A day in Bergamo

I’m not fond of crowds. Indeed, it could be said I go to great lengths to avoid them. This may be the reason why we are heading to Bergamo on one of the rainiest and earliest Easter Sundays if not in history, certainly in recent years. On the road from lake Iseo, there are very few people in sight. I imagine also because the clocks went forward the previous evening and most people, rightly, have decided it was not worth losing an hour of sleep for such a cold rainy day. It’s our second trip to Bergamo Alta. The first was another Sunday in the winter between 2021 and 2022, tha time a sunny day, but Covid was still in the air and although we enjoyed our visit to the Accademia Carrara we only skirted round the historical centre of the Città Alta due to too many people in the narrow streets.

Also this time we plan to park near the stadium,  but we are lucky and find a free place just round the corner from Accademia Carrara. It has started to rain,  but never mind, we have an umbrella each and head up the cobblestoned path called Via della Noca, past Accademia Carrara and towards the walls surrounding Bergamo Alta, through the Porta Sant’Agostino. Continuing uphill along Via Porta Dipinta we arrive up to the historical centre in about 20 minutes.

It's still early and so very few people around. Our first stop is at Convento di San Francesco 

which also houses the Museo Bergamo 900 and Museo della fotografia Sestini. That sounds a lot, but the frescoes you see in the publicity about the convent are actually the only ones and the Bergamo 900 museum is quickly dealt with unless you want to watch vintage video archives. The photography museum is quite nice with some explanations and interactive options. When we come out, fortunately it’s stopped raining so we go to the main square in città alta where there is Cappella Colleoni, free to visit, and quite small and Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore which we had visited on our previous day. There are still only a few people around so we take advantage to go up the Campanone and to see the Palazzo Podestà. 

The view from the top of the tower of a rather damp city is still worth the climb (actually there’s a lift, too which takes you nearly to the top.) The last few steps up to the actual bells are quite steep and uneven. Palazzo Podestà has a nice arched area.

When we come back down it’s raining again so we dodge puddles, umbrellas and people with wet feet and find refuge inside the Rocca or medieval fortress which hosts the museum Bergamo 800. There’s another good view from the walls. The rain shows no signs of letting up so we decide to head back down to Accademia Carrara. On the way back down Via Porta Dipinta we notice Chiesa di San Michele al Pozzo Bianco. It’s open. What a discovery! This is one of the most beautiful and oldest churches in Bergamo, consecrated in the year 774 and rebuilt during the 12/13th centuries. Frescoes from various periods have emerged thanks to restoration work: Saint Michael the Archangel, stories of Mary by Lorenzo Lotto and various others, there are more frescoes in the crypt which can also be visited. It is free to access the church but you can  turn on the church lights at the entrance by making a donation. 

I’m not surprised to find it has stopped raining when we come out. Back down at Accademia Carrara we eat our sandwiches outside, get a coffee from the vending machine and then visit the Accademia. The new artwork on the stairs which reaches right inside the lift encourages even me to overcome claustrophobia for once! 

The pictures are as stunning as ever, we revisit some previous acquaintances and look at others in more detail. Just the permanent exhibition on the second floor can be viewed. But it’s enough. Just before going back to the car we have a look at the Galleria D'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea. Sigh!

It was a great, even if damp and cold, day in Bergamo, not really a slow travel day, because Bergamo Alta deserves at least two. We roamed the streets of Bergamo alta in the rain this time and on a sunny day on our previous trip but the Natural History Museum and Botanical Garden are still on our 'to-see' list. It’s not surprising, considering the airport and how close it is to Milan, that Bergamo attracts the crowds. It’s well worth a visit, whatever the weather….