Known since 1476 as the “Locanda delle due Spade” (The two swords inn), this establishment took the name “Torquato Tasso Caffé e Bottiglieria” (Torquato Tasso Café and Wine shop) when, in 1681, the statue of the poet Torquato Tasso, author of “Gerusalemme Liberata” (Jerusalem Delivered) was erected nearby. The long history of the café is strongly linked to that of the city of Bergamo due to its excellent location and the social prominence it has always enjoyed. In 1849, during the Italian Risorgimento wars, it was hit by an Austrian cannon. Ten years later in 1859, Bergamask volunteers, ready to follow Garibaldi in his famous expedition of the “Thousand”, met there. In the second half of the Nineteenth century, ridding itself of the austere medieval style, the establishment was redecorated in the neoclassic style. Even the old name was replaced by the current name “Caffé del Tasso”, more suitable for the new era. Situated in the heart of the old high town of Bergamo in the prestigious Piazza Vecchia, one of the most beautiful squares in the world according to the great architect Le Corbusier, “Caffé del Tasso”, with its style and charming atmosphere, contributes, together with the beautiful monuments that surround it, to maintaining a high level of quality of tourism in the town centre. Visited frequently by artists, writers and musicians, famous people visiting Bergamo often stop, even if only for a few minutes, at the Café del Tasso. The “Tasso” is part of the “Locali Storici d’Italia” (Historic establishments of Italy) chain, which groups together old cafés, hotels and restaurants with a celebrated tradition, which have been modernised but have retained their original charm.