Bergamo, a Northern Italian treasure

You know that thing when you book flights with Ryanair because it’s cheap and then you look at your ticket and think… hang on? Where the hell is that? I thought I was going to such and such a place. Yeah, that.

In January Vicky and I headed out to Milan for a long weekend. Well, I say Milan but we actually flew to Bergamo. Bergawhere? Bergamo. And for once, despite Ryanair’s best intentions in pulling the wool over our eyes, that was our intended destination.

Where do I find Bergamo?

Bergamo is 25km-ish north-west of Milan and a hell of a lot cheaper. After a little research and having seen pictures of it on google, we knew this city with medieval roots was where we wanted to be. Bergamo is a gorgeous place, split into the Città Alta (surrounded by Venetian walls and accessible by steep winding streets and a funicular railway) and Città Bassa at the top and bottom of a big old hill.

I’m not going to sit here and tell you about all the cool touristy stuff there is to do. That’s not what I do and there are plenty of other places to find that kind of information. I’m focusing on two things. The Food. And the drink. Let’s get started.

The food

Whilst Italy can be expensive, we found that there was some reasonably priced and delicious food to be had, especially in the Citta Bassa, although let’s be honest, we all want to eat in the pretty medieval old town in old buildings with vaulted ceilings and arched windows.

Pizza

If pizza is your thing, you’ll probably be interested to know that this area of Italy has thick-based roman style pizza (as well as the more usual thin crust variety). It’s known as Pizza Romana and has a thick, deep bready base. Personally, I prefer a thin, charred crust but it was interesting to try.

On our first night there, we had one as part of our meal at Pasticceria Donizetti Caffé. Surprisingly, it was on a white based, topped with thick sliced salmon, taleggio and artichokes. The flavours were good and salty but for me, it just wasn’t quite right. I want my pizza oozing with garlicky tomato sauce and melty-stretchy mozzarella. Still, you have to try these things right?

Polenta

Lombardy is also known for its polenta and polenta tarangna is a Bergamo speciality. In fact, the people of Bergamo love polenta so much (or so it seems) that where we might have a late night Gregg’s, Maccy D’s or greasy kebab, they have a late night Polenta takeaway! Sadly we didn’t make it there but maybe next time!

We did, however, try polenta tarangna – at the same time as our thick-based pizza (see above) and it was delicious but very heavy. It’s made with buckwheat flour as well as cornmeal which makes it darker than other polenta you may have had (which tends to be quite yellow) and is usually flavoured with a hard cheese such as parmesan or, in the Bergamo region, Branzi, which has the same flavour characteristics as alpine cheeses like Emmenthal and Fontina. Ours also had sage and wholegrain mustard in it.

Snacks

I always forget that when you order drinks in Italy, you also get snacks or aperitivo. Oh there are the places with the cheap jarred olives and slightly soft salty crisps but if you look, there are also the places doing the most amazing aperitivo too. We had some fantastic ‘snacks’ with our pre-dinner drinks and in some cases, wondered what we were doing going for dinner afterwards, having already eaten so well!

Try Ristorante Lalimentari on the Piazza Vecchia for a delicious glass of prosecco and the best aperitivo I’ve ever had. As well as nuts and breadsticks we had cheese, cured meats and a delicious green salsa verde on little salted bruchetta. We also enjoyed the cured meat bruchetta on offer at Ca del Fasà, on the main stretch of the old town. The had a good selection of belgian and austrian beers as well as the best aperol spritz and negronis.

Make sure you pay a visit to the Pasticceria Cavour Caffeteria on the main street running through the Città Alta. You can’t miss it, its on the right-hand side on the way to the Piazza Vecchia. There are lots of things you will want to buy here. I brought handmade spaghetti and dry polenta back with me. What you need to buy and eat immediately though, is a selection of their pastries.

I loved the sfogliatine, a glazed puff pastry horn filled with crema al latte. And, at 0,60€ a piece, I’ll jsut let you imagine how many we got through over those three days!

Osso Bucco

This braised veal shank dish is well known across Italy and beyond but it actually originates right here in Lombardy so it was only right that I tried it out whilst I was in Bergamo. This example, from Ristorante DaMimmo in the old town was incredible.  Rich, earthy and very filling, especially with such a large portion of its traditional accompaniment risotto alla milanese along side! In fact, I ended up taking this away in a doggy bag which I ate at the airport the following morning (much to the surprise of the people around me!).

If you’re looking for a traditional place full of locals in the Città Alta, I would definitely recommend DaMimmo. It’s a family run restaurant which has been open since 1956 (specialising first and foremost in pizza) and they also have a more casual place just across the road too! We loved it for their traditional feel, smart waiters, heavy drapes and tablecloths.

Pasta

You can’t go to Italy and not eat pasta. I’m pretty sure it’s against the law. For a cheap and delicious lunch or dinner, head into the Citta Bassa and go to Zero Bakery. Ignore the name, this place is a bakery/cafe and their hot meal options from a daily changing and handwritten menus are lovely. Simple and full of flavour.

This bowl of pasta alla norma was really good with just the right levels of seasoning and, as is often the case in Italy, it wasn’t drowning in sauce. Additional bonus points for this being super cheap, under $6 from memory. Below, is another excellent bowl of pasta which we ate during our meal at DaMimmo. A very traditional ragu (beef and pork mix) with tagliatelle.

The drinks

Positioned as it is in the northern part of Italy, not far from Germany and Belgium, it’s not surprising that there is quite a lot of beer in Bergamo. Aside from bright, bubbly lagers, beer isn’t something I tend to associate with Italy but actually, we found that a lot of the bars had a range of ales and beers on tap.

Beer aside, you obviously can’t go to Italy without quaffing at least 3-4 glasses of Prosecco a day. And that’s being conservative. At around €5 a glass, the Prosecco we drank in the main square was tastier and a third of the price you’ll pay in Milan and the view was arguably just as pleasant in the January sunshine.

It’s not all about booze of course. We also had excellent coffee and freshly squeezed orange juice too.

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Want to read more about Italy and Italian food? Try these posts:

• Eating and drinking in Garfagnana, Tuscany
• Tuscan Tomato Bruschetta
• Italian Month at Marks and Spencer
• The Greedy Italians: Sausages with Pepper Sauce & Potatoes