The Dukes of Piazza Pontida as portrayed in the caricatures by Silvana Capelli and Aldo Bortolotti. It seemed almost a duty—given the long satirical tradition of our association—to entrust the memory of the serene Dukes not only to official photographs, often a bit too formal, but also to the playful pencils of our two ducal caricaturists, who have been precious collaborators of Il Giopì for many years.

We believe that a well-made caricature can often speak louder than many photographs—especially when created by two true artists like Aldo Bortolotti and Silvana Capelli. The former, who has now gained considerable and well-deserved fame even internationally, collaborates with several newspapers and magazines, not only in Bergamo, and for a long time published the sharp comic strip "I döbe del Bortolì" in Il Giopì. He still delights us periodically with his witty cartoons on the city’s current events.

The latter, to whom our newspaper owes the column "Uno alla volta", has over the years provided us with an extraordinary gallery of more or less famous figures from the city, through a series of remarkably accurate caricatures—virtually no “notable” Bergamasque has managed to escape her pencil. For the Ducato, she also illustrated the Bergamasque dialect version (by Carmelo Francia) of Carlo Collodi’s famous “The Adventures of Pinocchio.” Both artists come from a painting background (Silvana Capelli still actively paints), and it shows: the precision and confidence of their line reveal skilled hands capable of capturing the character of each subject without resorting to exaggeration.

Each illustration tells a fragment of the history and culture of the Ducato, offering an original and creative look at the figures who helped keep Bergamo’s cultural and folkloric life alive.
This page brings together all the caricatures—from the founding Dukes to the current members—creating a visual journey through nearly a century of the history of the Ducato di Piazza Pontida.