Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
IN SEARCH OF LORENZO LOTTO
One of the great names of the late Venetian Renaissance, Lorenzo Lotto worked for 12 years in and around Ber-
gamo from 1513. Today, three of his works remain in situ in three churches scattered about the city. Seeing them
is largely a matter of luck, as finding these churches open is hit-or-miss. Just off Via Porta Dipinta at the eastern
end of the Città Alta (Upper Town), the diminutive
Chiesa di San Michele al Pozzo
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
(St
Michael at the Well; Via Porta Dipinta, Città Alta; 9am-5pm) is home to a chapel filled with a cycle of paint-
ings known as the
Storie della Vergine
(Stories of the Virgin), starting with her birth and culminating with the
scene of her visiting Elisabeth (her cousin and soon-to-be mother of St John the Baptist). In two churches in the
Città Bassa (Lower Town), the
Chiesa del Santo Spirito
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
(Church of the Holy Spirit; Via
how Lotto treats the same subject in quite different fashion in altarpieces dedicated to the
Madonna in trono e
santi
(The Madonna Enthroned with Saints). The latter is done with great flair and freedom, full of vivid colour,
while the former seems more subdued.
Tours
Guide Turistiche Città di Bergamo
(
TOUR
035 24 95 53;
www.bergamoguide.it
)
Half- and full-day tours of Bergamo and further afield.
Eating
Il Fornaio
PIZZA BY SLICE, BAKERY
€
(Via Bartolomeo Colleoni 1; pizza slices €1.10-2; 8am-8pm Mon-Sat, 7.30am-8pm Sun; )
Bergamo's best
coffee is part of the attraction here, but we also love it for the large and steaming-hot pizza
slices that are packed with ingredients - the seafood variety has more on it than entire piz-
zas served in many restaurants.
Polentone
ITALIAN
€
( 348 804 60 21; Piazza Mercato delle Scarpe 1, Città Alta; meals €10-15; 11.30am-3.30pm & 6-9.30pm Mon-
Thu, 11.30am-3.30pm & 6pm-1am Fri, 11.30am-1am Sat, 11.30am-9pm Sun)
Styling itself as Italy's first
polenta take-away (although it's more street food to be eaten nearby than true take-away),
Polentone serves up steaming bowls of polenta in the sauce of your choice (including wild
boar, venison and other unusual tastes). Choose between
gialla
(simple, corn polenta) or
