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The historic Upper Town (Città Alta) in Bergamo, Italy, is surrounded by Venetian defensive walls. The walls are a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Looking at Upper Town from Lower Town in Bergamo, Italy
Looking at Upper Town from Lower Town

 

“Main Street”

After exploring the sites on Piazza Vecchia and Piazza del Duomo, we decided to take a walk through the rest of Upper Town. It was cold and Marisol wasn’t feeling well, so it only consisted of walking down Via Gombito and Via Bartolomeo Colleoni, which are the main streets through the area.

Looking down Via Gombito in Bergamo, Italy
Looking down Via Gombito

Via Gombito and Via Bartolomeo Colleoni are pretty much the same street running about 500m long. Via Gombito stretches from the funicular station from Lower Town to Piazza Vecchia while Via Bartolomeo Colleoni goes from Piazza Vecchia to Piazza Mascheroni. It’s a pleasant narrow street to walk down, filled with shops, cafés, and some restaurants.

Via Bartolomeo Colleoni in Bergamo, Italy
Via Bartolomeo Colleoni
Via Bartolomeo Colleoni in Bergamo, Italy
Via Bartolomeo Colleoni

We especially enjoyed looking at the window displays of the food shops. Pasta, cheese, bread, and meat got our appetites going and we couldn’t wait for our next meal!

Pasta in Bergamo, Italy
Pasta
Bakery in Bergamo, Italy
Bakery

 

Churches

There are two churches along the street. The first one we passed was the Church of San Pancrazio (Chiesa di San Pancrazio), located on Via Gombito just a block from the funicular station. It dates back to at least 888, but was significantly expanded and restored from the 17th to 19th centuries. We didn’t go inside.

Church of San Pancrazio in Bergamo, Italy
Church of San Pancrazio

The next church is on Via Bartolomeo Colleoni near Piazza della Cittadella. It’s called the Church of Sant’Agata nel Carmine (Chiesa di Sant’Agata nel Carmine) and was built in 1357. It has a simple façade but is supposedly beautiful on the inside. The church was closed when we walked past.

Church of Sant'Agata nel Carmine in Bergamo, Italy
Church of Sant’Agata nel Carmine

 

Piazza Mascheroni

At the very end of Via Bartolomeo Colleoni is Piazza Mascheroni. On this square you’ll find the Clock Tower (Torre dell’Orologio), which is part of the Cittadella building. The building, which dates back to the 14th century, was the home of the city’s Venetian captains. Nowadays, it houses two museums – an archaeology museum and a natural science museum. Admission to both museums costs €3 on a single ticket (as of July 2024), but we weren’t interested in visiting either.

Clock Tower in Bergamo, Italy
Clock Tower

Also on Piazza Mascheroni is Palazzo Roncalli. It was built in 1500 by the Roncalli, a wealthy merchant family. The building functioned as a warehouse for merchandise that arrived from Venice and other cities.

Palazzo Roncalli in Bergamo, Italy
Palazzo Roncalli

What really caught our eye was a fruit market. There were a few stalls selling fruits, vegetables, cheese, and meat, so we stopped and filled up on some fresh fruits to snack on.

Fruit market in Bergamo, Italy
Fruit market
Fresh fruits in Bergamo, Italy
Fresh fruits
Fresh fruits in Bergamo, Italy
Fresh fruits

 

Piazza della Cittadella

When we finished shopping, we passed through the Clock Tower into Piazza della Cittadella, which is basically a parking lot.

Piazza della Cittadella in Bergamo, Italy
Piazza della Cittadella

 

Venetian Walls

At the opposite end, we passed through a gate into an open area where we were able to see the Venetian defensive walls. We then continued through Porta Sant’Alessandro to explore San Vigilio.

Leaving Piazza della Cittadella in Bergamo, Italy
Leaving Piazza della Cittadella
Venetian defensive walls in Bergamo, Italy
Venetian defensive walls

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Owner of Paisadventure. World traveler. Chicago sports lover. Living in Colombia.

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