STOP: Piazza della Cittadella
Welcome to the Mile of Beauty, the signature itinerary created to celebrate Bergamo Brescia Capital of Culture 2023: follow it and set off to discover the city’s most representative monuments.
You are at the entrance to the Cittadella Viscontea, the fortress built in the 1300s by the Visconti family to reaffirm the family’s power and defend itself from internal enemies. Take the portico and reach the square: on the left, at the end of the porticoes you will find the Archaeological Civic Museum (point 1), founded in 1561 as a “collection of antiquities” and today the custodian of artifacts that tell the story of the territory from prehistory to the Lombard period.
ARCHEOLOGICAL CIVIC MUSEUM (CIVICO MUSEO ARCHEOLOGICO)
Just a bit further ahead, on the same side, you can find the “E. Caffi” Museum of Natural Science (point 2), where you can discover millions of artifacts from the world of zoology, geology and paleontology, protected by two special guardians: a mammoth and an allosaurus.
“E. CAFFI” MUSEUM OF NATURAL SCIENCE (MUSEO DI SCIENZE NATURALI)
To continue, head over to the Bell Tower at the other end of the square.
STOP: Torre della Campanella (Bell Tower)
You are standing under the Bell Tower, one of the two entrances to the Cittadella Viscontea, the fortress built in the 1300s by the Visconti family to defend its rule over Bergamo from its internal enemies, the local leaders and their allies.
Going straight ahead you’ll reach Piazza della Cittadella, where you can visit the “E. Caffi” Museum of Natural Sciences (point 2), immediately to the right of the Tower. The museum was founded in 1861 and still welcomes visitors to unveil the secrets of minerals, fossils, animals and insects from all over the world.
“E. CAFFI” MUSEUM OF NATURAL SCIENCE (MUSEO DI SCIENZE NATURALI)
Also on the right, you’ll find the Archeological Civic Museum (point 1), created in the 16th century as a private collection of special objects and now as a much larger collection thanks to numerous donations. Here you will enjoy insight into the historical period from Bergamo’s prehistory to the Lombard rule.
ARCHEOLOGICAL CIVIC MUSEUM (CIVICO MUSEO ARCHEOLOGICO)
If you have walked the Mile of Beauty going up from Lower Town, these museums are your last stop!
If you are proceeding in the opposite direction from the Bell Tower, turn your back to the map sign and reach Piazza Mascheroni. Once known as Piazza Nuova, it preserves an ancient water cistern for water supplies and gives access to the main artery of the Upper Town: via Colleoni, also known as the Corsarola, the favorite walk of the people of Bergamo. Continue straight on, take Via Colleoni, and after 90 meters you will find not only the church of Sant’Agata in Carmine, but also the former Monastery of Carmine (point 3), often a venue for exhibitions and performances.
EX CARMINE MONASTERY (EX MONASTERO DEL CARMINE)
STOP: Via Colleoni
You are halfway down Via Colleoni, also known as Corsarola, which connects Piazza Vecchia to Piazza della Cittadella. If you go straight on, about 100 meters ahead, you’ll find the Teatro Sociale (point 4) on the right, a 19th-century architectural gem created to be a celebration of aristocratic power and affirmation of the importance of the Upper Town.
TEATRO SOCIALE – THEATER OF THE SOCIETY
A little further on, when the Corsarola opens onto the magnificent Piazza Vecchia, you’ll encounter Palazzo Nuovo with the “Angelo Mai” Civic Library (point 5): its imposing white marble facade, on the left, closes the square like a theatrical backdrop, and in its rooms priceless parchments, codices, and incunabula await you in addition to the splendid world maps of the cartographer Coronelli.
“ANGELO MAI” CIVIC LIBRARY
Instead, if you leave the sign behind you, 60 meters ahead you will find the entrance to the former Carmine Monastery (point 3) on the right, next to the Church of Sant’Agata in Carmine. Built in the 15th century, once the home of the Carmelite Fathers, this majestic complex is now the stage for numerous theatrical performances.
EX CARMINE MONASTERY (EX MONASTERO DEL CARMINE)
About 100 meters further on, passing Piazza Mascheroni and entering the Cittadella Viscontea you will find the “E. Caffi” Natural Science Museum (point 2) and the Archeological Civic Museum (point 1). Visit them to explore unexpected secrets and facets of life on earth and the history of Bergamo!
“E. CAFFI” MUSEUM OF NATURAL SCIENCE (MUSEO DI SCIENZE NATURALI)
ARCHEOLOGCAL CIVIC MUSEUM (CIVICO MUSEO ARCHEOLOGICO)
STOP: Piazza vecchia
You are in Piazza Vecchia (point 6), the heart of The Mile of Beauty tour itinerary. This square has been called by architect le Corbusier one of the most beautiful in the world, a place so perfect that “it would be a crime to touch a single stone.” It is home to many of Bergamo’s best-known monuments
PIAZZA VECCHIA
In front of you is the “Angelo Mai” Civic Library (point 5), one of the most important in Italy: in its halls you can find documents and ancient world maps of both great scientific and artistic value.
“ANGELO MAI” CIVIC LIBRARY
Behind you the entire square opens up, with Palazzo della Ragione (point 7) at the end, recognizable by its pointed-arch porticoes and the winged lion of St. Mark. Built nearly a millennium ago, it was one of the first municipal buildings in Italy; today it holds many works from vanished churches, displayed in the Sala delle Capriate on the second floor, often open for temporary exhibitions.
PALAZZO DELLA RAGIONE
Instead, under the arcade you will find a dark room sundial from the 1700s and the not-to-be-missed Tesoro della Cattedrale Museum, which takes you into the cathedral’s underground among sacred ornaments and archaeological remains from Roman Bergamo.
MUSEO TESORO DELLA CATTEDRALE
Instead, to the right of the Palazzo della Ragione you will find the Campanone and the Museum of the 1500s ( point 8), both housed inside the old Palazzo del Podestà. Climb to the top of the tower for a breathtaking view of the village and visit the museum to learn more about Renaissance Bergamo!
CAMPANONE
MUSEO DEL ‘500
Learn more Open in MapsThe other monuments are beyond the porticos. Cross them and reach Piazza Duomo, which is 120 meters from the sign: immediately to the right you will find the Baptistery (point 9), a small octagonal building in neo-Gothic style decorated on the outside with statues of Virtues and, inside, with 14th-century bas-reliefs.
BATTISTERO
The Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore (point 11) and the Colleoni Chapel (point 10), easily recognizable by the large rose window on the façade, rise up in front of you instead. The former, known to be the “church of the people of Bergamo,” was built in the 12th century and preserves inside not only exquisite frescoes, stuccoes and tapestries, but also the wooden inlays made according to a drawing by Lorenzo Lotto and the funeral monument of Gaetano Donizetti. The second is the magnificent tomb that Bartolomeo Colleoni, the great Bergamo condottiere, commissioned from architect Giovanni Antonio Amadeo-a masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance!
BASILICA DI SANTA MARIA MAGGIORE
CAPPELLA COLLEONI
Finally, on the left, you find the Church of St. Alexander Martyr, the Cathedral of Bergamo (point 12). Rising on the ruins of earlier places of worship, it holds many valuable paintings and sculptures, as well as the tiara of Pope John XXIII.
CATHEDRAL
After you have visited the monuments around Piazza Vecchia, you can continue along the Mile route by taking the Passaggio Ca’ Longa, which opens up into the building to the left of the Palazzo della Ragione. Go down its stairs to try an unexpected shortcut and find the Ancient Washhouse (point 13).
ANCIENT WASHHOUSE
However, if you are coming from that direction, to continue to the last stops turn your back to the sign and walk down Via Colleoni.
VIA COLLEONI
Learn more Open in MapsSTOP: Passaggio Ca’ Longa
You are at the entrance of Passaggio Ca’ Longa, along the Mile of Beauty itinerary.
If you are coming from Via Colleoni, to continue turn left and after the steps, about 70 meters ahead, you will find the Ancient Washhouse on Via Mario Lupo with its basins and a picturesque place to relax and take a little break. Once a gathering place for water supply and washing clothes, the place is now an evocative reminder of the past.
ANCIENT WASHHOUSE
If you arrive from there, Piazza Vecchia with its many monuments now opens up in front of you. To learn more, frame the QR codes on the gray plaques you find under the porticos, or turn your back to the sign and walk to the white arches of the Angelo Mai Library to find the next directions with all the details.
PIAZZA VECCHIA
STOP: Via Mario Lupo
You have reached Via Mario Lupo, which in Roman times was-along with Via San Lorenzo-the cardo maximus, the most important road on the north-south axis.
A few steps from this sign you’ll find the Ancient Washhouse (point 13), a white marble basin with an elegant cast-iron cover. Built in the late 1800s for water supply and washing clothes, it is now a popular meeting place, perfect for a relaxing break thanks to the shape of the small square and the green surroundings.
ANCIENT WASHHOUSE
About 30 meters further along downhill, you can see the Gombito Tower (point 14). Built in the Middle Ages, it was the tallest tower in the village and has watched over its buildings for almost a thousand years; its unfinished body towers over the surrounding buildings and is also clearly visible from the washhouse. Inside the tower you will find the tourist information office, where you can get detailed information, maps, souvenirs or book a guided tour and other activities in and around the town.
GOMBITO TOWER
If you want to discover a real treat, take a small detour and go up Via Mario Lupo, cross Piazza Padre Reginaldo Giuliani, and 140 meters ahead you’ll find Palazzo Terzi (point 15): famous for its panoramic terrace and the statues that flank it and for the magnificent rooms inside, it was built between the 17th and 18th centuries by the Terzi marquises, who still live there today. The entrance is in Piazza Terzi in front of the Statue of Architecture made by Giovanni Antonio Sanz.
PALAZZO TERZI
If you are walking the Mile of Beauty from Piazza della Cittadella, the next stop is waiting for you on Via Porta Dipinta. To get there, go straight across Piazzetta Luigi Angelini, with the Gombito Tower on your left, reach Piazza Mercato delle Scarpe and turn left at the Funicular. Ahead 330 meters you will find Palazzo and Giardini Moroni (point 16).If instead you are coming from that direction, keep the Torre del Gombito to your right and take the portico of Passaggio Ca’ Longa to reach Piazza Vecchia.
STOP: Piazza Mercato delle Scarpe
You are in Piazza Mercato delle Scarpe, the arrival point of the funicular from the Lower Town and a place formerly dedicated to trade. From here you can set off to explore much of the Upper Town but, if you follow the Mile coming from Piazza della Cittadella, it is Via Porta Dipinta that you must reach: with your back to the sign, take the street immediately to the left of the Funicular.
After about 200 meters, the monumental entrance to Palazzo e Giardini Moroni (point 16) opens at number 12. Built in the 17th century at the request of the Moroni family, it welcomes you with exceptionally well-preserved interiors and a rich art collection, but also with an Italian-style garden and a vast vegetable garden.
PALAZZO E GIARDINI MORONI
Just a bit further along, on the other side of the street, you will find the Church and Theater of Sant’Andrea ( point 17). Don’t be fooled by the church’s simple exterior; it is definitely worth a visit.
CHURCH AND THEATER OF SANT’ANDREA
If you’re coming from the Lower Town, your next stop is the Ancient Washhouse (point 13). Go straight on past the sign, taking the portico and stairs that lead to Piazzetta Luigi Angelini: 130 meters ahead you’ll find the Washhouse on Via Mario Lupo, in a picturesque setting of medieval buildings and flower beds.
ANCIENT WASHHOUSE
STOP: Piazza Mercato delle Scarpe-via Porta Dipinta
You are in Piazza Mercato delle Scarpe, the ancient home of the Shoemakers’ Guild and a place formerly dedicated to trade, as well as to water supply (under its surface is one of the town’s three large cisterns, once supplied by the Magistral Aqueduct).
If you follow the Mile coming from Piazza della Cittadella, your itinerary continues on Via Porta Dipinta. Turn left and follow the road downhill. 230 meters ahead, at number 12, you’ll see Palazzo and Giardini Moroni (point 16): built in the 17th century at the request of the Conti Moroni, it welcomes you with a rich art collection, exceptionally well-preserved interiors, and an Italian-style garden with vast vegetable garden.
PALAZZO E GIARDINI MORONI
Just beyond that, on the other side of the street, you’ll find the Sant’Andrea Church and Theater ( point 17). Don’t let the simple exterior fool you: inside the church you’ll find works by painters such as Padovanino and Jacopo Palma il Giovane, as well as a museum of sacred art and, in its fascinating crypt, even a theater.
CHIESA E TEATRO SANT’ANDREA
If you follow the Mile going up from the Lower Town , your next stop instead is the Ancient Washhouse (point 13). To find it, reach the porticos of the building on your right, take the passage with the steps and go straight ahead for 140 meters crossing the entire Piazzetta Luigi Angelini.
ANICENT WASHHOUSE
STOP: Via Porta Dipinta
You are almost halfway down Via Porta Dipinta, once one of the main access roads to the Upper Town. The street owes its name to a frescoed door that opened in the medieval city walls, located in this very area and demolished in the 19th century.
If you walk the Mile of Beauty coming from Piazza Cittadella, you have already been able to admire many prestigious monuments and are ready to continue to the Lower Town. Looking at the sign, continue to the left and enter the small square that borders the little fountain: you will find yourself in front of the San Michele al Pozzo Bianco Church (point 18). Of Lombard origins, this small place of worship holds some of the oldest frescoes in the province and is an outstanding lesson in the history of local art from the early 1200s to the late 1500s. Don’t miss the frescoes by Lorenzo Lotto
SAN MICHELE AL POZZO BIANCO CHURCH
After your visit, return to Via Porta Dipinta and continue downhill for about 200 meters; you will soon reach Piazzale S. Agostino, with the green lawn of the Fara on your left. Cross the street to visit the park and open spaces of the former monastery of Sant’Agostino (point 19), founded in the 13th century by the Eremitani fathers and now in use by the University of Bergamo: inside you’ll find remnants of medieval frescoes and the former church used as the Aula Magna.
EX MONASTERY OF SANT’AGOSTINO
If you walk the Mile coming from the Lower Town continue going up Via Porta Dipinta toward Piazza Mercato delle Scarpe. 40 meters ahead on the left, you’ll see the Sant’Andrea Church and Theater (point 17), which preserves not only paintings by artists such as Padovanino and Jacopo Palma il Giovane, but also a museum of sacred art and, in its fascinating crypt, even a theater.
SANT’ANDREA CHURCH AND THEATER
STOP: Borgo Pignolo
You are standing at the beginning of Via Pignolo, one of Bergamo’s oldest neighborhoods, rich in art, architecture and tradition thanks to the many noble palaces that populate its spaces. Definitely worth visiting on your next walk!
For now, if you walk the Mile coming down from the Upper Town, take the picturesque little stairway of the Noca and experience the excitement of using one of the oldest streets connecting the two halves of Bergamo. As it has been doing for a long time, this cobblestone street will lead you directly to Piazza Giacomo Carrara, in the lower part of the city, to discover the last stops of the itinerary.
In fact, ahead 270 meters on your left you’ll find the gates and majestic facade of the Accademia Carrara (point 21). The museum, founded in 1796 by Count Giacomo Carrara, has grown over the centuries thanks to numerous donations and now has hundreds of valuable works including paintings, sculptures and applied arts; among them are masterpieces by artists such as Raphael, Botticelli, Mantegna, Lotto, Titian and Canaletto, to name but a few. A treasure chest waiting to be discovered.
ACCADEMIA CARRARA
If you walk the Mile coming from the Lower Town, however, continue uphill staying on the right and cross the monumental Porta S. Agostino (point 20), the main entrance to the village since 1575 as a drawbridge and then as a stone building from the late 1700s. Still on the right side, after 200 meters you will find the monastic complex to which it owes its name.
PORTA SANT’AGOSTINO
The former Monastery of Sant’Agostino (point 19) was founded in the 13th century by the Eremitan fathers and is now in use by the University of Bergamo; inside you’ll find remnants of medieval frescoes and the former church used as the Aula Magna.
EX MONASTERY OF SANT’AGOSTINO
STOP: Noca Staircase
You are at the bottom of the Noca Staircase, one of the charming pedestrian streets that, since the Middle Ages, have climbed the hillside to unite the two halves of Bergamo. If you have just descended it coming from the Upper Town, you have reached the last leg of your journey along the Mile of Beauty: Piazza Giacomo Carrara.
The place is named after the founder of the museum you’ll find immediately to your right, the Accademia Carrara (point 21). Turn around and reach the gray staircase to admire its monumental facade: a few more steps and beyond the entrance, you’ll be able to explore its new exhibition itinerary. Founded in 1796, the museum preserves numerous collections donated by generous patrons and has hundreds of priceless works including paintings, sculpture, and applied arts. Among the masterpieces that will be waiting for you in its halls are paintings by great artists of the past such as Raphael, Botticelli, Mantegna, Lotto, Titian, and Canaletto, to name a few.
ACCADEMIA CARRARA
Finally, on the other side of the square, on Via San Tomaso, you will find the Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art (GAMeC – point 22), where innovative exhibitions, cultural activities and a permanent collection marked by multidisciplinary experimentation await you.
GALLERY OF MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY ART MUSEUM-GALLERIA ARTE MODERNA e CONTEMPORANEA
Have you just started following the Mile of Beauty? The climb to the Upper Town is waiting for you! Go straight ahead and take Via della Noca. The next stop will be waiting for you after an exciting walk among ancient palaces, villas and gardens, a journey through time to via Pignolo and Porta Sant’Agostino (point 20), which is 270 meters away
PORTA SANT’AGOSTINO
STOP: Piazza Giacomo Carrara
Welcome to the Mile of Beauty, the signature itinerary created to celebrate Bergamo Brescia Capital of Culture 2023. If you walked it coming down from the Upper Town, here you find the last stop; if instead you want to start here, follow its route and set off to discover the city’s most representative monuments!
You are in Piazza Giacomo Carrara, named after the Bergamo count of the same name who lived in the 18th century, a great art lover, collector of masterpieces and founder not only of a school but also of an art gallery. Find this picture gallery a little further on-but first, immediately to your left, you can’t miss one of Bergamo’s major museums, the Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art, also known as GAMeC ( point 22). Established in 1991, it is housed in a 15th-century architectural complex formerly used as a monastery, whose severe but elegant façade you can admire from the street. Inside you can explore more than 1,500 square meters of exhibition space, populated by contemporary art in all its forms, as well as exhibitions, activities and events
GALLERY OF MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY ART MUSEUM-GALLERIA ARTE MODERNA e CONTEMPORANEA
If you then cross the square, almost opposite the GAMeC you will find the Accademia Carrara ( point 21). The elegant Neoclassical-style building in which it is located features a main body and two side wings, framing a courtyard often open to visitors’ relaxation. Founded in the late 1700s, the museum holds numerous collections donated by generous patrons-including the original Giacomo Carrara collection-and has hundreds of precious works including paintings, sculptures, and applied arts. Come in and admire paintings by great artists such as Raphael, Botticelli and Titian, and be fascinated by the temporary exhibitions that enliven the halls of the Carrara!
ACCADEMIA CARRARA