Bergamo City
The city is usually entered from BERGAMO BASSA, which stretches north of the railway station. In the center of this tree-lined ensemble of neoclassical-fascist architecture rise pseudo-decorative temples of Porta Nuova, which are the beginning of a comprehensive, Green Sentierone Square, surrounded by nineteenth-century arcades. Towering over the square is a monumental, rectangular shape of palazzo di Giustizia built in the mussolini era. It is the most lively part of the lower town, which is very busy both during the day, as well as during the evening passeggiata, but it's not very charming, and therefore it is best to keep your strength on BERGAMO ALTA. You can get there by train from the end of Viale Vittorio Emanuele II or by bus # 1 or # 3 from the train station. The train and bus arrive at Piazza Mercato delle Scarpe, from where the entire upper city is within easy reach.
Bergamo Alta
From Piazza Mercato delle Scarpe via Gombito street you reach Piazza Vecchia; surrounded, is harmonizing buildings in styles so different, like wrought-iron houses with cafes and restaurants and a rich Palladian public library. Delighted with Stendhal Square, he called it "the most beautiful place on earth", and indeed the square has its charm. Everything is dominated by the medieval Palazzo della Ragione, maintained in the Venetian Gothic style., which occupies the entire one side of the square and, especially in the evening, under the light for years of wrought iron, gives the whole the character of a theatrical stage. Under the open, arcades supporting the building, court sessions were held, and criminals after the verdict were exposed to the public here. W 1797 The square was the scene of a joyful celebration on the occasion of the establishment by the French of the Republic of Bergamo. The square covered with carpets was turned into an open-air ballroom, the "tree of freedom" was set on it”, and dances, in accordance with the spirit of the new times, led by an aristocrat with a butcher.
To the right of Palazzo della Ragione you enter the mighty Torre della Civica, which can be reached by lift (Sb. 10.00-12.45 and 15.00-17.50, n.iświęta 10.00-17.50). Its fifteenth-century bell, which miraculously escaped melting by the Germans during World War II, still every evening at 22.00 strikes a 180-sound signal calling to go to rest. Under the arcades of the palace you go to Piazzetta del Duomo, where on the left rises the Duomo, which, however, is less interesting than the church of Santa Maria Maggiore located in front of it. It is a sizable Romanesque temple, to which the entrance is decorated with serrated, Gothic portico, topped with a double loggia with figures of saints. The interior design is extremely rich: in line with the worst tradition of baroque overexposure, the vault is densely dotted with ornamentation, and the whole church with gilded stucco, painted vignettes and statues captured in swooning poses. On the right side there is also kitsch - a 19th-century monument to the composer Donizetti, living in Bergamo and who died here of syphilis in a year 1848. He was the creator of very popular romantic musical comedies, that had easy-to-remember melodies and simple action. The death of this most famous son of the city caused a lot of emotions here, what is shown on the monument, on which carved cherubs stamp their feet and hurl their lyres in despair. In addition, inlaid wooden stalls stand out in the church, designed by Lotto, and made by local craftsmen, beautiful not only because of the intricate landscape motifs, but above all because of the incredible range of colors of the natural tree.
The extremely rich decoration of Santa Maria, however, does not match the Renaissance decoration of the neighboring Capella Colleoni. Added to the church in the seventies of the fifteenth century, the chapel has a wonderful ornamentation of the façade, lots of miniature arcades, balustrades and twisted columns (all made of pastel marble), and is topped with a dome evoking associations with the mosque. He commissioned the construction to a sculptor from Pavia, Amadeo (the same, who designed the equally rich Certosa di Pavia), Venetian mercenary living in Bergamo, Bartolomeo Colleoni. The interior gives almost the same feeling of satiety. The vault in the 18th century was frescoed by Tiepolo, and the main subject, Colleoni's sarcophagus inlaid with bas-reliefs and statuettes, it is topped with a shiny one, gilded figure on a horse. There is also a more modest tomb of his daughter Medea, who died at the age of 15 years.
It is also worth taking a look at the nearby baptistery, which in the seventeenth century, when baptisms began to take place in the cathedral, was removed from the interior of Santa Maria Maggiore. After some time, they were reconstructed in front of the Aula della Curia located to the right of Capella Colleoni (Episcopal Court). The latter building is decorated with thirteenth- and fourteenth-century frescoes from the life of Christ and a puzzling scene, in which Christ like Damocles, holding the dagger in your teeth, judges convicts. At the back of Santa Maria Maggiore is the Tempotto di San Croce, erected in the tenth century and recently renovated..
The narrow Via Colleoni leads behind Piazza Vecchia and further to the edge of Bergamo Alta, (so named in honor of Bartolomeo Colleoni) is one of the most important arteries of the upper city, along which there are especially numerous confectioneries specializing in marzipan birds (birds). At the numbers 9-11 it houses a charity founded by the Colleoni, which was supposed to equip poor maids with dowry, because the Venetians forbade women who did not have him from marrying. Nowadays there is a small museum here (Wed. 10.00-12.00). Na Piazza Mascheroni, at the end of Via Colleoni, the entrance to the Citadella is located, erected by Barnabo Visconti and initially occupying the entire western part of the hill. Preserved to this day, the buildings host a small theater and two museums, Archaeological (Tue-Fri. 9.00-12.00 and 15.00-17.00, Sb. 15.00-18.00) and natural (Tue-Sun. 9.00-12.00 and 14.00-17.00), that will interest only specialists.
With Colle A perto ("open hill”) you can see nicely Bergamo Bassa, but the view has no comparison with the breathtaking panorama from Castello, which is located at the very top of San Vigilio. Behind Porta San Alessandro there is a lower station of the cable car running to the top, but walk down a steep narrow road, with views of the gardens of Bergamo's most exclusive district, it is also very pleasant. However, you have to remember, that the restaurants and bars passed along the way are among the more expensive. The castle itself is under renovation, but you can climb to the top of the hill, where, apart from admiring the views, you can visit the labyrinth of underground corridors, which once led to Bergamo Alta.
After returning to Colle A perto, you can either walk through the city again, or circle them walking around the perimeter of the walls (it takes about two hours to get around the whole city). The most picturesque section of this route lies between Colle Aperto and Porta San Giacomo, from where a long series of stairs leads to the lower town. Returning through the city, before descending into the winding streets of the medieval quarter, it is worth taking a look at the Rocca area, where there is a small museum of the unification movement.
Accademia Carrara
At the foot of the hill, on which Bergamo Alta is located, near the old walls, is located one of the most important places in Bergamo, one of the best art galleries in Lombardy, Accademia Carrara (Access from the old town of Via Porta Dipinta via Porta Sant'Agostino; Wed-Mon. 9.30-12.30 and 14.30-17.30; 2000L). They are exhibited here very legibly, with imagination and a layman's mindset, works by Pisanelli and Botticelli, Giovanni Bellini and Crivelli, Carpaccia and Lotta. There are also images of Lombard realists Foppa and Bergognone, portraits in the Spanish style of Moroni, elegant, idealized Saint. Sebastian Rafael and works by Titian and Palma il Vecchio.
Also, do not leave the room dedicated to the work of a born in Bergamo, contemporary sculptor Giacomo Manzu, who became most famous for his simplified bronze sculptures of cardinals.
Gastronomy
The cheapest restaurant in Bergamo is ACLI mensa in the basement of the Sant'Antonio Hotel, where for a full meal you pay 8000L. Other restaurants are geared towards wealthy tourists, who are attracted to the city by delicacies from local birds served here (hunting them is an important sport in Bergamo). For those on a budget, as always, a takeaway pizza or a bar in a department store is best: the pizzeria is located in Via Gombita, and a large supermarket in Via Tiraboschi near Porta Nuova. On a steep hill, Via Alessandro, a brasserie and clothing stores, which runs from the lower to the upper town, there is a self-service restaurant, where you can sit at a table (only open at noon).
Among ordinary restaurants, they stand out above all: lookout, with friendly service and, interesting, very cheap open-air restaurant at the top of San Vigilio (just below the castle); located in front of the citadel, in Piazza Mascheroni, inexpensive Trattoria Bernabo and a number of relatively cheap pizzerias and trattorias on Via Previtali, Via San Bemardino and Via Quarenghi, in a district west of the railway station. For those who want to be entertained while eating or sipping drinks, on Via N. Sauro (bus #9a, #9b, or #9c with Porta Nuova) is located Half Moon Video Bar, where the video is on all night. A pint of beer in a more traditional atmosphere can be drunk in birreria in Piazza Mercato delle Scarpe.