Founded in 1907, Atalanta holds the record for having played the most Serie A seasons (63) without being based in a regional capital and without having won the league title.

The Italian Football Federation did not recognize Atalanta until 1914, and in 1919 announced that it would only allow one club from Bergamo to compete in the highest national league (then called the Prima Categoria).

[14] In the 1927–28 season, the club won its group and subsequently defeated Pistoiese in the playoffs to win promotion and its first second division league triumph.

[15] The club inaugurated its current home stadium in the Borgo Santa Caterina neighborhood in 1928,[16] and was admitted to Serie B, the second tier of the restructured Italian league, in 1929.

[35][d] With a sixth-place finish in the 1988–89 Serie A, Atalanta qualified for its first UEFA Cup, though was eliminated by Russian club Spartak Moscow in the first round.

[31] Atalanta then finished seventh in the 1989–90 Serie A and reached the quarterfinals of the 1990–91 UEFA Cup, losing to local rival and eventual winner Internazionale.

In 1996–97 season, striker Filippo Inzaghi scored 24 league goals and became the first (and so far only) Atalanta player to be named capocannoniere (Serie A top scorer).

[59][g] Atalanta then defeated Spanish club Valencia in both legs of the round of 16, reaching the quarterfinals,[60] where it would be eliminated by French champion Paris Saint-Germain.

[65] On 19 February 2022, a US-based consortium led by Stephen Pagliuca acquired a 55% stake of La Dea srl, the controlling company of Atalanta, previously wholly owned by the Percassi family.

In that match, the team defeated Bayer Leverkusen 3–0, thanks to a hat-trick by Ademola Lookman, to claim its first trophy since 1963;[4][69] this was the first time an Italian club won the competition since it changed the name and format.

[11][71] These were Atalanta's colours until 1920, when the club merged with local rival Bergamasca (which had blue and white kits) in order to compete in the Italian league.

Slight variations in thickness of the stripes have existed over the years, though the club never strayed far from the classic design for its home kits.

[95][96]The club's first three crests were shields featuring the name Atalanta on top, coloured stripes on the left, and another symbolic representation on the right.

In 1963, after the club won the Coppa Italia, the crest was redesigned to feature black and blue stripes alongside a running girl representing Atalanta.

Black, blue, and white were retained—as the club's colours—while yellow was added to represent the golden apples, which according to mythology, Hippomenes tossed to Atalanta to distract her and defeat her in a footrace.

The name Atalanta and founding year 1907 were added respectively above and below the circle, which is enclosed in an ellipse featuring the same split black and blue background as the 1984 design.

[100][101][102] Due to financial hardship during World War I, though, Atalanta was forced to sell the land containing its field, leaving it without a home ground.

As a solution, entrepreneur and philanthropist Betty Ambiveri sold the Clementina field, an older venue in Seriate that hosted sporting events such as cycling, to the club.

[106][107][k] The Tribuna Giulio Cesare underwent modernization during the early 1990s, and the stadium was renamed the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia ("Blue Athletes of Italy") in 1994.

[115][116] On 6 October 2019, the renovated Curva Nord was inaugurated for Atalanta's home match against Lecce;[117] it has covered seating for over 9,000 spectators.

[105][127][128] On occasion, Atalanta's youth team also plays competitive matches at the Gewiss Stadium, most recently the Supercoppa Primavera in 2021.

[132][133] Atalanta's renowned youth academy (Scuola di Calcio; see below) is also based in Zingonia, and has been a continuous point of investment for the club since its establishment.

[136] The club has also worked to grow its fanbase with the Neonati Atalantini initiative, implemented in 2010 by president Percassi, which gifts a free Atalanta replica shirt to all newborns born within the city limits of Bergamo.

[144][145] On match days, the Curva Nord often features flares, fireworks, and choreography, and sometimes is covered by a large black-and-blue striped flag (see image).

In 1993, tension between the clubs' supporters escalated further following a match (won 2–0 by Brescia) that was suspended three times due to violence in the stands, which resulted in over 20 spectators being hospitalized.

[142][158] In addition to Juventus, there are also strong rivalries between Atalanta and Italy's other well-supported clubs:[137] Roma, Milan, Inter, Napoli, and Lazio, and Fiorentina.

[161] Matches between Inter and Atalanta have seen violence among Ultras since the early 1970s, fueled by political differences as well as the clubs' shared black and blue colors.

[179] In June 2010, after another relegation to Serie B, Alessandro Ruggeri sold his share of the club to Antonio Percassi, who became the new chairman of Atalanta.

The youth sector was entrusted to Giuseppe Brolis, who created a partnership with various clubs in the Veneto and Friuli regions, building a network of scouts and young coaches.

The Atalanta youth system not only continued to increase the production of players for the first team, but began to win several honours in the most important national leagues.