The heart of Città Alta and one of the finest medieval squares in northern Italy. The Contarini Fountain from 1780 sits at its centre, flanked by the Civic Library and the Palazzo della Ragione from the 1400s. Le Corbusier called it the most beautiful square in the world; whether you agree depends on your mood, but it's hard to argue when you're sitting at one of the cafe tables in the early morning light.
Piazza Vecchia
Medieval square at the heart of Bergamo's upper town
A story
The Bell Tower still rings 100 times at 10 o'clock every night. The custom dates from the medieval curfew: when the hundredth peal sounded, the city gates closed and anyone still outside the walls spent the night in the fields. The tradition has continued unbroken for centuries, and residents still set their clocks by it.