Three years after the Covid-19 pandemic which ravaged the province of Bergamo in 2020 (around 6,000 deaths in March 2020), the city of 116,000 inhabitants chosen as European Capital of Culture in 2023, with its neighbor Brescia, n has never welcomed so many visitors. It seduces with the monumental history of its citta alta (upper town) and the relaxed atmosphere of its citta bassa (lower town).
Day 1
8 a.m. The Architect’s Center
After the cappuccino under the arcades of the elegant Balzer café, and before climbing towards the Renaissance heritage, the discovery of Bergamo begins with another architecture, the Centro Piacentiniano (1), named after Marcello Piacentini (1881-1960), Mussolini’s favorite architect, that of the EUR in Rome, the district symbol of fascist aesthetics. Between 1907 and 1924, he designed the new center: courthouse, Bank of Italy, chamber of commerce, the post office with its watch tower, but also Place Dante enclosed by the arcades of the Sentierone, the walk. The neoclassical ensemble imbued with rationalism gives an old-fashioned charm to this decor where everyone meets according to the time.
9:30 a.m. The condottiere is a bastard
To access the upper town, the small funicular is a very busy ride. You might as well climb on foot towards two contiguous and cramped squares where architectural styles jostle. In Piazza del Duomo (2), the cathedral is a baroque profusion of marble and colors under the frescoes of Francesco Coghetti, a native of the country. Right next door, the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore houses a magnificent 16th century marquetry ensemble.e century: eighty panels drawn by Lorenzo Lotto (1480-1556), Venetian painter, and carved by Giovan Capoferri, prodigious in his attention to detail in recounting the creation of the world.
Right next to the basilica, a Renaissance pastry made of polychrome marble, the Colleoni chapel bears the name of a condottiere who became rich thanks to his army of mercenaries serving, in turn, Venice and Milan, then enemies. Around 1470, he wanted this church-mausoleum for its marble sarcophagus and its golden equestrian statue. Very proud of his surname (Coglione means “stupid”), the soldier placed three pairs of testicles on his coat of arms. The one that adorns the front gate is polished by the hands that touch it in the hope of good fortune.
Just opposite, in the Palazzo della Ragione (Palace of Reason for the government then justice) perched on its arches, fragments of frescoes by Bramante dialogue in beauty with the very contemporary works designed at the request of Lorenzo Giusti, who directs the excellent Galleria d’arte moderna e contemporanea (GAMeC) in Bergamo. Behind, Piazza Vecchia is a concentrate of Italy with the Torre civica (whose bell announced the closing of the city gates), the Palazzo del Podesta which houses the Museo del Cinquecento (XVe century), the Contarini marble fountain and the facade of the Palazzo Nuevo, today a library.
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