Cornello dei Tasso, Lovere, Gromo and Clusone: five pearls full of treasures to discover
In the province of Bergamo, Cornello dei Tasso, Lovere, Gromo, Clusone and the Santa Caterina district in Bergamo Bassa are awarded the title of “Italy’s Most Beautiful Village” – pearls that shine in the rich panorama of historic towns in the area.
Villages and centers where history, art, architecture and landscape come together in a harmonious whole.
In Cornello dei Tasso, a medieval hamlet of Camerata Cornello in Val Brembana, the modern European postal system was born in the 15th century.
The small but rich museum is dedicated precisely to the exploits of the enterprising Tasso family, which was also the birthplace of the poet Torquato and survives today in its German branch, the Thurn und Taxis. The village is also on the route of the ancient Via Mercatorum, which connected Italy to northern Europe and ensured a constant passage of wealth.
Absolutely not to be missed are its alleys and arcades, where time seems to have stopped a thousand years ago.
Then there is the jewel set on the northern shore of Lake Iseo, Lovere, with its picture galleries, churches, towers, and noble palaces. Its counterpoint, in the lower lake, is the town of Sarnico from which to leave by boat for a cruise with views of splendid gardens and Art Nouveau villas.
In the Seriana Valley, scenic Gromo continues to amaze with its Ginami and Priacini castles, narrow streets, and slate roofs. There are many annual events, including historical re-enactments and Christmas markets.
A medieval village not to be missed!
And just across the street, higher up, Spiazzi di Gromo awaits all lovers of skiing, downhill skiing and adventure parks.
In Clusone you can marvel at 15th-century frescoes depicting one of Europe’s best-known Dances Macabre, along with an equally outstanding Triumph of Death.
Also of fine workmanship is in the 16th-century Fanzago Mechanical Clock, a masterpiece of mechanics still working today, which reports astral movements, those of the earth, sun and moon.
Also not to be missed is MAT, the Museum of Art Time.
A genuine gem, the suburb is located just outside the center of Bergamo, along one of the roads leading down from the Upper City, passing through the Porta Sant’Agostino gate.
It was once a medieval suburb located outside the city walls, where roads from Bergamo’s two valleys converged. Today it is a lively neighborhood, full of workshops, artisan stores and creative and original locales. There, there is Bergamo to discover, in which to get lost one workshop after another.
It is also the neighborhood of art and culture: theAccademia Carrara, a prestigious art gallery where more than 600 works of art are exhibited, is located right in Borgo d’Oro and together with the GAMeC, a gallery of modern and contemporary art, represents one of the city’s cultural hubs.
