Visit Bergamo at festival time

Roman column marks where
 Sant'Alessandro was killed

The end of August is a great time to visit Bergamo as the city is in celebratory mood because of the festa for their patron saint Sant’Alessandro.

Every year on 26 August Bergamo commemorates the date in AD 298 that Saint Alexander was martyred by the Romans for refusing to renounce his Christian faith.

It is believed Alessandro was a devout citizen who had insisted on preaching in Bergamo, despite having had several narrow escapes. But he was eventually caught by Roman soldiers and suffered decapitation.

A series of religious, cultural and gastronomic events takes place in his name over several days throughout the city, which is decorated with festive lights.

In 2010 for the first time there was a re-enactment of Alessandro’s execution in full costume at the place where it is believed to have been carried out, in Via Sant’Alessandro, where the church of Sant’Alessandro in Colonna now stands.

A Roman column outside the church marks the spot where the decapitation is said to have happened.

Church bells will ring out all over the city to herald the start of the festival beginning at 10.00 on Saturday 25 August. A fair to mark Sant’Alessandro’s festa will be held in Via Sentierone in the Città Bassa on Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 August. There will also be a street art exhibition and musical entertainment.

Porta Sant’Alessandro, which leads from the Città Alta (upper town) to Borgo Canale and San Vigilio, was built in the 16th century. It was named after a fourth century cathedral that had originally been dedicated to the saint but was demolished to make way for the fortifications built round the Città Alta by the Venetians who ruled the city at the time.

The gate became a checkpoint manned by customs officers, who would tax farmers from outside the city bringing in vegetables, eggs, chickens and wine to sell to residents of the Città Alta (upper town).

 

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Busy Porta Sant’Agostino was built to protect Bergamo

Porta Sant'Agostino

The grey, sandstone Porta Sant’Agostino is the most popular way of entering Bergamo’s Città Alta (upper town).

Buses and cars from the Città Bassa (lower town) will climb Viale Vittorio Emanuele II and pass under the gate’s central archway before turning left and travelling along Viale delle Mura.

Pedestrians can use the smaller archways at the side to enter the Città Alta and walk along Via Porta Dipinta to reach Piazza Mercato delle Scarpe. From there the ancient Via Gombito leads to Piazza Vecchia in the centre of the upper town.

Porta Sant’Agostino is believed to have been designed by Paolo Berlendis and was built in 1575 during the huge project to improve the fortifications of the Città Alta.

Sant'Agostino fountain

The stone carving of the Venetian lion over the central archway was added more recently to replace earlier insignia that had been removed by invaders.

The beautiful fountain behind Porta Sant’Agostino was built in the same style as the gate later in the 16th century for the benefit of travellers arriving in the city.

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See the lake scenery that inspired Leonardo

View of Monte Isola from Tavernola Bergamasca

From Bergamo it is an easy journey to the resorts on the western side of Lago d’Iseo.

There are regular buses from the bus station in Via Bartolomeo Bono or you can drive to the lake in less than an hour.

The Bergamo side of Lago d’Iseo is well worth visiting as it is quieter and scenically more dramatic than the eastern side, which falls within the province of Brescia.

Furthest away at the top of the lake is Lovere, with its backdrop of mountains, which was selected for the 2009 edition of I Borghi piu belli d’Italia (the most beautiful small towns in Italy) guidebook.

Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, an 18th century writer who lived in Lovere for ten years, was inspired to write poetry by the scenery. She once wrote in a letter to her daughter: “I am now in a place, the most beautifully romantic I ever saw in my life.”

There are old churches, towers and a renowned art gallery, the Galleria dell’Accademia Tadini. From Lovere there are regular boats to Pisogne, Sarnico and Iseo.

The rugged scenery between Lovere and Tavernola Bergamasca is claimed to have inspired Leonardo da Vinci to paint the mountains in the background of Mona Lisa.

You can travel along the shore by either car or bus, but probably the best way to enjoy the views is from a boat out on the lake.

From Tavernola Bergamasca you will have good views of Monte Isola, the large island in the middle of Lago d’Iseo, which is just a short crossing away. There are regular boats going back and forth, making it possible to visit the island just for a short time.

Sarnico, at the foot of the western shore, is a charming medieval town with cobbled streets climbing away from the lake that are crammed with interesting things to see.

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Top 12 sights in the Città Bassa in Bergamo

People often ask what the main sights are in the Città Bassa because there is such a wealth of beautiful buildings to look at in Bergamo’s lower town it can be difficult to know where to start.

I have put together a list of 12 places in the Città Bassa that visitors to Bergamo really must see. But it has not been easy to narrow down my choice and anyone who would like to suggest something to add to the list is welcome to email me with their suggestions.

1 - Santa Maria delle Grazie on the corner of Viale Papa Giovanni XXIII and Porta Nuova – with its 19th century green cupola topped with a golden statue. The origins of the church go back to 1422 when a convent was built on the site. The beautiful cloisters have been preserved within the church buildings, although the convent was suppressed at the beginning of the 19th century.

One of Porta Nova's twin Propilei

2 - Porta Nuova - the distinctive Propilei di Porta Nuova, two buildings that look like small temples, were designed by Ferdinando Crivelli in the mid 19th century and built on the site of one of the gates of the muraine, the name for the old city walls that used to run through the Citta Bassa.

3 - Via Sentierone -  a popular place for la passeggiata. The Sentierone, which means broad path, links Piazza Vittorio Veneto with Via Torquato Tasso, a road that leads into the oldest part of the Città Bassa.

4 – The Donizetti monument, set back from Via Sentierone in Piazza Cavour - erected in 1897 to commemorate the first anniversary of Donizetti’s birth. An imposing structure in white marble, it depicts the composer sitting on a bench gazing at the figure of a female playing the lyre. Set in the middle of a pond and surrounded by plants and trees, the monument is inscribed simply ‘A Gaetano Donizetti’.

La Chiesa dei Santi Bartolomeo e Stefano

5 - La Chiesa dei Santi Bartolomeo e Stefano, at the corner of Via Torquato Tasso and Largo Bortolo Belotti – providing an impressive backdrop for Via Sentierone. Inside are some beautiful 18th century frescoes, but it is difficult not to be drawn straight to the magnificent altarpiece, Madonna with Child and Saints painted in 1513 by Lorenzo Lotto. The painting is also sometimes referred to as Pala Martinengo as it was commissioned by Alessandro Martinengo Colleoni, the nephew and adopted ‘son’ of condottiero Bartolomeo Colleoni.

6 - Palazzo della Provincia in Via Torquato Tasso - Bergamo’s seat of provincial government, built between 1864 and 1871, the first public work to be carried out in Bergamo after the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy. The new building was designed on a grand scale to house both the offices of the provincial administration and the prefecture of police. On the facade you will notice five carvings depicting significant events and personalities in Bergamo’s history.

7 - La Chiesa di Santo Spirito in Piazzetta Santo Spirito - considered the most important religious Renaissance building in the Città Bassa. It was converted from an original 14th century church by the Venetian born architect Pietro Isabello in 1530 on behalf of some of the rich merchant families in Bergamo . The fine Renaissance design is more striking inside where there is a nave and ten side chapels divided by tall columns. Santo Spirito houses Enthroned Madonna with Saints and Angels, painted by Lorenzo Lotto in 1521.

8 - San Bernardino in Pignolo in Via Pignolo - built at the end of the 16th century as a chapel for the use of the nobility and rich merchants living in the palaces in Via Pignolo. Inside there is a vaulted ceiling with frescoes and works by Gian Paolo Cavagna and Andrea Previtali. The altarpiece by Lorenzo Lotto portraying the Enthroned Madonna with Child, Angels and Saints was painted in 1521.

9 - Sant’Alessandro della Croce in Via Pignolo – with an elaborate façade added as recently as 1930. The interior has original baroque decoration and an 18th century inlaid marble altar by Andrea Fantoni. In the sacristry you will see the painting of the Holy Trinity by Renaissance artist Lorenzo Lotto.

Piazza Pontida

10 - Piazza Pontida near the corner of Via Sant’Ales- sandro and Via XX Settembre - the place where goods arriving in Bergamo used to be unloaded and bargained for before being sent up to the Città Alta. Some of the porticos date back to the 15th century, when farmers and merchants would shelter from the sun under them while negotiating over the goods.

11 - Sant’Alessandro in Colonna in Via Sant’Alessandro - believed to have been built where Bergamo’s patron saint was martyred by the Romans. A Roman column in front of the church is thought to mark the exact spot where the saint was killed by the Romans for refusing to renounce his Christian faith. Every year on 26 August Bergamo remembers Sant’Alessandro’s decapitation in 298.

12 - Palazzo delle Poste in Via Masone on the corner of Via Antonio Locatelli - an impressive piece of architecture, designed to follow on from the development of the lower town at the beginning of the 20th century by Marcello Piacentini. Built of brown stone, the post office has a tall clock tower and the long windows typical of 1930s architecture.  The Poste e Telegrafi building was planned in 1929 by Angiolo Mazzoni and completed in 1932. 

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Elegant hotel on the shore of Lago d’Iseo

Monte Isola in Lago d'Iseo

If you would like close up views of Monte Isola, the stunning island in the middle of Lago d’Iseo - just a short distance from Bergamo - visit the resort of Sulzano on the Brescia side of the lake.

If you are not driving, the best way to reach Sulzano is to take the train from Bergamo to Brescia and then change to the train that runs along the side of the lake in the direction of Edolo. It will pass through the resort of Iseo before it reaches Sulzano.

It is a short walk from the railway station in Sulzano to the landing stage, or imbarcadero, where you can buy boat tickets to visit the island and pick up tourism information leaflets. The green mountainous island almost looks almost within touching distance from here. It takes only a few minutes on the ferry to reach the nearest point on Monte Isola, the old fishing village of Peschiera Maraglio.

Sulzano viewed from the Monte Isola ferry

Sulzano is an ideal location for a short break as it has shops, bars and amenities and is set in beautiful scenery, as well as being handily placed for visiting the island.

Consider a stay at the Hotel Rivalago in Via Cadorna, which is right on the edge of the lake.

This elegant four star hotel has a beautiful garden which runs down to the shore and a lakeside swimming pool with a bar at the side.

The 32 guest rooms all have wireless internet and some have balconies overlooking Lago d’Iseo with lovely views of Monte Isola.

The Hotel Rivalago also has its own private beach for the use of guests who wish to swim in the lake.

Check rates for the Hotel Rivalago with Hotels.com or Expedia.com


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Golden statue crowns cupola of huge church

Not to be missed in Bergamo’s Città Bassa…

SANTA MARIA IMMACOLATA DELLE GRAZIE

Santa Maria Immacolata delle Grazie

A landmark of Bergamo's Città Bassa (lower town) is the impressive church of Santa Maria Immacolata delle Grazie in Viale Papa Giovanni XXIII.

The huge church on the corner of Porta Nuova has a 19th century green cupola topped with a golden statue with an early 20th century campanile next to it.

But the origins of the church go back as far as 1422 when a convent was built on the site dedicated to Santa Maria delle Grazie.

The beautiful cloisters have been preserved within the church buildings although the convent itself was suppressed at the beginning of the 19th century.

The neoclassical design for the new church was created between 1855 and 1857 by architect Antonio Preda and the first stone was laid on 1 May 1857 by the bishop at the time, Monsignore Pierluigi Speranza.

On 7 December 1907 the main altar was consecrated in the presence of the then bishop Giacomo Maria Radini Tedeschi, who was accompanied by his 26-year-old secretary Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, a native of Bergamo and the future Pope John XXIII.

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Rotonda dei Mille recalls the achievements of Garibaldi

The statue of Garibaldi
in Rotonda dei Mille

Bergamo is proud to call itself Città dei Mille in memory of the young men from the city who accepted Giuseppe Garibaldi’s invitation to help him unite Italy.

A statue of Garibaldi, who died 130 years ago today, stands on top of a marble column in the centre of Rotonda dei Mille in the Città Bassa (lower town), where five roads converge.

Garibaldi entered Bergamo in June 1859, where he was received with great enthusiasm. He invited the young Bergamaschi to volunteer for his Sicilian expedition and many young men accepted his invitation, earning Bergamo the title of Città dei Mille.

They helped Garibaldi win control of Sicily in the name of Vittorio Emanuele II. From there he crossed the Strait of Messina and marched north through Italy. He met the new king on 26 October 1860, shook his hand and then retired to live on the island of Caprera, off the coast of Sardinia. This was where he eventually died on 2 June, 1882, at the age of 74.


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