BEYOND THE WALLS

l The greatest single must-visit in the lower town is the Accademia Carrara (Piazza dell’Accademia; 00 39 035 399426, www.accademiacarrara.bergamo.it; £1). One of the country’s finest provincial galleries, it provides an admirable trot through Italian art history (indeed, art history in general) in the company of Botticelli, Raphael, Donatello, Pisanello and the rest of the usual suspects. Next door, the Galleria d’Arte Moderna (00 39 035 399528, www.gamec.it; prices vary) has spirited coverage of more recent art in the form of temporary exhibitions. Until February 24 2008, its show, The Future of Futurism (£5), will feature a range of works from Boccioni to Damien Hirst.

l That’s enough culture. Now head along the noble Via Pignolo and Via Torquato Tasso to Piazza Matteotti, the stately central square of chestnut trees, banks, arcades, classy cafe terraces, and a startling statue of a chap hung upside-down by his feet. It commemorates the Italian Resistance movement. There is light, but also dark, in Bergamo.

l From there, you can depart in any direction for shopping, though I would head along Via Crispi towards the Borgo Sant’Alessandro, a district of wriggling streets where honest graft and a degree of subversion seem to be traditional. Note Lunetta’s Space (Via Santa Orsola 18), a hole-in-the-wall wine bar in a tiny backstreet. If you’re not ready for that, Sweet Irene’s (Via Santa Orsola 22a), a couple of doors down, is the only place in Bergamo that sells tea and muffins.

Instant weekend: Bergamo

Rob Kingston gives thanks for those cheap flights that land miles from Milan

• Soak up life on the lakes

• How do I avoid costly airport transfers in Milan?

BACKGROUND

• Getting rid of lumbar pain in a Lombardy spa

• South Tyrol - Italian design appeal

• Soak up life on the Italian lakes

• How do I avoid costly airport transfers in Milan?

• A three-day guide to Lake Como

Rough Guides: best of Italy

To celebrate Rough Guides' 25th anniversary, the publisher has produced a series of 25 guides to great travel

• A Rough Guide: the best of France

• Rough Guides: best of Spain

l The city amply fills a weekend, but if you have more time, Italy’s loveliest lake is to hand. Jump on the train to Lecco (around 40 minutes, £4 return) and you’re at the start of Lake Como. You won’t want to loiter in the town, so either change trains for the onward trip to Varenna (another 35 minutes, an extra £3 return), an unspoilt village that tumbles down to the lake, or, better still, hop on a boat to the town of Bellagio (one-and-a-half hours, £11.20 return). Over the last 300 years, its beauty has been raved about by pretty much every cultured European. It’s time you discovered why.

£3.50 BUYS: An Airport Bus three-day ticket. It gets you to and from the airport and on all urban transport. Buy it at baggage claim. MEAL DEAL: Follow students to Il Fornaio, Via Colleoni 1, where you can buy a slab of pizza to fell a horse for £2.85, then scoff it with them in nearby Piazza Vecchia.

ANCESTRAL VIAGRA: The gates of Cappella Colleoni feature three orbs said to represent the three testicles of 15th-century local hero Bartolomeo Colleoni. Men rub the orbs hoping for increased virility, hence their shine.

TOP OF THE POPES: Pope John XXIII, born here in 1881, was one of history’s most popular pontifs.

WHERE TO STAY

No expense spared

Mercure Bergamo Palazzo Dolci, Viale Papa Giovanni XXIII 100 (00 39 035 227411, www.mercure.com). Although a chain hotel, this is a good one. Behind the old-school pink-ochre palace exterior, contemporary high-service standards rule. It’s no boutique but is utterly reliable, with a handy location for all you need to see. Doubles from £100, B&B.

Hotel Excelsior San Marco, Piazza Repubblica 6 (00 39 035 366111, www.hotelsanmarco.com). Despite a 1960s exterior and 1980s interior, this hotel compensates with space, comfort, a good restaurant and four-star welcome. Just don’t drink the vile sparkling Italian Riesling from the mini bar. Doubles from £104, room only.

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