elizabeth

Darling blog readers, meet Bergamo.

 

There are a few things you should know about Bergamo, the first being that it was founded in 49 BC.  That may seem like an overly accurate date, but (unsurprisingly) things are older here than they are in the states.  And history matters, so 49 BC it is.  Bergamo was a Celtic establishment, then bounced around between the Austrians and Italians, ultimately ending as part of the Lombardy region of Italy, the region that also encompasses Milan.  It is a 4.60 Euro train ride from Milan, and in addition to cars and buses, a popular (and practical) way to get around Bergamo is the funicular, which is infinitely more interesting than a regular rail car.  It also has a castle, and wonderful espresso.





A few of the Bocconi exchange students organized a day trip to Bergamo, and I decided to tag along.  It was pouring rain in Milan the morning we left, which translated into a blanket of fluffy snow in Bergamo, 55 km NE of Milan.

Now I know it's not right to stereotype, but one thing I cannot get over, is how absolutely ITALIAN some of the Italian people are, especially the older generation.  Take this older Italian gentleman... love the scarf, love the hat, love the fact that he's scampering around Bergamo in February, probably getting an espresso, or some fresh bread, or flowers for his 72 year old wife.  (If there are three types of establishments that outnumber all others, it's cafes, bakeries, and flower stands.)  What an adorable man.

This is a typical courtyard in Bergamo.  It's so much quieter than Milan, and the fresh snow made it all the more enchanting.

 

This is Stephanie.  She organized the day trip, God bless her.

  

  

Elisabatta, (Italian for Elizabeth!), our Italian buddy, and two other exchange students, one from Venezuela, and one from Milwaukee. It was colder than it looked, and we were trying to warm up by getting out of the wind.

  

 

 

After walking around outside for awhile, we decided to pop into a cafe for un cafe e un brioche... it was 11:30 but none of the local places were open for lunch, yet.  The eating schedule in Italy is very different, places tend to be open in the morning, closed mid-afternoon, then re-open for a few hours in the early evening.  I had an amazing slice of Margherita focaccia and a cappuccino with cocoa....  yum.

 

 

This picture turned out a bit blurry, but I couldn't not post it....  I love the creepy cat in the background too much.  Meowwwww.

  

Next up was a harrowing ascent to the top of a tower in the center part of the lower city center, or Città Bassa, of Bergamo.  It was a long climb, no joke.

The view was amazing, though, and easily made up for the climb.  Even for those mildly afraid of heights, no names named.....  O : )

I would love to go back on a clearer day..... the fog was lovely, but I can only imagine that you could see for miles on a clearer day.

After climbing the tower, we made our way across the lower city center to take the funicular to the upper city center, or the Città Alta, to see the castle.

 

 

 

 

This is what the funicular station looked like.

  

And this is what we found at the top.  Somehow, even in Italian, that sign translates.  Castle, anyone? As if you could miss it....

 
 

It was actually a short walk up a slowly sloping hill, to get to the castle. In the 3rd century, they didn't mess around with where they stationed their defense...

  

  

And then, out of the fog, there it was!  Castle.

 

Amazing.

Maybe it was the stone arches going to my head, but this was one of the most magestic, most serene, most surreal places I've ever visited.

Fantastic.

 

It was snowy in the city below, but nearer to the castle it was more foggy than anything.  We abandoned our umbrellas, leaving them for them with the castle gates for safe keeping, and made the foggy climb to the top.

 

 

There was a ring of trees atop the castle, with a few stone paths covered in snow segmenting it.  It was too foggy to see the town we knew was below, but the fog made us feel like we were on a castle in the clouds. Not bad for a Thursday afternoon.

 

 

 

Ciao, Bergamo!  <3

<3,  Beth