Of centuries-old traditions, delicious specialties, natural beauties and with very special characteristics. Here is a preview of what makes Bergamo unique and unmissable.
Bergamo holds the roots of its history inside its name, along with the charm of its ancient origins: a mountain (Berg) with a house on top (heim). Located right before the pre-Alps, the city on the hill used to be a Celtic settlement before the coming of the Romans in the year 49 b. C, when it became a Municipality. Over the centuries, this strategic natural stronghold overlooking the flatland experienced the dominations of Lombards and Frankish populations, up to the age of the communes, when Bergamo began to turn into the medieval gem we can admire today.
Highlights
he city of Bergamo is composed of an old walled core, known as Città Alta (“Upper Town”), nestled within a system of hills constituting a regional park, and the modern expansion in the plains below. The upper town is encircled by massive Venetian defensive systems that are a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 9 July 2017.[7]
Bergamo is well connected to several cities in Italy, thanks to the motorway A4 stretching on the axis between Turin, Milan, Verona, Venice, and Trieste. The city is served by Il Caravaggio International Airport, the third-busiest airport in Italy with 13.9 million passengers in 2019. Bergamo is the second most visited city in Lombardy after Milan.
Bergamo has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa in the Köppen climate classification); typical of the middle latitudes, rainy or generally humid in all seasons with very hot summers and pretty cold winters.
Upper city
The upper city, surrounded by Venetian walls built in the 16th century, forms the historic centre of Bergamo. Notable buildings within the upper city include:
- Cittadella (Citadel), built under the rule of the Visconti in the mid-14th century.
- Piazza Vecchia
- Palazzo della Ragione. This was the seat of the administration of the city in the medieval municipal period. Built in the 12th century, it was revamped in the late 16th century by Pietro Isabello. The façade has the Lion of Saint Mark over a mullioned window, testifying to the long period of Venetian rule. The atrium has a well-preserved 18th-century sundial.
- Palazzo Nuovo (Biblioteca Civica Angelo Mai). It was designed by Vincenzo Scamozzi in the early 17th century and completed in 1928.
- Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore. It was built from 1137 on the site of a previous religious edifice of the 7th century. Construction continued until the 15th century. Of this first building the external Romanesque structure and the Greek cross plan remain. The interior was extensively modified in the 16th and 17th centuries. Noteworthy are the great Crucifix and the tomb of Gaetano Donizetti.
- Cappella Colleoni, annexed to Santa Maria Maggiore, is a masterwork of Renaissance architecture and decorative art. It contains the tomb of Bartolomeo Colleoni.
- Battistero (Baptistry), an elegant octagonal building dating from 1340.
- Bergamo Cathedral. It was built in the late 17th century with later modifications.
- Rocca. It was begun in 1331 on the hill of Sant’Eufemia by William of Castelbarco, vicar of John of Bohemia, and later completed by Azzone Visconti. A wider citadel was added, but is now partly lost.
- San Michele al Pozzo Bianco. Built in the 12th century, this church contains several frescoes from the 12th to the 16th centuries, including paintings by Lorenzo Lotto.
- Museo Civico Archeologico. It is housed in the Cittadella.
- Museo di Scienze Naturali Enrico Caffi. It is housed in the Cittadella.
- Orto Botanico di Bergamo “Lorenzo Rota” (botanical garden).
Lower city
The lower city is the modern centre of Bergamo. At the end of the 19th century Città Bassa was composed of residential neighbourhoods built along the main roads that linked Bergamo to the other cities of Lombardy. The main boroughs were Borgo Palazzo along the road to Brescia, Borgo San Leonardo along the road to Milan and Borgo Santa Caterina along the road to Serio Valley. The city rapidly expanded during the 20th century. In the first decades, the municipality erected major buildings like the new courthouse and various administrative offices in the lower part of Bergamo in order to create a new center of the city. After World War II many residential buildings were constructed in the lower part of the city which are now divided into twenty-five neighborhoods:Neighbourhoods of Bergamo
Boccaleone, Borgo Palazzo, Borgo Santa Caterina, Campagnola, Carnovali, Celadina, Centro-Papa Giovanni XXIII, Centro-Pignolo, Centro-Sant’Alessandro, Città Alta, Colli, Colognola, Conca Fiorita, Grumello del Piano, Longuelo [it], Loreto [it], Malpensata, Monterosso, Redona, San Paolo, San Tomaso de’ Calvi, Santa Lucia, Valtesse-San Colombano, Valverde con Valtesse-Sant’Antonio, Villaggio degli Sposi
The most relevant sites are:
- Accademia Carrara
- Galleria d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea (GAMeC, Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art).
Visit Bergamo
Bergamo is a real masterpiece of history, culture, music and landscape, with a medieval heart on top of a hill surrounded by the majestic Venetian Walls.
Bergamo’s chefs reinterpret the Italian cuisine. Order Bergamo’s famous pasta dish called casoncelli alla bergamasca. A mushroom risotto and local pasta at La Babale near Bergamo. A window display of polenta e osei cakes.
Find and pick A PLACE WHERE YOU WILL REST AND SLEEP.
