People of Bergamo — hardheads. A characterisation of the stubbornness and tenacity of the people of Bergamo, which they wear as a badge of honour. Hardheadedness in the positive sense: persistence, reliability, refusal to give up.
Bergamo, the city of the two cities — the upper medieval Città Alta within its Venetian walls, and the modern lower city — has always cultivated an identity distinct from Milan. The bergamaschi have a reputation across Lombardy for being stubborn to the point of mulishness, thrifty to the point of parsimony, and loyal to the point of self-sacrifice. These are the qualities that made Bergamo's workers among the most valued in Lombard industry: a bergamasco who said he would do something, did it. The city's tragic experience during the first wave of COVID-19 in early 2020, when it became the epicentre of the pandemic in Italy and the army was called to remove the dead, revealed exactly this hardheadedness: a community that endured an almost unimaginable loss with stoic dignity.
A characterisation of Bergamo identity shared by both the bergamaschi themselves and other Lombards. The stubbornness is almost always presented as a virtue in Bergamo.
A Milanese manager praising a Bergamo colleague
— Come mai Riva ha finito il progetto da solo? — Bergamaschi, teste dure. Una volta che si mettono in testa di fare una cosa, la fanno.
— How come Riva finished the project alone? — People of Bergamo — hardheads. Once they set their mind on doing something, they do it.
A Bergamo resident defending his character
Sì, siamo bergamaschi, teste dure. Ma almeno quando promettiamo qualcosa la manteniamo. Non come certi milanesi.
Yes, we are from Bergamo, hardheads. But at least when we promise something we keep it. Unlike some Milanese I could mention.
A teacher in Bergamo to a stubborn student
— Non cambio idea. — Sei proprio bergamasco, testa dura. Va bene, convincimi con i fatti allora.
— I am not changing my mind. — You are a true Bergamasque, hardhead. Fine, convince me with facts then.
Two elderly men from Bergamo reminiscing
Abbiamo passato il Covid che era peggio della guerra. E siamo ancora qui. Bergamaschi, teste dure — è l'unica spiegazione.
We went through COVID worse than a war. And we are still here. People of Bergamo — hardheads — it is the only explanation.