This morning Milan was shrouded in thick fog. It has not been particularly cold - at least not below freezing - but it has been a bit damp, my first day in Milan was really wet. Today we are going to explore Bergamo. Some of you may have heard of Bergamo because the city's airport is used by some of the low cost airlines who call it "Milan". The city lies around 50km north east of Milan and it takes 50 minutes by train.
Bergamo consists of a medieval hill top town with cobbled narrow streets (wear comfy shoes) and a newer more modern lower town where the railway and bus stations are. The two parts of the city are linked by a funicular - you will have guessed from the title of this post that funiculars are going to be a theme of this trip.
Unless you are planning to ride up walk down I would suggest you buy a 4 euro day ticket, as once you have walked through to the opposite end of the old town there is yet another funicular to take you up to a view point at a castle that's perched above. It also means that if there is a massive queue for the funicular back down to the lower town you can hop on a bus.
Once I arrived the fog had lifted and it was a bright sunny day, however, I have been here in winter before and I do feel that as atmospheric as it is, the narrow streets and tall buildings mean that the sun never really penetrates so Bergamo does tend to feel chilly.
My first stop was at a stately pile - the Palazzo Moroni - which is the home of the Moroni family and administered by the Italian version of the National Trust (if you are Trust members you can get free entry by showing your card).
As you can see it is typical National Trust fare but the frescos on the ceilings are particularly impressive - there is also a suntrap garden which is a nice place to sit for a while.
Bergamo became part of the Venetian Republic in 1428 and consequently you will see several images of lions - the symbol of Venice - around the town.
As with all Italian towns there are churches everywhere and it is easy to get church fatigue particularly give the ornate decoration inside compared to the rather austere Protestant churches we are used to in the UK. I really would though, recommend the church of Santa Maria Maggiore and the adjacent Colleoni Chapel commissioned in 1470 by local big wig Bartolomeo Colleoni as his mausoleum. Both buildings are amazingly ornate inside and the church is currently going through a massive restoration programme.
 |
| The Colleoni Chapel |
Once at the other end of the old town the second funicular takes you up for - on a clear day - a wonderful view.
Alas shortly after the pictures below were taken the mist enveloped the town again and I took that as my cue to return to Milan.
No comments:
Post a Comment