EspañolUpdated 12/06/2025
Bergamo, 10/8/2025 - 10/11/2025
Impressions: Milan and Turin were flat, pretty much. Bergamo is the opposite... well, the cittá bassa (lower city) is flat, but the cittá alta is basically a mountain. You think you're at the top but then... more hill! But you have to get to the top, because that's where the duomo is, and along with it what is so far the coolest part of the city.
Milan felt like a major city like New York - full of people everywhere, all the time. This is a smaller city and you notice it right away - plenty of quieter areas. Not complaining at all, it's actually a nice breather.
Accommodations
A sweet little one bedroom that's next door to the Accademia Carrara, one of the museums I will be visiting, and 5 minutes up that cool secret way to the beginning of the Cittá Alta. In keeping with the hill motif, this one is an attic apartment with no elevator, so the heavy suitcase got dragged up 4 flights. That's okay, what does not kill you makes you stronger.
This apartment is not for tall people! I am dead-average height but there are a couple places where I need to duck. For some inexplicable reason there is a print of Picasso's Guernica on the wall in the kitchen.
Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, 10/9/2025
Turns out if you only have time to visit one church in Bergamo, it should NOT be the Duomo, it should be this one. The ornateness of the decoration and quantity and quality of the artwork is right up there with stuff in Venice.
Il Duomo, 10/9/2025
It's nice enough I guess, but it pales in comparison to its neighbor, the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, right across the piazza. While it's true that it pales in comparison, after a little more context it's moderately spectacular on its own, at least inside.
Palazzo Moroni, 10/9/2025
I came here to see The Pink Gentleman, which wasn't as nice as I expected. I much preferred the Portrait of Elisa Moroni, but was blown away by the trompe l'oeil frescoes in many of the rooms. They also have an extensive garden that's good for a nice peaceful walk.
Chiesa di Sant'Andrea Apostolo, 10/9/2025
I'm not even surprised any more when a little nondescript church is amazing inside, I hope I don't get jaded too quickly. I'm not even gonna show a photo of the outside, it's so nondescript.
Chiesa Sant'Alessandro della Croce, 10/9/2025
Accademia Carrara, 10/10/2025
Has a great, medium sized collection of Italian painting from the 14th - 19th century. The have a number of works by Fra' Galgario and Tallone who are moving up my list of greats.
They also had an exposition about painting on stone, which I did not know was a thing. There were artists who specialized in painting on slate, black marble, or pietra paesina su lavagna (which the musueum didn't even try to translate so neither will I), heavily veined stone whose features artists would integrated into their work, sometimes to great effect.
