A MAGICAL PLACE

Bergamo’s beautiful upper town, the Città Alta (pictured above), is a magical place well worth visiting. Use this website to help you plan your trip to Bergamo in Northern Italy and find your way to some of the other lovely towns and villages in Lombardia that are perhaps less well known to tourists.

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Bergamo awaits Befana

An artist's impression of Befana

Children in Bergamo will have been hoping to find that Befana had left them presents when they woke up this morning.
Although Christmas is virtually over, 6 January is the day when a kind witch visits the good children in Italy and leaves them presents. If they have been naughty they are supposed to receive a lump of coal and if they have been stupid they are supposed to receive only a carrot. But many children throughout Italy will have been expecting some good presents from Befana today.
Befana is also sometimes referred to as La Vecchia (the old woman) and La Strega (the witch). But she is supposed to be a similar character to Saint Nicholas or Santa Claus.
It is believed her name derives from La Festa dell’Epifania (the feast of the Epiphany).
Befana is usually portrayed in illustrations as an old lady riding a broomstick, wearing a black shawl and covered in soot because she enters the children’s homes through the chimney.
Lucky children in Bergamo may have already received presents from Santa Claus and wake up today to find another delivery from Befana.



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