We travelled by train to Brescia on Friday, the sister city of Bergamo. Like most of the small cities in this part of Italy in the 17th century, it was essentially forced to be ruled by either Venice or Milan – most chose Venice, hence the abundace of lion statues around town. Both Brescia and Bergamo have a high town surrounded by Venetian-built walls with the Dolomite Alps behind and views over the Lombardy Plains below. Both are beautiful, and both were hit particularly hard by Covid. The title ‘Italian Cultural Capital, 2023’ is being shared by these twin towns. – I suspect as an attempt to aid their recovery.  There are a number of music events planned for the summer season as part of this festival.

On my travels, I have been fortunate to listen to the London Symphony Orchestra with the Leniningrad Men’s Voices in Florence, watch the Bulgarian National Ballet in Sofia, to hear the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra in Ljubljana. I have heard a Puccini opera in Lucca and Vivaldi in Vienna. Until Friday, the least enjoyable piece of music I have heard played in public was Kenny Kendricks playing a couple of Elvis pieces on an electric guitar without an amplifier for our Yr 6 class in Rosewood. At least when Kenny started singing ‘All Shook Up’ we were allowed to laugh, as even our teacher got the giggles. The skill of the musicians we heard on Friday is beyond doubt – the genre I don’t understand. I wonder what the concert would have been like had the improvised jazz group ‘Take Off’  had music lessons in Rosewood? Miss Moneypenny would have given it her best shot, there is no doubt.

Both these Italian cities take dogs and siestas seriously.  Most of the shops close between one and four pm – this seems to be the time to nip home, hang out the washing, and cook up some gnocchi for lunch. Well – it’s hard to know what really happens behind closed doors, but whatever it is – they are committed to it, and so few venture out onto the streets during that sacred time. Some intrepid dog owners perhaps – but most save the canine parade until at least 5pm. Therein, one sees a huge variety of hounds – from chihuahas to spinones to Italian greyhounds – but the winning breed is … the golden retriever: ubiquitous. Despite the Bergamo locals’ love of their pooches, these well-cared for dogs rarely make an appearance in shops or bars or cafes … save that indulgence for their German cousins.

A flat white from our coffee shop run by Sonia has been a special way to start each day, along with fresh croissants, of course. And, a local wine with its compulsory platter of cheeses and salamis at a small bar run by David and his family has been a superb way to punctuate the close of each day – with exploring in between.  This Bergamo routine will be hard to match in Trento, our next destination.  We won’t have enough time there to ‘live the city’ – that wonderful phrase used by a Bugan regular with whom we engaged in conversations around travel.

Yes, there’s a grieving that goes with leaving a city you have ‘coalesced with’ over the period of a fortnight; a pattern of living has been cultivated and it takes time to replicate it elsewhere. But, we will do our best in Trento – with its view to the Dolomites and blend of Italian/Austrian/German/Switzerland influence … a little like Rosewood, really.

Ciao, all.

Beautiful Bergamo, with the old town on the hills to the north.

The cathedral in Bergamo is a bit like St Brigit’s, Rosewood, in that both churches are Roman Catholic…

Hari Krishna’s version of ‘Take Off’