- Art & Culture
Bergamo Alta and its beauties
A historic center remained completely intact and surrounded entirely by walls
You can reach Bergamo Alta with the funicular, crossing the Venetian walls of the ‘400 on board of one of the two carriages and enjoying a spectacular view. Or you can go on foot, climbing the stairs around the city.
Once you reach Bergamo Alta, you can have a walk along the central streets Gombito and Colleoni, where you can see shops, restaurants, typical places where you can shop and buy souvenirs. Halfway through Bergamo Alta, you'll be taken over by the beauty of Piazza Vecchia, where you can find Palazzo della Ragione and the Civicatower, called "Campanone". Piazza Duomo hosts the Cathedral, Colleoni Chapel, dedicated to the most famous condottiero from Bergamo during the Reinaissance and, of course, the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, a real pearl of the city.
Piazza della Cittadella, wanted by the Lords of Milan, Visconti, in 1300, hosts the Archeological and Natural Sciences Museum. Once you arrive in Colle Aperti, besides tasting stracciatella gelato right where it was invented in the historical "La Marianna", if you climb 141 steps, you'll find yourself in front of the Lorenzo Rota botanical garden. A place you can reach only on foot, far away from the traffic and the noise, where there are 1200 different taxonimoc units.
The ancient fortress is the perfect place to stop and take a look at the view from Castello San Vigilio, the highest place in Bergamo. Last but not least, walking along the 6km walls, you can stop in Città Bassa (lower city) and look at the horizon with one of the telescopes around the town.
