From Fairground to Piacentini's "Panorama" Project

The construction of the new market took place between 1734 and 1740. In the end, the development covered a square perimeter, inside of which could be found 540 boutiques: 124 lining the perimeter, the rest located along 14 parallel streets. The boutiques were all identical with two stories (generally the upper story served as a temporary residence for the merchants) and vaulted ceilings for greater fire protection.

In 1740, the fountain designed by Giovan Battista Caniana, and still visible in Piazza Dante, was erected at the center of the new fairgrounds. Twelve heavy iron gates provided access to the fair, while four watchtowers were erected at the four corners of the perimeter. These watchtowers were presided by an "evildoers' judge", who handed out penal sanctions.
The "provisions judges" set up in the watchtowers, now home to the Banca Popolare di Bergamo. Finally, there was the "fair office" and the "health judges", charged with public security.
To get an idea of the importance the Bergamo Fair held in the 18th century, half of the boutiques were rented to merchants from outside of Bergamo, particularly from Trento, Brescia, and Verona.
Even merchants from as far away as Switzerland, who had long been aware of the potential of the Bergamask productive and commercial system, took advantage of the special customs duties offered at fair time.
In fact, at fair time, thanks to a 75% reduction in customs duties, Bergamo turned into an important point of exchange for cloths originating from the Central Empires and for raw and spun silk

Another factor that attracted people to the fair was the presence, throughout the opening period, of "charlatans, acrobats, musicians of all kinds, venal monstrances of beasts, shadows, statues, and any sort of rarity".
The life of the Bergamo Fair continued uninterrupted, alternating moments of deep crisis, due in part to the political events of the era, with times of recovery and prosperity. Until 1848 when the Fair was suspended for one year due to patriotic uprisings. Unfortunately the definitive crisis was not far off. In fact, it reached a peak in 1861 when, along with the Unity of Italy and the knocking down of customs borders, the very existence of the Fair was in peril.
Some city administrators wanted to restructure the city center, gradually tearing down the fair, while others hoped that the Saint Alexander's Fair could return to its ancient splendor.

In 1907 a national competition was announced to create a new city center that, as engineer Elia Fornoni wrote, "would not ruin this beautiful area of our city that is so characteristic and so attractive with its backdrop of sky, light, and marvelous perspective". Roman architect Marcello Piacentini won the competition with his project baptized "Panorama", which provided for the creation of a rectangular piazza with two porticos along the Sentierone and a tower at the Banca Popolare.
The project, which maintained all the buildings at the same height, allowed for an excellent view of the Upper City, saving the panoramic view from Porta Nuova and the future center.
The complex procedure to purchase the existing buildings of the fair, which dragged on from 1909 to 1914, and the long interval of World War I, delayed the project nearly fifteen years; it was not completed until 1927.