City trip to Bergamo | 4 days Bergamo Alta, city walls and Italian gastronomy

Day 1: WITH A PRIVATE GUIDE THROUGH THE UPPER TOWN

Today you will discover the upper town, “Bergamo Alta”, the historic centre. An enthusiastic guide will take you on a journey through the history of the city and tell you about its historical figures and its life through the centuries. She will explain why Bergamo is the way it is today and take you through cobbled streets and beautiful squares. One of these squares is Piazza Vecchia, surrounded by magnificent buildings such as the Palazzo della Ragione and the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, with its stunning interior. Here you can climb the 53-metre-high Campanone for a panoramic view. At 10 p.m., the clock on this tower strikes no fewer than a hundred times. In the past, this was a warning that the city gates were closing. If you wanted to leave the city, you had exactly a hundred strokes to do so. You will discover the richly decorated Cappella Colleoni, a chapel and mausoleum from the 15th century, built especially for Bartolomeo Colleoni. All roads lead to the charming Piazza Mercato delle Scarpe. The square is named after the former Guild of Shoemakers, which had its headquarters here in a 14th-century palazzo, the façade of which has been preserved.

Day 2: FOOD TOUR AND WALK ON THE CITY WALLS

Today you will discover the culinary delights of the city, a feast for foodies. With a small group of people and a local foodie, you will taste all kinds of specialities and share stories about food in a relaxed and cheerful atmosphere. You will enjoy a typical aperitivo, taste the local pasta varieties Casoncelli and Foiade, and learn about an ancient polenta recipe and local culinary traditions. A “must eat” is a delicious stracciatella ice cream. What's more, you will taste the ice cream in the gelateria La Marianna, which invented the flavour in the 1960s. To digest all these delicacies, you can take a walk on the old city walls, which are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You will pass the four old city gates, including the beautiful Porta San Giacomo. The gates are a reminder of Venetian rule in the 15th century. During the 6 km walk, you can admire the bastions, guard posts and powder magazines. Your walk ends at the ruins of the castle of San Vigilio. Here you will be rewarded with a breathtaking view.

Day 3: EXPLORING THE LOWER TOWN

Today you will visit the lower town, which developed between the 19th and 20th centuries. You can start your visit with a coffee in the historic Café Balzer on the “Sentierone”, a stately tree-lined promenade where you can stroll and shop to your heart's content. On this beautiful avenue is the “Quadriportico”, a monumental building with arcades (“portici”) and Piazza Dante Alighieri in the middle. Nearby, in Via Torquato Tasso, stands the Santi Bartolomeo e Stefano church, where you can admire a masterpiece by Lorenzo Lotto. Opposite the church is the memorial to Gaetano Donizetti, a famous opera composer who was born in Bergamo and after whom the theatre is named. If you are a cheese lover, you should definitely pop into the Bu Cheese Bar. Of the 25 Italian cheeses with a protected designation of origin, no fewer than nine come from Bergamo and the surrounding area.

Day 4: Back home

Do you have a late return flight? Then you can visit the renovated Accademia Carrara. This magnificent museum is named after Count Giacomo Carrara, a notorious art lover who donated his collection of artworks to the city after his death. The collection was gradually supplemented with other donations and targeted purchases. The result is one of the most representative collections of Italian painting from the 15th to the 19th century. Today, the museum has 1,800 works. Important Renaissance masters, including Pisanello, Mantegna and Botticelli, are represented here. But other protagonists of Italian painting, such as Raphael, Titian, Canaletto, Lotto and Tiepolo, are also included in the overview.

Would you prefer to stay a few nights longer? Or would you like to combine this city trip with another Italian region? We are happy to help you.

Frequently asked questions about this city trip to Bergamo

Why is Bergamo a good destination for a city trip?

Bergamo combines a medieval upper town, city walls with views and a lively lower town. Thanks to its compact centre, you can easily discover the most important places on foot.

What are the main sights in Bergamo?

The highlights are Città Alta, Piazza Vecchia, the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore and the Venetian city walls surrounding the city.

How many days do you need for Bergamo?

Three to four days are enough to discover both the upper and lower towns of Bergamo, including museums, walks and restaurants.