Bergamo

Bergamo riflessa

2007-03-14T00:16:00.001-04:00

Bergamo riflessa
Originally uploaded by simone24.

Another beautiful Bergamo photo by Simone24. This is a church tower through an ice covered window.

City In The Mist

2007-03-02T03:33:00.000-05:00

The bell towers of the citta alta poke through the mist on a Bergamo morning.

Riflessi

2007-01-06T23:56:00.000-05:00

Riflessi
Originally uploaded by simone24.

A very beautiful photo of Bergamo. I don't think that it needs words.

One Way To The Old City

2006-12-29T22:39:00.000-05:00

Photo Courtesy Christina Pereira

As mentioned earlier, Bergamo consists of the citta bassa, or low city, and the citta alta, the higher and older part of the city.
You can walk up, take a bus, or drive up - but the streets are very narrow in the old high city.
So, an alternative is to take the funicular, or "cog" railway. To climb up the tracks there is a toothed wheel under the train that helps the train crawl up and down the track.

Hill Town

2006-12-27T01:49:00.000-05:00

One of the favorite sites for any tourist in Italy, a hill town.

Bergamo's Venetian Heritage

2006-11-27T18:07:00.000-05:00

This beautiful oil on canvas is by Franceso Guardi. It is titled, Rio dei Mendicanti, and hangs in Bergamo's Accademia Carrera gallery. Although Bergamo is in North Central Italy, it was once part of Venice as the post with the lions states. The heritage is still strong in the art and architecture of Bergamo.

James Joyce In Trieste

2006-09-08T20:38:00.000-04:00

The top picture is of a statue of Joyce on a bridge in Trieste. Below that is the apartment buiding where he lived on the second floor.

Trieste was one of my favorite cities. It was very mellow, a bit on the rainy side - when we were there, anyway. And the people were very nice. It was almost like visiting another country - it had an eastern european flavor to it. That's why I ended up there, I had never been to a communist country and I wanted to visit one - Yugoslavia was still in existence then. The stories of Trieste being a city of spies was too much to pass up.
What I didn't know was that it was home to James Joyce for alnost 10 years and that the first episode of "Ulysses" was written there

Bergamo To Trieste Map

2006-08-17T21:02:00.000-04:00

The Lecco Arm of Lake Como

2006-08-17T19:50:00.000-04:00

A New Post

2006-08-12T22:20:00.000-04:00

It's been awhile since I've posted to this blog - for some time I was working on
the Hemingway's Paris one.
That was coming along ok, but it was time to just say hello to anyone who is
agoraphobic, and that's why they're visiting this site.
Things have been rough lately, I'm getting evicted and it looks like I'll be
living in a shelter or on the streets until I can get on a high-rise waiting list.
The main problem is I've hundreds of books, that's how I educated myself when I
was housebound. I have to find some way to store the books, but that's expensive and
requires renting a truck, finding or buying boxes, ets. A real pain!
I have two more weeeks, so I'll check in again before I have no place to plug in
the computer - too bad I don't have a laptop!

More Color, The Lake District

2006-07-02T08:54:00.000-04:00

This looks like Lago de Garda to me, but it could be Lake Como.
With Lecco, Maggiore, and Lago d' Iseo making up the rest
of the major lakes (lagos) in the lake district.

Some Color Is Needed

2006-07-02T03:47:00.000-04:00

After my black and white pics, I think this blog needs some color.
This is a Swiss village. We spent a day in Switzerland; just took a
train from Milan to one of the first border crossings and got out to
look around. Everybody remarks on how clean the Swiss are - they
are extremely clean! They dust the dust, I think.
Strangely, we had to empty our pockets to satisfy the policeman at
the border. He looked at everything; my backback, how much money
we had, and lots of questions on what we were doing there.
Entering Yugoslvia was nothing compared to Switzerland!

Milan Train Track Maze

2006-07-01T11:34:00.000-04:00

Coming into the outskirts of Milan by train.
There is a maze of tracks coming from all directions heading into the station. It's especially nice when you can lean out the train window and snap a picture.

A Lot To See

2006-06-29T04:49:00.000-04:00

One of the first things that we learned about our trip was that there was a lot to see in such a beautiful country and just three weeks to get it done. We were going to go it alone - no tours groups. We made out fine, as it turned out.

Rushing wasn't going to help - we'd miss out on all those great little discoveries up an alleyway or down a dirt road, or that train to a town just an hour away and towards the mountains. So, we decided to limit ourselves to the north with Rome as the southern limit - coastal Tuscany (Pisa) as our western boundary, then Trieste to the east. There were modifications of course, there was nothing rigid about the plan. We went to Slovenia (still Yugoslavia, then), and Switzerland on day trips.

Always there was that amazing train system (to someone from Rhode Island, anyway). If we missed a train, there was usually one leaving soon to a town near the one we wanted to get to. So, there'd be a little exploration while we waited for the proper connection.

And always plenty of walking - most of it up or down a hill, but even that was great considering how flat Rhode Island is. Lots of sun, not too hot (we went in June), and no unbearable humidity. That was a surprise to me, considering we were surrounded by the sea, and warm days and cool nights are not normal in summer in Rhode Island. It tends to get very uncomfortable here in the summer.

We had enough rain to keep things interesting - how to stay dry and still get around on foot. But it was nice to have a good thunderstorm to break up the pattern.

By the time we got home we were very tanned and very healthy.

The Piazza Vecchia In The Old City

2006-06-26T07:15:00.000-04:00

This really gives a flavor of the old city - the medievil architectural style - the statues and columns. The fountains, too, of course. These are as plentiful as bell towers in Italy.
Notice the lions, including inlaid into the top center front of the center building. Bergamo was once part of Venice whose symbol is the lion.

Map Of Lecco and Bergamo

2006-06-21T04:25:00.000-04:00

Bergamo is just to the right of center on this map. Lecco - and Lake Lecco are at the top left. Lake Lecco is actaully an extension of Lake Como, a world famous resort for the wealthy. Many top celebrities have homes along the lakeshore.

Lake Lecco

2006-06-18T02:16:00.000-04:00

On our first trip out alone, my companion and I went to the train station and bought a ticket for the next train leaving. It was going to Lecco and we had no idea what was there - we just knew that it was a one hour trip. So, we figured it wouldn't be too much time wasted if we just turned around and came back.

We started to see cliffs rising steeply - almost vertically - on each side of the tracks as we got about halfway there. It was very impressive for someone from Rhode Island which is a very flat state. There were grape vines everywhere, too, and cows in the fields.

One of the joys of the Italian trains was the ability to slide down the window and get a great view of the terrain from your compartment.

Lecco was a small town - we arrived about dusk. There was a wooden train station if I remember right - a few small shops and a cafe. We went into the cafe for a coffee and to call our hosts in Bergamo. That was our first exposure to "pips" and the tones the phone made as you were running out of time to put the pips in. The hostess was extremely helpful, as were most people that we ran into in Italy.

It was dark by the time we found the shoreline of the lake. Boats were tied up at small docks, and lights shone across the lake from the houses on the other side. Nobody seemed to be out doing any fishing - it was almost pure silence and peace at the lake.

We took the last train to Bergamo after another coffee in the cafe and saying goodnight to our new friends there.

Cute Drawing Of The Old City

2006-06-17T02:40:00.000-04:00

This is a drawing of the old city - the high city (citta' alta). It is a walled city; the walls are for fortification - to fend off attackers. Bergamo was part of Venice in those days.

Travelling Cheaply

2006-06-13T22:04:00.000-04:00

One of the things we learned when we decided to "leave the nest" of our host's apartment was "pensionnes." These are low-cost lodgings, like a boarding house, that were popular with retirees getting by on a small pension.
Hence the name, pensionne.

Our travel guide - "Let's Go Italy," gave the best for each town and we never ran into a bad one. We always got a bathroom in the room - not shared - and I doubt if we ever paid more than $25. a night.

We would stay in a new town for anywhere from one day to three or four, depending on how much there was to see. Florence, for instance, merited three days, Rome four, and Venice just one and a half because of the expense and it was raining the whole time.

Then we would hop on a train - say from Milan to Florence. That was about seven hours if I remember right. We'd leave at night and we'd sleep on the train. Always second class, and that was always fine - no problems or discomfort. Comfortable enough to sleep, anyway. That's what counted; this would save the money of a night at a pensionne. This obviously worked for the longer journeys but we had many all night trips. Just about every third night or so. When we pulled into the next destination, we'd leave the bags in a locker at the train station and see which pensionne had a vacancy and if we liked the way it looked. If the place was decent, and the owner friendly, we'd end up staying there. After booking a room I'd go get the bags and head back to the pensionne for a shower.

Sleeping on the train saved us money for a good meal and, generally the ticket money to the next town.

Seriate

2006-06-10T00:37:00.000-04:00

My companion and I stayed with friends in a small town just outside of Bergamo, called Seriate.

If it has taken second-billing so far, it is because it seemed to just be an extension of Bergamo. Not a separate municipality, although, it is of course. It just seemed like another set of apartments and streets radiating out from Bergamo's citta' bassa. The shops, stores, and restaurants all seemed to be a short walk away in Bergamo. ( At least it seems like a short walk in my memory!)

There was more distance between the buildings though, as you got further away from Bergamo. It was spreading out a bit. Not becoming rural yet, but there were more open spaces and a gorgeous river, roaring over rocks and flowing under a bridge, a cafe on the bank and a church with the obligatory bells just past the bridge. A bit of wilderness just across the street from where we were staying.

As an American, I was amazed at how everything seemed to be made of stone and so little made of wood. In my home town of Providence, Rhode Island, we had wooden "tenements" - wooden apartment houses, usually three stories ( floors) tall with a porch for each floor. All seemed to be made from the same plans.
The only stone or brick houses were in the more affluent parts of the state.

I don't think that I saw a wooden house until we went into the pre-Alps, up in the foothills of the Alps, where there was cafe in a log cabin, surrounded by pine trees. We were in Teutonic Italy then, and you could see, hear and almost feel the German and Austrian heritage and tradition.

Campaniles, or Bell Towers Everywhere

2006-06-01T02:22:00.000-04:00

One of the most chaming things about my trip to Italy was the daily ringing of the church bells. This happened many times a day from many churches at the same time. All very glorious to a tourist that doesn't experience this at home. The bell towers are called campaniles (camp an ee lay).

Where Bergamo Is In Relation To Milan

2006-05-30T22:41:00.000-04:00

How To Get Back?

2006-05-28T01:13:00.000-04:00

For many years now the question has been - how do I get back?

With the agoraphobia, I'm considered disabled and there's not much money in that!

I've thought of going to Ireland (I should have enough money to get there) and figure out a way to find food and shelter while I also try and figure out how to get over to mainland europe.

I have to get the agoraphobia a little more under control. Hypnotherapy is the cure du jour for me right now. No guaranty that will work but it would be great to cut down on the medication.

As a former journalist and photographer it would be fabulous to be able to work on a travel film of Italy (or anyplace for that matter)! That would get me there and provide me with an income and a way to eat every day.
Lots of daydreams!

Getting Around

2006-05-24T00:31:00.000-04:00

Walking is probably the best way to see and enjoy the city ( and all of the towns and cities in Italy, in my opinion).

The city is divided into two parts: The low city (citta bassa) and the high city (citta alta).
The high city is the older part of town - an old fortress, actually; built to fend off attackers. It is a walled city, looking like a castle on a hill.

The low city is more modern, but by no means lacking in old world charm. It just isn't centuries old like the high city.

The two parts of town are connected by a funicular - a train that goes up a steep hill making its way up and down by a geared wheel under the engine engaging a "cog" track.

Once in the high city, the streets are very narrow; probably originally meant to accomodate only horses and pedestrians. So, getting around is best accomplished by walking or scooter (which are in abundance all over Italy). It's a very tight squeeze for a car - even the small "minis" of europe.

Bergamo

2006-05-21T19:14:00.000-04:00

If you have never been to Bergamo, it is about a one hour train trip east of Milan.

It is in the Lombardy section of Italy - northern Italy. You can see the Alps (or - pre-Alps) from the city. There was still snow visible on the peaks in June when I went there.The trains, by the way are great. You can connect to just about anywhere from Bergamo and changing Trains in Milan.

Travels of an agoraphobic

2006-05-20T23:13:00.000-04:00

My first scribblings in a blog - I hope it works out. Let me know with comments.

I am agoraphobic. That means a fear of travel. Actually, a fear of leaving the house, not just travelling. But, I was able (with medication), to travel to Italy in the 1980's and it was wonderful.

Amazingly, almost all of my fears disappeared when I was in Italy. I was happy for the first time in a long time. I barely needed medication. That in itself is a minor miracle. I never had such a good time and I'm dying to go back.

That's what this will be about - this blog will be about; getting back to Italy and Bergamo. Bergamo is the city where I spent a lot of time, kind of our "base camp." My travel companion had friends there; that was the reason for the trip, she had been invited by her friends to visit. I was asked to come along as a kind of chaperone.
I had never been outside of the USA, and I fell in love with Italy. Especially Bergamo.

I keep thinking about it, thinking about how to get back there. To feel the same sense of peace and wonder that I felt the first and only time that I traveled to Bergamo.

I'll try to explain it but maybe you have to be agoraphobic to understand. I hope not.