How Covid and culture brought Italy’s rival cities together

From the beaches of Sicily to the medieval wonders of Florence, you’d need a lifetime to see everything that Italy has to offer. And while you may have visited Milan, the capital city of the northern Lombardy region, there’s a good chance that two of its close neighbours, Bergamo and Brescia, have slipped under your travel radar.

If so, 2023 is the time to change that. These historic Lombard cities are coming together to be Italy’s first joint capital of culture. And it’s a significant move, as the two cities are entrenched in a fascinating, centuries-old rivalry.

A 900-year feud

The Bergamo-Brescia face-off goes back at least as far as the twelfth century, when the Brescians invaded Bergamo over a territorial dispute, killing hundreds of civilians. The Bergamaschi defeated the Brescians in the 1237 Battle of Cortenuova, and tensions continued to heighten as the cities were ruled by various regimes, from the Venetians to the Milanese.

Although the Italian provinces united to become the Kingdom of Italy in the nineteenth century, the competition between Bergamo and Brescia lived on – manifesting itself in the football rivalry between Brescia Calcio and Bergamo’s Atalanta BC.

The Atalanta-Brescia derby match, known as the Lombardio, has historically been a hyped and particularly rowdy fixture. In the 1930s, Brescia fans reportedly released hundreds of rabbits onto the football pitch – a nod to the Bresciani nickname for the Bergamaschi as ‘rabbits’ (the people of Bergamo, in turn, charmingly referred to their near-neighbours as ‘pigs’). Then, in 1993, the Lombardia derby was suspended three times mid-game because of brawls in the stands, resulting in five arrests and 20 people hospitalised. This one event is thought to have been a major factor in Italy’s authorities tightening policing in football.

Rivals to sisters

But while the sporting rivalry rolls on (with 900 years of history, it’s hardly surprising), both Bresciani and Bergamaschi are now seeing their neighbours in a new light. Both cities were among the hardest hit during the early days of the pandemic, when some of Europe’s first coronavirus patients were registered in the Lombardy region.

Bergamo and Brescia quickly became the twin epicentres of the outbreak in the country, with reports noting bodies piled up in hospitals. The local economy took a battering, and tourism plummeted to essentially zero.

‘We became sisters through our pandemic suffering,’ says Laura Castelletti, deputy mayor of Brescia. ‘Our two cities started working as one.’ That’s how, three years on, Brescia and Bergamo are embarking on a joint status as Italian Capital of Culture – an annual title awarded by the Italian government’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism to cities who have demonstrated that they’re committed to preserving their cultural heritage.

Taking over from last year’s capital, the island of Procida, both cities are counting the title as a symbol of their resilience over a difficult couple of years. But it’s not all talk. As well as some of the finest wine and cheese in Italy, Bergamo and Brescia are home to fascinating UNESCO heritage sights, world-class art destinations and enviable mountainous scenery. And in 2023, their year-long Capital of Culture programme includes 600 events, from light festivals to concerts.

First stop: Bergamo

If you’re planning a visit, we’d recommend you start your trip in Bergamo. It’s less than an hour by (extremely affordable) train from Milan, and only a ten-minute drive from Milan Bergamo Airport. Bergamo is a city in three parts: the modern lower level, the medieval old town, and the hills, all connected together via a highly Instagrammable, Wes Anderson-esque funicular train system.

The old town, known as Città Alta, is surrounded by well-preserved Venetian walls, leading to a labyrinth of narrow streets, cobbled streets and historic churches. Wander around the Piazza Vecchia and pop into the Cathedral of Bergamo to marvel at ornate ceilings and the equally-as-impressive Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. And, if you time your trip right this summer, you can catch the Donizetti Night and Opera Festival – it kicks off on June 3, transforming the centre of the city into a stage with almost 100 events including concerts, shows, and projections.

Art lovers, don’t skip the Accademia Carrara gallery, which has been recently revamped in time for the City of Culture launch. It houses a vast collection of Renaissance and Baroque art: Botticelli, Raphael, Titian and beyond.

Across the road, you’ll find the Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art, whose new exhibition, the ‘Trilogy of Matter’, explores themes of dematerialization, computers and emptiness, via names like Ryoji Ikeda, Yoko Ono and Josef Albers.

The road to Brescia

When you’re ready to move on, you’re in luck. Opened just this month, an 80-mile path for walkers and cyclists physically connects the two centres of the Capital of Culture, stretching from the walls of Bergamo to the archaeological area of Capitolium in Brescia. The new Cammino Bergamo-Brescia is very much the scenic route: an easy hike of eight stages over six days, with stonking scenery, rural villages and art installations to spot along the way. Alternatively, the trip is only another hour or so on the train, with tickets from €5.

If Bergamo is known for being calm and aesthetic, Brescia is its wilder, edgier sister. This city has a tangible buzz, with plenty of bars and nightlife.

In the centre of town, you’ll find the impressive Teatro Grande. This ornate theatre with its magnificent baroque foyer has housed some big moments in opera history, and now has a revolving programme of contemporary and classical music and dance. As part of the Capital of Culture, it’s kicking off an opera and ballet season in July with a brand-new production of ‘Madama Butterfly’. It’s a nod to the venue’s past: after the opera’s less-than-successful 1904 debut in Milan, the composer Giacomo Puccini revised the score and relaunched the opera in Brescia, to instant acclaim.

If you prefer history to opera, the Santa Giulia Museum is a must-visit. Housed in a former Benedictine monastery, it features a vast collection of Lombard artefacts and artwork from the fourth millennium BCE to the eighteenth century, as well as remains of old Roman villas (including some stunning, perfectly intact floor mosaics).

Nearby, you can head to the Roman Brescia Archaeological Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site housing burials, temples, and an interactive museum on one of the oldest squares in the city. For 2023, both sites are being connected via a ‘UNESCO corridor’, letting visitors check out both on a single ticket.

It’s still relatively early in the year, but Bergamo and Brescia are gearing up for a big summer. The state contributes around one million euros as part of the project, as well as financial support from private investors, and it’s hoped the programme will help to reboot the local economy after a difficult few years. The cities expect a 20 percent boost to tourism, and hope that their efforts will catapult them into the big leagues of Italian city-break destinations long-term. And as for getting over that historic rivalry? Only time will tell.

Check out the full programme for Bergamo Brescia Italian Capital of Culture 2023.

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