Lower Town is modern and elegant and is the center of active life: always on the move, never hectic.
The hub around which it develops is Porta Nuova, from which you can enjoy an exceptional view of the Upper Town, framed by the Propylaea, the two temples that mark what, in medieval times, was the main entrance to the city.
From here branch off the elegant, post-twentieth-century districts of the city center, the historic hamlets, the shopping and nightlife streets.
Like a prism, Lower Town has many facets, all to show.
You will find yourself strolling in the heart of the city, in the Centro Piacentiniano: an elegant architectural complex designed in the early 20th century by Roman architect Marcello Piacentini. Bergamasks are wont to stroll along the Sentierone, particularly on Sunday mornings. They stop for breakfast with cappuccino and brioche or a delicious pastry in the elegant quadriportico and then wander the shopping streets in search of the best shop windows. Near the Sentierone, you’ll discover the renovated Piazza Dante with its balanced geometries and plays of perspective. It is overlooked by the Palazzo della Procura and the Palazzo della Camera di Commercio. In the center is the beautiful Triton Fountain by Gian Battista Caniana.
Hidden beneath the surface of the square is the former Albergo Diurno. Founded as an air-raid shelter, it became a popular meeting place in the post-World War II period and has now recovered its former glory as a cultural and recreational hub. The adjacent Piazza, is named after Vittorio Veneto. You will see soaring the Torre dei Caduti, a monument to the memory of the Great War. Inside, along the stairs that lead you to the panoramic terrace, is the story of the history of the Piacentinian Center. The view from the top is breathtaking
Stretching out towards the plains or valleys, there are 5 main historic villages and like the fingers of a hand they branch out from Città Alta in different directions.
Each with its own distinctive character.
Borgo Pignolo is the aristocratic suburb with its old buildings, fine crafts and art galleries. San Tomaso, which connects the city to the Seriana and Brembana valleys, along with Borgo Santa Caterina, are lively neighborhoods, the former housing art museums while the latter, also known as the Borgo D’Oro, has been nominated as Italy’s Most Beautiful Village and fully represents the spirit of Bergamo, from the bright colors of the shop windows to the aromas of the delicatessens, from the evening nightlife to the historic buildings.
Borgo San Leonardo, a historic intersection of five major thoroughfares and Bergamo’s cult spot, with its Piazza Pontida is the perfect place for happy hour. Borgo Sant’Alessandro you meet as you descend through the gate of the same name, the austere and elegant upper part then leads you to a riot of stores, in the heart of the city’s shopping.
Not to be forgotten is Borgo Palazzo, two souls divided by Piazza Sant’Anna, one more traditional with typical restaurants and craft stores and one more multiethnic, colorful and overflowing with exotic stores and clubs.
Between Via Sant’Alessandro, Via Borfuro, Via Sant’Orsola and Via XX Settembre is the “Bergamasque fashion quadrilateral.” You can find everything: the stores of the big international chains and stores with a more sophisticated flavor. Shopping is also squared in Via Tiraboschi, Via Tasso and Via Pignolo, and you can go as far as Via Borgo Santa Caterina and Via San Tomaso. In addition to fashion, you will also find numerous historic stores with a long family tradition, linked to the area by birth or vocation or the artisan workshopswhere you can discover real“handmade” treasures.
