Weekend in Bergamo Alta, practical tips for a romantic stay in one of the most beautiful cities in Lombardy, where to sleep and where to eat for a tasteful weekend.
A surprise. Undoubtedly a surprise. Bergamo welcomes us with warm sun and a light mist on the horizon, ready to be tasted for two days. The sleeping arrangements are al B&B La Funicolare, nice, welcoming and at a good price, a stone's throw from the funicular to la High City.
The first piece of advice is to park your car in Lower Bergamo, in the free parking spaces that you find with a little patience, and to move around on foot and by funicular. To facilitate the tourist, there is a card with which, at the cost of € 10 for 24 hours and € 15 for 48 hours, you can use all public transport and access to many tourist attractions. Once the car is placed and equipped with the Bergamo Card, we set off to discover this small village enclosed by mighty Venetian walls and dotted with green spaces.
Some information at the tourist office and, curious as always, let's start the visit. Bergamo turns out to be a jewel from the first approach. The central square is wide and still shy in the early morning, the Tower stands proud and the Duomo, the Colleoni Chapel and the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore they almost hide themselves and then manifest themselves in their magnificence.
The visit to the interiors of these religious buildings does not disappoint expectations. The tour of the historic center continues with a visit to Historical museum of the Venetian age - the interactive 500th century, a multimedia exhibition itinerary among the rooms of the Palazzo del Podestà, a splendid medieval residence which also houses the Campanone, on which we go up in the afternoon and from which you can enjoy a breathtaking view of the Bergamo plain and from which you can peek into the private intramoenia gardens.
Also taking advantage of the good weather, theL.Rota Botanical Garden, which dominates the city and the plain from above, opposite the Castle of San Vigilio, an interesting but perhaps overly inflated destination. The garden, albeit small, is a moment of relaxation and silence, away from the buzz of the crowded streets of the center. At the foot of the funicular to the Castle is the birthplace of Gaetano Donizzetti, a very pleasant short free visit.
Intrigued by the lower city and its art galleries, we get lost in the downhill streets and arrive at the headquarters where the Accademia Carrara and the GAMEC: the first is undisputed certainty, the second turns out to be a place of art and experimentation and the exhibition “Aldo Rossi. The poet's window. Graphic work 1937-1997 ”pure enjoyment for architects, artists and enthusiasts.
The main street in the center of Bergamo Alta is full of people and small shops and shops where you can have lunch "on the fly" with excellent pizzas, sandwiches and focaccia. Absolutely a must to taste a mini Polenta and Osei at the end of the meal, a delicious dessert from Bergamo: sweet polenta covered with yellow almond paste decorated with chocolate or marzipan. You can find really good ones at Pastry of the Thousand in Piazza Vecchia. For an informal dinner instead, theOsteria della Birra it's a good choice. Managed by friendly guys, it offers typical dishes revisited based on craft beer at good prices. However, reservations are recommended.
In short, this town strikes us and snatches unexpected smiles. An absolutely underrated destination that enriches our backpack with memories and photographs. An excellent village in which to spend a pleasant weekend of culture, art, landscape and food and wine.
