The Story of Casaforte di Bergum

The history of Casaforte di Bergum is marked by a few well-documented dates scattered across the centuries, and many gaps still shrouded in mystery. The first known reference appears in 1275, when the Patriarch of Aquileia granted “some fiefs and two farms in Bergogna to Anicio, son of Betina of Cividale,” as reported by Maurizio D’Arcano Grattoni in his essay In Bergamo parvo in patria Fori Iulii: un sito fortificato presso l'attuale territorio comunale di Torreano (1997).

The original foundation of the estate is closely tied to the historic territorial and jurisdictional influence of the Lords of Cucagna. Their claim over the site is confirmed by a 1682 investiture request, which explicitly mentions the "villa di Bergum" among their possessions. The Cucagna family held dominion over the medieval tower of Bergum until the late 18th century, when ownership passed to the Serafini family.

Nearby, archaeological excavations led by Monsignor della Torre in the early 1800s revealed the remains of other fortified sites: two Roman villas that likely served first as leisure retreats, then adapted into defensive posts during the barbarian invasions. According to historian T. Miotti (Castelli del Friuli, vol. 3), one interior wall in the northeast room on the ground floor of the Domus—judging by the type of stone and mortar—may even date back to the Late Antiquity period.

Casaforte di Bergum thus stands on layers of history, its walls silently bearing witness to centuries of transformation, from Roman times through the Middle Ages to today.

In 1502, the Leale family from Bergamo settled in Friuli, turning Bergum into their own “Little Bergamo.”
In two notarial documents from the time, the estate is referred to with the names “in Bergamo parvo” and “in Bergamo pizzol.” Physical traces of the Leale family’s presence remain in the Domus, where two stone plaques are embedded in the walls. These bear the emblem of the craftsmen and merchants’ guild—professions historically linked to the family.

One plaque, in particular, is built into a buttress of the Domus and features not only the guild symbol but also the date 1500 and the word Bergamo. Through changing fortunes, Bergum remained under the Leale family’s ownership for about a century before passing to the Calderini family through inheritance—via Caterina Leale, who had married into the Calderinis. In 1770, the estate was finally sold to its current owners, the Serafini family, who later also acquired the Tower from the Cucagna family.

In the detailed study by I. Busilacchio, “The Manorial Complex of Bergum (15th–16th Century) According to the Assessment by Expert Gaspare Guerra: An Interdisciplinary Research Path Toward a Virtual Reconstruction”, Thesis, University of Udine, Academic Year 2006–2007, the layout of the Bergum estate up to the year 1700 was reconstructed through the analysis of various expert reports, notarial deeds, wills, and historical maps from the Napoleonic and Austro-Hungarian periods.

The research revealed that Bergum once included several buildings that have unfortunately disappeared over time, such as a structure with a portico and columns, likely used as stables, the steward’s house, and three adjacent cottages used for various activities, each equipped with a fireplace and oven.

The viridarium (formal garden) in front of the Domus was also identified, and a small cadastral parcel—still visible in the Napoleonic land registry—marked the location of the hortus conclusus (enclosed garden) beside the well.

During the most recent restoration, several artifacts and objects dating back to the 15th and 16th centuries were discovered within the vaulted ceilings of the historic kitchen in the Domus.

These included fragments of sgraffito and glazed ceramics, iron tools, a small wooden clog, and oyster shells.

A partially preserved fresco fragment was also found, depicting a winged and haloed Lion of Saint Mark against a landscape background with a castle—an image typical of 15th-century iconography. These findings have been carefully preserved and are now displayed within the Casaforte, offering tangible evidence of the Domus’s existence and prominence even before the Leale family settled there in the 1500s.

Over the centuries, through the stewardship of the Leale, Calderini, and Serafini families—and those before them—Casaforte di Bergum has preserved its original identity as a fortified estate rooted in agricultural life. It remains a living symbol of the history, traditions, and values of the land to which it is deeply connected.