Itinerary "The Land of the Two Popes"

Arriving at Sotto il Monte, you immediately sense the atmosphere of recollection that envelops this village, where every corner speaks of the “Good Pope.”

Your visit begins at the Birthplace of Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, a rural farmhouse on Colombera Street, where the young Roncalli lived with his large farming family. Crossing the threshold, you will have the impression that time has stood still. The original furnishings, everyday objects and the simplicity of the rooms tell of a humble life rooted in the land, faith and work.
Not far away you will find the Church of Santa Maria in Brusicco, where he was baptized, and continuing along the road you will then arrive at the Sanctuary of the Caneve, where the future Pope John XXIII began going as a child and maintained the habit of celebrating Mass here once a year even once he became Patriarch of Venice.

Continue on to the Church of St. John the Baptist, which is inextricably linked with the future good Pope. In 1902, when the laying of the foundation stone was blessed, he, then a simple seminarian, was among the crowd. Following some seepage, however, it was soon closed and restored. When it reopened in 1929 it was an Angelo Roncalli, who had become a bishop in the meantime, who reconsecrated it. Next to it you can then visit the Chapel of Peace, which contains an inlay of Pope John composed of as many as 70,000 pieces of wood.
If there is one place where you can almost physically feel spirituality, it is the Crypt “Oboedientia et pax,” which is located under the Chapel of Peace. You will not be indifferent to the casts made by Manzù and the personal crucifix of John XXIII. Exit

Next, head to the summer residence of the Good Pope Ca’ Maitino – House of Memories of Pope John XXIII which is now available as a place of tranquility and spirituality for all. Entrusted to the Poverelle Sisters, to this day the farmhouse invites not only spiritual recollection but also cultural recollection. In fact, John XXIII’s personal secretary, Msgr. Loris Capovilla, has created a small museum there, with many testimonies of its most famous tenant on display. These include the altar where he celebrated Mass in the Vatican and the bed where he expired.
Last stop, the Tower of St. John, what remains of one of the most beloved churches of the future Good Pope: the ancient Church of St. John, which was unfortunately torn down in 1904 to his great regret.

If you have time and energy, you can choose to walk up to Mount Canto. This slightly more challenging route goes through the woods until you reach the summit cross. It is an optional but highly symbolic stretch: this is where the young Roncalli loved to walk, reflect and gather in prayer. The view of the plains and mountains repays every step.

After exploring the most significant places of Pope John XXIII’s early life in Sotto il Monte, it is the perfect time to treat yourself to a lunch break. Surrounding the village are farmhouses and trattorias surrounded by greenery, where you can enjoy typical Bergamo dishes: from classic casoncelli with butter and sage, to polenta with mushrooms or local cheeses. A chance to slow the pace and savor the flavors of the area, before setting out again for Bergamo Alta, the afternoon’s stop and the spiritual and cultural heart of the Terra tra i due Papi route.

Sotto il Monte is not a place to visit, it is a place to listen. It invites you to slow down, to look with new eyes, to recognize in simplicity the trace of something profound. And it is from here, from this humble Bergamasque root, that your journey continues, following the footsteps left by the “Pope of the Council” in the heart of his land.

After visiting the birthplaces of Pope John XXIII in Sotto il Monte-between the house where he was born, the “Oboedientia et Pax” crypt, and the churches that accompanied his childhood and youth-the journey continues in the afternoon to Bergamo Alta, the city where the young Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli took his first steps in the ecclesiastical world.
From Sotto il Monte it is possible to reach Bergamo comfortably by car, crossing in about 40-45 minutes the agricultural and urban landscape that connects the Adda valley to the Bergamo plain. Alternatively, the connection is also provided by public transport, with changes at Mapello and Ponte San Pietro.

Upon arriving in Bergamo Alta, one enters the ancient heart of the city. The first point of interest is the BergamoEpiscopal Seminary, where Roncalli studied and later taught. Everything here still speaks of his presence. Also in the courtyard is a bronze statue created by sculptor Giacomo Manzù: an intense and very human depiction of the Good Pope, with his face turned toward the young seminarians.
The Bergamo Episcopal Seminary can only be visited through organized guided tours. It is open to the public on specific days, established according to the diocesan calendar or by advance reservation during periods of greatest demand. It is recommended to check the official website.

A few steps away, the Church of St.‘Alessandro Martire (Cathedral and Cathedral) welcomes you with its sober façade and history-rich interior. This is where Roncalli attended solemn celebrations, and this is where he returned, even as Bishop and Cardinal, to root himself in his roots each time.
But it is in the splendid Basilica of Saint Mary Major that the spiritual experience reaches a peak of emotion: here, where Roncalli loved to gather in prayer and celebrate Mass, there are frescoes, inlays by Lorenzo Lotto, Flemish tapestries, Fantoni’s confessional and the tomb of the composer Donizetti.
Last stop of the day is the Angelo Mai Civic Library, which the future Pope frequented as a young history scholar. Today it houses a room dedicated to him, with documents, memorabilia, photographs and works related to his life and pontificate, with a special focus on the Second Vatican Council.

Bergamo, city of formation, welcomes you as Roncalli welcomed: in silence, without proclamations. It invites you to walk in the same spirit with which he lived his path – with simplicity, care, depth.

Recommended dinner and overnight stay: Lake d‘Iseo

After finishing the visit to Bergamo Alta, we recommend continuing the journey to the Lake d‘Iseo, choosing to stay overnight along its shores or in the hills of the Valcalepio or Franciacorta area, where farmhouses surrounded by vineyards offer quiet, authenticity and a warm, family welcome.

Before ending the day, it is the ideal opportunity to indulge in a typical dinner: on the lake you can enjoy freshwater fish specialties, while in the hilly areas of Franciacorta, restaurants and trattorias offer traditional Brescian dishes accompanied by renowned local wines.

This food and wine break, surrounded by a serene landscape, becomes a moment of recollection and pleasure that gently prepares for the second day of the itinerary.

As the new day dawns, it will be possible to head easily to Brescia, the next stop on the walk, or-for those who wish-to ascend to Monte Isola and visit the Sanctuary of the Madonna della Ceriola, to start the day in meditation and with an open gaze on the lake.

The second day of the “Land Between the Two Popes” itinerary can begin in two ways, depending on the time available and the energy with which one wakes up.

Those who wish to start the day with a moment of recollection and a breathtaking view can choose to climb to Monte Isola, Europe’s largest inhabited lake island. From the village of Peschiera Maraglio starts the path that leads to the Sanctuary of the Madonna della Ceriola, overlooking the entire Lake Iseo: a place of silence and spirituality, where the gaze embraces the water and the mountains. The hike takes about an hour uphill, and is recommended for the more athletic and early risers. After the visit, you can return to the mainland and head to Brescia, the next stop on the route.

Alternatively, the day can begin directly in Brescia, a city that welcomes pilgrims with its historical and religious heritage, deeply linked to the figure of Giovanni Battista Montini, the future Paul VI.
Here, among the elegant streets of the center and the severe profiles of the churches, the intellectual and spiritual dimensions of the future pontiff of dialogue and modernity are intertwined.
The itinerary begins in Paul VI Square, formerly called Cathedral Square. On one side stands the New Cathedral, dedicated to St. Mary of the Assumption, with its Baroque facade and one of the highest domes in Italy. It is the liturgical center of the city, and was once the heart of Montini’s spiritual experience as a young student and later priest in Brescia. Next to it, the Old Cathedral, or Rotonda, reveals the medieval history of the city, in an architectural dialogue between centuries.
Continue along Via Gasparo da Salò, in the direction of Via dei Musei, where you will encounter the Diocesan Museum, with the hall dedicated to Paul VI. A few minutes away, on Via della Pace, the churches of St . Mary of Peace and St. John the Evangelist await you, while on nearby Via delle Grazie stands the exquisite Sanctuary of Santa Maria delle Grazie: it is one of the most beloved places of the young Montini, who found refuge and inspiration here in his days of study and silence. The interior, rich in frescoes and statues, has the solemn breath of the great basilicas and at the same time the intimacy of a people’s church.

Returning toward the center, the route passes in front of the historic Queriniana Library, one of Italy’s oldest and most prestigious ecclesiastical libraries. Although today it can only be visited by appointment, its name evokes the research and reading environment in which Montini’s keen mind was formed, a man of faith but also of thought, deeply immersed in the cultural debate of his time.

To conclude this part of the itinerary, you can treat yourself to a lunch break in the historic center of Brescia. Restaurants and taverns in the area offer typical Brescian dishes: beefwithRovato oil, casoncelli with melted butter, accompanied by a glass of Franciacorta wine. It is a time to refresh the body and gather the spirit, in preparation for the second part of the walk, toward Concesio.

After discovering spiritual and cultured Brescia, the journey continues to Concesio, birthplace of Pope Montini, the future Pope Paul VI.

If you want to venture on foot to Concesio, start from the Santuario delle Grazie or Piazza Paolo VI, walk north along residential streets and city parks, and you’ll reach the Val Trompia bike/pedestrian path, which runs along the Mella River. After about 5 miles-which you can cover in two and a half hours at a leisurely pace-you’ll arrive in the heart of Concesio, a tidy town surrounded by greenery. Here, in the Pieve district, you will find the Birthplace of Giovanni Battista Montini, now home to the Paul VI Foundation for Dialogue and Culture, which preserves documents, photographs and objects that belonged to the future Pope.
A short walk away is the parish church of Sant’Antonino Martire, where Montini was baptized on Sept. 30, 1897, and the remarkable Paul VI Collection – Contemporary Art, a museum with more than seven thousand works of art from the 20th century, featuring such authors as Picasso, Matisse, Chagall and Dalí.
Also not to be missed is the Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Star, one of the most significant Montinian sites in the Diocese of Brescia, located between the towns of Concesio, Cellatica and Gussago. In a panoramic position on the hill, the shrine was a beloved and faithful destination of Pope Montini, who used to visit it regularly. It is to him that the bronze statue placed in the square in front is dedicated, the work of the sculptor Minguzzi.

At this point, high-altitude trekking enthusiasts are presented with a possible hike to Mount Guglielmo, one of the places that best tell of the spiritual and contemplative soul of the Montini family. It was Giovan Battista’s father, Giorgio, who promoted the construction of the Monument to the Redeemer on the summit. In his memory, a large bronze statue depicting Pope Paul VI, by sculptor Gianluigi Sandrini, was placed beside the small church in 1998.
A route that is as spiritual as it is scenic, with breathtaking views of Franciacorta and Lake Iseo.

The “Land Between the Two Popes” ends here, among the stones and landscapes that nurtured the vocation of two extraordinary men. From Sotto il Monte to Concesio, you crossed not only places, but living traces of aspiritual legacy that continues to speak to the hearts of those who know how to listen.