Thursday, March 12, 2026

Beautiful Bergamo (March 12)

Thursday, March 12, 2026    No comments

Thursday, March 12, 2026

At 11:30, on the way to Sermione (from Milan's Linate airport), we decided to stop by for half a day at Bergamo, parking the Opel Corsa at the Parcheggio Citta Alta Bergamo. 

We parked our Opel Corsa at  Parcheggio Citta Alta Bergamo, on the outskirts of Bergamo's old town, at 13:00. From the parking garage, we rode the elevator to the 8th floor and followed a long tunnel to enter the city. It was extremely convenient, and the parking price of 3.30 euros/hour was reasonable.

As we were hungry, we decided to first stop by for lunch at the Il Circolina Citta Alta restaurant (which was highly recommended by ChatGPT).

We did not realize the size of this restaurant, as it covered 3 floors. We were taken to the 2nd floor, and eventually ordered the following items (it took a while to get the attention of a waiter):
  • Boris: Price Fixe menu (15.00 euros for a glass of wine, a bottle of water, and 2 entrees):
    • Drinks: Red House Wine, 500ml Sparkling Water
    • Primi Piatti: Casoncelli alla bergamasca con pancetta, erba salvia e burro fuso
    • Secondi Piatti: Bocconcini di manzo brasati al Valcalepio rosso DOC con polenta
  • Inna:
The Casoncelli alla Bergamasca was excellent, as was the Bocconcini. At this price, I was not sure what to expect, but the quality was very high, and the included red wine and bottle of water made the deal unbeatable. Other than slow service, we really had no complaints.

After lunch, we decided to stop by the following attractions:
  • Palazza Nuova
  • Fontana Conatrini (not working)
  • Bergamo Cathedral (Duomo di Sant'Alessandro Martire)
The Bergamo Cathedral was amazing. It doesn't look particularly outstanding on the outside, but it is another matter on the inside.
Bergamo Cathedral— officially called Cattedrale di Sant’Alessandro — is the main cathedral of Bergamo and the seat of the city’s Catholic bishop. It is located in the historic Città Alta (Upper Town) on Piazza Duomo, next to the famous Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore.

🏛️ History

The site of the cathedral has been a place of Christian worship for over 1,500 years.

  • 5th–6th century: An early Christian church existed on this site.

  • Middle Ages: The church was dedicated to St. Vincent and was one of two cathedrals in Bergamo.

  • 15th century: Bishop Giovanni Barozzi began rebuilding it with designs attributed to the Renaissance architect Filarete.

  • 1561: The Venetians demolished the other cathedral (St. Alexander) while building the city’s defensive walls, leaving this church as the main cathedral.

  • 1697: A papal decree dedicated the cathedral to Saint Alexander, the patron saint of Bergamo.

  • 17th–19th centuries: Major renovations created the current Baroque interior and neoclassical façade (completed in 1889).

🎨 Architecture and Interior

The cathedral combines Renaissance, Baroque, and Neoclassical elements.

Key features:

  • Layout: Latin-cross plan with a single nave.

  • Baroque interior: Rich stucco decorations and gilding.

  • Large dome: Added during later reconstructions and decorated with frescoes.

  • High altar: Designed by the famous architect Filippo Juvarra.

🖼️ Notable Artworks

The cathedral contains works by several important Italian painters:

  • Giovanni Battista Tiepolo – Martyrdom of St. John of Bergamo in the apse.

  • Giovan Battista Moroni – Madonna and Child with Saints.

  • Andrea Previtali – St. Benedict and Saints.

  • Paintings attributed to Sebastiano Ricci and other Baroque artists.


For a quick cup of coffee, we stopped by La Marianna (a cafe made famous by inventing stracciatella gelato). We ordered the following items:
  • Boris: Café Marianna (cappuccino + straciatella gelato)
  • Inna: Café Marianna (cappuccino + straciatella gelato)
  • Dessert: Polentino 
  • Drinks: Bottle of water
After enjoying the cafe, Inna headed to do a little bit ot shopping, while I explored the downtown. She liked some of the unique & interesting wooden souvenirs at Dolfi Bergamo.

We met up at 16:30 at Dolfi Bergamo and decided to take the funicular for more majestic views of the city. We found Funicolare S. Vigilio near  La Marianna and purchased tickets to the top. We had to wait for the funicular to come down and were finally on our way up at 17:00.

At the top of the Funicolare di San Vigilio, you reach Castello di San Vigilio, one of the best panoramic viewpoints above Bergamo. The area is quiet, green, and much less crowded than the main Città Alta.

Here’s what you can see from the top:

🏰 Castello di San Vigilio

The ruins of this medieval hilltop fortress sit directly above the funicular station.

  • Built between the 12th–16th centuries

  • Once part of the defensive system protecting Bergamo

  • You can climb grassy ramps and stone paths through the ruins

  • Several panoramic terraces offer spectacular views

From the top of the castle you get the highest viewpoint around Bergamo.

🌄 Panoramic Views

On clear days you can see:

1. The entire Città Alta

  • The domes and bell towers of

    • Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore

    • Bergamo Cathedral

  • The medieval street pattern of the old town

  • The famous Venetian walls

2. The modern lower city

  • Città Bassa spreads out across the plain.

3. The Lombardy plains

  • Vast flat farmland stretching toward Milan.

4. The Alps

  • To the north you’ll see the foothills and peaks of the Bergamo Alps.

After returning to Parcheggio Città Alta Bergamo, we paid our parking fee and continued our drive to Sermione. There was a lot of traffic leaving Bergamo.

Bergamo Trip Review

Highlights

Lowlights

  • Heavy rush-hour traffic


Links:



0 comments:

Post a Comment