Pause for a while in Piazza Mascheroni

If you enter Bergamo’s Città Alta (upper town) from Colle Aperto and cross Piazza Cittadella you will pass under an archway into Piazza Mascheroni.

Torre della Campanella

It is easy to walk straight through the rectangular piazza to the top of the fascinating Via Colleoni with its shops, restaurants and bars.

But it is worth taking a few minutes to look round Piazza Mascheroni and savour the wonderful views from it first.

At one side of the piazza there is a particularly good spot for taking photographs. You can see the Città Bassa (lower town) spread out below and the hills above the city, with the mountains a long way in the distance.

At the centre of the square the Torre della Campanella was started in the 13th century but was not completed until the oriental-style spire was added in the 19th century. You will have come through the archway within its base to enter the square

On the walls of the buildings on the other side of the piazza you can see original 16th century frescoes, which were uncovered and restored during the 1990s.

Piazza Mascheroni was known as Piazza Nuova during the period that Bergamo was under Venetian rule in the 16th and 17th centuries. It is believed to have once been the site of the city’s linen market and old documents have revealed that it was also sometimes used to stage games and entertainment. 

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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!

Language point

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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Tub was once hub of Bergamo’s Città Alta

Il Lavatoio

In a quiet square behind the Torre Gombito in Bergamo’s Città Alta (upper town) you will see a long marble trough that provides an interesting glimpse into 19th century life.

Piazza Luigi Angelini, which is off Via Mario Lupo on the left, used to be the site of il Lavatoio, Bergamo’s public wash tub.

Now that it has been cleaned and restored, you can see details such as the drain to prevent the water overflowing and the small channel that collected splashes from the washing.

Il Lavatoio was well built from Zandobbio marble and protected with a cast iron canopy. It was constructed on the orders of the Commune di Bergamo to provide inhabitants of the Città Alta with laundering facilities, to compensate them for the lack of running water in their houses.

The tub came into use in 1891, when the square must have become a lively hub where the women of the Città Alta enjoyed meeting up and exchanging gossip while they did their washing.

Il Lavatoio continued to be used well into the 1950s.

Now that everyone does their washing indoors, Piazza Luigi Angelini has become a very peaceful place, coming to life only on the occasional Sunday when an antiques market is held there.

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Arli Hotel in perfect position in Bergamo

Arli Hotel

In the heart of the Città Bassa (lower town), the comfortable Arli is a Bergamo hotel that provides an ideal base for exploring the city and surrounding area.

Situated in Largo Porta Nuova, the three-star hotel is about half way between the railway station and the funicolare (funicular station) for the Città Alta (upper town), approximately 400 metres from them both.

It is very close to the stops for buses to the Città Alta and the airport at Orio al Serio and is handy for some of the best shops and restaurants in the Città Bassa.

The Arli Hotel has a bright, welcoming reception area, which leads into the restaurant, La Delizia. The hotel offers WiFi internet access either from your own computer or a terminal for public use in a room on the ground floor close to reception. 

There is a lift to the 66 bedrooms and guests can opt for single, double or king size accommodation.

I stayed at Arli Hotel for two nights earlier this month and it is a hotel in Bergamo I would readily recommend. I was impressed with both the comfort of the bed and pillows and the selection of food offered at the buffet breakfast, which was included in the price of the room.

The Arli Hotel also has a wine bar and guests can use the facilities of its Fit and Well Spa. There is free car parking and room service is available after 10.30pm for late arriving guests. For more information, visit www.arli.net, telephone +39 035 222077 or book with Hotels.com or venere.com.

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Bergamo’s funicular railways

The Città Alta funicular

Using the two funicolari (funicular railways) is an easy way to move about Bergamo quickly while you are looking round the city.
One links the Città Bassa (lower town) with the Città Alta (upper town) while the other one links the Città Alta with San Vigilio above it. They run every few minutes from early in the morning until late at night and while you are travelling up and down you will see some spectacular views.
The first funicular to be built in Bergamo linked Viale Vittorio Emanuele in the Città Bassa with Piazza Mercato delle Scarpe in the Città Alta. The funicular made its first journey on 20 September, 1897.
The second funicular, which links the Città Alta with San Vigilio, opened on 27 August 1912.
German novelist Hermann Hesse, who won the Nobel prize for literature in 1913, was among the first famous tourists to use the service and many travellers have benefited from it since.
To use the funicular, you can buy a single journey ticket, which you pass through a machine before going through the barrier. Or, if you have a one or three-day ticket, just show it to the funicular’s driver, who will open the barrier for you.

Alternatively, you can charge the fare to a credit or debit card via the contactless terminal mounted near the barrier, buy tickets via the ATB Mobile app or the Chat&Go by ATB channel on WhatsApp  

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Just dessert for composer Donizetti

Torta Donizetti

While in Bergamo you will see many tempting cakes and desserts in cafes and bars and in the windows of pasticcerie (cake shops).

Torta Donizetti

A local speciality you may notice is Torta Donizetti, a ring shaped cake dedicated to the great musician, who was born and died in Bergamo.

One story is that it was whipped up in a hurry by Rossini’s cook when the two composers were dining together and that Rossini dedicated it to his guest afterwards.

It is now part of Bergamo’s gastronomic tradition, and if you enjoy sampling it while visiting the city, you will find it is simple to make at home.

Here is my version of the original recipe, which I adapted slightly to use ingredients easily available in the UK . It makes a large cake, enough to serve approximately six to eight people.

Unsalted butter, 320 gr

White sugar, 135 gr

Egg yolks, 8

Egg whites, 4

Flour, 50 gr

Cornflour, 120 gr

Dried apricots, cut into small cubes, 100 gr

Fresh pineapple, cut into small cubes, 100 gr

Teaspoon of Maraschino (or any fruit liqueur)

Teaspoon of vanilla essence

Method – Whip together butter, 20 gr of sugar and egg yolks. Beat egg whites with rest of sugar till stiff, then add to the mixture. Gradually add flour and cornflour. Then stir in the cubes of apricot and pineapple, the liqueur and the vanilla essence. Maraschino, a clear cherry-based liqueur, is used in the classic recipe but if this is not available another fruit liqueur may be substituted.

Butter a 24 cm ring shaped baking tin and pour in mixture.

Bake in oven at 180 degrees for 40 minutes.

Afterwards leave it to cool before brushing the top with icing sugar.

Buon appetito!

Bergamo remembers Saint Alexander

Lights on Via Sant' Alessandro

Early September is a good time to visit Bergamo.
The city is still celebrating after the festa in honour of patron saint Alessandro on 26 August and it is lit up by decorative lights at night.
Although less crowded than earlier in the summer there is still plenty going on and the weather is warm and sunny.
Sant’Alessandro was killed by the Romans in 303 for refusing to renounce his Christian faith and continuing to preach in Bergamo.
This year for the first time a historical reconstruction of the event took place in Bergamo, with those taking part dressed in authentic costumes.

A procession through the city was followed by a gastronomic celebration in the Piazza Vecchia in the Città Alta (upper town) presided over by the Vescovo (bishop) and Sindaco (mayor). Torta Sant’Alessandro and the local Valcalepio wine were served, followed by musical entertainment.
There was still plenty of live music to enjoy in the streets when I was in Bergamo for a visit at the beginning of September.A single flautist under the archways of the Palazzo della Ragione in the Città Alta provided soft background music as I enjoyed a drink before lunch sitting outside the Caffè del Tasso.
And in the evening there were musicians entertaining people as they strolled along Via Sant’Alessandro in the Città Bassa (lower town) enjoying the lights and festive atmosphere.

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