Some towns in Italy are swept up in the backwater of popular places such as Rome, Florence or Venice. While they cannot offer Colosseum selfies or derelict canals, there are still interesting things to discover if you look close enough.

The town of Bergamo is often overlooked by hordes of people blowing right past it, barely a smudge on the window between Milan and Venice. But if you’ve got even an ounce of curiosity, take the funicular up to Città Alta, the old town that clings to the hill like it’s guarding a secret. And maybe it is.

Old town of Bergamo The old town with the Duomo di Bergamo.

The short funicular ride takes me through the old Venetian walls which encircles the city, constructed by material from the old cathedral torn down by the Venetians in 1561. Once inside the walls, I find a city marinated in centuries. There’s the scent of fresh espresso, aged cheese and something sweet that I cannot quite place.

Piazza Vecchia is the starting point. I have a look at my map while the bells from the nearby bell tower create an ambient charm. I often try to start my visit in a new city by getting my bearings from a high view, and there is no better place in Bergamo than the Campanone.

Piazza Vecchia, Bergamo Piazza Vecchia with the Campanone.

Most Italian cities worth their salt have a Duomo, and Bergamo doesn’t want to get excluded from the club. The white facade is shining brightly and so does the spacious interior, clean and boring.

The neighbor Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore is the other way around, having a strange mix of styles and Baroque tapestry, lavish with gold and ornate details.

Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore Lavish interior of Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore.

In addition to large cathedrals, every Italian city has an abundance of mouth-watering food. I take a short walk along the cobblestones of Via Bartolomeo Colleoni down to Piazza della Cittadella. While sitting in the outdoor patio of Osteria della Birra, I look up to the clock tower Torre della Campanella across the square and have another go at my plate of gnocci. Sometimes Italy doesn’t have to be harder than this.

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