Bergamo and Milano

A Tale of Two Cities

June 9, 2026 by Dallas Smith

The dome of the Bergamo cathedral

We had two free days after our week in southern Italy before starting our Swiss railroad tour. So I decided that we should visit Milan. Expedia showed inexpensive flights on Ryan Air to the Milan-Bergamo airport. I had never heard of the city of Bergamo. So this was a new unexpected treat, and what an amazing city Bergamo is.

The pedestrian bridge from the Bergamo Old Town to the New Bergamo

BERGAMO

Our flight arrived in Bergamo in the afternoon giving us time to take a taxi to the Old City, located on an elevated plateau, with protective walls and buildings dating from the Middle Ages. We took a taxi to the pedestrian street leading to the famous Duomo/Cathedral. We arrived around 6pm, which is when the guidebook said the the cathedral would be closed. Instead, we arrived in the middle of Catholic Mass. The priest spoke in Italian, which of course we couldn’t understand. The religious attendees knew when to stand, cross themselves, and repeat or answer the priest’s ritual words. The organist’s huge instrument was impressive in the domed acoustic environment of the cathedral. I managed to take some photos.

The mighty organ in the Bergamo cathedral

Mass in progress

A street scene at dusk as we walked down from the Bergamo Old City

MILAN

On the following day after Bergamo, we took the train to Milan. The most famous tourist attraction is Michelangelo’s painting, The Last Supper. We learned that it’s necessary to make a reservation weeks or even months in advance to get a close-up view of the painting. Instead, we engaged a local guide to take us on a guided walk through the Milan city center.

One of a pair of buildings containing this unique biological expression

This is the domed market containing the world's top designer brands...purses, dresses, jewelry, etc., costing thousands of dollars. Their functionality is no different from items costing a small fraction of these products for regular people. This country boy will never embrace this high-fashion world.

Milan is the financial and fashion capital of Italy. We walked through the fashion display center, showing the latest designer purses and clothing costing many thousands of Euros/dollars. It’s really the Italian counterpart to LA’s Rodeo Drive and Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue. These are the places where the rich go to acquire the latest designs to be worn a the next Hollywood event. I’ll never get any closer than the television broadcast to this high-fashion world.

EATALY

Our guide took us to a famous Italian food chain named Eataly. Unlike being forced to shop for the limited souvenirs in the duty free airport shops, at Eataly I was able to purchase my souvenirs: three different types of great olive oil (small bottles), a piece of aged Parmesan, and a bottle of Limoncello, which we will take to a special dinner next week with old friends in Kiel, Germany.