Dolce Vita Blogger January 2018 Link Up: Favourite Italian City

Starting the new year off with the topic “Favourite Italian City” is certainly a challenge because as most of us know, every Italian city has its own charm and I would choose more than a handful as my favourites if I could but alas, I had to go with my bias and pick my adopted hometown: BERGAMO.

Bergamo is a hidden gem. I know everyone say this about their town but mine really is. It’s constantly overshadowed by nearby Milan and unjustly so because Bergamo is about a million times better (please note that I have been slightly brainwashed by my husband who is “bergamasco”, born and raised!). Bergamo is located about 40 minutes from Milan by car or train and is perfectly situated with a view of the mountains on a clear day. It’s ideal because it’s a smaller city, completely walk-able but with medieval flair that brings a touch Tuscany hill-top villages to mind.

Her claim to fame is that she is bipolar. What I mean by that is that the city actually has a split-personality because she’s made of two “separate” cities: Città Alta (the Upper City) and Città Bassa (the Lower City). Città Alta is home to the medieval section and completely surrounded by stone walls that were recently named a UNESCO World Heritage Site last year. You can walk the cobblestone streets and take in one of Italy’s most well-.preserved and stunning squares: Piazza Vecchia. Caffè del Tasso sits on the square and has been in the same spot since 1476 where it has served coffee to the likes of John Nash and Charlton Heston through the times. It was also in Città Alta that an Italian favourite, “stracciatella” gelato was invented. While I love this flavor, my absolute favourite is “Rosa”, gelato flavored with rose extract and rose petals and there’s nothing I love more than to stroll the streets in the summer with a cone in hand.

​In contrast to the Upper City, Città Bassa is the modern part of the city where you can find a smorgasbord of restaurants and shops just like in any other city in Italy and Europe, for that matter. The nightlife is in the lower section, the romantic panoramas in the upper. Is there more perfection than this?

Let me know in the comments if you’ve ever visited my city or if I’ve convinced you to after this post! 

*Photographs of Bergamo featured in this post are from Daniele Boffelli because I'm a terrible photographer and I needed to do the city justice.
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One Lucky Californian Expat's Enchanting View from Bergamo's Città Alta An Instagram Photograph of Bergamo Looks Like a Dream 
a sunday stroll in città bassa (bergamo) It's beginning to look alot like Christmas...in Bergamo and Milano... Bergamo Through The Lens of Daniele Boffelli ​
Bella Vita in Bergamo Screenshots from House Hunters International ​
The Best of Bergamo ​
​A Tale of Two Cities: Bergamo and Edmonton
​An Interview with Raffaella and Margherita of Bergamo City Kiwi
​A couple Sundays ago- views of Bergamo from Città Alta