Discovering Bergamo and its history: Città Bassa

abril 18, 2020

Discovering Bergamo and its history: Città Bassa

Città Bassa, Ektar 100; Nikon F65

Hi guys! 🚉

Have you ever bought a last-minute flight? 👀

A few months ago, we were monitoring flights via Google Flights and we found one round trip at 40€ to the Milano Bergamo Airport. When the prices dropped to 24€, we didn't think twice and we just booked it! 😎 And so began our three-day trip to Bergamo...

Our arrival at Bergamo airport was late in the night. We took a bus that went straight from the airport to the city and we walked a few minutes to the place we stayed. Our host welcomed us very well, explained everything about the city, and told us what we should visit and eat. 🍕

Bergamo, Italy

Context

Bergamo (from berg-heim, which means the hill-town) has a very ancient origin, maybe even pre-roman. Under the Roman domination, it was a city of great importance, surrounded by strong walls.

The city is divided into two parts: Città Bassa, full of life, with a lot of markets on the streets with local food, including Christmas markets - as we went in December -, fashion shops, cafés, restaurants, and churches. Everything looks fancy in Italy! Città Alta, the upper city, with rich heritage of art and history. The two parts are separated by the powerful Venetian Walls, built in the second half of the 16th century to defend the city.

Food

During our visit to Bergamo, we had to try the Italian pizza: it is simply to die for!

Another thing we had to try was the side dish of polenta, which is a must when thinking of what to eat in Bergamo. It is a hot dish made with corn flour boiled in the water.

We also tried the so-called casoncelli alla Bergamasca, an Italian pasta typically stuffed with a mixture of bread crumbs, egg, parmesan, ground beef, salami, and sausage. Very good!

Finally, in case you didn't know, the famous Stracciatella gelato was invented in Bergamo, so we also tried it.