Bergamo has a charm all of its own. Founded in the Iron Age by the Orobii on a rise looking down on the Po Valley, it became a powerful commune in the Middle Ages, also stretching out at the foot of the ancient settlement.
The oldest part of the city is known as Upper Bergamo, or Upper Town, while the more recent part is known as Lower Bergamo, or Lower Town.
Lower Bergamo, formed by a series of medieval villages, is an elegant little city, the center of which is spread out around the Sentierone, a large, seventeenth-century street that today is the hub of Bergamo’s social life. Near the Sentierone, you can admire a number of extremely fine buildings, such as the Church of Santi Bartolomeo e Stefano, with a splendid panel painting by Lorenzo Lotto, or the sixteenth-century Monastery of San Benedetto.
The pride of Lower Bergamo is the Accademia Carrara, one of the finest art galleries in Italy. The Lower Town is also home to the impressive Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art.
Upper Bergamo, on the other hand, is completely surrounded by imposing walls, and has maintained all the charm of its origins as a medieval village, rivaled by few places in the world. You’re sure to be enchanted by a stroll through the little lanes and squares of the Upper Town, amid magnificent churches, such as the Cathedral or the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, dominated by the Rocca di Bergamo, the fortified citadel in the highest part of the Upper Town.
On your way up Via Colleoni from Piazza Vecchia to the square of the citadel, you’ll have the impression that time has stood still, although the Upper Town is bustling with life: it is home to one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in Italy, attended by hundreds of students.
There are just four gates along the Venetian Walls into the Upper Town. To reach it, I suggest putting on a pair of comfortable shoes and taking a walk up one of the inviting flights of steps that make their way through medieval houses and buildings with centuries of history; or you might prefer to take the Funicular, one of two in the city, opened in 1887 and offering breath-taking views over the plain around Bergamo.
An interesting fact: Bergamo is one of the twenty cities in the world that sits on seven hills; others include Rome, Edinburgh, Prague and Lisbon.
So get ready to visit the wonders of this splendid city.
Enjoy your stay!
