Bergamo is a beautiful, old city (from 49 BC!) in northern Italy with two different levels, the Alta (upper) & the Bassa (lower) city. We got to spend a weekend here last fall as part of a larger trip that also included Boston (US), Paris (France), Bolzano (Italy), and Warsaw (Poland).
One of the coolest things to do in Bergamo is to walk along the Venetian Wall through Porta San Giacomo, which is a big white marble gate, sort of like a doorway into the upper part of the city.
The views are stunning all around.
You can explore the old city for hours, and even enjoy a meal or two there. We definitely stopped for gelato, coffee, and did some light strolling and shopping.
Saturday Night Dinner at Ristorante Baretto di San Vigilio
We love walking, so we decided to walk up to our first night's dinner at Ristorante Baretto di San Vigilio. The inclined, uphill walk involved winding along the city wall towards one of the funicular (cable car) entrances.
From the elevated area we could look down upon the city.
At the top, the outdoor area for Ristorante Baretto di San Vigilio is super cute, full of bright lights and giant plush bears. It was a bit chilly in November. Otherwise, I would have loved to eat outside.
Inside, the restaurant's cozy and the food is rustic and pleasant.
Sunday Lunch at Rooftop Garden Restaurant at Excelsior San Marco
After spending a whole day exploring the Alta (upper part) of the city, we stayed in the Bassa on Sunday morning. We enjoyed a lovely lunch at the rooftop of our hotel, the Excelsior San Marco.
We had fantastic views of the Alta (upper city) from the massive windows of our rooftop location.
The food was also great!
A classic Bergamo dish! Casoncelli alla Bergamasca is traditional cheese filled pasta with bacon
Sunday Night Dinner at Impronte Restaurant (1 Michelin Star)
On Sunday evening, we enjoyed an excellent seafood-focused dinner at Impronte Ristorante (1 Michelin star) in Bergamo. Apparently Italians don't usually eat out on Sundays, so we were literally the only two people in the entire restaurant!
I guess they were still willing to open just for us . . .
More Pretty Pics of this Amazing City
We spent most of our time in Bergamo walking around and just enjoying the beautiful city.
Definitely stop by Carmen Gelato in the Alta for some gelato if you have time!
We even had our own balcony with great views of the city!
Our time in Bergamo was short, only a couple days. On Monday morning, we caught a flight to our next destination: Warsaw, Poland
