Must-see attractions in Bergamo

  • Accademia Carrara

    Bergamo

    Just east of the old city walls is one of Italy's great art repositories. Founded in 1780, it contains an exceptional range of Italian masters. Raphael's…

  • Palazzo del Podestà

    Bergamo

    On the northwest side of Piazza Vecchia, the fresco-dappled Palazzo del Podestà was traditionally home to Venice's representative in Bergamo. Today, the…

  • Torre del Campanone

    Bergamo

    Bergamo's colossal, square-based Torre del Campanone soars 52m above the city. It still tolls a bell at 10pm, the legacy of an old curfew. Taking the lift…

  • View of Piazza Vecchia in Bergamo.

    Piazza Vecchia

    Bergamo

    The Upper Town's beating heart is the cafe-clad Piazza Vecchia, lined by elegant architecture that is a testament in stone and brick to Bergamo's long and…

  • City Walls

    Bergamo

    One of several towns in Italy with an intact ring of defences, Bergamo’s impressive walls were built by the Venetians over 30 years starting in 1561…

  • Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore

    Bergamo

    Bergamo's most striking church, begun in 1137, is quite a mishmash of styles. To its whirl of Romanesque apses (on which some external frescoes remain…

  • Palazzo della Ragione

    Bergamo

    The imposing arches and columns of the Palazzo della Ragione sit at the southern end of Piazza Vecchia. Built in the 12th century, it bears the lion of St…

  • Galleria d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea

    Bergamo

    GAMeC, as the gallery is known, sits opposite the more prestigious Accademia Carrara and displays modern works by Italian artists like Giacomo Balla,…

  • Cappella Colleoni

    Bergamo

    The Cappella Colleoni, attached to the north side of the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, was built between 1472 and 1476 as a magnificent mausoleum-cum…

  • Chiesa di San Michele al Pozzo Bianco

    Bergamo

    This dark chilly church is home to an entire Lorenzo Lotto fresco-cycle devoted to the Storie della Vergine (Stories of the Virgin Mother; 1525)…

  • Torre di Gombito

    Bergamo

    For a wonderful view from one of the highest points in the old town, climb the 12th-century Gombito Tower. Visits must be reserved in advance at the…

  • Cattedrale di Bergamo

    Bergamo

    Roman remains were discovered during renovations of Bergamo's baroque cathedral, with an interior dating to the 17th century. A rather squat building, it…

  • Citadella Viscontea

    Bergamo

    Built by the powerful Visconti clan in 1355, Bergamo's fortress has some imposing features, including a medieval postern gate, a 14th-century portico and…

  • Baptistry

    Bergamo

    This octagonal baptistry was built in 1340 but moved to its present spot and was given a few neo-Gothic flourishes in 1898. Inside, you'll find bas…

  • Chiesa dei Santi Bartolomeo e Stefano

    Bergamo

    At the eastern edge of the lower town, this 17th-century church has a baroque facade (dating from 1897). Inside is Lorenzo Lotto’s largest altarpiece, the…

  • Rocca

    Bergamo

    This impressive fortress is dominated by a round tower that dates from Bergamo's days as a Venetian outpost. La Rocca houses part of the city's history…

  • Chiesa di San Bernardino

    Bergamo

    Worth a visit for Lorenzo Lotto’s stylistically evolved altarpiece, the Pala di San Bernardino (1521), which depicts the Madonna beneath a dynamic,…

  • Palazzo Nuovo

    Bergamo

    The white, porticoed Palazzo Nuovo defines the northern side of Piazza Vecchia. Designed in 1611 by a brilliant architectural mind from Vicenza, Vincenzo…

  • Chiesa del Santo Spirito

    Bergamo

    Look for the Venetian-inspired countryside and colour palette that defines Lorenzo Lotto's Pala di Santo Spirito (1521), where the Madonna sits beneath a…

  • Museo Civico Scienze Naturali

    Bergamo

    One for the kids, Bergamo's natural history museum contains a collection of creatures great and small, including a woolly mammoth, a life-size cast of an…

  • Museo e Tesoro Della Cattedrale

    Bergamo

    Down the steps right next to the duomo, this glittering museum is filled with sacred art and reliquary from the cathedral's collection, as well as…

  • Civico Museo Archeologico di Bergamo

    Bergamo

    Set in the 14th-century citadel palace, this archaeology museum covers a lot of ground, from prehistoric and Roman times, up through Longabardic rule in…

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