Bergamo

The last leg of our great Italian journey took us to Milan, home of football's hallowed clubs, AC and Inter Milan. Paul's brother had bought us (okay, him) a stadium tour of the San Siro Stadium and so our pilgrimage began. Unfortunately the rhythms of the Spring term of school for me and Paul's general lack of planning desire meant that neither of us did any preliminary research into accommodation in the area.

And it just so happened that the world was descending on Milan at precisely the same time we'd be there. The National Furniture Trade Show drove hotel prices in the area up to three times more than usual. Nope, not joking. And so the closest town with a vacancy that wouldn't break the bank was a 35-minute train ride away in the rural town of Bergamo.

We opted for a lovely B&B called La Casa di Campagna. The proprietor, a lovely woman who'd converted an old farmhouse and kept horses on the property, picked us up (and later dropped us off) at the train station and drove us into the Italian backcountry. We were situated fairly far out of 'town' proper still and without a car, we resorted to foraging for food on foot.

The Citta Alta (the old walled core) of Bergamo is situated on a hilltop upon ancient Venetian fortifications. The one-hour walk to civilisation proved very hilly and the weather didn't always behave but once we got to the top, the views were pretty rewarding. Upon further research, there does appear to be a funicular that will take you to the top, not that we saw it...

Once up the sizeable hill, a perfectly preserved world awaits. We only went for one evening and most shops, churches and museums were closed by the point we arrived but the town is definitely worth a day trip. Plenty of articles abound on the history and charm Bergamo has to offer, particularly if you're tired of Milan big city living.

We did have a notably fantastic meal at one of the town's several restaurants. Osteria Tre Gobbi boasted good food, plentiful wine and excellent views of Lower Bergamo down below. Happy and full, we trudged back down the side of the hill to our B&B ready to take on Milan in the ensuing days.