Bergamo Alta in two days allows completing the full Sentiero delle Mura, visiting the Carrara Picture Gallery and climbing to Colle San Vigilio. The Città Alta (249m above Colle di San Vigilio) is separated from the modern Città Bassa by the funicular — a transport system running since 1887. The Venetian Walls (UNESCO Heritage 2017) surround the medieval centre for 6km — 16th-century bastions, powder magazines and gates built by the Serenissima to defend the border with the Duchy of Milan. From Milan Centrale: 50 min by train (€5.40) + funicular (€1.30).
Città Alta: Monuments and Walls
Piazza Vecchia (Lombardy's most beautiful according to many), Cappella Colleoni (1476, Amadeo, Bergamo Renaissance's masterpiece), Duomo, Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore (12th century, sumptuous Baroque interior). The Sentiero delle Mura (2h, flat, free) follows the Venetian bastions with views over the Po plain and Orobie Alps. The second funicular (from Città Alta to Colle San Vigilio, €2.50 return) rises to 521m — panorama over Bergamo, the plain and the mountains. The Castello di San Vigilio (ruin, free access) and the Torre della Campanella complete the summit.
Carrara Picture Gallery and Bergamo Cuisine
The Pinacoteca Accademia Carrara (Piazza Giacomo Carrara, €10, closed Tuesday) is one of northern Italy's most important art museums — 1,800 works from the 14th to 19th centuries with Bellini (Portrait of Gentile Bellini), Mantegna, Raphael (St Sebastian), Botticelli, Titian, Moroni (the portrait of the Tailor — which inspired Velázquez), Lotto, Tiepolo, Canaletto. Bergamo cuisine in two days: casoncelli alla bergamasca (pasta filled with meat, raisins, amaretti, cheese — with butter and sage), polenta taragna (buckwheat, Branzi, mountain butter), the DOP cheeses of the Bergamo area (Taleggio, Branzi, Formai de Mut).
Practical tips
The Carrara Picture Gallery (€10) is among northern Italy's top 10 art museums — often overlooked by tourists
The second funicular to Colle San Vigilio (€2.50 return) is absolutely worthwhile — the view is much wider than from Città Alta
Bergamasco casoncelli with butter and sage are unlike any other stuffed pasta in Italy — try them without fail
