city.
History
The centenary in 1897 of the composer's birth was marked in Bergamo by an exhibition at the Palazzo delle Scuole in Contrada Tre Passi, and the unveiling of the Donizetti Monument in Piazza Cavour. From these events the idea of a permanent exhibition originated.The Rota Basoni family had looked after the composer during the last months of his life. In 1902 Giovanna Ginevra Rota Basoni, widow of, donated what the family possessed at of the composer's belongings to the Congregation of Charity of Bergamo; these included the furnishings of the room where the composer died, a portrait painted in 1848 by, autograph scores, books and personal belongings.
They were donated on condition that the material should be preserved in a museum. The collection was the basis of the Donizetti Museum, which opened in September 1906. Further exhibits have been added over the following decades. Guido Zavadini was the museum's director from 1909 to his death, and published a catalogue of the museum in 1936.