Bergamo in 3 days

For the Ascension weekend, we chose to fly off to the north of Italy, to Bergamo. The city is well served by direct flights from Paris, notably with Easyjet. We paid 83€ return per person. The airport is right next to the city, so it’s simple and quick to get there. Coming out of the terminal, we took the shuttle, which cost us 2.40€ per person: cheap and efficient. The bus dropped us at the foot of the funicular leading up to the upper town (the ticket is the same as the shuttle one, remember to keep it).

You should know that Bergamo is split into two parts: the upper town, the historic city where the vast majority of the monuments to visit are concentrated, and the lower town, more modern but no less interesting.

What to see and do in Bergamo?

The upper town (Città Alta)

Stepping off the funicular on the first evening, we were struck by the beauty and the calm of the upper town. Our first impression was the right one: Bergamo won us over! Two full days can be enough to visit the whole of the Città Alta. Don’t miss the main points of interest such as the Piazza Vecchia, the Antico Lavatoio, the Piazza della Cittadella, the via Bartolomeo Colleoni… But the nicest thing is still to stroll and get lost in Bergamo’s cobbled lanes. No need for a map!

Museums and monuments

There is a good value pass (Museo delle storie di Bergamo) for visiting many monuments in Bergamo, priced at 12€ per person for 6 monuments. It includes the Palazzo del Podestà museum, the climb up the Campanone (bell tower), the Convento di San Francesco, which includes the excellent photography museum and the museum of the 20th century (Bergamo 900), the Rocca castle, the Donizetti music museum and also the Torre dei caduti, the Great War memorial in the lower town. We advise you to get it because it lets you have a good overview of the city’s history and architecture.

Spectacular views from the Campanone

Convento di San Francisco

Rocca di Bergamo

You also mustn’t miss the free visit to the Duomo, the Cattedrale di Sant’Alessandro Martire, not to be confused with the basilica right opposite, the Basilica Santa Maria Maggiore of Bergamo (paid entry). Next door is the Cappella Colleoni, being restored when we were there, and the Baptistery. Really, there’s plenty to do in terms of visiting monuments!

The ramparts

One of Bergamo’s most emblematic walks is the one that goes around the Venetian ramparts dating from the 16th century, listed as UNESCO world heritage. You can start the loop from any gate: we chose to begin at the Porta Sant’Alessandro and go down the viale delle mura. That takes you to the Baluardo di San Giovanni and then the Porta San Giacomo. When you reach the via della farra, you find yourself almost in the middle of nature. The whole walk offers very beautiful panoramic views over Bergamo and its surroundings. Not to be missed!

San Vigilio and the trails

To get another viewpoint over Bergamo, we decided to go up to San Vigilio castle. To do that, you go through the Porta Sant’Alessandro and take the via San Vigilio to reach the panorama from the San Vigilio church. The view over the two towns and the surrounding mountains is magnificent. While the castle can’t be visited, the park around it can and lets you take a bucolic break after a climb in the sun.

Many walking trails set off from San Vigilio: we chose to take the one that goes down from the church (Salita dello Scorlazzone). At the bottom of the steps, turn right towards the Via Astino to get a magnificent view over the Bergamo countryside. One of the prettiest parts of the trail is the Scaletta Scorlazzino, which runs alongside orchards. We then came back up via the via Borgo Canale: here again the views are impressive.

Valverde

At sunset, we ventured outside the walls of the upper town and passed through the hamlet of Valverde. A short walk starts on the via Constantino Beltrami, opposite the Porta Sant’Alessandro. At the junction with the via Roccolino, take the path that goes down to the right to find yourself in the middle of nature. You come back through the Porta San Lorenzo after going back up the via Maironi Giovanni da Ponte. A lovely walk, ideal at golden hour for example.

The lower town

The lower town shouldn’t be ruled out! We wanted to discover this other side of Bergamo over half a day. Our exploration starts at the Porta Sant’Agostino, which took us to the other side of the ramparts. Then take the via della Nocca, which goes down to the Piazza Giacomo Carrara, around which stand two big museums: the Carrara Academy (which we didn’t visit) and the GAMeC. Entry to the modern art museum was free when we were there, so we took the chance to have a look round.

We went down the via San Tomaso to discover the very beautiful Sant’Alessandro della Croce church and then the basilica di Sant’Alessandro in Colonna. From there begins the nerve centre of the lower town and the shopping district with plenty of shops. Before going back up to the Città Alta, we walked past the Porta Nuova and visited the Torre dei caduti, included in the Lombard Museum Pass. This tower is dedicated to life in Bergamo during the First World War and offers a panoramic view from the top floor terrace. If you’ve bought the pass, don’t hesitate to go up: it’s worth it.

Instead of taking the funicular, you can walk up via the “Scale per Bergamo Alta” (well signposted). The path then brings you out in front of the famous Porta San Giacomo, entirely clad in marble. A chance to take a few photos at the end of the day under a stormy, threatening sky.

Accommodation: where to stay in Bergamo?

We stayed in the heart of the upper town so as to be in the historic centre and walk around it. Our accommodation was perfect, ideally located, very spacious and with a magnificent view from the loggia. We booked directly with the owner of this loft, Cà del Borgo, after spotting the listing on Airbnb, and paid 275€ for the 3 nights. We can only recommend this place for a stay in Bergamo!

Food and drink: where to eat in Bergamo?

• Mimì • La Casa dei Sapori: traditional caterer and restaurant where we got takeaway three times! Very affordable prices, even more so if you don’t eat in. Excellent tiramisu (5€ a portion).
• Circolino Città Alta: Italian restaurant where again we bought takeaway, Bergamo specialities; 24€ for two.
• Da Mimmo Bergamo Alta: good pizzas (takeaway possible); 19€ for a pizza and a plate of ravioli.
• Il Fornaio: bakery offering generous slices of pizza sold by weight to take away; 13€ the slice for two.
• Il Coccio: caterer and fine grocery offering dishes of the day to take away in the lower town; 23€ for the two dishes (lasagne).
• Carmen Gelato, Colleoni: good artisan ice creams on the main street.
• La Romana: good ice creams in the lower town (you can sit on the terrace); 3.50€ for two flavours.

What we thought of Bergamo

Bergamo was a lovely surprise! We didn’t know exactly what to expect when we booked our plane tickets but it has to be said that it was worth it. Perhaps too little known and passed over in favour of its very touristy neighbour Milan, Bergamo deserves to be visited and to be given more than a day. Between town and nature, it’s a well preserved historic city that has a lot to offer the visitor. We enjoyed that closeness to greenery, to the surrounding hills and forests; rare enough to be worth pointing out.
So we can only recommend this destination, less known and less popular with tourists, and yet very easy to reach by plane from Paris. Perfect for a long three day weekend, or longer if you combine it with a visit to San Pellegrino Terme or Milan.

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