When I got off the plane, I had no idea how to spend the next few hours. I had not looked up anything about the city, which is so unlike me, but I wanted to be spontaneous. Because of that, I was pleasantly surprised even more, but at the same time, I didn’t manage my time effectively.
Had I known that Bergamo had an amazing Old Town (Città alta), I wouldn’t have got off the bus at the train station and then walked it all the way up when you can take a direct bus from the airport. Still, it was a nice walk with amazing views and I got to see more of a city, which has something to offer at every corner. The number of Italian statues, fountains and churches you can enter just like that always amazes me. And the frescoes on the ceilings fascinate me even more.
However, soon after I entered the historical district of Città alta, I had to leave to find a spot to teach my class. 2 hours of my holiday time wasted. I could have been enjoying the amazing buildings and the history behind them instead. Especially because on the way back, I noticed a map with all of the things I hadn’t seen, which made me regret some of my decisions.
But this at least proves that even “smaller” cities (120 000 inhabitants in this case) are magical and frankly, more enjoyable to visit than the huge metropoles. It reminded me of Siena (which I very much like), even though the vibes were completely different. And I can’t wait to come back and see everything properly.
The only negative aspect of the visit (other than my time-management) was an enormous and itchy bug bite (two, actually) right after stepping out of the bus. That’s what you get for being spontaneous and not doing your research.
