Bergamo: a City Split in Two

Shannon O'Leary
Jan 23, 2017
2 min read

A perk of being a student at IES Milan are the "bucket list" trips the school offers us. This Sunday was a day trip to the beautiful city of Bergamo, about an hour away by train.

The day started early but it was quite the experience to walk through the sleepy Sunday morning streets of Milan.

Our first stop when we arrived was to get to the gondola that took us to the high city, or, as they call it: citta alta (as opposed to the citta bassa we started in. The modern part of the city). As we stood jammed in like sardines it was a collective moments when the gondola crested the wall and the foggy city spread out below us.

Our first stop was Chiesa S. Michele al Pozzo Bianco which offered a postcard picture of the lower city. The amusing thing about Bergamo was it was covered in a dusting of snow and ice. Nothing central New York-esk but still, there is zero snow and ice in Milan. The history and art museum we were supposed to explore was closed so we toured the grounds before heading right to the Piazza Duomo (duomo means the main cathedral of the town or city). The Cathedral of Bergamo was beautiful but we were unable to take pictures of the inside. Mass was going on (typical Sunday) as a group of us stayed for at least fifteen minutes to experience the service.

The original foundation of the cathedral was laid in the 5th century, A.D. by the Romans and the sustaining architecture is preserved in an archaeological museum underneath the church. The ancient cathedral was constantly built around, on top of, added to throughout the centuries, burying the crypts and tombs until the early 2000s discovered them. All excavation is required to be by hand, because no one can risk destroying some of the irreplaceable art and stone work of the original cathedral.

The ancient city itself has over ten churches within its walls. The church of St. Agatha in Carmin being an example. Beautiful paintings and details covering every part of the inside of the church left you wondering how it could have possibly been done.

Near the Duomo the group took a dizzying walk up the clock tower, but it was worth it too see the top and have the old city visible from every side.

As a day trip from Milan, Bergamo is a great choice, even though our day was full there was still more to see. The edges of the old city host Venetian walls and doors, the Piazza Vecchia is the main square, the foyer to the Bergamo Cathedral. There is also the Donizetti Museum and Hills Park. Something for everyone in this beautiful town and definitely worth a stop!