Left: A sign on the outskirts of Bergamo near Via Zanica
Center left: A sign with Bergamo and Bèrghem written on it as well as UNESCO designation.
Center left: A sign with Bergamo and Bèrghem written on it as well as UNESCO designation.
Center right: A building on Via Paglia watched at night.
Right: Train tracks in Bergamo
We hate waiting. We don’t mind walking. We are those people. So, on a recent trip to Pila/Aosta for skiing we had to return the rental car to the airport. (Yes, we are also those people who don’t own a car or a television.)
A little history: In Bergamo, there are a few rental car places in the city, but the best selection and deals are unfortunately at the airport. Occasionally we’ll rent at the train station in Bergamo because it is convenient, but the choice is limited. Once upon a time, you hopped the bus from Bergamo for a short ride, entered the terminal, went to the rental desk, and then walked to your car at one end of the terminal. It all happened pretty quickly. Then, they moved the rental car fleet to a lot dislocated from the terminal, so you still go to the terminal (usually) and then take a bus to get your car. It is decidedly not convenient timewise because the rental car buses don’t seem to run frequently.
Back to this trip: we dropped the car off and it was 5:45 pm with a pretty dusk sky and huge puffy clouds. We were in long line of people waiting for the rental car “navetta” to take us to the airport. From the airport, we would need to catch another bus to the city. At that point, we thought, screw it, let's walk. It took us about an hour to walk back home to Bergamo city center.
How did we do it? From the airport rental location, head to Parcheggio Centro Galassia. Then, follow Via Zanica into the city.
It’s not a pretty walk, but you learn things about a city you live in when you walk the periphery. First, a city can have some part of it (or all it) be UNESCO-designated site but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some ugly parts. Walking on Via Zanica into the city feels anything but UNESCO.
Second, that parking area Central Galassia had a huge tent and infrastructure (bathrooms) set up. At first, we thought it was a temporary circus. Then, we realized it was a mosque. After some digging around, we learned that as of 2016, there was an agreement that this would be one area for prayer for Muslims in Bergamo. Interesting.
After crossing under the train tracks that Via Zanica (ex SS 591) takes you to, we decided to walk up Via Giorgio e Guido Paglia to reach Via XX Settembre, back in familiar territory. We always thought Via Paglia was a nice street because it has Cercis siliquastrum trees on both sides of the street, which in my mind meant there was some money there. But alas, we saw some sketchy behavior going on. People peeping out behind corners and giving signals to others waiting down a side street. How cute, they are playing hide-in-seek (nascondino)? No. The next day, talking with some friends over a baccalà alla vicentina dinner with a Chardonnay (we are those kind of people), our friends mentioned that there was a recent Striscia la notizia episode dedicated to that area of town. Ah, now it makes sense. This show exposes scams with the help of local reporters. Apparently there is more going on those shady streets of Via Paglia than meets the eye.
A little history: In Bergamo, there are a few rental car places in the city, but the best selection and deals are unfortunately at the airport. Occasionally we’ll rent at the train station in Bergamo because it is convenient, but the choice is limited. Once upon a time, you hopped the bus from Bergamo for a short ride, entered the terminal, went to the rental desk, and then walked to your car at one end of the terminal. It all happened pretty quickly. Then, they moved the rental car fleet to a lot dislocated from the terminal, so you still go to the terminal (usually) and then take a bus to get your car. It is decidedly not convenient timewise because the rental car buses don’t seem to run frequently.
Back to this trip: we dropped the car off and it was 5:45 pm with a pretty dusk sky and huge puffy clouds. We were in long line of people waiting for the rental car “navetta” to take us to the airport. From the airport, we would need to catch another bus to the city. At that point, we thought, screw it, let's walk. It took us about an hour to walk back home to Bergamo city center.
How did we do it? From the airport rental location, head to Parcheggio Centro Galassia. Then, follow Via Zanica into the city.
It’s not a pretty walk, but you learn things about a city you live in when you walk the periphery. First, a city can have some part of it (or all it) be UNESCO-designated site but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some ugly parts. Walking on Via Zanica into the city feels anything but UNESCO.
Second, that parking area Central Galassia had a huge tent and infrastructure (bathrooms) set up. At first, we thought it was a temporary circus. Then, we realized it was a mosque. After some digging around, we learned that as of 2016, there was an agreement that this would be one area for prayer for Muslims in Bergamo. Interesting.
After crossing under the train tracks that Via Zanica (ex SS 591) takes you to, we decided to walk up Via Giorgio e Guido Paglia to reach Via XX Settembre, back in familiar territory. We always thought Via Paglia was a nice street because it has Cercis siliquastrum trees on both sides of the street, which in my mind meant there was some money there. But alas, we saw some sketchy behavior going on. People peeping out behind corners and giving signals to others waiting down a side street. How cute, they are playing hide-in-seek (nascondino)? No. The next day, talking with some friends over a baccalà alla vicentina dinner with a Chardonnay (we are those kind of people), our friends mentioned that there was a recent Striscia la notizia episode dedicated to that area of town. Ah, now it makes sense. This show exposes scams with the help of local reporters. Apparently there is more going on those shady streets of Via Paglia than meets the eye.
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