Stroll along Bergamo's ‘street of the walls’

The Città Alta's imposing walls

Viale delle Mura -- the street of the walls -- is a beautiful tree-lined avenue that runs along the sides of Bergamo’s fortified Città Alta (upper town).

It is interesting to walk around the entire span of the walls that separate the Città Alta from the Città Bassa (lower town) if you have the time.

And as you go along Viale delle Mura you can occasionally pause to sit on one of the benches and enjoy the stunning views over the Città Bassa.

You can join Viale delle Mura after going through Porta Sant’Agostino to enter the Città Alta and walk along the first section enjoying the spectacular views.

If you leave Viale delle Mura and go into the Città Alta at Porta San Giacomo, you can walk up to Piazza Mercato delle Scarpe and then up Via Gombito to Piazza Vecchia.

Or, if you continue to walk along the rest of Viale delle Mura you will reach an area of open space called Colle Aperto near Porta Sant’Alessandro.

From there you can go through Piazza Cittadella and walk down Via Colleoni to reach Piazza Vecchia.

A walk along Viale delle Mura also gives you the opportunity to examine the magnificent 16th century walls at close quarters.

You can’t help but admire the complexity of the construction, which was a monumental achievement by the Venetian occupiers and rulers of Bergamo .

Benches offer a chance to enjoy the views

But records show that many people’s houses were demolished to make way for the walls and dramatic scenes must have taken place while they were being built.

Bergamo already had protective walls that dated back to Roman times, which had been rebuilt and repaired over the centuries. In medieval times the walls were extended and during Venice’s first conquest in the 15th century they were improved still further.

But it was the walls that were built from 1561 onwards and still stand today that visitors marvel at because of their size and grandeur.

See Best of Bergamo’s updated Flights Guide

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