Behind the plain marble facade and a portico whose columns rise out of the backs of lions lies an overly baroque giltcovered interior hung with Renaissance tapestries. Gaetano Donizetti, the wildly popular composer of frothy operas, who was born in Bergamo in 1797 and returned here to die in 1848, is entombed in a marble sarcophagus that’s as excessive as the rest of the church’s decor. The finest works are the choir stalls, with rich wood inlays depicting landscapes and biblical scenes; they’re the creation of Lorenzo Lotto, the Venetian who worked in Bergamo in the early 16th century and whose work you’ll encounter at the Accademia and elsewhere around the city. The stalls are usually kept under cloth to protect the sensitive hardwoods from light and pollutants, but they’re unveiled for Lent. The octagonal Baptistery in the piazza outside the church was originally inside but removed, reconstructed, and much embellished in the 19th century.
Piazza del Duomo
Tel. 035-223-327
Free admission.
May–Sept Mon–Sat 9am–noon and 3–6pm, Sun 8–10:30am and 3–6pm;
Oct–Apr Mon–Sat 9am–noon and 3–4:30pm, Sun 8–10:30am and 3–4:30pm

The building up of the fortress on Sant'Eufemia Hill in Bergamo was ordered by John of Luxemburg, King of Bohemia, who in 1331 started the work altering a pre-existent fortress.With its strategic position, Rocca has always played an essential part in the defence and control of the city for all the lords who succeeded as governors, from the Viscounts to the Venetians. from the French to the Austrians. This architectural unit was little altered in the course of time; the most evident modification was the unique circular embattled tower that characterizes the outline of the fortress.
The Castello is a good place to begin a trek around the flanks of the Città Alta—go down the San Vigilio hill (or take the funicular) back into the Città Alta through the Porta San Alessandro. For a look at the old walls and some more good views, instead of following Via Colleoni back into the center of the town, turn left on Via della Mura and follow the 16th-century bastions for about .8km (half a mile) to the Porta Sant’Agostino on the other side of the town.

Cappella Colleoni (Colleoni chapel): Bartolomeo Colleoni was a Bergamese condottiere who fought for Venice to maintain the Venetian stronghold on the city. In return for his labors, the much-honored soldier was given Bergamo to rule for the republic. If you’ve already visited Venice, you may have seen Signore Colleoni astride the Verrocchio equestrian bronze in Campo Santi Giovanni e Paolo. He rests for eternity in this elaborate funerary chapel designed by Amadeo, the great sculptor from nearby Pavia (where he completed his most famous work, the Certosa; see p. 289). The pink-and-white marble exterior, laced with finely sculpted columns and loggias, is airy and almost whimsical; inside, the soldier and his favorite daughter, Medea, lie beneath a ceiling frescoed by Tiepolo and surrounded by reliefs and statuary; here, Colleoni appears on horseback again atop his marble tomb.
Palazzo della Ragione: The old city hall has been embellished with a graceful ground-floor arcade and the Lion of San Mark’s, symbol of the Venetian Republic, above a 16th-century balcony reached by a covered staircase (the bells atop its adjoining tower, the Torre Civico, sound the hours sonorously). The interiors will remain closed over the next few years for renovations.
Baptistry: The baptistry was re-built in the 19th century based on the original building from 1340, attributed to Giovanni da Campione. It features an octagonal plan and the upper section is decorated by an open, columned gallery, embellished by two 14th century statues depicting the Virtues.

Opposite the Bapistry in Bergamo is the cathedral of Sant'Alessandro.
The Cathedral was designed by Filarete, its construction commencing in the mid 15th century; building work was resumed in the 16th century and was only completed during the 19th century, the façade and the dome dating to this period. The building houses fine paintings and sculptures including a wooden choir by Sanz, marble bas-relief works by Andrea Fantoni and paintings by Tiepolo, Moroni and Previtali.

The city’s exquisite art gallery is one of the finest in northern Italy, founded in 1795 when Napoléon’s troops were busy rounding up the art treasures of their newly occupied northern Italian states. Many of these works ended up in Bergamo under the stewardship of Count Giacomo Carrara. The collection came into its own after World War I, when a young Bernard Berenson, the 20th century’s most noted art connoisseur, took stock of what was here and classified the immense holdings, making sure “every Lotto [was] a Lotto.” Lorenzo Lotto (1480–1556) was a Venetian who fled the stupefying society of his native city and spent 1513 to 1525 in Bergamo perfecting his highly emotive portraits. Many of his works from the Accademia recently toured the United States, but they’re now back in place in the salons of this neoclassical palace alongside a staggering inventory with paintings by Bellini, Canaletto, Carpaccio, Guardi, Mantegna, and Tiepolo. Most of these masterworks are in the 17 third-floor galleries. It’s easy to become overwhelmed here, but among the paintings you may want to view first is Lotto’s Portrait of Lucina Brembrati, in which you’ll see the immense sensitivity with which the artist was able to imbue his subjects. Look carefully at the moon in the upper-left corner—it has the letters “ci” painted into it, a playful anagram of the sitter’s first name; in Italian, moon is luna, and this one has a “ci” in the middle). Botticelli’s much-reproduced Portrait of Giuliano de Medici hangs nearby, as does Raphael’s sensual St. Sebastian.
You can visit the Accademia on foot from the Città Alta by following Via Porta Dipinta halfway down the hill to the Porto Sant’Agostino and then a terraced, ramplike staircase to the doors of the museum.
From the Città Bassa, the museum is about a 10-minute walk from the Sentierone—from the east end of the square, take a left on Largo Belloti, then a right on Via Giuseppe Verdi and follow that for several blocks to Via Pignolo and turn left to Via Tomaso, which takes you to Piazza Carrara (the route is well signposted).
Admission is 2.60€, free for those under 18 and over 60, and free for all ages on Sunday.
t’s open Tuesday to Sunday 9:30am to 1pm and 2:30 to 6:45pm (Oct–Mar 10am–1pm and 2:30–5:45pm).
segreteria_accademiacarrara@comune.bg.it