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Perfect for everyone who
loves to get a "taste" of nature and history when they travel through
breathtaking landscapes
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A LUXURY CYCLING HOLIDAY |
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Enjoying good company and food
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A
five-day cycling tour in the Lombardy to discover its lakes
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From Bergamo
to Lake Garda
A specially-designed 200 km
tour
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For details and
information
contact us by e-mail or fax +39(0)2 700 33 150
We provide supplementary accomodations if requested
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Introduction
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Bergamo is a very old city.
Traces of a protohistoric settlement dating from between the sixth and
fifth centuries B C have been found on the hill where the city was then
located. It seems probable that the location was chosen because of its
position dominating the edge of the Po valley and plain of Lombardy,
between the river Brembo and the Serio, with access along the valleys
to the range of the Orobic Alps, which ha benn populated since
Paleolithic times.
It is thanks to these first inhabitants that Bergamo
has acquired the characteristics which distinguish it from all the
other towns in Lombardy and make it one of the most exceptional cities
in Italy: its location half on the hill and half on the plain.
The root
of the world Bergamo is berg meaning hill or home on the hill and it is
in fact the old city that stands out in the distance as the visitor
approaches from the plain. The city comes upon you unexpectedly with
its fantastic skyline of towers, church steeples and cupolas
silhouetted against the background of the Alps.
The heart of the old
town is Piazza Vecchia, one of the most beautiful squares in Italy with
historic buildings and monuments dominated by the huge civic tower. In
the effects of light and shade under the portico beneath the Palazzo
della Ragione, the marblework on the porch of the basilica of Santa
Maria Maggiore stands out clearly, together with the Colleoni chapel,
Amadeo's masterpiece of Lombard Renaissance art. Bergamos's monuments
bear witness to the city's close links with Venice, which for four
centuries shared its history, art and culture.
In the 16th century it
was the Republic of Venice which gave the Bergamasque people the
imposting circle of walls enclosing the upper city, separating it
completely from the rest of the surrounding area. The noble palaces,
the splendid collection of paintings in the Carrara Gallery, the
ancient frescoes, sumptuous baroque art and buildings linked to the
memory of Gaetano Donizetti, narrate a past which the city has
undertaken to preserve and which is a constant pleasure to the eye in
modern times.
As a backdrop to the city, the hills form the heart of a
regional park, with villas, monasteries and the remains of medieval
fortifications set in the beauty of the countryside.
The old boroughs,
wendind their way down the hillside from the old city to the plain,
were the original highways linking Bergamo with the outside world. They
extend down to the plain where canals were once the main source of
wealth with factories and workshops built along their banks. Then
trading gradually developed, centred around a fair dating back to
medieval times. It extended over a considerable area of the town and at
the beginning ot the twentieth century it was on this site that the new
city centre was constructed. |
Summary Program
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1° day (km.20).Visit
of the Upper Town in Bergamo.
From Bergamo to Villa Suardi in Trescore Balneario.
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2° day (km.35) Along the cycle-lane of Valcavallina valley.
The
small lake of Endine. The nature reserve of
Valle del Freddo (Cold
Weather Valley). Between two lakes: an
enchanting view from
the pass. The lake of Iseo.
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3°
day (km.50) Along the Lake of Iseo: Montisola, the
small island in the lake and the Torbiere Nature Reserve.
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4° day (km.55) Througt Franciacorta, an
extraordinary small area of rolling hills where
top quality grapes
are grown for the production of the finest Italian sparkling wines.
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5°
day (km.40) Lake Garda: the wonderfull south cost of Lake Garda between
Desenzano and Sirmione.
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Means of transport
to reach Bergamo |
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- Motorway A4 Venezia - Torino
Exit: Bergamo
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- Airport:
- BERGAMO/Milano Orio al Serio
- MILANO
VENEZIA
- VERONA
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Trenitalia:
BERGAMO |
By
italiainbici ®
all rights reserved
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