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Car Hire Bergamo City

Set in Lombardy on the edge of the Alps, Bergamo city is an historic old town with little traffic. Most of the city’s famous sights are located in the Citta Alta (upper town) which is the historic heart of Bergamo.

Bergamo city is a real life tale of two cities: Bergamo Alta, the beautiful walled hilltop medieval city, and Bergamo Bassa, the lower city, built mainly at the beginning of the 20th century. Bergamo city has long been acknowledged as a beautiful place to visit.

Bergamo city, originally known as Barra, is said to have founded by Cydno, the son of the founder of the Liguri family. The Etruscans turned Bergamo city into a fortress in the sixth century BC. Its location made it ideal as they could see right over the plains below and spot any advancing enemy. Later that century Bergamo city was taken over by the Cenomani Gauls, who renamed it Berghem (‘city on the mountain’). The spread of the Roman Empire brought about a slight change in name to Bergomum and it was during this period that the first walls were built around the city. The Longobaords and Franks dominated Bergamo city before it became a free town in the 12th century. However for several centuries from 1428 the Venetians dominated Bergamo. This was a long period of social, political and cultural wealth. The Republic of Venice rebuilt Bergamo city walls in the 16th century. During the French Revolution Bergamo was part of the French Cisapine Republic. After the Congress of Vienna the Austrians ruled until the unification of Italy in 1859.

Bergamo City Tourist Office is located at Viale Vittorio Emanuele, (the main road from the station up to the old town)

Bergamo city is a haven for designer shopping, although traditional handicrafts can be purchased in the old town. Pastries and sweet delicacies are a speciality of Bergamo town; however, you’ll also find plenty of quality restaurants serving the best in northern Italian cuisine.

One of Bergamo city’s most important tourist attractions, located outside the town wall on Via della Nuca, is the town’s 200-year-old art gallery, the Accademia Carrara. The Accademia contains works by Botticelli, Bellini, Mantegna, Fra Angelico and many other masters. There are also special temporary exhibitions. Entrance costs €8.

At the heart of Bergamo’s old town is the lovely Piazza Vecchia (the main routes through the Città Alta all lead here). A wide open space surrounded by a mixture of medieval and Renaissance architecture, the Piazza fills up with students from the university, chatting and picnicking around the fountain. There are several bars with tables on the square for a civilised spot of relaxation.