Lions, a bell and an ice cream: Bergamo Alta as a game
The Bergamo Old Town scavenger hunt is a self-guided city game you play on your phone in the Città Alta, the walled upper town: you walk from landmark to landmark, solve a riddle at each one by looking closely at what is in front of you, and unlock the stories and legends behind it. Inside the Venetian walls everything sits close together: the 10 stops lie within 2 km, about 22 minutes of walking from the funicular to Colle Aperto, and with riddles, stories and the odd climb the game fills roughly 2 hours from the moment you open it.
Highlights include Porta San Giacomo in the Venetian walls, the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, the cathedral, Palazzo della Ragione and the Campanone around Piazza Vecchia, and the Cittadella. The upper town is compact, with many pedestrian lanes, so the walking distance is short, although some streets climb, and the route ends where stracciatella ice cream was invented.
- Durationabout 2 hours
- Walkingabout 22 min · 2 km
- Stops10
- LanguagesEnglish, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch
Ten riddles inside the Venetian walls
Clues in marble, stone and a sundial line
One riddle waits at each of the 10 stops, solved by what you can see: the winged lion over Porta San Giacomo, the stone lions at the basilica porches, the meridian line set into the pavement under Palazzo della Ragione. Sharp looking does it, and Italian history is optional.
Venetians, Visconti and a composer
Each answer unlocks a chapter of the upper town: the walls Venice raised from 1561, the Visconti stronghold of the Cittadella, Donizetti's tomb in Santa Maria Maggiore and the bell that still rings 100 times every night at 10. Want your eyes free for the frescoes and lions? Switch on the audio narration and let it tell Bergamo's stories.
From Via Gombito to Colle Aperto in 22 minutes
Only 22 minutes of the game are walking, about 2 km along Via Gombito, across the two linked squares and west to Colle Aperto. Some lanes climb and the paving is stone throughout, and Google Maps keeps you on track between stops.
A pause on Piazza Vecchia, ice cream at the end
Nothing runs on a timer, so you can sit by the Contarini Fountain for a while or leave the game and come back the next day. The last stop is the café where stracciatella was created, a sweet way to finish, and the app adds tips for food and shops along the way.
See the route and attractions →
How it works
- Book online Choose the number of players. Your booking reference arrives by email straight away.
- Get the app Download the World City Trail app from the App Store or Google Play and enter your booking reference.
- Play when you like Start whenever you are ready, walk at your own pace and pause any time. No guide, no fixed schedule.
Weekenders, families and groups in the Città Alta
A few hours up from Milan or the airport
Bergamo is an easy trip from Milan and has its own airport, so many visitors have only a few hours in the upper town. In about 2 hours this game covers its gate, basilica, cathedral, squares and citadel, and nothing important is left out.
Children who count lions and bell strokes
Kids can spot lions carved in stone and on Venetian reliefs, look for the sundial line on the ground and hear why a bell rings 100 times each night, and the finish is where stracciatella ice cream was invented. An adult plays in each team; many lanes are pedestrian, but some climb.
Colleagues who finish with a gelato
Teams of up to 5, each player on their own phone, can leave the funicular square a few minutes apart and meet on Colle Aperto at the end. It all happens on public streets and squares inside the walls, which keeps the organising down to buying the tickets.
Good to know
- Bring a charged smartphone with mobile data; a power bank helps.
- No entry tickets needed: everything happens outside the buildings. Going inside is optional and paid separately.
- Family friendly; children must be accompanied by an adult.
- Not suitable for wheelchair users and difficult with strollers.
- Teams of up to 5 work best; bigger groups split into several teams, one ticket per player.
- Every purchase helps support stray cats and dogs in Greece.
The route: from the funicular through Piazza Vecchia to Colle Aperto
10 stops · about 22 min walking · start: Piazza Mercato delle Scarpe · finish: La Marianna
The hunt starts at Piazza Mercato delle Scarpe, where the funicular from the lower town arrives, and heads to Porta San Giacomo in the Venetian walls. You then explore Santa Maria Maggiore, the cathedral, Palazzo della Ragione and the Campanone before reaching Piazza Vecchia, continue west past the University of Bergamo to Piazza della Cittadella, and finish at La Marianna on Colle Aperto. The answers are carved, painted or set into the stone of gates, arcades and fountains along public lanes, so you never queue at a ticket desk, and if you reach the upper town at its western end near Porta Sant'Alessandro rather than by funicular, the app can open at La Marianna and run the route the other way round.
Open the route map ↗
1Piazza Mercato delle ScarpeStart
This small square at the top of the funicular from the lower town takes its name from the shoe market once held here. The funicular has climbed the hill to its upper station on the square since 1887. From here Via Gombito and Via Rocca lead into the medieval lanes of the Città Alta.
Read the full story →
2Porta San Giacomo
Porta San Giacomo is one of the four gates in the Venetian walls that the Republic of Venice built around the upper town from 1561. Its pale stone front carries the lion of Saint Mark, and a stone bridge leads up to it from the road below. Since 2017 the walls have been a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Read the full story →
3Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore
Begun in 1137, this Romanesque basilica has no main façade on a square, so you enter through side porches guarded by stone lions. Its interior was later richly decorated in baroque style and holds the tomb of the composer Gaetano Donizetti, who was born in Bergamo. The Colleoni Chapel, built in the 1470s, stands right beside it.
4Bergamo Cathedral
The cathedral on Piazza Duomo is dedicated to Saint Alexander, a Roman soldier who according to tradition was martyred in Bergamo and became its patron saint. The church was rebuilt several times from the 15th century onwards, and its white façade was only completed in the 19th century. Beside it stands the octagonal Baptistery.
5Palazzo della Ragione
Built in the 12th century, this is one of the oldest town halls in Italy, raised on open arcades that link Piazza Vecchia with Piazza Duomo. The lion of Saint Mark on the façade recalls Venetian rule from 1428 to 1797. Under the arcades, look for the long sundial line set into the pavement.
6Campanone
The Campanone, the civic tower, rises about 52 metres beside Palazzo della Ragione and began life as a medieval tower house before the city took it over. Every evening at 10 pm its great bell still rings 100 times, a tradition that once announced the closing of the city gates.
Read the full story →
7Piazza Vecchia
Piazza Vecchia is the old civic centre of the upper town, with Palazzo della Ragione on one side and the white Palazzo Nuovo, home of the Angelo Mai Library, opposite. In the middle stands the Contarini Fountain, a gift from the Venetian governor Alvise Contarini in 1780. Le Corbusier is said to have called it one of the most beautiful squares in Europe.
Read the full story →
8University of Bergamo
The University of Bergamo was founded in 1968 and uses several historic buildings in the upper town as well as newer sites below. During term, students fill these lanes, so the Città Alta is a lived-in neighbourhood rather than an open-air museum.
Read the full story →
9Piazza della Cittadella
The Cittadella was built in the 14th century by the Visconti, lords of Milan, as a fortified stronghold on the western edge of the upper town. Its quiet square is now lined by the Natural History Museum and the Archaeological Museum. A passage under the tower leads on to Colle Aperto.
10La MariannaFinish
On Colle Aperto, just inside Porta Sant'Alessandro, stands the café and pastry shop La Marianna, where Enrico Panattoni created stracciatella ice cream in 1961. The flavour, milk ice cream with flakes of dark chocolate, is said to have been inspired by the egg soup of the same name.
Read the full story →
Only logged in customers who have purchased this product may leave a review.
Emma T. (verified owner) –
Great way to explore a city
Rodrigo (verified owner) –
Super sympa! 😊
Anonymous (verified owner) –
United Kingdom –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Great way to explore what the old town has to offer. Puzzles are fun too.
M.m.m.– Netherlands –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Was leuk om op deze manier de stad te zien. Alleen de puntentelling klopt niet helemaal. We speelden in 2 teams. Als je een vraag fout hebt kun je niet een score uit 100/100 halen.
Jana– Czech Republic –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Patricia Ontoria– Spain –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Sencillito pero una muy buena opción para conocer la ciudad por tu cuenta
jolanda van der– Netherlands –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Was top! Rondleiding langs mooie plekken in Bergamo met leuke vragen voor een onderlinge strijd.
Marie-Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Addison-Croatia –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Stella-Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Eleanor-France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Claire-Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Lily-Bulgaria –
Collected on GetYourGuide
David-Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Elena-Bulgaria –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Connor-Hungary –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Madelyn-Romania –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Addison-Hungary –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Christopher-Ireland –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Lincoln-Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Jeremiah-Switzerland –
Collected on GetYourGuide
John-Netherlands –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Isla-Slovakia –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Cameron-Denmark –
Collected on GetYourGuide