We have just spent an enchanting three days in Bergamo, Italy. The city is about an hour east-northeast of
Malpensa, the international airport of Milan.
Bergamo is really two cities - one very, very old and surrounded by
walls that were built in the late 1500s - built on the hill above the newer
city. Time is relative there since the
newer city is still six or seven hundred years old! Everyone makes a beeline for the old city
which is very beautiful and laid out in the old medieval style with narrow
cobblestone streets and large squares, dotted with churches, towers and cool
buildings. We took the funicular to the
old town and spent a most enjoyable day wandering around, but we came to really
appreciate the lower city, which is where our hotel was located.
We spent hours wandering around and popping into churches
and music halls, gardens and parks, bars and cafes and soaking in the
breathtaking beauty of the fall in Northern Italy. There is a part of the lower town that has
the remnants of beautiful old homes, many that had their own gardens that are
now run by the city. We found one entrance to an old estate that had lovely
murals on the vaulted wooden ceilings. I
tried to get some photos, which don’t do them justice, but I’ve added them to
the end of this narrative.
Our three evening meals were about as different as you could
imagine in one city, despite the fact that each restaurant was ‘typical’
Italian. The first night we found a
little hole in the wall that advertised fresh porcini. This is the mushroom season
and we couldn’t resist sharing a plate of the freshest porcini lightly cooked
with butter and garlic and tossed with fresh fettuccine. What a delight! We had started with two salads, mine with
fresh pears, crisp speck (bacon), arugula and fresh ricotta. Cindy had the
fresh grilled vegetables with melted cheese, a specialty of the region. The
wine was delicious, a local white that at only five euros for a half-liter was quite
the bargain.
The next night we went to a restaurant that featured the
foods from the Italian Alps. My goodness
do they know how to cook. The portions
were enormous and delicious, which accounted for the constant stream of locals
coming in to dine. We had panzarotti
filled with cheese and ham, pappardelle with porcini and then the best lamb
chops I’ve had for a very, very long time. The owner came and talked with us
and talked with us and talked with us, but he was interesting and it was good
to learn more about the food and wine and his love for Thailand, go figure. At the end of the meal we were presented with
a plate of the most delicious little fruit tarts. Quite the evening.
Our penultimate night was spent in a large underground pizza
joint/restaurant that was just buzzing with excitement and lots of noise. A menu item of zucchini flowers stuffed with
cheese and deep-fried drew us there, but of course that season is over. We stayed anyway. As soon as we were seated a waiter came by to
pour us a complimentary glass of
Prosecco, a local sparkling wine. I
then heard a little kid yelling OPA and turned by instinct to see this yellow
haired boy looking right at me. He
wasn’t one of our grandkids, but he was cute enough to qualify! We had a dinner that gets mixed reviews since
there were some items that just didn’t cut it.
The starters were the best: Local
prosciutto with fresh mozzarella burrata
was just wonderful, as was Cindy’s pasta, ravioli Bergamo style, filled with
cheese and topped with sage, butter and crisp bacon. I ordered the mixed grill, which wasn’t
really that good, but the service, was excellent and the wine was cheap.
All in all it was the best of times and we shall always
cherish our brief interlude in Bergamo.
We are now in a lovely hotel overlooking Lago d’Orta and things
look promising. More later. Ciao, Cindy and Wm
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| View from the Street, Garden in Rear |
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| Captivating Murals |
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| Vibrant Colors |
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| Folkloric Themes |
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