Twelve hours to see the city

Whether you come by train or bus, the first glance of the Upper Town from the station is priceless. Before you throw yourself on the “entree”, we want you to enjoy the fresh taste of the Piacentiniano Center (Lower Town), a coffee in the elegant bar of the Sentierone (Large Walking Path), the muscular architecture of Liberty Square or the sweet sounds of the Donizetti Theatre.

To help you start to get used to the complex taste of the art, it is definitely worth your time to take a visit to the churches of San Bartolomeo, Santo Spirito and San Bernardino (designed by Lorenzo Lotto).

It's time to move on to more substantial “dishes”.

For the Adriano Bernareggi Muesuem we offer a rundown of sacred Bergamo art from all centuries to the present day.

If you are still not “full”, don’t be scared and throw yourself into the Carrara Academy: Its collection of paintings by Botticelli, Mantegna, Titian, Raphael, Dürer and many others, that will not leave you wanting more! Continue you on to take a tour of the halls of the Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art (GAMeC), which will give and let you enjoy new and extraordinary tastes, just as tantalizing.

Not only art will feed a man: for lunch on Via San Tomaso or Santa Caterina will find classic and picturesque places to fill you up; once your refreshed you can then tackle the climb to the Upper Town.

Soon after the arch of St. Augustine, on the left, you will find its monastery and the park belonging to it.

Its benches are great for a digestive break, but if you already think your the active type, we recommend a visit to the gunboat of San Michele, and if the closed quarters aren’t for you than the former convent of St. Francis is more than a valid alternative.

And if even here the air and the view are not enough you can always climb the Gombito Tower.

Now you're close to the heart of Bergamo: the Old Square.

You can see the whole city from the top of the Bell Tower, or enjoy the majesty of the Colleoni Chapel. To better understand how they lived at the time of the Most Serene Republic of Venice, the interactive experience of the Museum of The Sixteenth Century is a must.

Lotto also makes his mark with his magnificent wooden tables inside the Santa Maria Maggiore, and if the appetite for churches still hasn’t left you, the Duomo awaits you next door.

Finally you just have to choose from one of the many places to dine in the romantic alleys of the medieval village or enjoy the view of the plains and the Apennines eating your last bite at San Vigilio.