Downtown Lower Bergamo is the perfect place to stroll for shopping, entertainment, art and history! This magnificent stretch of centuries-old street is the elegant Centro Piacentiniano: an incredible architectural complex that once housed the ancient city fair. The ancient atmosphere is evoked thanks to the many events and typical stalls that enliven the city center with colors and scents all year round.
Sentierone: places not to be missed
Proceeding along the course of the Sentierone, skirting the row of imposing chestnut trees and passing the propylaeums of Porta Nuova, you will reach Via XX Settembre, overlooked by Palazzo Frizzoni, the seat of the City Hall. From here on, you’ll just have to let yourself be carried away by the hustle and bustle of local life: awaiting you are boutiques and stores of all kinds, glimpses and alleyways of rare beauty, all in the name of leisure. And finally, why not treat yourself to a coffee or an aperitif with one of the clubs that enliven this corner of the city?
While strolling don’t miss the neighboring small squares, including the beautiful Piazza Dante at the center of which stands the Triton Fountain also known as the Fountain of the Fair, designed by Caniana.
If you love art pay a visit to the majestic Church of San Bartolomeo and Santo Stefano, which closes the eastern side of this area: its interior houses the very famous “Pala Martinengo” painted by Lorenzo Lotto in the 16th century.
Along the Sentierone on one side is the “quadriportico” with its elegant structure of airy porticoes, inlaid with marble and dotted with fine stores and establishments; on the other side looms the theater city, dedicated to the great Bergamasque composer Gaetano Donizetti.
Crossing the street you will find another large and elegant space: this is Piazza Vittorio Veneto, at the center of which stands the obelisk dedicated to Napoleon and overlooked by the Torre dei Caduti.