When we alighted from our train at Bergamo after travelling to Italy from Lyon, it felt like we were coming home – Italy ‘home’ not Rosewood ‘home’. We have been to this country enough times to know how the train system works, to know how the restaurant and coffee system works – and to know there will be some things that don’t always work (like the airconditioning in our apartment).  And it doesn’t matter – the airconditioning never worked in Rosewood either.  In fact, there wasn’t any…..

One of m’lady’s tasks whenever we travel is to find the best coffeeshop in town – there are a lot of choices in most Italian cities, but in this town a cafe called ‘Bugan’ has been exceptional.  The barista recently came second in the world barista championships held in Equador, and it is easy to understand why. He makes our flat whites each morning, and it is served by his sister, Sonia, who has become our tour guide. She has the most infectious laugh, is incredibly welcoming – and speaks almost no English.  This is not a problem. It has simply caused more laughter for everyone. Sonia has helped us understand Bergamo’s bus system, she has sent us to the best baker in all of Italy (her husband’s bakery), and she has sent us to the best coffee in the old part of town – her brother’s other cafe in the Citta Alta!

The Citta Alta sits atop a plateau that overlooks new Bergamo below, and the Lombardy plains beyond. We commuted up there by bus today with friends from Brisbane who were here for the day. Being a Saturday it was crowded but still a stunning place to explore. Lunch was at an eatery away from the main tourist streets, Restorante la Tana. The meals were outstanding, even though, surprisingly, it wasn’t owned by any relative of Sonia’s.  I suspect there will be many more visits to the ‘High City’ in the coming week.

The highlight of the day for me however was an afternoon concert of classical music given by Ensemble Locatelli – a chamber orchestra that plays baroque music with traditional instruments – including violins, a tenor lute, baroque organs and wooden flutes. Most of the performed pieces were Vivaldi concerti, but there were other pieces by Italian composers of the same era that were not familiar to me. Guess who translated the flyer advertising the concert for us – Sonia, of course!  However, she also paid for our tickets on her phone so that we didn’t have to negotiate the theatre’s payment system and refused to accept a tip when we reimbursed her.  This was an incredibly generous and kind act because, as far as we know, she had not a single relative in the orchestra!

Tomorrow, we will head back up to the Citta Alta as much of the new part of Bergamo is closed on Sunday.  We will buy a coffee or two at Bugan Cafe II, and we will continue to explore the side alleys of this beautiful destination.  We have already found flyers for more musical performances to attend, we have found more restaurants to try out, and we have Sonia, our laughing Bugan barista to guide us.  All pretty special, really for a Rosewood lad and his fellow companions ……

Farley C-S