I apologize for not blogging more frequently. It could be that we are doing many things and I am not giving myself time to write. I will try to be more vigilant. On a lovely fall weekend we boarded a train for Bergamo, twenty-five miles northeast of Milan. It has a population of 120,000 and the foothills of the Alps begin immediately north of the town. As is true wherever we go, Bergamo has a long history. the original town was settled by Celtic tribes in 19 B.C. and became a Roman municipality. It was destroyed by Atila in the 5th century. From the 6th century it becam one of the most important duchies of northern Italy. It was then controlled by the Venetian Republi for three centuries,, became part of the Austrian empire and was freed in 1859 by Garibaldi.
The town has two centers, Citta Alta, the upper city was a hilltop medieval town surrounded by 17th century defensive walls and Citta Bassa, the newer lower city. Funicolare Bergamo Alta connects the old to the new city. Citta Alta has a stunning square, Piazza Vecchia. Stendhal noted that it was the most beautiful place on earth. We happened to choose the one week in the year when the piazza is covered with astro turf and visitors are sitting on lawn chairs. Very surreal! In close proximity is the Palazzo della Ragione, Italy's oldest town hall, a 12th century bell tower and a 15th century clock. Once we left the center of the old town and walked the perimeter, the views were stunning of the new city and the farms beyond. The new city was a surprise. Built mostly in the 19th and 20th century it has in the center of town Piazza Sentierone
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| A MacDonalds Ken says let's call it BurgermoAdd caption |
with 16th century porticos on one side and the Teatro Donizetti, a 19th century theatre on the other. Each trip we make is filled with some surprises. In the new city I discovered a wedding at a beautiful old church and the next morning we watched as hundreds participated in a town-wide run.
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| The Wedding |
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| Citte Altata |
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| AdView of Bergamo from Citte Altad caption |
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Citta Alta
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