Two enchanted cities?

by Chris Johnson. Published Fri 13 Mar 2009 18:53
Bergamo - enchanting

I've been playing "catch-up" all week after I returned from a long weekend in Northern Italy.

Ask anyone who knows me and they'll tell you that I am a real Italiophile and our most recent stay only served to confirm my devotion to that beautiful country and its charming (though sometimes crazy) inhabitants.

Ryanair fly to Milan (Bergamo)... and if you take a tip from me you will stay in Bergamo and give Milan a miss, more often than not.

Don't get me wrong, Milan his its attractions. The cathedral (il duomo) is magnificent (including the facade when it is not covered in scaffolding!) And Leonardo's "Last Supper" is one of those works of art that you have to see at least once in a lifetime - and be warned you need to book in advance to get in to see it at "Il Cenacolo".

But we have "done" Milan a couple of times before, so we stayed near Bergamo, at the Hotel Executive in the suburb of San Paulo d'Argon, to immerse ourselves in the authentic, off the beaten track, Italy.

One of the great things about the internet is that it has made a reality of the "global village" concept in a way that television never could. Before we travelled I was able to check-out what was happening in Bergamo on the Saturday night and found the web site of a tiny jazz club that we have visited twice before.

The Club Paprika in Dalmine www.paprikajazz.it is a gem with a great, intimate atmosphere. We were given a very warm welcome and the best table in the house, right in front of the stage. The food and wine were superb and to cap it all the act on stage happened to be an excellent Beatles tribute band "Abbey Road". They are wonderful musicians and their Italian accents threw a whole new light on the music of the Fab Four! Be warned, the web site is in Italian only, but if you click on "Conttataci" (contact us) the delightful owner/manager Marco will get back to you in English.

Bergamo is a truly enchanting city. It traces its routes back to a celtic - yes celtic! - settlement in about 600 BC but was probably inhabited long before that. The Città Alta (High City) is a real gem - a medieval walled city crowned with domes and towers and the Baroque ceiling of its main church of Santa Maria Maggiore is a treasure in its own right.

I could write a book about Bergamo, but I will refrain from that and simply say that, of the places that are two hour's travel away from Liverpool, it is top of my list for a return trip - and that includes Venice - simply because it is such wonderful value for money and we seem to discover something new each time we visit.

* Back here Liverpool has been enchanted by the fashionistas. And top marks to the organisers of Liverpool Fashion Week. They have really started to put this city on the map in a very real way. The best things are that it feeds into the economy, is not a flash-in-the-pan like the MTV Awards, and with a bit of luck, who knows where it might lead?

Also, I'd like to congratulate the team from Click Liverpool - writers and photographers - who have provided excellent coverage and a really great insight into Fashion Week for our growing army of readers. Well done everyone!




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