262notes

Bergamo, located in Italy’s Lombardy region near Milan, is a historic city split into the hilly, medieval Città Alta (Upper Town) and modern Città Bassa (Lower Town). Known for its UNESCO-listed Venetian walls, Renaissance architecture, and the scenic funicular railway, it offers a charming, artistic, and accessible alternative to larger cities. It was great experience to take a walk for short touring.

A Walking Journey from Città Bassa to Città Alta

It’s an easy way just going strait up from Bergamo station to Citta Alta where located at the top of the hill. Interestingly, its route & walking experience is so similar to Kanazawa station to Kenroku-en. I wonder there are some connections in between. Anyway, there are buses, cable cars, and trains to get there to enjoy the view of new city to medieval city as well.

Bergamo station. On your right, there is an entrance to the platform 1,2, & 3.

Crossing the pedestrian crossing, there are signs to get to the Citta Alta. There is a bus station near its sign that a lot of visitors were waiting the bus. Also, there are restaurants and Bars, which is a cafe in Italy, along the side of walk.

Bergamo traffic road is well-organized & clean. It’s so easy to get around here. I see the post office building, which is one of the most remarkable complexes in Bergamo. An example of avant-garde architecture of the twentieth century. It seems that I’m in Città Bassa, new city in Bergamo.

Bergamo Bank. It’s interesting that angel without head is right in front of the bank. It reminds me of Fearless Girl in NYC somewhat.

The yellow church looking building on left side is the famous, architecturally significant post office in Bergamo is the Palazzo delle Poste. Built in the 1930s, this massive structure is celebrated as a key example of 20th-century avant-garde architecture in Città Bassa.

People were building a carousel. It’s very antiquity. Keep walking by greeting “Buon giorno” to construct works.

The weather was turned out to be a foggy day as time goes by. But I could see a city of Città Alta as moving forward. The walking path is beautifully designed so that it’s interesting to check the road design by walking too.

There are two options to choose whether taking a cable car or walking along a part of venetian walls on your way. I took a walk path. The stairs are steep here.

The walking path is well decorated. I can see the line in center on the road. It must be a separation line to secure the way for going up & down. The wall changed to yellow stone which was interesting too.

The road is winding. There is a long stair way to go up here. I was getting sweat that I took off my down jacket.

There were a few small tunnel-ish designs, which seemed to be covered.

There is a turning point when I reach the top of the stairs. There was a painting of worshiping Jesus Christ on the poll. It’s amazing that the painting still remains to be seen in out side.

Turing right to go up here. The scenery reminds me of Studio Ghibli somewhat.

There is a slop on your right when I reach the top of the stairs. There is a Porta San Giacomo which is a landmark white marble gate & stone viaduct overlooking the plain, preserved from a ruined city wall.

You can see a stunning view to look over the city of Città Bassa. I can clearly see where I took the path. It’s so strait. It’s interesting how the scenery looks different depending on the viewing angle.

Going through Porta San Giacomo, Yellow color buildings welcome you to enter Citta Alta.

There are no steps from here, but the slope is winding and little steep. There were stores & churches along the path. There was no lights here that I think it’s really dark to walk in the night here.

I see the church that it’s getting closer.

I reached to a Citta Alta famous Piazza Vecchia. It seems like I came from the back side. I was entering from the back inbetween Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore & Bergamo Cathedral.

It’s amazing the wall painting still remains. I wonder it’s 12century’s painting, but this is the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore in Bergamo. The Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore in Bergamo’s Città Alta is a stunning 12th-century Romanesque church, renowned for its lavish Baroque interior, Flemish tapestries, and the tomb of composer Gaetano Donizetti. Founded in 1137 as a vow for protection against plague, it features a plain exterior, unique lion-guarded entrances, and is adjacent to the Colleoni Chapel.

This west entrance seems to be the resting place of Gaetano Donizetti, the opera composer from Bergamo, and his teacher, the composer Simone Mayr.

Though begun in the Romanesque style, the interior was heavily decorated in the 16th and 17th centuries, creating a rich mix of styles including Baroque and Renaissance. Normally, authority decides to build a big chapel on the top of hill, but it’s inspired me that it was built and kept by citizens. Also, the reason for its built was based on the promise of the Virgin Mary to save people from epidemics. I felt the depth of the gratitude and respect shown by the people of Bergamo.

This is the Bergamo Cathedral, Church of St. Alexander the Martyr, next to the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore in Bergamo. It features a white Botticino marble façade, a rich Baroque interior, and treasures like a tiara from Pope John XXIII. It’s a stunning Neo-classical structure dedicated to the city’s patron saint. It’s free to enter. It’s nice to see a statue of St. Alexander at the roof top from Campanone too.

In the floor of the Palazzo della Ragione in Piazza Vecchia, Bergamo, there is a remarkably accurate 18th-century meridian sundial. Sunlight streaming in through a hole in the ceiling illuminates a brass strip on the floor, indicating the precise time of noon and the date. Unfortunately, there was no sun up on this date, but it’s interesting to see how it tells the time on sunny day.

There are restaurants in Piazza Vecchia.

In the Middle Ages, the bells served to signal the closing of the city gates, and even today, they ring 100 times every night at 10 PM, marking the former curfew. The bell seems to ring at 12 PM too. I was lucky that I was at the top of Campanone then. The guy was nice to tell me that the bell starts ringing 5 min. later then. A few bells were located at the top of building & each bell rings to play a music. I thought only bell at the Campanone rang the bell so that it was nice to hear a bell music up here. Also, it’s nice to eat local signature food at Piazza Vecchia while bell ringing.

On my way back to the station, there was a shopping place like a meat, cheese, wines, fasion & restaurants etc.

The building shapes interestingly here.

A lot of buildings seem to be a tenement house that there is a little tunnel to go to the otherside.

Yellow cake is a signature of Bergamo traditional sweats named as Polenta e Osei. It’s like a cornmeal with a small bird chocolate on top. It’s nice to have a break to have one with a cup of espresso. The pastry located at shopping area.

There are some buildings after passing shopping areas.

I think yellow buildings’ scenery seems to be a part of signature in Bergamo. It’s so interesting the roof is read and side wall is yellow. I wonder there are some regulations for color usages to use by the city.

I walk like a ballon to get back to the Porta San Giacomo.

I took a different way back to the station. So I just walk down the slop. There was a small tunnel to go through on my way.

I have no idea what’s said. There were a lot of graffiti at tunnel.

The right side was a school. Perhaps all drawing must be painted by students. Passing this road, there was a flat road to be in Citta Bassa.

As you can see, there are four lanes in each ways for cars that the road is huge. There is a necessity to wait for traffic light to turn green to walk pedestrians’ walk to go one way from the other. It may be nice to take a bus on my way going back if you want to get back faster.

Catching Trenord train at Bergamo station to Milano Centrale station. It may be better checking the platform before touring. I wasn’t sure how to get to the other side of platform that I couldn’t get into the train on time.