Sight seeing in Bergamo

Bergamo is a short 50 kilometres from Milan and is the most striking city in Lombardy.  There are two sides to this elegant metropolis, the “lower city” with its modern facades and dynamic pace and the “upper city” which hosts the historic centre filled with tons of cultural artefacts.

Make sure to allow for time in your trip to walk around the upper city’s Piazza Vecchia, which houses its most important religious and civic buildings, along historic (and largely commercial) streets.  Considered the most beautiful renaissance square in Europe, you’ll find something to be amazed by at every turn. Enjoy a spectacular view of the city and the Lombard plain from San Vigilio Hill.

The lower part of the city sees fewer tourists but is equally a joy to peruse.  Make sure to spend some time walking at the Piazza Vittorio Veneto, an excellent example of visionary city planning.  A host of galleries, theatres and churches, including the Duomo, abound within the city’s confines, waiting for your visit.

Galleria d’Art Moderna e Contemporanea

Across the road from the impressive Accademia Carrara museum stands an equally imposing and fascinating building, one of many in this part of Bergamo.  This partly restored 14^th-century monastery was once used as an army barracks and now houses the vibrant and engaging modern art gallery Galleria d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, otherwise known as GAMEC.  Rightly hailed as Bergamo’s answer to the Guggenheim, it was opened in 1991. Presently, it has ten exhibition halls on three floors. Since the purchase of the Gianfranco and Luigia Spajani collection in June 1999 the permanent collections have contained works by Italian and foreign artists of the 20th century including Boccioni, Balla, Morandi, Campigli, Casorati, Savinio, De Chirico, Kandinsky, Sutherland, and Warhol.

A must for the modern art enthusiast and the casual visitor alike, the Galleria d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea (GAMEC) represents an entertaining and fascinating reward for the short drive from Bergamo’s old town to this, the city’s vibrant cultural hub.

 

 

Bergamo Accademia Carrara

The greatest single must-visit in the modern centre of Bergamo, the lower town, is the Accademia Carrara.   One of Italy’s finest provincial galleries, it provides an admirable trot through Italian art history (indeed, art history in general) with over 1,800 paintings dating from the 15th to the 19th century, by artists including Pisanello, Botticelli, Bellini, Canaletto, Raphael and so many more.

The origins of the art gallery lie with the Count Giacomo Carrara, a wealthy collector and patron of the arts, who left a generous legacy to the city of Bergamo at the end of the 18th century.   At the same time as the public opening of his gallery, the Count decreed that drawing and painting courses be initiated in the same place. The school, which was located in the same building as the art gallery until 1912, now has its own premises nearby.

Just a short drive from the centre of Bergamo, this impressive museum will reward every visitor with its fabulous collection of paintings augmented by an extensive array of drawings, prints, bronzes, sculptures, porcelain, furniture and medals.

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