From Verona, we hopped in a BlaBla car with three other people for 14€ total to head 1.5 hours to a town most known for its Milan-based airport…Bergamo. It would have cost 20 by bus so this was the best deal, plus ride sharing is always way more interesting. (Side note: We have yet to figure out why this oh-so-obvious service is not available in our car-centric country, especially when Uber is.)
Anywho, we arrived to Bergamo and walked 25 minutes to our place, 900 Strati, which we got for two nights using the remainder of our American Airlines points. Good riddance to those!
Before that, Greg grabbed his first three course lunch in Italy at our hotel restaurant, while Mandy ate a delicious vegetarian pizza. While there, and at subsequent lunch meals, we noticed something very peculiar…packs of tweens seemingly having their own lunch at the same semi-fancy restaurant. I guess kids in Italy get real food and not rubber chicken patties and not “pizza” pretending to be pizza. For the record, these kids were also all normal weight. Bizarre.
Greg’s meal was 11€ and included fish pasta (gluten free!), meatballs over a bed of greens, a fruit bowl and a cup (thimble) of espresso. In case you haven’t been to Italy, yes this is a standard coffee size and no, they didn’t forget to fill it the rest of the way.
Mandy’s pizza was 7€.
What a nice break from Algebra!!
Without the American Airlines points, our place would have cost $65/night. It was one of the most budget friendly places in Bergamo! Yet, we still enjoyed our 2.50€ bottle of wine…in our room.
When you don’t have a refrigerator in your room and it’s cold outside…
And no we weren’t in the historic center. To get there you could take a local bus or, of course hoof it 25 minutes straight up the hill. Of course we chose the latter to save money and get exercise! Heading up the second day, you can see the depth of the town.
So, we spent two days weaving amongst the maze of charming and medieval Bergamo before our flight set off to Bucharest. Bergamo is an interesting city because half of it is perched up on a towering cliff and the other half squats down low, meaning either exercise or money (funicular or bus) would be involved to traverse between the two areas. Since it was only 25 minutes up to the prettier bit, we hoofed it each time and were also in luck because one of the region’s ancient signature dishes happens to be made for peasants…aka polenta. While we realize we’re not actually peasants, we’re always ready for some good cheap eats! Yay! And after a lifetime of meat resembling plastic-packed cornmeal from US grocery stores, who knew polenta could be so divine?
We went to the Street Food stand called PolentOne and each got a heaping bowl for 6€ and a cup of wine for 2. Greg’s gooey and buttery polenta was topped with a wild boar sauce and Mandy’s was drizzled with a Gorgonzola sauce. Oh dear god. Yum…especially in the cold air, it was warm, cozy and the absolute best comfort food you could ask for.
Polenta e Osei is the region’s signature pastry. It is in no way actually made of polenta, but resembles a mound of polenta with what supposedly is a little bird (osei) on top of it. To us, it appeared more turdish than birdish. With that knowledge, we resisted the temptation.
Man, can’t anyone get a drink around here?!
The fetching Romanesque Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore. According to visitbergamo.net, “there is a deep and old connection between the city and this basilica, maybe due to the peculiar circumstances of its construction. During the first years of 1100, a terrible plague breakout spread across Europe, causing death and desolation. That’s why the people of Bergamo decided to ask the Virgin Mary to assist them: they vowed to dedicate a church to Her if she had protected them from being infected. Being men of their word, in 1137 Bergamo’s citizens started to built the Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica on the Piazza del Duomo, in the Upper Town. They actually acted big: the church turned out to be really beautiful, and it was adorned even more in the following centuries. Frescoes, stuccos, tapestries and wooden marquetry designed by the renowned artist Lorenzo Lotto decorate the inside of the building.”
Zooming in on some of the exquisite details, which include very recognizable stories from the Bible.
In case this church didn’t stop the plague, a backup church was dropped diagonal to this one.
Details from the interior from Romanesque Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore. We would have taken more but Greg got scolded for taking a photo.
Typical Bergamo street scenes.
Peering out over the lower city as we headed “home” the first night.
A community garden that benefits everyone.
The ramp leading up to the main fortress gate, which was thankfully pedestrian only!
The Porta San Giacomo white marble gate was a preserved section of the main city wall. There used to be a wooden drawbridge for what we imagine to be tin soldiers to march across, but this was demolished in the 18th Century.
One thing we loved was walking along the weaving fortress wall that looped the historic center, and passing by so many eye-catching sites.
The easy way up.
What a view!!!
And from the Parco Del Castello Di San Vigilio, through a tiny cloud sliver, you could even see a dusting of the snow-capped Swiss Alps. We were so close!! Ha!
The center square of Bergamo was blanketed with unassembled Christmas paraphernalia and construction.
Another street food item was the Piadine, which seemed to be Italy’s answer to a quesadilla. However, you ate it like a taco, and the ingredients were much healthier. We had (hot) avocado, cream cheese and salmon for 6.50€. It was delicious!
If you prefer something a little more cozy and pricey, Bergamo is loaded with adorable cafes.
Check out that knocker!!
A grand balcony overlooking the city.
The lion is a symbol of strength, sovereignty and justice that embodied Rome’s secular government. Tragically, many animals, including lions and tigers were also used in the Roman arenas so that they could fight to the death. This was part of the Roman entertainment. 😣 Underneath this lion at right you can also see the characteristic Roman Capitoline She Wolf, which represents the ancient legend of the founding of Rome.
Tempietto di Santa Croce…one of the oldest chapels in Bergamo from the 12th Century.
On our second day out, we had to be out all day because of a late flight. Thus, we took a prayer-meditation-snooze in this church. It was very relaxing!
More sweet temptations.
At the end of the second day, we headed back to our hotel for a final Italian drinks while we waited to head to the airport. (Aperol Campari and a beer). One marvelous thing about Italy is that happy hour drinks also include snacks, so all this and our drinks was 10€!
All #1 buses take you 20 minutes to the airport, which was 2.50€ each. Or, if you’d rather, enjoy your 45€ Uber ride. 😁 Uber, for the record, is stupid expensive in Italy.
