Travel: Two cities that are Italian masterpieces

The Old and New Cathedrals of Brescia at night.

You might recognise the names Bergamo and Brescia from the first wave of European lockdowns in 2020. Struck hard by the pandemic, they belong to the Italian region of Lombardy, labelled a “red zone” during that difficult period.

Three years on, the cities have transformed their hardship into hope. The neighbours – they’re less than an hour’s drive apart – joined forces to earn the title of Italian Capital of Culture 2023.

Conveniently connected, the two cities are ideal for a twin-centre break. Brescia was known as Brixia by the Romans, and its archaeological sites could easily rival some of the Italian capital’s most popular ancient landmarks.Entering the restored Capitolium of Brixia, there’s a five-minute delay designed to regulate moisture in the air and stop the atmosphere outside contaminating two-thousand-year-old mosaics and statues inside.

After examining a series of inscriptions, I’m confronted with the main event – the Winged Victory, a statue dating back to the 1st Century AD. The figure was found fractured into thousands of pieces and painstakingly pieced together.

The winged female’s empty arms would have held a bronze shield displaying the name of a proud victor, and the discovery of the bronze figure prompted the city to open its first museum in 1830.

Next to the Capitolium, you’ll find the Roman Theatre – but the real showstopper is at the other end of a corridor. New for 2023, the path connects the Capitolium and Roman Theatre to Santa Giulia Museum, which is home to the remains of large Roman villas.

A raised walkway allows me to peer into a pokey 2,000-year-old kitchen, and I’m surprised to discover there wasn’t more room for preparing the lavish banquets associated with the Romans.

I then make my way to La Citta Alta, or Bergamo’s Upper City, as a passenger on a tuk tuk. The driver’s narrow handlebars almost graze the maze of medieval walls around us, while my local city guide narrates on our surroundings. “And if you look to your right, you’ll see where chocolate-chip ice cream was invented,” he says.

That’s all the persuasion I need to head in and try the grandad of gelatos for myself. The Pasticceria, or pastry shop, stands on a winding road with a shaded outdoor area, benches, and an unlit firepit with views of the Atalanta football stadium in the distance.

Travelling between the modern lower town and historic upper town is an event in itself. For locals, the most practical way to get between the two is using the funicolare (funicular). In operation since 1887, the public transport system carries passengers in carriages on a steep incline with views over converted farmhouses and imported palm trees.

The fully pedestrianised upper town oozes old-world charm. Wrought-iron balconies draped in plants are dotted across buildings overlooking piazzas filled with pizzerias and cafes.

Meanwhile, the Church of Santa Maria in the province of Bergamo may look unassuming from the outside, but no trip to the village of Lovere is complete without stepping inside. The towering columns and curved vault are revealed in dramatic fashion as I enter the basilica in darkness.

There’s something about Lombardy’s location at the foot of the Alps that makes the region a gastro goldmine. Bù Cheese BAR is the perfect spot to sample Bergamo’s finest produce. I sample the Formai de Mut, or “mountain cheese”, and the Strachitunt, which my host introduces as the “Father of Gorgonzola”.

If it’s a “sit-down meal” you’re after, Il Colmetto, a few minutes outside Brescia in Rodengo-Saiano, serves a refined menu made from the freshest ingredients, provided by its residents. The 200-plus goats at the back of the sun-drenched restaurant provide everything from ice cream to cheeses and the lightest butter I’ve ever tasted.

P.S.

Donizetti by Night is a series of more than 100 shows celebrating the life of one of Bergamo’s most loved exports, the composer Gaetano Donizetti.

The party is set to spill out on to the streets between June 3-4, and will be followed by the city’s Opera Festival, June 9-10, held across more than 70 venues.