Mantua and Bergamo

By late morning we had arrived in Mantua. We were way too early to check into our Airbnb apartment so we parked under a tree next to where we were staying and then walked for about half an hour towards Mantua's historic centre. On the way in we stopped at a bakery as Mrs B spotted a sultana loaf in the window and because she can't resist any type of fruit bread I entered the shop. I don't think they get many tourists visiting, but my lessons in Italian language paid off and we left with a loaf in my rucksack and a contented Mrs B.

I had researched a place to eat before arriving. A little osteria had stood out as one of the best places to get good authentic food in Mantua but when we arrived the windows were all shuttered and there didn't seem any prospect of it opening soon. Around the corner there were other choices and we picked one at random. As I hadn't got to drive again that day we started off with an aperitif - Aperol Spritz, very refreshing on a warm muggy day. We ordered bowls of pasta to soak up the alcohol before setting off to explore the city.

Aperol Spritz time

Compared to Verona, Mantua was very quiet - almost sleepy. We walked into the spacious main piazza - which was almost empty of people. Most of the historic buildings were closed but we did get have a quick look inside the Duomo. We found the tourist information point by accident, just wandering through cobbled streets. Outside is a statue representing 'Rigoletto' the central character in Verdi's opera, which is set in Mantua.

Rigoletto

What makes Mantua unusual compared to many Italian inland cities is that it is surrounded by water. Lakes created in the 12th century for defensive purposes now form boundaries on three sides of the old city. We found ourselves by the side of one of these lakes, Lago di Mezzo (the middle lake) and, on a whim, decided to follow the lakeside footpath. This turned out to be quite a trek. I had expected that at a certain point we could turn back towards the centre. Reaching the next lake, Lago Superiore, we carried on along the path by the lake. There was no sign of a route back into the centre, so we carried on on walking, hoping for a bridge to cross the railway line that was now between us and the centre of Mantua. Unfortunately there wasn't one. It was quite some time before we could leave the lakeside and work our way back through a maze of residential streets before we got back to  where we'd parked the car. At least, for the most part, we'd had pleasant lake views to while away the time. 

Fortunately it was now check in time and we met our Airbnb host, Paolo and his daughter who welcomed us to a spacious, air conditioned, 5th floor apartment - a very welcome place to rest after our exertions. They left us a generous basket of breakfast treats and some bottles of crodino, a non alcoholic version of aperol spritz.

Crodino

I worked out we had walked 12 miles that day and so rather than walk back into the centre for a meal we decided to pop to the nearby supermarket and self cater, rather than add to our miles walked. We slept well, ready the next morning for another relatively short drive. Our next stop was Bergamo.

Bergamo is a very different city to Mantua. For a start, it's split in half, Bergamo Basso and Bergamo Alta. The lower part of town is more modern, whilst high on a steep hill, overlooking the modern upstart is the old city, part of which dates to the Roman times. Our hotel was located in the lower part of Bergamo, not far from the funicular that shuttles both locals and visitors between the two halves of the city. Being a little further north than Mantua the city is closer to the Alps and therefore surrounded by hills. We arrived before it was time to check in but were able to use the hotel's car park and explore on foot. We went straight to the funicular and took the short, but very steep ride to the upper town. 

Bergamo Alta's centre is quite compact. A cobbled street led uphill from the funicular past restaurants, bars, cafes (and the inevitable gift shops) to the centre piazza, surrounded by historic buildings and the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, a beautiful baroque church, originally built in 1132. Although busier than Mantua it was still a relatively calm place compared to the hustle and bustle of Verona a few days before.

Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore

Piazza Duomo, Bergamo

We headed for Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore which prompted an unexpected sensory overload. Full of renaissance art, sculture, marbled tiled floors, elaborate high vaulted ceilings the Basisical had enough frescos to keep an art historian in a state of rapture for quite a long time! 

Although small in size compared to some churches we had visited the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore more than packed a punch in terms of impact and artistic beauty and I was wowed with the beauty all around.

Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore

Eventually after a ibt more rambling (without any particular objective in mind)  through timeless streets we needed to sort out some practicalities. The time had come for us to check into our hotel, a rather upmarket place - our one night of relative luxury on the trip. In the car park I parked behind a Ferrari...that would cost c £300,000 to buy - second hand. 

Nice to look at...but think of the insurance!

Check in wet smoothly and we had been allocated a spacious and wonderfully air conditioned room. After settling in we headed back up to the old town, again using the funicular, and wandered through the streets in search of somewhere to eat. We settled on a osteria, where the chef/owner was engaged in making a video - presumably for social media, to promote his culinary expertise. The food was very good, traditional and packed full of flavour. I had polenta again but this was a coarser version and very tasty.

We opted to return to our hotel on foot, walking through the elegant Porta San Giacomo, a white marbled gate than sits on part of the old city walls and then across a viaduct that led onto cobbled steps down to the lower part of Bergamo. The descent started gradually before becoming steeper - and we popped out not far from our hotel but conveniently close to another gelataria. Before descending we had enjoyed some panoramic views to the south and gained a good sense of how the city had expanded over time into the plains below.

Porta San Giacomo

Next morning we were due to check out from our hotel,but before we handed back our room key we enjoyed a feast. The hotel buffet breakfast was excellent. There was so much choice and quality wasn't sacrificed for quantity so we ate well before spending a final hour in Bergamo, exploring the lower town. Although much more modern, Bergamo Basso has some elegant 19th century buildings. The Italian opera composer Donizetti was from Bergamo and a grand theatre is named after him, adjacent to many other lovely 19th century buildings, centred around the Porta Nuova.

Bergamo Basso

It was now time to start driving again. We were heading towards one of Italy's most famous lakes: Como. We would have a few days to explore some of the towns and villages on Lake Como, so we headed off once more for some new sights and our new temporary abode in the lakeside town of Dervio.