EXTRAORDINARY EXPERIENCES
LAURA BENZONI
ART HISTORIAN AND TOUR GUIDE
Marvel at this land rich in art. Let yourself be surprised by the most striking corners accompanied by a tour guide who will show you what you would not discover on your own: the small villages nestled between the mountains and the lake where it seems as if time has stood still; the UNESCO World Heritage sites between Bergamo and Brescia; the splendid Upper Bergamo with its large squares, rich palaces and churches that are hidden among the intricate alleys of the medieval city and the mighty walls from which to enjoy spectacular views at all hours of the day and night.
CLUSONE
It is the first to be visited among the towns recognized as one of the Most Beautiful Villages in Italy and an Orange Flag of the Italian Touring Club, along with Lovere and Gromo. Here the town's time has been marked since 1583 by the Fanzago astronomical clock that dominates the main square, providing a great deal of information in addition to the hours and minutes: it is unique in Europe for its internal mechanism, which is still working and can be visited exclusively. The fresco of the Triumph of Death and the Dance Macabre from 1485 is also unique for its macabre themes. From the same period, the Oratorio dei Disciplini is small jewel completely frescoed.
LOVERE
This village nestled on Lake Iseo was described by an 18th-century English traveler as "the most amiably romantic place I have ever seen." It deserves a stroll along the lakefront and through the historic center, with its narrow streets and civic tower overlooking what was in past centuries a very rich center of textile production. From the majestic and refined basilica of Valvendra, which speaks to us of this glorious past, we arrive at the Sanctuary of Saints Gerosa and Capitanio in neo-Gothic style with spires and mosaics, traversing five hundred years of history.
GROMO
In upper Valseriana "little Toledo" was until the mid-seventeenth century one of the main centers of white-weapon production in Europe. The swords, of the highest quality, equal to those of the more famous Spanish town, were made from iron quarried from local mines. Perched on a spur of rock, Gromo has kept its historic center intact, where curiously medieval buildings, a very rich Baroque church and early 20th-century Art Nouveau buildings coexist. A mix that makes for an absolutely unique and special visit.
BERGAMO
The romantic city on the hill surely remains in the heart of every traveler who ventures through its alleys, ascending by funicular railway or via the characteristic stairways. Strolling through the "corsarola," a shopping place for tourists from all over the world, you will encounter Piazza Vecchia with the Palazzo della Ragione, the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore with the Colleoni Chapel, the Gombito Tower, and Piazza Mercato delle Scarpe. Don't miss the spectacular views from the Rocca Viscontea and the Venetian walls, recognized as a World Heritage Site.
PATRIMONI DELL’UNESCO: IL VILLAGGIO CRESPI
E LE INCISIONI RUPESTRI
More than 8,000 years separate these places, united, however, by the fact that they possess exceptional universal value for all humanity. Crespi d'Adda is the most complete and intact example of a working-class village in southern Europe, the dream of an enlightened entrepreneur who built the factory and all the facilities around it in the late 19th century. Val Camonica is home to Europe's most important rock art, an immense deposit of prehistoric art and culture with more than 300,000 figures carved on rock by the Camuni from 6,000 years before Christ.
For information and reservations we will be happy to put you in direct contact with the guide