{"id":792,"date":"2020-10-15T10:44:36","date_gmt":"2020-10-15T10:44:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zainoo.com\/blog\/en\/?p=792"},"modified":"2020-10-15T10:44:36","modified_gmt":"2020-10-15T10:44:36","slug":"bergamo-hilly-city-of-arts-with-cable-cars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zainoo.com\/blog\/en\/2020\/10\/15\/bergamo-hilly-city-of-arts-with-cable-cars\/","title":{"rendered":"Bergamo \u2013 hilly city of arts with cable cars"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"City

\u00a9Bigstock.com\/Patryk Kosmider<\/p><\/div>\n

Bergamo is situated at the segue between the last foothills of the Alps and the fertile Po Valley, right in the heart of Lombardy. This stunning city with around 120,000 inhabitants can look back on a unique, highly eventful history that most definitely left its mark on the contemporary structure. The old upper city located on a hill used to be one of the centrepieces of the Republic of Venice and is surrounded by a UNESCO World Heritage Site with the distinctly more modern lower city situated around it. Both city centres are connected by cable cars that transport locals and tourists back and forth. Jump in and let our tour begin!<\/p>\n

Historic foray through Bergamo<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bergamo\u2019s ideal location on a hill attracted first settlers very early. The Celtic tribe of Cenomani were here first with the Romans only conquering the region in 196 BC and calling it Bergomum. Around 10,000 citizens used to live in the municipium at its peak. Like many other Northern Italian cites, it was pillaged right before the fall of the Western Roman Empire. After a long period of Carolingian rule Bergamo would become an independent commune \u2013 an era mostly dominated by conflicts with Brescia and by the Lombard League.<\/p>\n

Having been ruled by Bohemia, Milan and the House of Malatesta at different periods of time, Bergamo would eventually fall to the Republic of Venice after the Battle of Maclodio. Several French and Spanish conquests \u2013 Venice always managed to quickly regain the city \u2013 led to a decisive extension of the defensive fortifications. The massive city walls around the old town with its originally 14 bastions and four heavily guarded gates were declared UNESCO World Heritage Site<\/a> in 2017. Bergamo was conquered by Napoleon \u2013 like many other Northern Italian cities \u2013 was incorporated into the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia in 1815 and became an important hub of the Risorgimento. The city provided the largest share of the so-called Garibaldini during the Expedition of the Thousand and would eventually become part of the new Italy.<\/p>\n

The cable cars<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"City

\u00a9Bigstock.com\/KYNA STUDIO<\/p><\/div>\n

Numerous bus lines aside, the two cable cars are particularly important for Bergamo\u2019s public transport. The first ideas were developed during the second half of the 19th<\/sup> century when the upper city on the hills faced increasing isolation and commercial crisis. Today two funiculars operate in Bergamo:<\/p>\n