Al Tavolo explores how Bergamo can create more opportunities for unexpected connection across generations in the neighbourhood of Città Alta. Through interviews with people from Bergamo aged 20–80, the project finds that meaningful connections form around shared interests and purpose, and that relationships are sustained through recurring participation, reciprocal exchange of knowledge, and shared rituals.
These insights lead to the concept of Al Tavolo, a community table in Piazza Vecchia designed as a permanent social space for the neighbourhood.
Al Tavolo (purposefully named in Italian) speaks to Italians through a familiar metaphor: the table. It is the place where all generations connect, drawing on a ritual that is deeply familiar to people in Italy, and to people around the world — a table where one gathers to spend time together and exchange.
The table offers a shared space where local residents and organisations can host recurring activities, from cooking and skill-sharing to storytelling, games, music, and neighbourhood projects. Local organisations act as stewards of the table, bringing their existing communities and activities into the space while helping shape its ongoing programming. In doing so, Al Tavolo provides a platform for Bergamo's existing network of community organisations and its considerable base of volunteers.
The key finding is that simply placing generations in the same space is not enough; the real opportunity lies in creating the conditions for connection to happen naturally, repeatedly, and through shared activity.
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