Bergamo

We spent a rainy day in Bergamo on our way from Milan to Florence last year. We'd arrived in Milan by train from Paris and were eager to get settled in a smaller town, so headed 25 miles northeast to Bergamo. The quaint old town, nestled in the surrounding hills, is characterized by its cobblestone streets and the Venetian walls, once part of a defensive system, that encircle it. If you arrive by train in Bergamo, you need to take a bus from the train station to the funicular on the other side of town in order to get from the lower modern city to the old town, or Città Alta, a UNESCO heritage site.

In the line for the funicular that takes you up to the old town. 

We stayed in a BandB run by two brothers on the top floor of this tower.

It was furnished like a museum, and had been in the family for 500 years. 

This is a sundial on the side of the tower where we stayed. 

Piazza Vecchia

Capella Colleoni next to the larger Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore.

Where women once gathered to wash clothes. Set in a lovely square, untouched by time.

Two clock towers that generate a lot of interest in Bergamo. 

Some local ravioli-like specialties, including  Casoncelli and Scarpinotti, shaped like tiny handmade shoes.
I had Scarpinotti di Parre, a famous local dish. The pasta was filled with cheese and herbs, in a sage butter sauce. 

A local famous pastry that we meant to try, but never got around to.  This bird nest cake is made with a light sponge cake filled with hazelnut cream, then rolled in yellow fondant. It's topped with a cluster of baby birds, made of marzipan and chocolate. Looks pretty rich!

I've heard that Bergamo has more to offer, but we were there for a short time, and it was rainy, so we didn't have much time to explore.