Bergamo, Lombardy (Italy)
According to ETAIZHOU.INFO, Bergamo is located 40 km northeast of Milan at the foot of the Alps. It was founded in the 6th-5th centuries BC. Celtic tribes and was called Bergomum. In the 1st century BC. the Romans captured the city. During the Roman Empire, it was surrounded by fortified walls. In the period from the 15th to the 18th century, Bergamo was part of the Venetian Republic, it was at this time that the city acquired most of its famous buildings.
The old town of Bergamo, or as it is called the “Upper Town”, is located on a hill 380 m high, which can be reached by funicular. The local fortress walls, rebuilt from Roman fortifications, cobbled streets and Renaissance buildings take visitors back to the Middle Ages. The center of the “Upper City” is Piazza Vecchia, on which the Council Palace (Palazzo della Raggioni) of the 12th century with figures of lions reminiscent of the Venetian era, the Palazzo Nuovo Palace of the 17th century, which now houses the city library, and the tower Torre del Campagnone, on which is heard daily at 10 pm “Evening bells”. Piazza Vecchia is adjacent to Piazza Duomo, the religious center of the city. The 17th-century Baroque Cathedral, the 12th-century Romanesque church of Santa Maria Maggiore, and the Renaissance Colleoni Chapel stand here. La Rocca Castle is located in the western part of the Old Town14th century, built by one of the Visconti dukes. Today, there are two museums here: the Archaeological Museum and the Museum of Natural Sciences. In addition, in the historical part of Bergamo, it is worth visiting the Museum of the History of the City, the Donizetti Museum, dedicated to the outstanding composer Gaetano Donizetti, a native of Bergamo, and the Lorenzo Rota Botanical Gardens, where about 900 species of Alpine, Lombard and exotic plants are presented.
The modern part of Bregamo – “Lower City” – is famous for its wide boulevards, hotels, shops, restaurants and bars. The main attraction of the “Lower City” is the Accademia Carrara, containing one of the best Italian art galleries. Its collection is represented by 1800 canvases of the 15th-19th centuries (among them the works of Pisanello, Botticelli, Bellini, Mategna, Rafael Santi, Moroni, Bashenis, Galgario, Tiepolo, Canaletto and Picio), works of Italian and foreign masters of the 20th century (Bocioni, Balla, Morandi, Campigli, Casorati, Savigno, De Quihiro, Kandinsky, Sutherland and Manzu), as well as drawings, engravings, sculptures, porcelain and period furniture. In addition, at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, an art school was opened at the Carrara Academy – now the Academy of Fine Arts.
North of Bergamo the Orobian Alps (Bergamon Alps) stretch. In the local valleys there are numerous ski resorts, where holidays will cost you much cheaper than in other regions of Italy. In the Val Brembana valley there is the Bremboski ski area with 120 km of ski slopes. Its center is the Foppolo resort – one of the smallest ski resorts in Italy.
The northern slopes of the Orobian Alps descend to the vast Valtellina mountain valley., which stretches from the western to the eastern borders of Lombardy along the Adda River. The valley is famous for its landscapes with glaciers, alpine rivers, lakes, meadows, orchards and vineyards, numerous hiking trails and historical monuments. The center of the valley is the town of Sondrio . In the northeastern part of Valtellina is the famous Alta Valtellina ski region, which includes such world-famous resorts as Bormio , Santa Caterina , Valdidentro and Livigno . Lake Iseo is located 20 km east of Bergamo.. This is a small foothill lake with an area of 65 sq. km. The main attraction of the lake is its nature: the picturesque foothills of the Alps, rocky shores, which are rarely seen in southern Europe, and lush vegetation. The tiny lake is more suitable for a short rest, mostly Italians who are tired of the working week rest here. Interesting excursions are offered on the lake, including cruises, and steady winds blowing from the mountain slopes allow windsurfing and sailing. There are not so many places to stay on the lake, the most suitable city where you can stay is the city of the same name Iseo .
Boario Terme, Lombardy (Italy)
The spa resort of Boario Terme is located in the picturesque Val Camonica valley near Lake Iseo in the Lombardy region. The famous alchemist Paracelsus wrote about the healing properties of the local waters in 1497.
The resort is equipped on the basis of 4 sources of mineral waters (bicarbonate-sulfate calcium-magnesium waters) with temperatures up to +15 degrees. With their help, diseases of the cardiovascular and digestive systems, as well as the liver and gall bladder are treated. The local mineral waters are used for drinking cures, inhalations, baths and irrigation. In addition, at the Boario Terme Spa offers various types of massages, mud wraps, baths, saunas, swimming pools, showers, salt rooms, relaxation rooms, a fitness center and a beauty salon with aesthetic treatments. The spa center is surrounded by a vast park with centuries-old trees, among which there are walking and cycling paths. The park has a botanical garden, concert venues, Adventure Park, mini-golf course, tennis courts and a restaurant. Of the sights of the city itself, one can single out the Archaeological Park – a copy of the Neolithic settlement, where the main activities of people of those times are presented, and several rock art parks, where rock paintings dating back to the Neolithic era have been preserved.
