Quaint and Cheaper - A Good Resting Spot

Denise & Jon in the Old City of Bergamo
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After our last breakfast in Venice we walked back to the station and hopped onto the train bound for Bergamo via Brescia.  We had hoped to find the time to visit either Lake Garda or Lake Como but our travel schedule was just too tight - we did catch a few glimpses of the lakes from the train, and we passed the Gardaland Station (Gardaland is the largest and most famous amusement park in Italy - think Disney with pasta and an attitude!).

We continued our streak of almost missing stations when we realised that the train had stopped and it was roughly the time that we were due to arrive in Bergamo, so we gathered our packs and shot out of our seats to dash for the exit, only to be stopped by a kindly old lady who asked where we wanted to get off...-turns out that we were still a station too early...thank goodness she intervened or we would have been stuck in a VERY industrial area on the outer edge of town.

One for the press!!!
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Bergamo has quite a colourful history - swapping rulers from decade to decade - a fact very much in evidence from the different architecture and icons scattered around town - with the Venetian influence mostly dominant and the Lion of St. Mark pretty much everywhere.  The city itself is actually 2 cities - one old, essentially medieval, and situated high on the hillside - the other 'new', less attractive but more modern (lost of galleries and museums) and situated in the valley below.  The two are linked by a very scenic funicular railway which, for €5 each you can ride as many times as you like (in addition to all town bus routes and the airport shuttle) for 3 days.

Sunset in Bergamo
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Once we had arrived we found Tourist Info just outside the station and grabbed a map, the bus and funicular timetable, and some other brochures.  We then walked about 15 minutes to our hotel (see review) in a quiet part of the 'New City'.  The rest of the day was spent in doing some much-needed laundry, and throwing together some dinner from the local supermarket which we ate in the garden of the hotel/trattoria.

On Saturday we had a lazy morning with fresh strawberries for breakfast.  We walked back into the town and bought the travel card referred to above. Next we located one of the two Internet Cafe´s in the new town which turned out to be the best value yet in Italy at €2 per hour!  We spent 2 hours each catching up on the blog, emails and Skyping family.  We then caught the bus to the lower funicular station and ascended to the 'Old City'.  We found the confectionary shop recommended by Toni and Chantal (thanks guys) and ate one of the local specialities - the Polenta Cake...incredible and incredibly sweet!

We explored the center of the old town on foot, mainly the old square (Piazza Vecchia), the Baptistry, the Chapel and the old Basilica.  Sadly the Duomo was closed for restoration so we grabbed our first Italian lasagna in the piazza and a very good gelato.  We met up, as planned, with Jon Nish (our Best Man) at about 1700.  He was in Milan for a Rotaract conference and they were taking a bus tour to Bergamo which worked out quite well!   He was actually  playing courier for us - having bought a copy of Europe on a Shoestring at our request in London.  We had realised that our plan to simply use the Internet for research and bookings was not working...mainly since the cost of Internet access was so much higher than expected! After a quick drink and some more polenta cake we took a quick walk to the walls of the Old City and then back to meet up with his bus group again.  Great to see a familiar face in a remote corner of the Italian North!

After heading back to our hotel we decided to sample the food at the attached trattoria for dinner - and we were sooo glad we did...best pasta we have had in Italy yet and at the best price!!  We even tried donkey meat...I kid you not...tasted a lot like oxtail!

Sunday saw us back at the train station, buying out tickets to get to Nice, and then back to the Internet Cafe to finish updating the blog and to call different hostels for reservations.  Lunch was back at the hotel (more of the incredible local pasta) and then back up to the Old City.  As it turns out there is actually a second funicular that leads from the Old City to the village atop an even higher hillside.  We ventured up and were rewarded with the most amazing views and perspectives on both the Old and New Cities.  Something I should have mentioned earlier but haven´t is how much dandelion fluff is covering Northern Italy right now - it is blanketing every city we visit and makes for some really surreal moments...I suspect those with hayfever may feel differently!  The village surrounds a ruined castle and gardens which we spent an hour or so exploring and looking out North over the foothills of the Bergamo Alps (also chancing upon a pair of young amorous Goths rolling around in the local grasslands!).  Back in the Old City we returned to our now familiar Gelatteria and then back to the New City.  Going for a cheaper option we decided to forego the pasta and shared a cheap Doner Kebab from a street vendor (suprisingly good!) and then back to the hotel for an early night.

All in all Bergamo was scenic but not overwhelming.  The people were much nicer than in many of our other Italian stops and the cost of living made the stop a great breather from the hustle and bustle of the travel schedule so far.