While Italy is no doubt the place to be right now—with travelers flocking back to Venice, Rome, and Sicily after the height of the pandemic—chances are you haven’t been to Bergamo and Brescia before. The two cities in Lombardy are often overlooked in the midst of Italy’s countless unmissable destinations, despite being less than an hour away from Milan and a 40 minutes’ drive from each other. Their lesser-known status, however, might change next year, when Bergamo and Brescia are Italy’s Capital of Culture for 2023. The two are picking up the baton from the island of Procida, in the Gulf of Naples (another travel underdog in the boot-shaped country).
And the dual nomination isn’t business as usual—nor is the use of the singular ‘capital,’ rather than ‘capitals,’ a choice meant to signify unity and collaboration. Back in the spring of 2020, both cities were hit the hardest by the arrival of the pandemic (Italy’s first coronavirus patients were registered there). The two were subsequently designated to be the Capital of Culture for 2023 shortly thereafter, as a symbol of hope for brighter days ahead.
Almost three years later, those days are finally here. The two towns have put together a series of joint initiatives and projects—some 600 in total—that aim to promote their rebirth through various cultural exhibitions, and showcase not just their rich history but an ambitious outlook towards the future.
“The nomination as Italian Capital of Culture is a great opportunity for our territories,” says Brescia’s mayor Emilio del Bono. “The primary challenge is to make our cities known as the inexhaustible artistic and cultural sources that they are. We want visitors to get out of the bubble of the usual, more famous and inflated tourist destinations, to look at the hidden but equally wonderful treasures of Brescia and Bergamo.” Bergamo mayor Giorgio Gori called the programming “as choral and inclusive as possible.”
The event calendar will span art exhibitions and music festivals, opera performances and public square installations, with things officially kicking off in the second-half of January and running through the end of 2023. Which is why, if you’re planning a trip to the Bel Paese at any point next year, you should definitely pay a visit. Here are the best things to do in Bergamo and Brescia in 2023.
Getting to Bergamo and Brescia
Bergamo and Brescia lie 33 and 57 miles east of Milan, respectively. Driving to either takes just over an hour, but trains are an excellent option too, with affordable, fairly quick rides (around 50 minutes to Bergamo, 36 minutes to Brescia on the high-speed network) departing frequently from Milano Centrale. Once you arrive at the train station in Brescia, follow signs for the subway line—an 8.5-mile rapid transit network comprising one single line that connects the city’s north and south through 17 stops. Get off at Vittoria, ready to explore.
In Bergamo, start by walking on Via Roma towards Porta Nuova; a pair of colonnaded, neoclassical buildings dating from the 1830s that used to mark the official gateway to the town. Bergamo also has an airport, which happens to be Ryanair’s main hub in the region.
What to do in Bergamo, Italy
Bergamo is an elegant city split into two parts: the Città Bassa (lower town), where its civic center lies; and the Città Alta (upper town), clinging to rocky slopes on top of a hill. A cable car connects the two, and while Bergamo alta is often considered the main draw, bassa also packs plenty of charm, and showcases more of the city’s storied history.
Don’t miss Borgo Pignolo, a medieval quarter filled with boutiques and polished palaces that often hide quaint courtyards within them (feel free to have a peek if the gates are open). Make time for a stroll down the Sentierone, a Bergamasque rendezvous since the 17th century with porticos, tree-lined piazzas, and the Gaetano Donizetti Theater, a grand opera house dedicated to the composer and Bergamo native. Dip into Borgo San Leonardo (it’s in the opposite direction to Borgo Pignolo), another pretty neighborhood lined with brightly colored townhouses, arcaded antiques shops, and buzzy cafes, then head up.
Still enclosed by perfectly preserved 16th-century Venetian walls (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), Bergamo alta is a photogenic tumble of cobbled alleys, medieval architecture, lovely artisan shops and historic pasticcerie, with expansive views of the surrounding landscape to boot (the wine region of Franciacorta isn’t far from here).
Stop by the magnificent Piazza Vecchia, once the city’s civil hub, and marvel at the Palazzo della Ragione, a Venetian-Gothic building and a former town hall-turned-courthouse that dates back to the 12th century. (Bergamo was the westernmost fortress town of the Venetian Republic from 1428 up until the Napoleonic era, so Venetian elements abound in the city.)
Just behind it you’ll find Piazza Duomo, home to one of the most opulent churches you’ll ever set eyes on, the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore. Go in, look up, and prepare to be transfixed by the sheer lavishness of it all. If you have time, pop into the adjacent Colleoni Chapel, too. It’s the uber-ornate mausoleum of Bartolomeo Colleoni, a famous 15th century mercenary captain and one of Bergamo’s most beloved figures.
Going back down, get your art fix at Palazzo Moroni, Accademia Carrara—which is reopening with a new look in 2023—and GAMec (Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art), three very different art spaces whose collections range from Renaissance frescoes to contemporary works.
What to do in Brescia, Italy
Lombardy’s second most populous city after Milan, Brescia is Italy in a nutshell. Its manicured historic center spans Roman ruins and Renaissance squares, medieval buildings and remnants of the country’s Fascist period—all of which can be discovered by visiting its four main squares (best done in chronological order!).
Start at Piazza del Foro, where the archaeological complex of a Roman Forum dating to the 1st century B.C. still stands. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and features one of the most important collections of Roman relics found in northern Italy, with vestiges of temples, burial places, and ancient frescoes available for public viewing. Don’t leave without having seen the Vittoria Alata, a Roman bronze statue first discovered here in the early 1800s. Locals see it as the symbol of the city, and art critics consider it an sculptural masterpiece.
For more on the history of Brescia—and Lombardy more broadly—spend a couple of hours at the sprawling Santa Giulia Museum, housed in a former Benedictine monastery not far from the Forum. Its collection stretches from the fourth century B.C. all the way to the 1700s, and includes two impressive Roman houses with still-vivid mosaics and well-maintained foundations. Santa Giulia hosts temporary art shows, too; watch out for those slated for the Capital of Culture program, like a retrospective on the Brescian Renaissance in the fall.
Piazza Paolo VI should be next: A showcase of medieval architecture, this is the religious heart of the city, where you’ll find not one but two cathedrals: the neoclassical Duomo Nuovo, and the 12th-century Duomo Vecchio—also known as La Rotonda—a rare example of a circular medieval stone building that wouldn’t look out of place in an episode of Game of Thrones. From there, cross the street and walk down the road to Piazza della Loggia. This is Brescia’s most refined public space: It flaunts Renaissance buildings, shop-lined arcades, an exquisite clock tower, and the highly ornate Venetian-style Palazzo della Loggia, which is used as the mayor’s office. It’s the perfect place to watch Brescians run by.
Keen to see some art? The Pinacoteca Tosio Martinengo's public art museum was established in 1851 by nobleman Paolo Tosio, and it underwent a full restoration in 2018. The museum’s collection displays paintings by local artists from the 13th to the 18th century in palatial settings; its original frescoed ceilings are as impressive as some of the art on show.
Where to eat and explore
Start your day in Bergamo alta with caffe and cornetto at the historic Caffè Cavour, then double up on espresso at Caffe del Tasso in Piazza Vecchia, one of Italy’s oldest locales, dating back to 1476. La Marianna is another institution for all-things sweet—though, really, you should mainly ask for the stracciatella gelato (creamy vanilla ice cream with chocolate strands), which the owners invented back in 1961. Pastries are a must in Brescia: Try Brescian biscuits at Tacconi; French-style patisserie at Pasticceria San Carlo; and Bossolà, a local take on the pandoro, at Bedussi.
Both Bergamo and Brescia are big on traditions, including their own versions of casoncelli, a type of stuffed pasta each city claims credit for. They can be had at almost all restaurants in either town, though for the very best you should opt for Trattoria Porteri and the Osteria al Bianchi in Brescia, and Da Mimmo and Antica Osteria del Vino Buono in Bergamo—all family-run establishments that also specialize in dishes such as taragna (a mixture of polenta and buckwheat) and rabbit.
You’ll find more contemporary menus and contemporary settings at Bergamo’s Il Circolino, housed in what used to be first a monastery, then a prison; and Laboratorio Lanzani in Brescia, a historic butchery-turned-bistro and wine shop where you can eat oysters and sip bubbles—strictly Franciacorta.
For more vino (order the Valcalepio, a local grape variety), the convivial Enoteca Al Donizetti, with almost 1,000 bottles to choose from, is one of Bergamo’s unmissable spots If you’re in Brescia, you should stop at Elda Pirleria in the hip Carmine neighborhood, and swap your Aperol Spritz for the Pirlo, a local aperitivo made with still white wine and Campari.
