WORDS & PICTURES: Michela Sieman
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Perhaps you’ve heard of it, or maybe you’re lucky enough to discover the secret of this hidden Italian gem within this article. Bergamo, despite being the second-largest city in Italy’s wealthy region of Lombardy, is unspoiled by tourism when compared to the likes of Venice, Florence, and other famous Italian getaways. Because of this, Bergamo’s Città Alta – its hilltop historic center – maintains all of its ancient medieval charm. Once you enter through one of the 16th-century gates to the city, you are immediately transported to a world of the past.
It is impossible to visit Bergamo’s Città Alta without picturing the scenes of what life was like centuries ago. The narrow, winding streets, crowded, towering buildings, and open, social squares are anything but gentle reminders of the città alta’s long and significant history.
Think of this as a self-guided walking tour to one of the most charming parts of Italy, specially made for those who like to dig deeper than the ‘Instagram photo spots’ or ‘best restaurants near me’. Curated by a history lover, for history lovers, you’ll experience more meaningful travel when visiting Bergamo’s Città Alta knowing how each piazza, tower, and church have been constructed and reshaped over time. Follow me along its walls.
THE ASCENT TO CITTÀ ALTA
Experiencing the history of Bergamo’s Città Alta begins on the journey to reach it. The walled city sits upon rolling hills towering over the Bergamasque countryside, dramatically backdropped by the towering peaks of the Italian Alps.
To reach Città Alta, you have two options. You can use the funicular, constructed in the late 19th Century. This was the first time the two parts of the city, the upper and lower town, were officially connected.
The more scenic way to reach Bergamo’s Città Alta is to ascend one of the many pathways from the lower town, Città Bassa, and enter the way everyone had to for centuries before the cable car was built – through one of the ancient gateways, or ‘porte’.
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THE GATEWAYS OF CITTÀ ALTA
The gates to the walled city were once used to protect it, keeping control of who could and could not enter. The gates would close for the night when the bell tower rang at 10pm, to keep the city safe.
Porta Sant’Agostino
The most-used entrance to Bergamo’s Città Alta is now, and has always been, Porta Sant’Agostino, built in 1575. The gate faces east, towards Venice, and this was the entrance the Venetians would use when traveling to Bergamo. After entering, you’ll notice a long, plain building to the right. This was where the soldiers who guarded the walls of the city lived.
Today, there is an easy-to-walk path from Borgo Palazzo in Città Bassa up to Porta Sant’Agostino, which is the perfect place to start a complete walk along the walls.
Porta San Giacomo
When you see Porta San Giacomo, you will assume that this is the main entrance to Città Alta. Built in 1592, the dramatic white marble façade faces south, and is the most visible gate along the walls from Città Bassa, making it the most scenic entrance to the upper town.
Porta San Lorenzo
The smallest of the four gateways to the walled city, Porta San Lorenzo was built later, in 1627, facing north towards the Italian Alps. This entrance is still scenic, but is further from the town center, so it is less frequently used.
Porta Sant’Alessandro
The final gateway into the city, the Porta Sant’Alessandro, was built in the late 1500s, and is found in the center of modern Città Alta, in an area called Colle Aperto. This gate is named after Bergamo’s patron saint because there used to be a basilica dedicated to him in that very spot, dating back to the 4th Century. The church was destroyed to build the walls fortifying the city, and so the gate took on the patron saint’s name.
WALKING THE VENETIAN WALLS
Upon entering Bergamo’s Città Alta, the first place to explore is the perimeter of the city, along the imposing 16th-century Venetian stone walls it is known for.
The Republic of Venice ruled Bergamo from the early 15th Century until its eradication in the late 18th Century. In the late 1500s, they assumed the project to fortify the city of Bergamo and protect their military efforts.
Townspeople protested because the building of the walls meant the destruction of many existing buildings. In the end, the city was never attacked.
When you walk along the walls, a lot comes into perspective. This massive architectural undertaking from 1561 to 1592 is an impressive triumph. And although the townspeople back then protested their construction, the walls today are what protect the history and tradition of the lives within them.
PIAZZA DELLA CITTADELLA + CAMPANELLA TOWER
As you make your way along the walls and finish taking in the views over the surrounding countryside, you’ll walk over a hill and down to the beginning of the city center. To the left, you’ll find Porta Sant’Alessandro. Journey to the right, and you’ll be on your way to the heart of Città Alta.
Walking this way, you’ll enter a piazza encircled by a building that now hosts parking for locals and visitors, as well as several museums. This piazza, Piazza della Cittadella, was the military center of Bergamo dating back to 1355.
Once you cross the piazza and venture under the archway, turn around to see the Campanella tower, a bell and clock tower. This also was built in 1355, but not finished until the 1800s. The actual clock of the tower is unique in that it is a painted fresco.
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PIAZZA VECCHIA + THE CAMPANONE
Strolling down Via Donizetti, the main street of Bergamo’s Città Alta, you’ll find all the modern shops and restaurants in their historic buildings.
You’ll know you’ve reached the heart of Città Alta when the narrow street opens into a large square, Piazza Vecchia, which dates back to the 1300s. Similarly to the way you’ll see it today, you can imagine the bustle of activity throughout time in this wide-open square.
The most significant building you will notice looking at Piazza Vecchia is the towering Campanone, or bell tower. This tower dates back even earlier to the 12th Century. As mentioned before, this was the bell tower rung one hundred times at 10pm every night to signify the closing of the gates to the city, meaning no one could leave or enter until morning.
THE SPIRITUAL CENTER OF BERGAMO
While most cities have their cathedral front and center, the duomo, basilica, and chapel of Bergamo’s Città Alta are hidden behind the Palazzo della Ragione. The walk across Piazza Vecchia and underneath the bridge connecting Palazzo della Ragione and Palazzo del Podestà adds only more intrigue to the discovery of one of Città Alta’s most beautiful structures, the Cappella Colleoni.
This chapel is composed of one room, but boasts an ornately-decorated façade and interior, not to mention its imposing dome commissioned by the namesake of the chapel and famous military leader Bartolomeo Colleoni in the 1400s.
To the right of the Cappella Colleoni is the baptistry dating from 1340. Uniquely attached to the Cappella is the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, started in the 1100s, and to the left is the Duomo of Bergamo.
All the churches house incredible artwork from centuries past and can be entered for free.
GOMBITO TOWER
Returning to the main street of Città Alta, you’ll instantly notice a square stone tower looming over the narrow path as you continue through the town. It dates to at least the 12th Century, but could be even older. You can now climb to the top or simply take in its impressive height at 170 feet above the city from below.
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PIAZZA MERCATO DELLE SCARPE
Continuing your walk, you’ll find yourself in another square: the Piazza Mercato delle Scarpe. Today, this is where the funicular takes you to when traveling from Città Bassa.
Interestingly, this piazza is where the roads from Venice to Milan met in the medieval period. From here, you can descend to the right and return to the walls, or you can head left and take a short but steep path to another special spot in Bergamo’s history.
THE CASTLES OF BERGAMO’S CITTÀ ALTA
After your steep ascent, you’ll be greeted by a military castle, in existence since Roman times. Throughout history, the castle has been passed on between rulers from Germans to Venetians to Austrians, before finally landing in the hands of the municipality of Bergamo.
Today, the surrounding park has several memorials to those who served and died in the military. You can also see examples of the cannons used in medieval warfare.
Castello di San Vigilio
To reach the last spot on this historical walking tour of Bergamo’s Città Alta, you have to leave the city center and ascend even further up the hill to get to the highest point.
Taking the second cable car in the city, you’ll go from Città Alta to Castello di San Vigilio. This fortress dates back to the 9th Century, and offers the most spectacular views over the countryside and across Città Alta from above.
Often during travel, we see the famous sites and we move on. The special thing about Città Alta is that, as soon as you enter the walls, you are engulfed in Bergamo’s unique history. You’re forced to embrace what it was like to live there throughout centuries past when you feel the uneven cobblestones beneath your feet and see the details in the weathered stone of buildings.
This factor alone makes Bergamo one of the most unique and underrated destinations in Italy. If you’re seeking a visceral experience, or the discovery of a new place, and not just another photo to add to your feed, Bergamo’s Città Alta is the place for you.
