Bergamo: Accommodation between the Old Town, Culture and Nature
Accommodation in Bergamo
In Città Alta, Bergamo combines a medieval townscape with important buildings, museums and expansive views. Rising 52.76 metres above the heart of Piazza Vecchia is the Campanone, from where panoramic views extend across the old town. Even today, the tower strikes more than one hundred times every evening at 10 p.m. From the mid-12th century onwards, the Suardi-Colleoni family had it built for defensive purposes and as a symbol of political and military prestige. Piazza Vecchia itself is considered the heart of Bergamo Alta and brings together the Fontana Contarini, the Palazzo del Podestà, the Biblioteca Angelo Mai, the Palazzo della Ragione and the Campanone.
File:The Upper City of Bergamo. View from Via al Castello. Italy.jpg
Photo: Ввласенко via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Townscape
Città Alta lies on seven hills and preserves the character of a medieval village with cobbled lanes, historic palaces and squares. The first funicular between Città Bassa and Città Alta was built in 1887. The historic townscape also includes the Venetian Walls: they stretch for more than six kilometres and are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The Republic of Venice built them in 1561 as an example of Renaissance military architecture. Today, the walls can be explored on foot or by bicycle, offering views over the plain, the Orobie Prealps and the city.
The Rocca di Bergamo, a 14th-century fortification, stands on the Colle di Sant’Eufemia. The Venetian tower of the Rocca looks out over Città Alta, the Orobie Prealps, the Bergamo plain and as far as Milan. The San Giovanni gun galleries are also part of the historic complex; they can be visited during events and as part of guided tours.
Culture and History
Several buildings combine architecture with historical themes. The Torre dei Caduti houses an exhibition about the development of Bergamo’s Piacentinian centre and the modern city. At its summit, it has a viewing terrace. The Convento di San Francesco preserves cloisters and a chapter house with fresco cycles dating from the 14th to the 17th century. Its viewing terrace looks out over the confluence of the Brembana and Seriana valleys.
The Museo Donizettiano displays an extensive collection of scores, letters, portraits and objects from the life of Gaetano Donizetti. After a short restoration closure, it reopened in 2015, equipped with audio and interactive stations for listening to Donizetti’s works. The Accademia Carrara presents more than 300 paintings and sculptures from five centuries of Italian art, from the Renaissance to the 19th century.
Museums
The Museo Archeologico di Bergamo divides its collections into sections covering prehistory and early history, the Egyptian collection, the Gauls, the Romans, the lapidarium and the early Middle Ages. The Museo Civico di Scienze Naturali Enrico Caffi houses mineralogical, geological, palaeontological, zoological and ethnographic collections. Along the visitor route, the museum also offers playful and educational activities.
The Orto Botanico di Bergamo Lorenzo Rota is dedicated to conserving endangered plants and supports projects to reintroduce endangered species into the wild. Private guided tours are available for a fee, provided they are booked several days in advance; they are also offered in other languages. The Astino section of the Orto Botanico is known as the Valle della Biodiversità and can be reached on foot from Città Alta in 25 minutes.
Nature
The Parco dei Colli di Bergamo includes the municipality of Bergamo and the medieval core of Città Alta. The Parco dei Colli also extends across 40 kilometres of green hills from Città Alta towards Canto Alto. As a result, the city’s landscape extends beyond its densely built-up historic squares and lanes.
Cuisine
Typical dishes from Bergamo include Polenta Taragna, Brasato, Casoncelli, Creste Scalvine, Stracciatella and Torta Donizetti. Traditional Bergamese cuisine can be sampled in restaurants and traditional eateries. Regional products are also available in historic shops and at local food markets.
Other places: Bagnella, Alzano Lombardo, Carona, Gazzaniga, Zogno, Aviatico, Cenate Sopra, Foppolo, Branzi, Serina, Sorisole, Cene, Piazzatorre, Valtorta, Villa Di Serio, Costa Volpino, Scanzorosciate, Castro, Ponteranica, Bossico, Fino Del Monte, Leffe, Castione Della Presolana, Nembro, Lovere, Selvino, San Pellegrino Terme, Valbondione.
To the overarching travel overview: Lombardy.
