How Bergamo got its name

Città Alta is known as Berghèm de Sura in dialect

A tribe from Liguria made its home in part of the present day Città Alta (upper town) as early as 1200 years before Christ, and named the settlement Barra.

By 600 BC the city was occupied by Etruscans, but in 550 BC it was invaded by the Gauls.

They changed the name of the city to Berghèm, which according to the Celtic language derived from Berg (mountain) and from Hem (house or dwelling). Today Bergamo is still called Berghèm by local people speaking in dialect. You may hear the Città Alta called ‘Berghèm de sura’ and the Città Bassa ‘Berghèm de sota’ by people speaking the Bergamask dialect.

Over the years the Gauls continued to invade and eventually destroyed the city, which was subsequently rebuilt by the Romans.

In 196 BC the Romans had a definitive victory over the Gauls and Berghèm was changed to the Latin name of Bergomum. The town was built along two axes, which met where the Torre di Gombito stands today. The east-west main road followed the route of the present day Via Gombito and Via Colleoni, while the north-south main road were where Via Mario Lupo and Via San Lorenzo are today.

It is thought that the Forum would have been on the site of the present day Duomo, the Arena was where the Seminary now stands to the north of the Città Alta and the Capitol was on the hill of la Rocca.

Bergamo Main Sights

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Visit the nativity scenes in Bergamo churches

A window display of presepio figures

From early December, churches in Bergamo will have their presepio (nativity scene) on display.

The tradition of recreating the birth of Jesus with a presepio dates back to the 13th century in Italy. Many families will also have a presepio in their homes and you will see shops selling either a complete presepio -- or figures and materials so that you can make your own -- in the weeks leading up to Christmas.

An interesting trip from Bergamo is a visit to the Museo del Presepio at Brembo di Dalmine to the south of the city.

Founded 35 years ago, the museum in Via XXV Aprile has more than 800 different nativity scenes in a variety of shapes and sizes from all over the world on display.

There are many examples from the 17th century, which was considered a golden age for the production of the presepio in Italy .

There is also a library of books, stamps, pictures, postcards and photographs depicting the presepio.

The museum is open every day between December and January from 14.00 to 18.00 and on Sundays from 9.00 till 12.00 and from 14.00 till 19.00. During the other months it is open from Thursday to Sunday only.

The Museo del Presepio is situated not far from the A4 autostrada to Milan , which you should leave at the Casello Dalmine exit.

For information about buses to Brembo di Dalmine visit www.bergamotrasporti.it.

Look out for shops selling figures to enable you to make your own presepio when you get home.

One of the most famous places for production is Naples, where there is an entire street in the centro storico, Via San Gregorio Armeno, lined with shops that sell figures and props for the presepio all year round.

Producers have now even branched out into making figures of celebrities, sportsmen and politicians to place in the presepio along with the traditional characters, so don’t be surprised if you see a Barack Obama or a Silvio Berlusconi among the shepherds.

Language point

Presepio or presepe

You will see the words presepio and presepe both used to refer to a nativity scene in Italy. The words both literally mean ‘crib’.

Bergamo Main Sights

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Call in at Caffé del Colleoni

Caffé del Colleoni

An elegant setting for enjoying un aperitivo is the Caffé del Colleoni on Via Sentierone in Bergamo Città Bassa (lower town) where you can sit under the colonnades and watch people go by.
The Caffé is open from seven in the morning for early morning coffee until nine at night. Its weekly closing day is Monday.
It is a popular lunch spot as it serves hot primi and secondi piatti as well as salads and sandwiches.
Caffé del Colleoni also offers a good selection of wines and spumanti and a long list of cocktails.
There are plenty of tables outside from where you can watch the comings and goings in Piazza Giacomo Matteoti, which links the Sentierone with the busy shopping street Via XX Settembre.
Caffé del Colleoni takes its name from one of Bergamo’s most illustrious citizens, the 16th century condottiero Bartolomeo Colleoni, who defended the city on behalf of its Venetian rulers and built the beautiful Colleoni Chapel to house his own tomb.
For more information telephone Caffé del Colleoni on 035.217080.


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An Italian meal is usually composed of un primo piatto (a first dish) and un secondo piatto (a second dish).
Typical primi piatti are soup, pasta and rice dishes. Secondi piatti are fish or meat dishes served with contorni (accompaniments) such as salads, potatoes and hot vegetables.


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Buonissimo Bardolino!

Vibrant, ruby red Bardolino wine is available on the lists of many restaurants in Bergamo and the surrounding area.

The best Bardolino is produced in the Classico region, the area immediately round the resort of Bardolino on Lago di Garda (Lake Garda), and it will have DOC (Denominazione di Origine Controllata) status on its label.

Among the best producers are Guerrieri Rizzardi, who are based at No. 4 Via Verdi in Bardolino.

They make their version from Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella, Sangiovese, Merlot and Molinara grapes grown in their vineyards along the shores of Lago di Garda.

Guerrieri Rizzardi recommend serving their Bardolino slightly chilled to accompany white meats and cheeses.

You will sometimes see Bardolino Novello, which should be drunk as soon as possible after the harvest. Wines labelled Bardolino Superiore will have been aged for at least one year.

In my opinion, Bardolino is a wine that is best drunk young in order to appreciate its characteristic scent of berries and almonds.

It benefits visitors to Bergamo that the wine has not travelled far from the area to the south east of Lago di Garda where it has been produced.

The pretty lakeside town itself can be reached by train from Bergamo, changing at Brescia and taking an onward connection to Desenzano, from which, in the summer months, there is a boat service to Bardolino.

Salute!

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DOC and DOCG

Wines are graded according to a system that refers to their place of origin, la denominazione.

Denominazione di origine controllata (DOC) applies to wines made from grapes grown only in a defined area.

Denominazione di origine controllata e garantita (DOCG) is reserved for wines that have met particularly rigorous standards throughout their production.

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Stroll along the Sentierone

The Sentierone, which means broad path, links the Piazza Vittorio Veneto in the centre of the Città Bassa (lower town) with the Via Torquato Tasso, a road that leads into the oldest quarter where there are 15th and 16th century buildings.
The Piazza Vittoria Veneto is dominated by the Torre dei Caduti (pictured), a tower built as a war memorial in the 1920s and positioned so that it did not spoil the view of the skyline of the Città Alta (upper town).
As you walk along the Sentierone you will see shops and bars behind elegant colonnades on your left and the Teatro Donizetti and a little garden with a memorial to the composer on your right.
The Sentierone was built in the 16th century and used as a site for a fair which was attended by merchants and travellers from all over Italy and Europe. It was also traditionally the place where carriages were parked and horses allowed to take their rest.
The elegant colonnades were built in the 1920s and provide the perfect place to relax with a drink and watch the smartly dressed Bergamaschi go by.

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La passeggiata

This can mean a walk, or a stroll, on foot, or a ride in a car or on horseback. Places where you can take a walk, such as the Sentierone, can also be referred to as a passeggiata. Be careful not to misuse the word passeggiatrice, which can mean a prostitute, literally ‘street walker’.

   

See over the city from La Rocca

Città Alta's towers from La Rocca

One of the best places to take photographs in Bergamo’s Città Alta (upper town) is the Parco delle Rimembranze (park of remembrance) which surrounds the imposing circular tower of La Rocca.

The park provides one of the most extended views from the Città Alta over the surrounding countryside, and, at its highest point, you can see over the roofs of the buildings in the Città Alta and have almost a bird’s eye view of the top sections of the Campanone and other towers.

To reach the park, walk up the Via Rocca, which leads off Via Gombito opposite the Torre Gombito, which houses the Ufficio di Informazione Turistiche (Tourist Information Office).

The park was originally the site of a Roman building that was followed by an early Christian church.

Construction of the majestic circular tower known as La Rocca was started in 1331 by Giovanni di Boemia. It was continued under the Visconti family and then under the Venetians, who both ruled Bergamo later.

In the 19th century La Rocca was used both as a barracks and a prison, but it now houses the Museo del Risorgimento (Risorgimento museum), which contains documents and exhibits relating to the unification of Italy.

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Il Risorgimento, which literally means revival or renewal, is the term used to describe the period in Italian history that led to the unification of the country in the 1870s and the political, social and artistic movements that took place at the same time.

Lovely Lecco – immortalised by novelist Manzoni

Lago di Lecco

The town of Lecco on Lago di Lecco (Lake Lecco) is an easy day trip from Bergamo.

There are regular, direct trains, which take 40 minutes, and good road links.

Lago di Lecco is an arm of Lago di Como and is surrounded by dramatic mountain scenery so stunning that it is said to have inspired Leonardo da Vinci.

Lecco is also famous for being the childhood home of novelist Alessandro Manzoni, who set his great work, I Promessi Sposi (The Betrothed) here.

Manzoni died aged 88 on 22 May 1873. But 137 years later, fans of the novel are still visiting Lecco to see the buildings and settings he described.

Manzoni’s novel was the first major work to be written in a modern Italian that could be understood by everyone, causing a sensation when it was first published in 1825. It looked at Italian history through the eyes of the ordinary citizen and sparked pro-unification feelings in many Italians who read it.

I Promessi Sposi is now considered to be the most important novel in Italian literature and is still required reading for Italian schoolchildren.

If you visit the Ufficio Informazione Turistiche (Tourist Information Office) in Via Sauro, the staff will give you a free map of Lecco with places mentioned in the novel marked on it, such as Lucia’s house, Don Rodrigo’s castle and the marriage church.  For more information visit www.turismo.provincia.lecco.it.

Manzoni was born in Milan and spent the later years of his life living there, in the house pictured below. He died after suffering a fall on the steps of the San Fedele church. His tomb is in the Cimitero Monumentale in Milan.

Manzoni's house in Milan

Language point          I Promessi Sposi

I Promessi Sposi created expressions, quotes and names that are still commonly used in Italian today, the most famous being: “Questo matrimonio non s’ha da fare…” (This marriage is not to be performed...).

This famous quote from the novel is still regularly used by Italians ironically when they are talking about weddings.

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Enjoy a taste of San Pellegrino

Experience the gentle charm of the spa town where European aristocracy used to take the waters, 24 kilometres north of Bergamo.
The name San Pellegrino has now become synonymous with the bottled aqua minerale, which has been sold all over the world for more than 100 years. But since medieval times, San Pellegrino Terme in the Valle Brembana has been a place people visit hoping for a cure for their illnesses. The waters of the terme -- thermal springs -- are believed to be particularly effective against uric acid and kidney stones.
As a resort, San Pellegrino was very fashionable at the end of the 19th century when impressive buildings such as the Grand Hotel (pictured below), the Palazzo della Fonte and the Casino Municipale were built in elaborate Liberty style.
It is worth a visit, by car or bus from Bergamo, to see the opulent architecture and to take a stroll along the banks of the River Brembo, imagining what San Pellegrino would have been like at the height of its popularity.
There are plenty of elegant bars and restaurants on the main street looking out over the river.
But wherever you decide to stop for refreshment, make sure you order a bottle of San Pellegrino. Salute!

Language point     Le terme

Terme on the end of a place name means that the town has thermal baths or springs, where water gushes out of the ground at a high temperature.
In Roman times elaborate buildings were designed in these places to enable people to bathe in the springs.
A modern example is Montecatini Terme near Pistoia in Tuscany, which is one of the most popular centres for thermal springs in Italy.



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When the bell tolls for the Bergamaschi

The distinctive 'big bell tower', il Campanone, in Bergamo’s Città Alta (upper town) is a familiar part of the sky line, visible from miles away.
Centuries ago il campanile (the bell tower) was at the heart of every community and was a landmark for travellers on horseback aiming to reach their home town or city. 
Bergamo’s bell tower dates back to at least the 12th century. It is also known as the Torre Civica (Civic Tower) and stands next to the Palazzo della Ragione, more than 52 metres tall, dominating a corner of the Piazza Vecchia. From the top there are wonderful views over Bergamo and the surrounding countryside.

If you are in the Piazza Vecchia at 10 pm on any evening you will hear the bell toll 100 times marking the ancient curfew, when the gates in Bergamo’s walls were locked at night to keep the city safe from outsiders. The bell tolled at 10 pm to remind the Bergamaschi that it was time to come back inside the walls or be locked out for the night.

The structure of the tower has been modified over the centuries because of fire damage and being struck by lightning. A clock face was added to it in the 15th century. 

The big bell itself had a narrow escape during the Second World War when the Germans considered melting it down to manufacture weapons.

Il Campanone is open on Saturdays and Sundays, but can be visited by request between Tuesday and Friday.

Opening hours vary according to the time of year so it is a good idea to check with the Tourist Information Office in Via Gombito to help you decide when to visit.

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Il campanalismo

Campanone, meaning big bell tower, is a variation of the word, campanile. 

Because il campanile (the bell tower) has come to symbolise the heart of a local community, the word campanilismo has been developed by Italians to mean exaggerated local patriotism or parochialism, or excessive support for a local or restricted group, as opposed to general promotion of a community.