A day in Bergamo: art, history and good food in Donizetti's city

One hundred chimes from the bell of the civic tower that at ten in the evening announce the closing of the gates of the Venetian walls: it looks like a scene from a costume film, but these are emotions we can all experience visiting Bergamo. Even though today, with no enemy attacks to fear, the gates obviously stay open, for the rest, in the Città Alta the atmosphere is that of centuries ago. Indeed, Bergamo is one of the five Italian cities whose historic centre has remained completely surrounded by its walls, which have kept their appearance almost unchanged through the centuries. The foreign tourists who crowd the upper centre often believe that the city's toponym, known in Roman times as Bergomum, derives from the Germanic “berg”, meaning “mountain”, a theory however not supported by scholarship.

We reach the Città Alta by the funicular that from the Città Bassa, the modern city, takes us, to the delight of the women in the group, straight to Piazza Mercato delle Scarpe. From there we follow one of the alleys winding upwards to reach the Rocca, built from 1331 on the Sant'Eufemia hill. We discover that it was further fortified by the Visconti to counter Venice, which would in any case succeed them in ruling the city in 1428. Today, instead, it's the gaze of tourists that can dominate the city: from a wide terrace we can take in a breathtaking view, with all Bergamo's towers rising above the houses of the historic quarter, from which the hills of the Orobie Prealps are clearly visible too. A place that enchants and inspires artists too, first among them the illustrious composer Gaetano Donizetti, born in Bergamo in 1797.

Torquato Tasso, on the other hand, dedicated a beautiful sonnet to the city, praising its natural beauty. From the Rocca we descend again into the heart of the Città Alta, reaching Piazza Vecchia, overlooked by the Torre Civica, where several splendid palaces stand, including the Palazzo della Ragione. On the south side of the square you're left open-mouthed: wherever you look, you see an architectural masterpiece of rare beauty. The Duomo, dedicated to the city's patron Saint Alexander, was built from 1459 on the site of a previous religious building, itself erected on the remains of an early Christian church. A short distance away stands the splendid Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, which, besides numerous important works of art, also preserves Donizetti's tomb.

Leaning against the basilica is the Renaissance Cappella Colleoni, and a few steps away the 14th-century Baptistery, originally placed in the central nave of the basilica. After this lovely walk, we decide to stop for dinner in one of the most historic quarters, Borgo Palazzo, at the Ristorante Balicco, set inside a characteristic 19th-century courtyard just a stone's throw from the centre. Where travellers once stopped to rest their horses and refresh themselves with a plate of tripe or salt cod, today there is an elegant yet warm and welcoming restaurant, where you can spend pleasant evenings in company away from the city's frenzy. Welcoming us with great kindness is Mrs Daniela Donda, who has run the place since last March together with her long-time business partner Luigi Palamini, the chef.

“Under our management the restaurant has returned to Bergamasque hands and, along with new customers, those who were our loyal guests at our previous restaurant, the Museo di Castione della Presolana, which we ran for twenty years, are following us too. It was called “museum” because it was next to an old mill with its original millstones,” Mrs Daniela tells us as we take our seats. The light colours of the dining room enhance the sunny tones of the paintings in the temporary exhibition we admire on the walls, and which can also be bought. Art slips pleasantly among our dishes too, thanks to small painter's easels placed on the tables with a miniature of one of the exhibited works.

Our dinner, in the name of traditional flavours that form a perfect match with the chef's innovative imagination, begins with a rich appetiser of typical products such as strachitund cheese in a leek leaf on a Grana zabaione, and the soft little polenta with Balicco salt cod. We also taste an exquisite mixed game charcuterie, including venison and wild boar ham, with toasted bread and butter, but the duck foie gras terrine on potatoes and Tropea onions with a passito sauce is much liked too. Part of our group chooses the “Terra bergamasca” tasting menu, which, besides the mixed charcuterie, includes scarpinòcc dé par, venison morsels in Valcalepio rosso with polenta, and cheeses from the Bergamasque valleys.

Continuing with the specialities on the menu, we have the pleasure of tasting one of the restaurant's most-requested dishes since the days of the “Museo”: homemade tagliolini (like all the fresh pasta), in a black sauce with black truffle. The black wholemeal Venus rice with saffron pistil sauce is a great success too, while among the other first courses, which vary with the seasons, we taste fettuccine, cinnamon ravioloni in red wine sauce and potato gnocchi with walnuts and “formai de mut” cream. We wash down these delights with excellent wines chosen from over 220 labels on the rich wine list, selected with an eye to the Valcalepio area. Among the succulent meat dishes we choose the rack of lamb with aromatic herbs, potatoes and mushrooms, and the venison medallion in brandy and saffron pistils with spinach in extra virgin olive oil.

We also taste a typical speciality that homemakers once prepared too: the fancy of snails with polenta, stewed, out of the shell, in three different ways. Our “aquatic” friends, on the other hand, can't resist the monkfish cheeks in a Brut sparkling wine cream and the fresh tagliolini with lobster. A rich platter of assorted cheeses from the Valleys, and beyond, accompanied by honey and jams, delightfully opens the way to the sweet epilogue of our dinner, which sees us enjoy tasty homemade desserts, including the cold eucalyptus honey cream with a creamy centre and strawberries, the chestnut and white chocolate mousse with glazed chestnuts, and the orange and pumpkin soup with green apple sorbet.

There's still much to discover in this beautiful city, and it will be a real pleasure to return here both for new dinners in the name of tradition and creativity, and for parties and events to be organised in the Balicco's large dining room, or for outdoor evenings in the warm season.

Francesca Bertha

FOR INFORMATION:

Ristorante Balicco Via Borgo Palazzo, 18 Tel.: 035/238593