Bergamo is two towns in one: a modern lower town on the plain and Città Alta, the old upper town on a hill, ringed by 16th-century Venetian walls. A funicular has linked the two since 1887, and the upper town's lanes, squares and bell towers have changed little in centuries. Here are the facts and stories that make the city special.
10 fun facts about Bergamo
- Walls on the World Heritage List: the Republic of Venice began building the walls around Città Alta in 1561. Since 2017 they have been part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site that groups Venetian defences in Italy, Croatia and Montenegro.
- Venetian for almost four centuries: Bergamo belonged to the Republic of Venice from 1428 until 1797, which is why the winged lion of St Mark still looks down from its gates and from the old town hall.
- A bell that rings 100 times: every night at 10 pm the Campanone, the civic tower on Piazza Vecchia, tolls 100 times. It recalls the Venetian era, when the signal told everyone that the gates in the walls were closing for the night.
- Two funiculars, one hill: the funicular between the lower town and Città Alta opened in 1887. A second one, opened in 1912, climbs on from the upper town to San Vigilio, the highest part of the hill.
- A lucky coat of arms: the Colleoni Chapel, built around 1476, is the tomb of the mercenary commander Bartolomeo Colleoni. His coat of arms shows three pairs of testicles, a pun on his name (coglioni in Italian), and rubbing the brass version on the gate outside is said to bring luck.
- A church begun in 1137: Santa Maria Maggiore has a sober Romanesque exterior, but inside it is covered in gilded Baroque stucco and hung with Florentine and Flemish tapestries.
- Donizetti's home town: the opera composer Gaetano Donizetti was born in Bergamo in 1797 and died here in 1848. He is buried in Santa Maria Maggiore, and the city's main theatre carries his name.
- The birthplace of stracciatella: Enrico Panattoni created stracciatella ice cream in 1961 at his gelateria La Marianna in Bergamo, by pouring melted chocolate over fior di latte so that it set in thin shards.
- Harlequin's home: Harlequin (Arlecchino) and Brighella, two of the best-known servants of the commedia dell'arte, are traditionally from Bergamo, and Harlequin is said to come from the Brembana valley north of the city.
- A shared Capital of Culture: in 2023 Bergamo and its neighbour Brescia held the title of Italian Capital of Culture together.
The story of Bartolomeo Colleoni
Bartolomeo Colleoni was born in the Bergamo area around 1395 and became one of the most successful condottieri of his age, fighting for both Milan and Venice before serving as captain-general of the Venetian army. He wanted to be remembered in two cities. In Bergamo he had the sacristy of Santa Maria Maggiore pulled down to make room for his own funeral chapel, a marble showpiece of the early Renaissance by Giovanni Antonio Amadeo. In Venice he left a large part of his fortune to the Republic, on condition that it put up a statue of him in front of San Marco. Venice did not allow monuments on its main square, so it kept to the letter of the will and placed the bronze horseman, designed by Andrea del Verrocchio, in front of the Scuola Grande di San Marco instead.
What to eat in Bergamo
- Casoncelli alla bergamasca: folded pasta filled with meat, breadcrumbs and cheese, served with melted butter, sage and crispy pancetta.
- Polenta: the staple of the Bergamo kitchen, served with stews, mushrooms or cheese. In the valleys, polenta taragna mixes maize with buckwheat.
- Polenta e osei: a sweet that looks like a dome of polenta, made of sponge cake and cream under yellow marzipan, topped with little chocolate birds.
- Taleggio and Strachitunt: two soft cheeses from the Taleggio valley in the province of Bergamo, the second with natural blue veins.
- Stracciatella: try it where it was invented, at La Marianna on the edge of Città Alta, or at any gelateria in town.
Good to know before you go
- The funicular is the easiest way up to Città Alta and arrives on Piazza Mercato delle Scarpe, a few minutes' walk from Piazza Vecchia.
- Walk along the Venetian walls in the late afternoon for the best light over the lower town and the plain. For an even wider view, ride the San Vigilio funicular up to the ruins of the castle.
- The Campanone can be climbed, and there is a lift for most of the way. Be at the top or in the square at 10 pm if you want to hear the 100 strokes.
- Bergamo's airport is right next to the city, and Milan is about an hour away by train, so the city works well as a first or last stop on a trip to northern Italy.
Explore Bergamo with World City Trail
Our Bergamo scavenger hunt turns these sights into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops and takes around two hours, with about 22 minutes of walking, and leads you through Città Alta to Piazza Vecchia.
At each stop you solve a puzzle and hear a short story, at your own pace. You can start whenever you like.
Play the Bergamo scavenger hunt →
Facts checked in October 2026.