The Vitalba family has very ancient origins. Present in the city of Bergamo since the 13th century with progenitor Lanfrancus della Vitalba, the family spanned many centuries with a long and articulate lineage until 1880, upon the death of the last descendant Maria Candida Vitalba Barca, who left her property to niece Clarina, wife of the Milanese count Agostino Lurani Cernuschi, whose grandchildren are the current owners of Villa Vitalba Lurani Cernuschi in Almenno San Salvatore.
The villa has been the holiday home of the Vitalba family since the early 18th century. In 1773, Paolo Defendo Vitalba bought the Convent of San Nicola and its surrounding land at auction, having been sold by the Venetian Republic following the suppression of monastic activities. Thanks to their vast land holdings and their use of the work of peasants and sharecroppers, the Vitalba family contributed throughout the 19th century to the agricultural and commercial development of the Antico Lemine area, with agricultural and wine production and silkworm breeding, which continued until the mid-20th century. The convent, used as an agricultural building and sharecroppers’ dwelling, became the hub of many productive activities that gave impetus to the area’s development. The Vitalba and Lurani Cernuschi families are also responsible for the good preservation of the Church of Santa Maria della Consolazione which, being privately owned, was preserved from the expropriations of the Napoleonic period, whilst remaining open to the public as a place of worship. Today, it is entrusted to the parish of Almenno San Salvatore, responsible for its care and restoration.