Bergamo – A Day Trip to One of Lombardy's Hidden Gems
Bergamo is one of the most beautiful cities in Italy. It is located on the route between Milan and Lake Garda and is highly recommended for a visit, even for those spending a few days in Milan and looking for a day trip.
Since the opening of the direct flight route between Bergamo and Israel, the options for exploring the city have only increased.
We recommend dedicating between half a day to a full day for this city.
You can reach it by bus or by train to Stazione ferroviaria and get off directly at Piazzale Guglielmo Marconi square.
The route we offer focuses on the upper city of Bergamo Alta and includes the following sites:
Piazza Mercato delle Scarpe
Torre del Gombito
Public Lavatoio
Piazza Vecchia
Fontana Contarini
Palazzo Nuovo
Palazzo Vecchio
Palazzo della Podestà
Palazzo della Regione
Campanona
Duomo
Parish of Santa Maria Maggiore
Cappella Coleoni
Teatro Sociale
Piazza Lorenzo Mascheroni
Cittadella
The Walls
Getting to Bergamo
By train: Get off at the train station Piazzale Guglielmo Marconi
By car: First, reach the parking in lower Bergamo: Libertà Parcheggio Piazza Libertà, Piazza della
Waze to parking: https://waze.com/ul?ll=45.69719315,9.66722202&navigate=yes
After parking, walk to the funicular that will take you up: Funicolare Città Alta
To reach the summit, you can take a funicular, a small train, or a bus, all departing from the same location.
Welcome to the summit! Begin your exploration and uncover the city.
The recommended path showcases the upper town, Bergamo Alta. Click on the link to begin navigating through the map.
Upon exiting the funicular station, turn right and follow Via Gombito, the main street of Bergamo.
Starting point for your adventure: Porta S Giacomo (along Via delle Mura).
By car – parking is available here; look for blue-paid spots.
By funicular – get off at this stop.
Ending point: Piazza della Citadella.
The city is split into Lower Bergamo (Bergamo Bassa) and Upper Bergamo (Bergamo Alta).
Many of the city’s important sites are located in Bergamo Alta.
For an unforgettable historical experience, try to be in Upper Bergamo (Bergamo Alta) at Piazza Vecchia at noon.
From the parking area at Porta San Giacomo, walk up Via San Giacomo until you reach Piazza del Mercato delle Scarpe, one of the historic squares.
First, indulge in a local dessert.
Turn left and continue up Via Gombito; on your right, you’ll spot the bakery/patisserie https://www.nessicittaalta.it/. This well-established shop displays the unique Bergamo dessert Polenta e Osei, a bright yellow delicacy made from cornmeal topped with a chocolate bird. If you’re craving savory treats or coffee, they’ve got that covered as well.
Continue straight down the street and stop near the tallest building on the left – Torre del Gombito. This is the last high structure that survived in the city (54 meters, originally over 60 meters), a symbol of the noble families who enjoyed ‘showing off’ their power to the public by building towers that were always taller than the rival families’ buildings. The tower’s name, Gombito, which surprisingly is not the name of the family, is a Latin term,compitum for the intersection of main streets (Cardo and Decumanus) in the local Bergamasque dialect. In 2010, it was opened to the public with the option to visit and climb 263 steps to enjoy a view of the city rooftops.
Here you can also find a tourist information desk, Turist Information.
Continue a little further and turn left onto Via Mario Lupo, and after a few meters, you will find the city’s 19th-century ‘washing machine’ (Lavatoio pubblico).
The municipality created the washing basin in 1891, aiming to ensure the flow of clean water, thus easing the burden on the noble residents of the upper city, who were suffering from a severe plague and had to wash their clothes outside the walls until then. It is made of stone and has a cast-iron roof in the Art Nouveau style, giving it a unique appearance and making it one of the city’s symbols.
Return to Via Gombito and turn left. After a short distance, you will reach one of the most beautiful squares (though not among the largest) in Italy, Piazza Vecchia.
This was the center of urban life during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, housing most of the buildings used by the city’s leaders and serving its residents.
Stand in the middle of the square by the Fontana Contarini fountain and look towards the northeast, at the building made of white marble, with arches on its first floor, located on the street from which you arrived (Via Gombito). This is the Palazzo Nuovo, named in contrast to the older Palazzo Vecchio. This 16th-century building replaced a small loggia that used to be there, renovated in the 17th century, and is now a municipal library with an enormous collection of books, incunabula, and manuscripts.
On the east side, where it is inscribed above the arch Università degli Studi di Bergamo, stands the Palazzo Della Podesta, which was once adorned with frescoes of philosophers, now transferred to the Palazzo della Ragione, and currently houses the University of Bergamo.
The Palazzo della Ragione is a 12th-century structure that was rebuilt in the 15th century. The central window, with the addition of the Venetian lion above it (the symbol of Saint Mark), honors the new rulers of the city, the Venetian Republic.
Above the stairs rises the Torre Civica, the city tower – also known as Campanone. At 10:00 PM, the bell rings 100 times! This is a 360-year-old tradition, signaling residents to close the four ancient gates of the city. Standing 52 meters tall, you can ascend via an elevator or staircase. Entrance to the tower is through the ticket office and the city museum located beneath the arch connecting the stairs to the Palazzo della Ragione (ticket price 5 euros).
Under the stairs, you will find public restrooms.
Beneath the arches stands an extraordinary solar clock from the 18th century that marks the hour 12:00 and the month with stunning accuracy every day. Looking towards the church, you can see a bronze disc with a hole in it, through which the sun passes every day at 12:00.
(Remember we suggested coming here at that time?!)
Now head to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, next to which is the Colleoni Chapel, with the Baptistery to your right and the Cathedral of Bergamo to your left.
The Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore is an amazing example of Romanesque-Lombard architectural style. The Colleoni Chapel is a mausoleum created for Bartolomeo Colleoni, between 1470-1476 at his own request. The ornate facade features statues, head figures, medallions, and carved columns, and inside there is a beautifully decorated large dome along with the graves of Bartolomeo himself and his daughter Amadea.
Interesting detail: The Colleoni family emblem resembles three drops, or three tears, or…(and here the mercenary earned some mockery) three testicles. The legend says that Bartolomeo Colleoni had three testicles instead of the usual two…There is a famous play on words related to this legend: the last name Coleoni sounds like the pronunciation coglioni (kolīoni), which indeed means testicles.
Feeling like a delicious pastry now?
At 3 Via Gombito, you’ll find to your right this amazing bakery, Il Fornaio.
The Duomo – the important church in the city – is dedicated to Pope John XXIII (1881-1963), known as the Good Pope, born in a town in the Province of Bergamo (Brusicco a Sotto il Monte). “The Chapel of Pope Giovanni” is an area dedicated to him with candles, flowers, and a tomb housing his remains.
The baptismal font is octagonal in shape. This shape (with 8 sides) symbolizes new beginnings (at the end of a week of seven days of creation), continuity, and eternity.
If you’ve regained your desire for a coffee break, sit down in one of the cafés in the square, and if it’s still early, treat yourself to a Spremuta (freshly squeezed orange juice) as Italians love to start their morning with it (alongside coffee and a cornetto).
Now, let’s return to Via Gombito and turn left onto Via Bartolomeo Coleoni, heading east. This is a long street with plenty of shops, delicatessens, cafés, and restaurants. On your right, you can enjoy a large bakery with a wide variety of pizzas (pizza a taglio), sweet pastries, cookies, sandwiches, and more https://m.facebook.com/IlFornaio.BgAlta (Via Bartolomeo Colleoni, 3).
On your right, you’ll pass the entrance to the Teatro Sociale, which is adorned inside in an Italian style with 88 viewing boxes and a total of 1300 seats. Together with the Donizetti Theater (in Bergamo Bassa), they both host the Donizetti Opera Festival held every December.
Continue straight down the street, and on your right, you’ll discover a garden (20 Via Bartolomeo Colleoni). In winter, floral-like structures are set up in the garden for rainy, foggy, and sometimes even snowy days. The ‘flowers’ serve as an alternative light source to sunlight, and their beautiful appearance aims to evoke smiles in viewers during winter – because a smile is food for the soul.
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Next, you will pass through Lorenzo Mascheroni Square (a mathematician and physicist born in the city).
The end of the tour in the historic part will be just after this square, in an area called Citadella. This is probably the most prominent remnant of the rule of the Visconti family from Milan in the city of Bergamo, between the years 1333 and 1428. The fortified structure was built by the order of Rodolfo Visconti in 1389 to house his troops. The place was called Hospitium Magnum and the characteristic arches were renovated in 1958.
Today, the place is home to a museum of natural sciences and an archaeological museum.
Recommendations from Alora for lunch in Bergamo Alta:
The excellent restaurant Trattoria Da Mimmo is well-known in the city. Traditional Bergamasque food, with a large courtyard and great atmosphere, is located on the main street of Bergamo Alta.
https://damimmoelina.com/da-mimmo
Along the long street, there are various small restaurants, kind of taverns, offering excellent local food.
La Piadella is a great place that offers local tortillas called Piedina in Italy. You can take food to go and it is close to the funicular station for descent (Via Gombito, 1d, 24129).
Walls Tour:
If you have enough time and the weather permits, we recommend a walk along the city walls. These can lead you back down or simply provide a stunning viewpoint of the Po Valley.
The city walls, known as LA MURA, are a Venetian architectural creation built by Sforza Pallavicino. The Venetian walls gained worldwide fame and are found in various locations throughout the Mediterranean. The Venetian rulers sent 15,000 soldiers to Bergamo for its defense and built a wall, construction of which began in 1561. Many buildings and monuments were demolished for this purpose, and it took 50 years to complete the series of walls. A significant amount of money was invested in this project. Just before the construction was finished, Europe began to use cannons, making the wall, as a defense, obsolete, and it remained only for aesthetic purposes.
The route: From Piazza Delle Scarpe, turn onto San Giacomo street and descend it until Largo di Porta S. Alessandro. Here stands the main and most beautiful gate among the entrances to the upper city from the Venetian period. From there, we recommend heading east and walking along the walls to Porta Sant’ Agostino. Along the way, there are viewpoints, telescopes, and landscaped greenery.
Exit the walls, walk down Viale Vittorio Emanuele, turn left onto Via Antonio Locatelli, turn right onto Via Zelasco Giovanni e Rodolfo, then again turn left onto Via Monte Nero, and you’ll be back at the parking lot of Piazza della Libertà.
