Bergamo; Saturday, 22 September, 2018

I had a bit of lie in to make up for the previous day and then, after a filling breakfast, I headed out. I’d originally planned to just catch the bus to the bottom station of the upper town funicular, but as the bus pulled into the stop the queue was already impressive, so I decided to stay on the bus up to the top of town.

From there I walked the short distance to the bottom station of the San Vigilio funicular which I took up into the hilltop settlement. San Vigilio is higher than the upper town so affords some stunning views over the two levels of Bergamo. It’s also home to a castle that once defended the city walls and from the top of its towers provides even more stunning views over the valley floor and the foothills of the alps.

I had a long look round the castle before walking back down to the centre of San Vigilio and stopping in the trattoria by the funicular station for a very nice, if slightly pricy, lunch. I then caught the funicular back down to the upper town and went for a wander along the city walls, taking in the casemates built into the sturdy masonry of the walls, as well as the views of the upper town funicular punching its way through them.

Back down at the lower gate of the upper city I was just in time to miss a packed bus, which was promptly followed a minute or so later by an almost empty bus which I caught up the hill, passing the full bus half way up.

I headed into the centre of the upper town and stopped at another very nice café for a late afternoon drink. I had intended on it just being a quick drink, possibly accompanied by some crisps or a couple of olives which is traditional in this part of Italy. I wasn’t expecting a virtual tableful of snacks including a couple of dozen olives, mini bruschetta’s and the best part of a loaf of bread – I checked around and every other table was being presented with a similar level of snacks, it’s just they all had two or three people sat at them. By the time I’d finished my drink and the free snacks I was pretty much full and given it was coming up for 5pm decided I probably wouldn’t want dinner that evening (the large lunch not helping either)

I wandered over to the far side of the square to have a look around the chapel of Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore and the neighbouring Cathedral. By the time I’d done that it was rapidly heading towards sunset, so I decided to head back up to San Vigilio to take in the sunset from the highest point in the city, so I joined a queue of other people who had the same idea as me at the funicular station and caught the train back up to San Vigilio.

I had a bit of a wander around to find the best view over the city to watch the sunset cast spectacular colours over the stones, towers and domes of the upper town. Behind me I also had a good view of the sun itself setting into the foothills of the alps.

I waited around for a little while after it got dark, in case the upper city was particularly well floodlit, but it turns out it isn’t so after a little while – and still full from lunch and the evening snack – I headed back to the funicular station back down into the upper town and then the bus down to my hotel to have an early night.