Bergamo

Where to stay in Bergamo

The city reads on two distinct levels. The Città Alta occupies the hill and is enclosed by a ring of sixteenth-century bastions; the lower town, at its foot, holds everyday and commercial life around the axis of the Sentierone. Between them runs a historic funicular, in service since 1887, which covers the 85-metre climb in little over a minute, passing through the walls.

The Venetian walls

In the first twenty years of the sixteenth century Bergamo suffered twelve invasions: it was the western edge of Venice’s mainland dominions, and the Republic decided to fortify it. Between 1561 and 1588 a belt of more than six kilometres of bastions was raised, and to build it over two hundred buildings were demolished, including the cathedral of Sant’Alessandro — a demolition that earned several excommunications from the local clergy. The paradox is that those defences were never needed: the city was never besieged again, and the walls have survived whole. Since 2017 they have formed part of the UNESCO site dedicated to Venetian defence works, together with Peschiera del Garda and Palmanova.

Piazza Vecchia and the old town

The heart of the Città Alta is Piazza Vecchia, which Le Corbusier called one of the most fascinating squares in the world: onto it face the twelfth-century Palazzo della Ragione with the Lion of Saint Mark, the Campanone bell tower and the fountain given by the podestà Contarini in 1780. Just beyond stand the Colleoni Chapel and the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. Along Via Gombito, which follows the Roman decumanus, medieval towers and houses line the way. In the lower town, the Accademia Carrara holds one of Lombardy’s most important painting collections.

Where to stay and what is nearby

The Città Alta offers the most atmospheric setting, but it is pedestrian and uphill: convenient for those travelling light, less so for anyone arriving by car. The lower town has more choice, lower prices and the station close by. Orio al Serio airport is a few kilometres away, making Bergamo a practical base for low-cost flights too. Milan is under an hour by train, Lake Iseo about the same, and Lecco opens the way to the eastern arm of Lake Como. To explore areas and properties there is our guide on where to stay in Bergamo; a regional overview is in where to stay in Lombardy.