Sightseeing!
1 - Piazza Vecchia (Old square) represents the core of Città Alta: it has been the heart of political power for centuries and it keeps being one of the most popular places for Bergamo’s citizens. You can admire the building called “Palazzo della Ragione, the Torre Civica, a bell tower also called “Campanone” and in the middle of the square is located the Contarini Fountain.
1 - The Torre Civica is the medieval symbol of Bergamo, and its 52 meters are overcome with a modern elevator that leads to the most incredible vantage point of the city. Not surprisingly, from Campanone one can see all the roofs, the Alps, and the Piazza Vecchia. The "motto" of Campanone comes from the gigantic bells that ring every night at ten o´clock, one hundred times, to announce that the gates of entrance to the city were next to be closed. For many Bergamasque children they have rung to call them back home from their rambles and now they keep remembering their childhood.
3 -The Gombito Tower is located at the crossroads of the two main streets of the Upper Town. It is 52 meters high and was built by the family Del Zoppo to demonstrate the city its supremacy over the other houses. Currently you can still climb to the top through a long series of steps leading up to the rooftop terrace where you can see all Bergamo.
Bergamo Cathedral is dedicated to Saint Alexander of Bergamo, patron saint of the city. But the real jewel is the church next to it. The Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore (2) was founded in 1137 on the site of another church from the 8th century dedicated to St Mary. The exterior retains the original Romanesque-Lombard architecture, while the interior is decorated in Baroque style.
2 - The Cappella Colleoni is a church and mausoleum dedicated to the saints Bartholomew, Mark and John the Baptist; it was built between 1472 and 1476 as the personal shrine for the conducter Bartolomeo Colleoni. The site chosen was that of the sacristy of the nearby church of Santa Maria Maggiore, which was demolished by Colleoni's soldiers. The design was entrusted to Giovanni Antonio Amadeo, whose plan respected the style of the church, as can be seen from the octagonal tambour of the dome and in the lantern cusp.
(10) The Teatro Donizzetti opened by Francesco Lucchini, has been detroyed by a fire in 1797 and rebuilt in 1800. Importants are the internal frescoes. Today the theater is still being used for plays and concerts. Ii is one of the historical theaters in Northern Italy. On its left is a little nice square with a monument to the 19th century leading composer Gaetano Donizetti.
(11) The Torre dei Caduti is situated in Piazza Vittorio Veneto, in the middle of the city, is a tower inaugurated in 1924 for remembering the first world war deaths. The tower is 45 meters tall and today, after years of restoration is opened to the visitors. Is part of the Centro Piacentini Ano, an architectural area built by Marcello Piacentini.
(12)The cloister of Santa Marta is a piece of heaven in the middle of the lower town, next to Vittorio Veneto square. It has more than 600 years, and inside we can found two important works of art: the “Cardinale Seduto”, by Giacomo Manzù, and a monolit by Anish Kapoor.
(9) The church of Saints Bartholomew and Stephen is a place of worship located in Bergamo, on "Sentierone". The church was built in 1613-1642, adjacent to a monastery of San Bartolomeo. The church houses a large canvas, a masterpiece by the painter Lorenzo Lotto called Pala Martinengo.
If you keep walking along via Tasso you'll reach another impressive church, Santo Spirito, with an imposive, really singular facade and inside, hanging discreetly on a wall, one of Lotto's most famous paintings, “Madonna With Child and Saints,” circa 1521.
Discover Bergamo following her waterways with 240 fountains, including the so called “vedovella” (11 - that is "little widow"). The legend says that in the past the fountains were two, looking each other at opposite sides of Sentierone. Then one was eliminated, leaving the partner as an inconsolable widow.
Drink it! It's good, fresh and very sustainable.
The Rocca (8) is a 14th-century bastion that contains the Museo del Risorgimento e della Resistenza. This museum contains documents and exhibits about the struggle for independence in Italy, when the city of Bergamo was freed from Austrian rule by the army of Giuseppe Garibaldi. Views from the castle keep and the adjoining Parco della Rimembranza (Remembrance Park) cover a full 360-degrees.
14 - Former Monastery of Astino
An agricultural oasis protecting the organic crops, an ancient monastery recently renovated, a destination for lovely walks across the hills: you’ll be spoiled for choice!
The Astino Valley immediately conveys a sense of peace and serenity. That’s why in 1170 the vallombrosan monks decided to build their monastery and the Santo Sepolcro here. The history of Astino came to a turning point with the coming of Napoleon, in 1797: the monastery was abolished and turned first into a mental institution and later into a farm. In 2007 the congregation named “Congregazione della Misericordia Maggiore” purchased it and completely renovated the complex .
Sit on the wide meadow surrounding this site: the beauty and the calm of the landscape will amaze you. But if you look for a night on the tiles in summer numerous events take place here including exhibitions and open-air concerts not to be missed.
(25) - Museo di Scienze Naturali e Archeologico (Natural Science and Archeological Museum)
From the Piazza Vecchia, the narrow Via Colleoni runs northwest to the Citadel, which houses a museum with exhibits on natural science, ethnography, paleontology, and archeology. Audio guides are available in English.
(8)Art Gallery of the Accademia Carrara
Reached by a stepped lane leading down from Porta Sant'Agostino is a palace housing the Accademia Carrara, an art museum with works by Italian artists Lorenzo Lotto, Palma il Vecchio, Giovanni Battista Moroni, Vittore Carpaccio, Jacopo and Giovanni Bellini, Andrea Mantegna, Girolamo Romani Romanino, Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, Titian, Paolo Veronese, Raffael Santi, Sandro Botticelli, Luca Signorelli, and Carlo Crivelli, as well as works by Albrecht Dürer and Anton van Dyck. The list of names should be sufficient, isn't it?
Wonderful view with the mountains around it. It was perfect weather and we could walk around the city walls. The real italian flair.
Verena (D)-Group (C)