Bergamo Surprise

For our last day in Rome, woke at the crack of dawn, caught the 5:30 am Metro (we were old pros at this point), took a bus, and arrived early for our 8:00 flight from Rome to the Bergamo-Milan airport. Upon arriving in Bergamo-Milan, we consulted with the information booth and jumped on a bus for Bergamo. We arrived at the outside of the old city, which is enclosed by a great wall, and took a cable car up the steep hill to the center of town. The steep climb allowed views of the lush countryside and the terracotta roofs on the ancient buildings and houses.

After some pizza, we found the central piazza, which was bordered by ancient and beautiful buildings, a cathedral, and a cafe. We stepped into a church and marveled at the ornately decorated interior. We walked to the corner of the walled city and took another cable car out and up to a castle overlooking the region. After the heavily touristed Venice and Rome, it was refreshing to find at the top of our steep walk up the cobblestone road no entrance fee, no gate, no signs, and not a single other person in sight at the castle. We wandered the empty ancient stone castle and found some narrow and dark steps down into the dungeon. We took in the view from the top of the structure of the green and vast lands. After this unexpected adventure, we headed back to the airport for our flight home.