Even as you approach Bergamo and first see it from a distance, you can already sense that you’re in for something special. The name Bergamo – or Bèrg hem as the locals call it in their dialect – comes from the name of the Celtic mountain god Berg imus, and your first impression is that of its upper part, a fine Italian hilltop walled town set against the mountains and looking out over the Po Valley.
And when you do finally enter the city you quickly see that Bergamo also has a wealth of cultural and artistic treasures to offer – its Piazza Vecchia is said to be one of the most beautiful squares in Europe – as well as beautiful green spaces, such as the Orto Botanico “Lorenzo Rota”, open daily during the warmer months.
This is one of the great cities of Lombardy – the city of the composer Gaetano Donizetti, and that of a much-loved pope, John XXIII (1958- 1963), who came from the village of Sotto il Monte in Bergamo province. And it is the city that, along with its neig hbour Brescia , was hit most heavily by the Covid pandemic. And so 2023’s celebration of both cities as Italy’s Capitals of Culture is most welcome to their famously hardworking and community-minded people. If you have never been, there is no better time than now.
