Bergamo through the eyes of a Russian emigrant

The square Piazza Vecchia, the pearl of the Upper Town, one of the most beautiful squares in the world. The oldest town hall in Europe. The “Palazzo della Ragione”, dating from the 11th century, is located here. Now it houses a unique collection of frescoes, from the 12th to the 15th century. In ancient times, Bergamo was called “La città dipinta”, which means “The painted city”, since many of its streets and squares were decorated with frescoes, still preserved in good condition. I will definitely show them to you. They are carefully hidden from an inexperienced look, but we will find them! On the Old Square you will definitely see the main medieval tower - the 11th-century bell called “La Torre Civica” which also has its own unique history. Also on the Old Square,we will admire the 17th-century Contarini’s Fountain, donated to the city by the mayor of Contarini family for a noble purpose, so that everyone,from the simplest to the most famous citizens,could drink clean water from it.

The church “Santa Maria Maggiore” Basilica, built in the 11th century by the donations of the citizen of Bergamo, in the plea that the Virgin Mary save their city from the plague. This Basilica is unique in that it was built over 3 centuries. Outside, it is a strict Romanesque style, and inside, Baroque-style luxury, Florentine tapestries of the 15-17th centuries and 12th-century frescoes will amaze even the most sophisticated of you. Also in the Basilica is a unique collection of 33 marquetry of the Venetian artist Lorenzo Lotto “Le Tarsie del coro di Santa Maria Maggiore”, which he portrayed only for welcoming Bergamo, where he lived thirteen years from all his hard life as a rebel. On the walls of the Basilica we will also see medieval frescoes. One of them is called Last Supper and other Tree of Life. The ceilings of the church are also decorated with frescoes and stuccos. We will also admire paintings by famous Italian artists, painted especially for the Basilica.

We will admire the main 3th-century cathedral “Duomo di San Alessandro”, named after the patron saint of the city Alexander Bergamsky. I will tell you a sad story-legend of this martyr. Thirty years ago, during the restoration of this cathedral, it was discovered the remains of a Roman city of the first century AD. Now it hosts the museum "Museo e tesoro della Cattedrale". We will visit it at your request and admire the streets of a real Roman city, see antique frescoes of the first Christian church and a collection of old church utensils. I will also show you the Santa Croce Chapel of the Holy Cross Temple, an ancient temple, an impressive example of Romanesque architecture from the first half of the 11th century, which is guarded by white Venetian lions. There is also the “Piazza Rosata” square, where gladiatorial battles once took place. The Gothic style Baptistery is also located here and he has the funny name "Rocking". I will tell you why it received this name.

It was a sacred place since ancient times, where first the Celtic tribes and then the Romans lived. From the towers of the fortress we will have a view of the monastery of St. Francis and the entire medieval part of the Upper Town. Inside the castle-fortress there is a park with beautiful trees and flowers, as well as sculptures from different eras. From the height of this castle we will admire the local mountains and emerald hills, as well as the Venetian fortress walls of the 15th century.

The oldest building in Bergamo. To admire this fortress we will take the funicular, which was built at the beginning of the 20th century. From the height of this castle we will have stunning views of the Alps, a 12th-century monastery and a Byzantine church, emerald hills and villages in the valley of two rivers.

Built in the 15th century on the site of Romanesque churches, they will remind you of the time when Bergamo was under Venetian rule. From here we will admire the panoramic view of the Lower Town and the valley towards Milan. There were 4 pairs of gates built within the fortress walls. We'll admire all of them.

Piazza Mercato delle Scarpe is a square in Bergamo located in the upper part of the city and an important road junction that connects the two parts of the city, the lower one to the upper one, as well as the arrival station of the funicular. In ancient times it connected the roads coming east from Venice and south from Milan.

Here you will hear about the dominion over Bergamo of the famous Milanese Visconti family. This citadel was built at the beginning of the 14th century in the most central point of Bergamo. To defend the city from the enemies attacks and as a sort of garrison house in case of popular uprising. Under the porticoes of the Citadel nowadays various markets take place such as the antiques market and the local products market. In square of Cittadella there are two museums, one of Roman remains and the other Naturalistic

Here we will admire the 12th century Basilica delle Grazie church which contains an ancient collection of frescoes and I will tell you about the one that is considered miraculous. We will also see the two “youngest” towers, built at the beginning of the 20th century. Admire the design of the first bank, in the park of which you will find a funny sculpture based on Greek mythology. In this place there is also the fountain which has a particular name "Sugar bowl" and the sculpture "Soul of the World".

This ancient and elegant part of the city , an amazing architectural complex that used to host the old city trade fair. This very same atmosphere still enlivens the area, thanks to the numerous markets and events filling the city centre with colours and scents all over the year. Walking along the Sentierone pedestrian way, passing by the imposing chestnut trees and beyond the Porta Nuova propylaea, you will get to via XX Settembre: here you can admire Bergamo’s City Hall. There is also a beautiful Art Nouveau theater here, I will tell you the fascinating history of the 19th century theater and show you a monument to the composer Donizetti and his muse. I’ll tell you the secret of which old cafeteria you can taste a cake dedicated to Donizetti. From here on, enjoy the local life: boutiques, shops, alleys and beautiful small squares, in the name of amusement.