﻿Bergamo is an ancient Italian hill-town of magical beauty, yet relatively undiscovered,
where you can escape tourist crowds and step into this crown jewel of Italy. This country
is famous for its medieval hill-towns, and one of the best is Bergamo, the ideal town with
piazzas and pedestrian lanes lined with shops and restaurants, fountains, lots of outdoor
bars and cafes and a wonderful setting up on a hill surrounded by fortified walls, a relatively
small town just about a kilometer wide, but filled with little lanes and fascinating sights,
located in the north of Italy, near the Alps. Bergman's Old Town is up on a hill surrounded
by massive fortified walls that were built by the Venetians in the middle of the 16th century. They
are so well-preserved that several of the original gates are still functional. And now the wall is
a World Heritage site, as seen from above, with the Venetian walls wrapping around the hillside
Old Town. The modern district of Bergamo is down below and quite lovely, but not the main focus of
your visit. Instead, you'll want to spend your time in Bergamo is Citta Alta, the upper town,
with origins that go back more than 2000 years. There are still quite a few of those old buildings
surviving from the Middle Ages. Especially dramatic are the towers that had been fortified
homes of the wealthy families. And now this one is home to the Tourist Information Office. There is
one main pedestrian street that runs through the center of town. It's about just under a
kilometer long. This nicely paved lane is quite level, so you could walk from one end of town
to the other in about half an hour. But there is so much to see, it could take you two days,
especially wandering along some of those steeper little side lanes. The authentic character of this
place is seen in that small town atmosphere with local residents doing their shopping,
chatting with neighbors and relaxing out in the public spaces. Walking along the back lanes you
might run into some university students heading for class. A place for people and some dogs. It's
a quiet and peaceful town, especially in the off-season as we're visiting during October,
staying a couple of nights at a centrally-located hotel. The main Piazza Vecchia is one of the great
spaces in all of Italy, surrounded by ancient buildings and nice restaurants, or maybe just
sit and have a spritz. The majestic Palazzo Della Raggione stands at one end of the main piazza,
constructed in the Gothic style 800 years ago as a government building. Go up that
bell tower in an elevator for a magnificent view across the Old Town -- towers, domes, churches,
buildings and beautiful countryside off in the distance. Of course, the old Gothic and baroque
churches of Italy are always fascinating to visit. And this piazza has three of the best, which we
will take you inside later for extended visits. Even the backside of this church is spectacular.
We'll take you on a funicular ride, which is one way to get down from the hilltop to the
lower city. Or maybe rent a scooter. But walking is always the best way to get around. Excellent
restaurants are always an attraction in Italy. Bergamo has some palaces open to the public, some
with amazing interior displays like Moroni, and its own private garden. And this is looking out
across the countryside. One of the most important features that Bergamo is famous for is the great
wall that runs all the way around the city, built by the Venetians back in the 16th-century and has
been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site, with its green parks surrounding the town. With all of
its grand history, churches and monuments, it's those little pedestrian lanes that are some of
the most attractive features of the city, the place you'll spend most of your time,
just wandering around, enjoying the sights and a little shopping, eating and drinking. The
Old Town up on the hill overlooks a modern city down below, which also has its charms, as we'll
show you later in the program. But the primary focus of our visit, as illustrated on the map,
is walking right through the heart of the Old Town on the main street, with an extended look at the
piazza and churches, then continuing all the way around in a big circle route, then walking other
routes through the different side lanes. After that, we'll take you into the modern town for
a quick look there. If you're arriving by train, which is a good way to get here, the station is in
the modern city, with a busy station and frequent service. But it is located about a kilometer and a
half from the Old Town. Upon arrival by train, you could go right to the Tourist Information Office
located in front of the train station. And there you can pick up some booklets and free brochures
about the city. they could help you find a hotel room, and explain how to use the city bus. Then
hop on the bus, number 1-A and that will take you directly up to the Old Town, especially useful if
you're going to be spending a night or two and are traveling with luggage -- you don't want
to walk that kilometer and a half. Or if you're just visiting on a day trip, you might not want
to spend that time and energy walking through the new town, which does have some attractive
places you c see through the bus window, and maybe walk down there later to have a look,
as we'll show you towards the end of the program. The bus takes you right through one of the four
massive gates in the wall. Continuing our drive alongside the wall in a preview of the walk that
we will take later in the program, coming back for a closer look. And now we are in the upper town,
Citta Alta, filled with classic old buildings. Arriving at the bus stop, which is nicely located
right on the edge of the Old Town. It's also a place that tour buses can drop off their groups,
such as this bunch of students who have just arrived. Donkeys at this piazza gives you some
indication we're not in a modern city anymore. There is an alternate way to reach the upper town,
and that's take t funicular, which goes from the bottom of the hill and up through the old wall to
Bergamo Alta, riding this cable car that's 128 years old, and it still performs beautifully,
going back and forth every day, up that 52% slope, with friendly service that's typical of the warm
greetings that you will get throughout town. Upon reaching the top, you enter into a lovely
station that has cafes and newsstands and it's right on a little piazza that we'll show you more
of later when we depart the upper town down that same route. But that was just a little diversion
to show you the option. We came up by bus and the bus stop is on the other end of the Old Town where
we shall begin our walking tour. It's like that old cliche stepping back in time as we enter the
gateway of Bergamo. This Porta Sant’Alessandro was built between 1565 and 1575 and provided access
to the upper town for those coming from Lecco and Como in the west. More than just a gate,
it's part of a larger square stone structure around Piazza Cittadella, with occasional markets
taking place. Even today, there is the occasional attack by monsters or walking balloons, or maybe
it's just some students out to have fun and take some crazy pictures. Torre della Campanella
or Bell Tower was also part of the medieval fortifications and leads into Piazza Mascheroni,
a pleasant square with some restaurants, and underneath it was the ancient water storage
cistern. This piazza is at the beginning of the main pedestrian street of town, via Colleoni,
also affectionately known as Corsorolla, named after the renowned 15th-century mercenary captain,
Bartolomeo Colleoni, who lived here and founded his charitable institution in 1466. And it's still
functioning today on via Colleoni, We've only just begun the main walk, but perhaps we're getting
hungry already. Of course, Italy is world-famous for its delicious cuisine, and here you will
have many fine choices. Look for this painted halo suspended over our lane because not only
does it lead you into a nice restaurant, but they have hotel rooms upstairs. It's the type of place
called a loconda. "So the name is Locanda Mimmo. It's not a hotel, it's just a locanda. Locanda
means like it's, just this service because we have a restaurant upstairs. This is a restaurant,
Mimmo, that is an historical restaurant. And we have upstairs also six rooms, two apartments,
and a freestanding room and one suite." Staying at Mimmo would be ideal because you're right
in the middle of the Old Town on the main lane, with a hotel room and a restaurant downstairs.
As I was walking along and getting a little more hungry, one particular restaurant caught my eye
with its outdoor table right on the main lane. And when I saw a policeman coming out from his lunch,
I knew this must be the real deal. Are you a police captain? Marcallo. Grazie. So I was
able to grab that table, which is about the only outdoor table on via Colleoni. I decided to have a
light lunch and their special salad, presented so beautifully, which I then deconstructed to
see what's there. I had a fabulous, complicated salad with carrots, fennel, quioja beets, pear,
zucchini, golden beets, spinach, potato with basil cream, pea shoots and goat cheese. "And what's
your name?" "I'm Becky." "You're Becky. And your restaurant name?" "Vineria Cozzi, but it's
not mine." "But you work here?" "Yes, I work here. It's a pleasure for me." "It's very good,
right on the main street." A perfect spot for a meal combined with people-watching. After
that delicious culinary experience, I did not leave much on the table. I got curious about the
restaurant, so took a walk inside and discovered they have several big rooms with an extensive menu
such as porcini tagliatelle, a stuffed ravioli, fresh, polenta from Bergamo, beef cheek, deer rib,
sausage, hamburger, duck, duck, duck, roasted octopus and mixed vegetables. Continuing along on
via Colleoni, you'll notice there is a local food market, their version of a supermarket in a little
shopfront. We have more scenes of this beautiful street a little bit later. But now it's time to
dive into the big Piazza Vecchia, surrounded by restaurants and historic buildings with a fountain
in the middle. This is the heart of town. Piazza Vecchia represents the core of Citta Alta. It
has been the center of political and religious power for centuries, and it keeps being one of
the most popular places for Bergamo citizens to spend some time with friends. These loggia with
their pointed arches are underneath the Palazzo della Reggione, which served as the seat of the
city's government during the Middle Ages, built almost 1000 years ago to host the city public
meetings. The Contarini Fountain in the middle of the piazza is decorated with statues of sphinxes,
lions and snakes. There are so many wonderful photo ops here. It's a good spot to show your love
for your pet dog. Generally considered one of the most beautiful piazza in all of Italy, and that's
saying something because every town in Italy has a piazza. But this one is really quite special
with these old medieval, preserved buildings and cafes and great sites all around it. This white
granite Renaissance building is the Palazzo Nuovo on the north end of the piazza. Built originally
from 1604, and it took 300 years to finish it ending in 1928. It served as Bergamo's Town Hall
for most of that time, right up until 1873. And since 1928, it's been hosting one of Italy's most
renowned libraries, the Civica Angelo Mai, with an incredible collection that includes ancient
and precious books from the 1500s, engravings, manuscripts and 600,000 volumes in total. The
terrace in front is a popular gathering place for locals and a convenient spot for visitors to sit
down and rest, and do some people-watching. The piazza is a place to spend some quality time. Have
another look at that Contarini fountain, where you could drink the water coming out of the sphinx
mouth. Don't just stop and take a look and grab a picture and then move on, but sit down at a cafe
and look around at some of these building details, such as that open staircase and that tower rising
up behind it, which you can go up for a great view looking across the town. And you don't
have to climb the 300 steps. There's an elevator. The Civic Tower has three large bells at the top,
including the largest called Companone, which is the popular name for this tower. A commanding view
into the piazza from this open air perspective, 53 meters high with a great angle on Piazza del
Duomo, with its three great churches, we shall soon visit, then looking off into the hillside
town and distant landscape beyond. The glass elevator just takes 30 seconds back to ground
level, where there is a historical exhibit with some archeological finds down in the basement.
These rooms are part of the Palazzo del Podesta, built in the second half of the 12th century as
the home for the municipal mayor of Bergamo. The stone loggias were added later and form
a fascinating courtyard in the Renaissance style now, including dazzling contemporary displays.
Just beyond, we reach Piazza del Duomo, with three major churches, including the Basilica on the left
and Colleoni chapel on the right. This spectacular chapel is perhaps the most beautiful building in
Bergamo, an authentic Italian Renaissance masterpiece featuring an overwhelming mass
of decoration that dazzles the eye. Yet it is not a large building. The main focal point is
the massive tomb and gilded equestrian statue of Bartolomeo Colleoni, who was one of the most
famous mercenary captains in Italy. A fearless soldier and great leader who spent his whole
life fighting all over Italy, especially for the Republic of Venice, and was born here in Bergamo.
Two other major churches and the baptistery adorn this Piazza del Duomo. But it would be
too much to see all three of them at one time. It would overwhelm your senses. So we're going to go
out and take a walk and come back here later to see the rest of it. The lanes behind the churches
form an intricate maze of narrow streets with tall buildings and old churches all around them. It's
quite a place you can wander and get a little bit lost and then find your way out again with very
little effort. Looking up at the tall tower and rounded arches at the back of this basilica, we
can see that Romanesque style of a building that dates back to 1140. Entering an adjacent piazza,
we get a look at the headquarters for a University of Sciences Letters and Arts of Bergamo. Next to
it, a historic fountain connected to a cistern that supplied water to this part of town.
We are just one block behind the major piazzas, Duomo and Vecchia, and yet we have entered this
little tangle of narrow alleys and smaller piazzas off the beaten track. This street is named after
Bergman's most famous composer, Gaetano Donizetti, who created about 70 operas. Sometimes we can get
dog-tired walking around in these little lanes, need a break, but got to hustle on,
there's a lot more to see. There are some schools in this neighborhood, including a building of the
university for the Department of Linguistics. This road continues down to that funicular station,
which we'll see in a minute, but we're going to backtrack through some other side lanes and have
a look at a very interesting washing fountain. Most houses in the upper town did not have running
water inside the houses in the old days. So this basin was built at the end of the 1800s to provide
a washing facility. The water supply cistern could contain 300 cubic meters of water built
below the structure and a discharge system and drainage channels that make it an amazing design
model. Wandering along alleys through arches to apartment courtyards is a lovely way to explore
the back street. Then we return to the main lane of town. Earlier it was called Via Colleoni, now
changes names to Via Gombito, leading towards the east side of town, similar to what we saw earlier
with more shops and restaurants. Arriving then at Piazza Mercato Delle Scarpe, once a thriving
area of trade at an important intersection of six streets, where the roads from Venice and Milan
met in the medieval period. Just a hundred meters away, you'll reach a 14th-century fortress called
La Rocca. It had served as a fort, prison, refuge and barracks, successfully defeating attacks in
1438 and 1514. You will get some of the best views in town, looking back at the Duomo and other
towers, from the ramparts of the fort, providing a nice perspective of the upper town and looking
down at the modern city. Now it's a history museum and garden. The museum offers a view of the period
starting in 1797 when the French troops arrived, up through 1870. Then it's back to the piazza
and the little lanes around it to investigate the restaurant possibilities. There are many choices
here in the piazza, and in those side streets. Perhaps a little pastry snack or the traditional
kitchen in an old restaurant with barrel-vaulted stone ceilings. You can't go wrong in a place
like that. Or maybe just relax in the piazza and have a spritz. We're very close to another major
street that extends out from this piazza, one of those six streets that emanate from it. Via Porta
Dipinta is a street lined with grand buildings, each with portals that offer glimpses of gardens
and terraces in the background. It's an easy-going downhill stroll. However, we have gotten beyond
the restaurants and shops, so if you were hungry, it would have been good to eat back at
the piazza. At this point we have reached Fontana Dipinta, located at what had been the eastern gate
of the medieval walls of the city. Next to it is Palazzo Moroni, an eccentric 17th-century palace,
which has been very well preserved. The furnished interior is decorated with frescoes, several
objects and art masterpieces, as well as panoramic terracing and two hectares of agricultural
grounds, now enjoyed as an extraordinary park in the heart of the upper city. The interior boasts
extravagantly frescoed walls with trompe l'oeil figures seemingly suspended from the ceiling,
creating the almost psychedelic illusion that you are staring into a three-dimensional space
with columns, arches, balconies, colorful costumes and angels flying through the air. It's almost a
forerunner of our 3-D movies or virtual reality goggles, except here you are standing in the
grand rooms of a palace, just looking with your own eyes at this amazing optical illusion. The
Moroni family has owned and lived in the building since 1636. The original layout has been carefully
maintained and preserved. A monumental staircase leads from the entrance courtyard upstairs to the
rooms and halls, frescoed and furnished between the 17th and 19th centuries. The back of the
building opens up to stunning gardens that provide a welcome and peaceful respite from
all of the dazzling frescoes in the interior of the palace. The rose-filled gardens and manicured
hedges guide visitors towards a rolling meadow with views towards the mountains, and benches are
conveniently placed for visitors to relax and soak up the lush surroundings. All in all, a surprising
and delightful experience. Back out on that same via Porta Dipinta, we're going to show you a route
we'll take now that goes around the backside of town for one kilometer. along the way, we'll
see a few churches and more of the historic old buildings. This lane is bringing us towards the
east end of Bergamo Alta. In the old days, it had been a very important road because travelers from
Venice, which is to the east, would enter the city along this street. The major fortified gateway in
the wall was demolished a long time ago. But we do have this little arch that will take us
from the street, through a remnant of an old wall out into a meadow. On the right side of the lawn,
we have the Chiesa Sant'Agostino, founded in the late 13th century, now part of the University of
Bergamo. It's located next to the Venetian wall around town and the major gateway through that
wall, which is Porta Sant'Agostino built in the late 16th century. It's still the most popular
route for driving into the Old Town. There is a lovely pedestrian pathway you could take next to
the wall that would bring you down to the modern city. But we're not going that way. We're going
to be walking along the wall. This is the first time that we are getting a close-up look at the
spectacular Venetian walls, and taking a stroll right alongside them on a scenic route. The total
circuit of walls is over six kilometers long, which is one of the recommended things to do
when you're in Bergamo, because the walls are an important UNESCO World Heritage site. You'll
have some fine views looking north towards the foothills of the Alps. If you're very eager,
there are hiking trails out in the forest. That's far enough. We are not going all the way around,
but taking via San Lorenzo, which is a direct route back into the center of the Old Town,
slightly uphill, but just over 300 meters long, passing a small residential piazza,
then arriving back at that main lane of via Gombito and extension to Via Colleoni. By now,
you have definitely worked up a thirst and an appetite. So hit one of these beautiful outdoor
restaurants, or maybe just grab a pizza. This ready-to-eat selection looks unusually delicious.
You could grab a slice to go, then look around and find a place to sit down and eat. Of course,
you'll generally be better off sitting down and having a nice meal at a restaurant,
such as at Al Donizetti, which has a beautiful outdoor pavilion reminiscent of the old markets
of Italy like you'll find in Florence, with that lovely multi-arched loggia and outdoor
tables right on our main street of via Gombito. Donizetti has a large wine list -- it's a wine
bistro, after all, and they get mostly positive reviews. But any time you're picking a restaurant,
you want to be careful. Have a look around before you sit down and see if people are eating. Check
the prices. Ask around the neighborhood, in shops and elsewhere for restaurant recommendations. And
then take your pick. Sometimes the setting, like at this outdoor restaurant by a fountain,
is as important as the food. If you do see a lot of people at a restaurant sitting with no food,
waiting for service, then go somewhere else. The tourist information office is nearby.
"Hello. And I'm in the tourist office of Bergamo, and I will tell you that Bergamo is a beautiful
place, the place to be." Stop by and get some free information and brochures. It's located
right next to the Gombito Tower, so you can't miss it at the corner of via Gombito and Via Lup,
just around the corner from Piazza Vecchia. Earlier, we showed the Tourist Information Office
down by the train station, which is also a good spot if you're arriving by train. There are only
a handful of hotels up here in the Old Town in Bergamo Alta. But some of them are quite nice,
such as Il Sole. "My name is Roberto, this is the Hotel Sole in the old city, a historic hotel in
this town. My family's here for 40 years. But this hotel is a 500 year. Is born in 500 years
ago. It is the first hotel born in Bergamo." "And you have a restaurant." "Yeah, there is
the big restaurant? Yeah, the restaurant with the garden inside. And the restaurant is big. We
have 10 rooms in the hotel, it's a little hotel, but is characteristic." "And not expensive?"
"Not expensive." "And you're right on the piazza." "It's in the corner of Piazza Vecchia,
the principal square in the old city." I stayed at the four-star Hotel Piazza Vecchia, which frankly
is more like a three-star hotel, but quite nice, after you climb the steps up to the lobby. It's
right on the main lane, very near Piazza Vecchia. As we continue walking along via Colleoni,
I'd like to share a few tips for you about traveling to Bergamo. It's difficult if you
come in the summer because it can get very crowded and it might be hot. My visit was during October
and it was quite peaceful with weather that was perfect. If you come in the summertime,
you might be waiting on line to get up on the funicular, you might have a little
trouble getting room at a hotel or space at a restaurant. So the off-season, shoulder season,
spring and fall, is definitely the way to go. You could visit Bergamo on a day-trip from Milan,
just 45 minutes away by direct train. However, there is so much here to see, as you've already
noticed, it's worth spending at least one, better yet, two nights. That way you can venture beyond
the main squares and discover Bergamo's hidden gems, get lost in those charming labyrinth of
narrow streets, showcasing hidden piazzas, artisan shops and unique cafes tucked away, with promise
of a delightful experience. We've walked to the end of via Colleoni, exiting out through the wall
to where we began this visit when we got off that bus. But we're continuing this time a block over,
outside the city wall, some of which is now encircling a public parking lot. We're going
to take another funicular ride, this time going up the hill of San Viglio -- a short journey,
well worthwhile, because when you get to the top, there's going to be an outstanding view
across the city. And there's a castle. You could walk up for free, but the round-trip funicular
costs under 3 euro, so take that little train and then you walk out onto the observation terrace
and you get a spectacular view. From this upper vantage, you're looking down on the Upper Town,
with the Lower Town beyond spread out into the distance. From the funicular walk further uphill
a couple blocks to reach the castle. These are spectacular ruins of a much larger fortress,
first built in the 12th century, expanded in the 14th century, and then most of it was blown up by
Napoleon. It had been the most important fortress of town, protecting Bergamo from attack for many
centuries. Now we have a splendid view across the landscape that resembles the background of
an early Italian painting. This garden terrace is at the apex of the small summit providing
360-degree views all around you. When done, it's an easy walk downhill back to the funicular
about 300 meters away, passing a small hotel, Relais San Viglio, four stars, with nine rooms,
and a beautiful view. Keep your eyes open and your camera ready while going back down and grab a
window because you'll have more views all the way to the bottom. The track is 630 meters long and
descends 90 meters. This funicular first began operating in 1907. As we reenter Bergamo Alta
once again through Porta Sant’Alessandra, you'll see the winged lion on top. We'll explain that
history with Venice in a little while. Now we're taking the last walking tour of our visit along a
picturesque side lane and then passing the main section of the Venetian wall. Turning away from
the main lane of the city and walking along Piazza Mascharoni, that soon becomes via San Salvatore.
Typical of the paving here, you can choose between smooth flagstones or the pebble cobblestones.
We noticed some students walking through a gated entrance onto the University of Bergamo campus,
which has numerous buildings distributed throughout the town. You'll probably see more
students out walking, especially in these back lanes. The university has got 16,000 students in
Bergamo. It was founded in 1968 and is already a regional leader in research and education. In some
courtyards, you'll see impressive buildings and gardens. Via Salvecchio is an impressive side lane
that connects up with the town's main street. And along the way, there are some interesting little
shops. Here we encounter a glimpse of local life with residents going about their daily routines,
off the beaten track, like this general store that has a plethora of items for local residents,
not for tourists. We are away from the visiting crowd, and little alleyways, fun to take a look
at. This street has another building complex for the university. It's a school that accepts
students from all over the world creating a diverse and enriching learning environment,
making a delightful place to study with a peaceful atmosphere amidst these historic sites. A narrow
alleyway brings us down from Via Salvecchio to via Arena, the main street of this part of
town. It's fun how the streets generally do not follow a straight line. There are little angles,
sometimes they are curved, a little mystery as to what's up ahead. That's always part of the game
when you're walking in these little alleyways. Misericordia, a charitable institution founded in
1265, completed this important Baroque building in 1664 with a lovely cloister which also houses the
Museo Donizettiano, displaying the works of the renowned local composer Gaetano Donizetti. Another
institution on via Arena is the Episcopal Seminary of Bergamo, which accommodates the vocation of
young people who feel oriented towards the path of priesthood. It's called via Arena because it's the
location of the ancient Roman amphitheater that was once here. In the Middle Ages,
it played a significant role in the development of Bergamo Alta. You can see how much fun it is
to venture beyond the main squares and lanes and discover Bergmo's hidden gems. Get lost in the
charming labyrinth of narrow streets, showcasing hidden piazzas, little shops and unique sites
tucked away. We take a right turn walking down Via Simone Mayr, another charming street nestled in
the heart of town, passing medieval town houses with their characteristic stone facades and
alongside buildings with Renaissance influences. Notice again the attractive and functional street
paving of brick and stone cobbles providing secure footing. You're going to see some furniture
restoration experts working hard on these narrow lanes and skilled technicians doing much-needed
maintenance. Many of these old buildings look like they're brand new. We have now arrived at
a most significant part of town, the main section of the Venetian fortified walls and gates. Porta
San Giacomo is one of the four magnificent gateways through the Venetian walls and makes
a great place for some pictures. It was built in 1592 by the important Venetian architect, Vincenzo
Scamozzi, with a design incorporating classical architecture with the Italian Renaissance.
The wall extends along both sides with a huge stone ramp that comes out the front, which had
originally been a wooden drawbridge over the dry moat. Now it's a pedestrian path that can take you
all the way down to the lower town. From here we get outstanding panoramic views of the surrounding
city and the Bergamo Valley, extending off in the distance. You'll see the lower town below, which
we are going to visit shortly towards the end of the program. These walls were built by Venice,
which controlled Bergamo for three centuries, from 1428 to 1797 even though it’s 240 kilometers away.
Venice was a powerful city-state with a vast empire that extended throughout much of the
eastern Mediterranean. Now there are gardens here, and the promenade along the wall has become a very
popular park, a place for some jogging or walking and healthy outdoor exercise, or maybe just kick
back and sit on a bench and enjoy the view. After all, there are really no parks or patches of
greenery when you're in the historic center. It's mostly stone and brick with a beautiful
collection of historic buildings, especially some of those big churches that we're going to show you
now. We're looking at the south entrance of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, considered to be
the most important building in Bergamo, built in the Romanesque style from the year 1137, in thanks
to the Virgin Mary for sparing them from a plague. The building was completed in 1355, and then later
the interior was decorated in this high Baroque style. Massive tapestries cover many of the walls,
making this space look somewhat like the hall of a medieval castle. Every square inch of the
walls and ceiling is decorated with sculptures and paintings. Organ music certainly adds to the
spiritual atmosphere as you wander about looking at these grand sites. The basilica is located
adjacent to Piazza Vecchia, where we come out into a lovely evening glow. Once again, you'll
come back into this piazza many times during your visit. There's something curious about placement
of the three big churches. They're not on the main piazza. You can hardly see them from here,
but they are just behind through those arches of Palazzo della Raggione in a space of their own,
Piazza Duomo. On the right is the Colleoni Chapel we visited earlier, and now we're going inside the
Duomo, the Cathedral of Sant'Alessandro. It is a wide, lofty structure with transept and dome,
a semicircular choir and gilt arabesques all over the walls and ceiling. It's dedicated to
the patron of Bergamo, St Alexander, a building constructed entirely of white marble in the
Renaissance style. Then later in the 17th century, embellished with Baroque angels,
cherubs and saints looking down on you. The Duomo holds numerous treasures, such as paintings by
Tiepolo, and gilded marble inlays, and the mortal remains of St Alexander kept in an urn inside the
high altar. Emerging again into Piazza Duomo, we see the octagonal Baptistery, first constructed
inside the Basilica, then moved out here in 1661. This completes our detailed tour of Bergamo Alta,
the Old Town. We have one more thing to show you, and that's a visit to the Lower Town, the modern
city, which is also quite lovely and interesting. You could walk down there or take the city bus,
but more interesting to take the funicular from Piazza Mercato delle Scarpe. We showed you coming
up this same funicular earlier. And we also took that other funicular to the top of San Viglio for
that view from the fortress. This time we're going down to the new town. Our grand tour of
Bergamo has shown you what a wonderful place it is. Even though it's not as well-known as many
other famous cities in Italy, you would find it is definitely worth visiting -- more than a day trip.
Stay for one or two nights to get the most out of the experience. Wandering through the lower town,
you might come across this Fountain of the Dolphi at a cozy outdoor cafe. One of the
most impressive buildings in the new town is the Palace of Justice, the city's main courthouse,
on Piazza Dante, which has the best collection of monumental buildings in the lower city,
including this large structure, the Quadriportico del Sentierone, which has porticos lined with
shops and restaurants, with a garden park around it with benches for relaxing. While
lounging around in the civic center, give me one minute to tell you the 3000-year history
of Bergamo. The first known settlement was a tribe of Ligurian, about 800 B.C. Then the Celtics from
the Alps moved in 400 B.C. The Romans arrived in 49 B.C. and built a town that expanded with 10,000
people. After the collapse of Rome, the Lombards came in. Charlemagne conquered in the eighth
century. Then Bergamo enjoyed several centuries of independence. Taken over by the Lords of Milan
in the 13th century. Then Venice arrived, as mentioned earlier. The French under Napoleon
took control in 1797. The Austrian Hapsburg ruled briefly. Then Garibaldi conquered Bergamo in 1859,
leading to unification with Italy. Now it's a thriving modern city with a population of about
120,000 people. These neoclassical twin buildings at Porta Nova form a Propylaea
gateway to the city. Behind we see Bergamo Alta rising majestically on the hillside,
a stark contrast with the hustle and bustle of modern Bergamo. We are in the home stretch
walking down the main street of town – a good time to have a spritz and maybe grab an inexpensive
sandwich. We're heading to the train station and it's always a good idea to bring some food
on board. Or you could eat while walking. It's an impressive train station with connections to many
national and regional destinations. For example, you could get a direct train to Rome that would
take 5 hours or a direct train to Milan in just 50 minutes. In my case, I'm heading to Brescia,
which is also a direct train route. No transfers needed, a one-hour journey. I'll be showing you
that beautiful town of Brescia in a different movie. The trains are comfortable, inexpensive,
and usually have beautiful scenery outside the window. We frequently upload new movies,
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