Bergamo

Visit Bergamo and its surroundings

Visiting Bergamo means visiting a city rich in history, culture and its beautiful surroundings with unique natural splendours and landscapes.

In Bergamo, you can stroll along ancient walls and medieval streets, where past and present blend harmoniously, creating charming impressions that will captivate you in more ways than one. Visiting the capital of culture with its beautiful surroundings means immersing yourself in a multi-faceted environment, divided into the Upper and Lower Towns, in a town centre that preserves the echoes of a living, beating past intact.
From Piazza Vecchia, described as ‘the most beautiful square in Europe’ by Le Corbusier and dominated by the Campanone with its 100 characteristic chimes at 10 o’clock in the evening, to the Duomo, the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore and the Rocca, the magnificent 14th century fort. Here, from above, strolling in the peace and quiet, you can enjoy a fantastic panoramic view of the city and the mountains that surround it.

The Lower Town is the more modern and commercial heart of Bergamo and is home to some of the most important cultural institutions: from the Carrara Academy, one of the most famous art galleries in the world, to the GAMeC, the Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art and the Donizettiano Museum, dedicated to the famous composer from Bergamo, Gaetano Donizetti.
A romantic walk along the Venetian Walls, under the patronage of Unesco, a visit to the Palazzo del Podestà, now the Museum of the Sixteenth Century, that offers a multimedia and interactive itinerary on the history of Bergamo, an excursion for the whole family to the botanical garden, a real oasis in the Upper City: the things to see and do in Bergamo are a continuous surprise.

Also worth exploring are the many local gastronomic delicacies: cheeses, Bergamo has a centuries-old cheese-making culture producing many DOP (controlled designation of origin) brands, cold meats and sausages, and casoncelli, the tasty local classic, elongated ravioli filled with pork or beef and seasoned with butter flavoured with sage and bacon.
A simple and hearty cuisine exquisitely accompanied by high quality wines: among the most renowned in Bergamo and the surrounding area are the Valcalepio Rosso DOC, made from Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, the Valcalepio Bianco DOC, from Pinot Bianco and Chardonnay grapes, and the Moscato di Scanzo.

This multifaceted city always offers beauty and infinite nuances to be savoured.