Bergamo
BERGAMO is just a short distance away 50 kilometers from Milan, but in appearance and atmosphere it is closer to the Alps than to the cities of the Paduan Plain. It consists of two separate parts: below, modern district of Bergamo Bassa and built on a hill, almost 400 meters higher, Bergamo Alta. Bergamo Bassa is not particularly interesting, combines characterless suburbs and pretentious neoclassical center. Bergamo Alta is one of the most beautiful old towns in Italy, where during the weekends the crowd of work-weary Milanese arrive, to relax in the mountain air, walk the old streets and breathe a calmer rhythm of life.
Bergamo owes much of its charm to the Venetians, who in time 350 during their reign in the city, they built houses and palaces with decorative Gothic windows and placed them on the facades of buildings., squares and wherever possible the symbol of the republic — the Venetian lion. The most striking feature, however, are the walls and defensive gates surrounding the city.. Those today destroyed, covered with the patina of time and overgrown with ivy, the walls withstood all the attacks of foreign armies, until 1796 year, when French revolutionary troops stormed the city and ended the long-lasting Venetian rule.
Arrivals accommodation
The train station is located at the end of bergamo's main avenue Bassa, Piazzale Marconi, and the bus station to the right from there, on Via B. Bono. The main avenue to Bergamo Alta runs from Piazzale Marconi buses # 1 i #3. You can also get off the bus at the cable car station at the foot of the hill and without paying extra, nothing to take the cable car up. Tickets, as always, must be purchased before boarding the bus (They can be purchased at the leather shop near the bus stop).
EPT offices, na rogu Via Paleocapa i Viale Papa Giovanni XXIII (office transferred from Viale Vittorio Emanuele 4; pn.-pt. 9.00-12.30 i 15.00-18.30, Sb. 9.00-12.00), there is no need to visit, unless you want information about the province (e.g.. lake region), not the city itself. This information and city maps are available at the AAST office in Piazza Vecchia in Bergamo Alta.
Best to stay clean, modern youth hostel, Via G. Ferraris 1 (*035/342349; close. 15X1-15II). From Porta Nuova Square you can get there by bus # 14 (direction S. Colombana; 15 Min.), from which you should get off at the stop behind the modern church and red mountain café. Accommodation for YHA cardholders costs 8000L and includes a meager breakfast, while for a not very good dinner you pay an additional 7000L.
Cheaper hotels are located in Bergamo Bassa. Closest to the old town, near Accademia Carrara, is located Mammagrande, Via N. Sauro 7 (•035/218413; bus #9a, #9b and #9c of Porta Nuova), where double room costs 23 OOOL. Even cheaper is the Antica Trattoria della Brianza hotel, a 15-minute walk west of the train station., Via Broseto 6 la (*035/253338; Double – 20 OOOL; bus # 11 of Porta Nuova, gets off at the Esso workshop). Also to the west of the station is run by the owner's family, relatively pleasant hotel and pizzeria Yalentina, Via Quarenghi 35 (• 035/237177; current name Isabella), where double rooms cost 23 OOOL. From the train station you have to go Via Bonimelli, then turn right (10 Min.). Closer to the station is the often overcrowded Sant'Antonio, Via Papa Giovanni 23 (*035/210284), with double rooms after 26 OOOL.