In august 2020 we visited Bergamo, the epicentre of COVID-19. We were staying in Milano for a night and on the way home, we decided to stop in this beautiful city where we also enjoyed in the typical “cucina bergamasca” (Bergamo cuisine). In 10 minutes I made an online reservation for lunch in a restaurant located in Citta alta – Antica Trattoria La Colombina.
Location
Bergamo is a city in the Lombardy region of northern Italy, approximately 40 km northeast of Milan, and 30 km from Switzerland. The town has two centres:
-Città alta (“upper city”): a hilltop medieval town, surrounded by 16th-century defensive walls – this is the historic centre of Bergamo
-Città bassa (“lower city”): is the modern centre of Bergamo.
The two parts are connected by a funicular, roads, and footpaths.
The street that takes you to funicular.
Parking in Bergamo
When we arrived we didn’t have any problems with parking. Maybe it was also because of COVID-19, but we immediately found a place. Everything is nicely marked. We followed boards “Parking for Citta alta” – the road brought us to Parcheggio Piazza Liberta:
0 – 30 minutes | 1,10 |
First hour | 2,20 |
Each additional hour or fraction thereof | 2,20 |
Night rate every hour or fraction thereof / 21: 00-07: 00 | 1,00 |
Maximum daily | 15,00 |
You can choose this option if you want to go to Citta alta with the funicular. There is also parking space in Citta alta.
The funicular is 5-10 minutes walk time away from Parcheggio Piazza Liberta.
Funicular price
We payed about 5,2€ for 2 (return ticket).
Food
I found this restaurant called Antica Trattoria La colombina. They have a really nice website where you can make a reservation online. You choose the day and hour and you also have an optional space to write into. I asked for a table with a view. When we arrived everything was nicely prepared for us.
I wanted to try “i casoncelli“. These are the classic Bergamo ravioli with an elongated shape, filled with pork or beef, usually seasoned with butter and with local herbs and spices. That day they also offered “risotto alla milanese” with polenta (that is also typical for Bergamo) and pork knuckle.
Everything was really good. To pair wine with the chosen food we chose Ferghettina Curtefranca 2017.


They really like their polenta. Snack with ordered beer.
Is it worth the stop?
Yes! I would definitely return as we didn’t see everything the city offers and I would also like to try more of cucina bergamasca.
If you have more time – what to see:
-Cappella Colleoni
-Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore
-Piazza Vecchia
-Palazzo della Ragione
-Accademia Carrara Museum
-Cattedrale di Sant’Alessandro
-Campanone
-Fortified city of Bergamo
-Rocca di Bergamo
-Bergamo Botanical Garden “Lorenzo Rota”
Other sources: wikipedia.org, bestparking.it