Eugi Gufo's siteEugi Gufo

No Lombard, even an adopted one, can die in peace before seeing Bergamo. It is one of the very few cities in the region that must be visited. First and foremost I mean the Città Alta, the historic centre located on the hills. It is so well preserved that not only have almost all medieval civic and military structures survived intact, but it is also one of only five Italian cities whose historic centre is still completely surrounded by walls.

I entered through one of the original gates: unfortunately, it is now crossed by an asphalt road, and there is no trace of the bridge anymore. Still, it seemed like a good start to me.

In order to limit as much as possible the number of typically touristy photos, I will say straight away that my favourite place in Bergamo’s historic centre is Piazza Vecchia. I realise this is painfully banal.

However, the solar calendar (in the southern part of the square) is one of the things that impressed me the most already during my first visit to the city (unfortunately I lost the photos).

And if we move further on, we find a small square with the Duomo, a Chapel and a city church. The latter is genuinely interesting, both outside and inside.

It is called the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore and, among other things, it houses the tomb of the Bergamo-born composer Gaetano Donizetti.

Preserving beautiful religious buildings in good condition is a positive thing. Equally positive is converting them into something useful when they are deconsecrated: the former monastery of Sant’Agostino now hosts the Faculty of Education of the University of Bergamo. I do not know how useful this Faculty actually is, but education in general is certainly more useful than any religion.

The Faculty is in poor condition…

…and is being restored, rather slowly, thanks to donations from a well-known banking group. In a single photo I can show you the entire Faculty library:

One thing I really envy: lockers for personal belongings at the Faculty.

In another church they found a nice way to raise funds for restoration works: the «sale» of small surfaces to be restored in exchange for donations of €5 or more. Strangely enough, however, these «little bricks» can only be purchased on Saturdays or Sundays. Tourists should really be exploited every day!

From the dome of the Duomo, the gilded Saint Alexander greets the Milanese Madonnina.

The purpose of the following structure is unknown to me. I have a couple of ideas, but they are far too absurd to be published.

The signs indicating places of historical importance are the only ones that actually work. Bergamo is, in fact, famous for its crazy road signs: they always point in the wrong direction and contradict each other every 200 metres.

To make this report more complete, I should show a few views of the city from above. For example, the already mentioned Sant’Agostino as seen from the fortress.

Or the Atalanta stadium:

On some of the hills surrounding the city, a few rare vineyards can be seen.

But people live in Bergamo making use of some very practical elements of urban furniture as well. Here is the most typical bus stop in the city:

In some narrow and/or steep streets, the stops are much simpler.

Near the railway station there is a large bicycle parking area.

And in the «lower city» (the more modern one) I noticed several bike-sharing stations (similar to those in Brescia). In the upper city, on the other hand, I did not see a single one.

The classic public drinking fountains are often equipped with two side basins: I do not know what they are for, but it is rather strange to see those «ears».

The most common litter bins in Bergamo are attractive, practical, equipped with an ashtray and very widespread throughout the city (both Upper and Lower).

Finally, I show the work of an idiot whom I would never have expected to encounter in Europe. Moscow is full of tactile paving for the visually impaired that has been laid incorrectly, whereas Italy has always seemed developed enough to avoid this kind of rubbish.