thanks for any views and ratings..they will be returned asap : )
thanks for any views and ratings..they will be returned asap : )
Member since:11.06.2009
Reviews:16
Members who trust:3
*Guest House*
Alex e Angie is a lovely guest house situated in the centre of Bergamo, Italy. A beautiful, small city just half an hour away from Milan nestled below the Alps. The guest house is on the top floor of an apartment block, just a two minute walk away from the city centre and its main square, Porta Nuova.
The apartment block is behind very secure gates and even though it is in a city centre it is very quiet and peaceful. The apartment is on the top floor and there is a lift or stair access. The lift is rather small however there are a lot of stairs to climb to get to the top.
The apartment is very clean and very is beautifully decorated. There is a large lounge and dining area on the first floor of the apartment with a balcony. There are also 3 guest rooms, 2 bathrooms and a fully equipped kitchen. There is also an upstairs to the apartment which has a further bedroom and a lounge area with patio doors leading out onto a stunning, private rooftop garden with furniture and beautiful views of the entire city.
At any one time, all the rooms can be booked out to different people so you must be prepared to share the communal space with people that you don’t know. It wasn’t made clear before booking that this was the case; however it was not a problem.
There are 3 double bedrooms available for booking and one single room. The apartment is cleaned everyday and there are fresh towels put into the rooms and also fresh bedding. All the rooms are really nicely decorated with lots of storage space and sockets and they are kept in really good condition.
The kitchen is fully equipped with everything you need and there is fridge/freezer space so you can cook at the guest house or keep things fresh. Each day when the rooms are cleaned, there is a breakfast
put out on a table in your room which consists of biscuits, toast, juice and water. There is also fresh coffee and milk kept in the kitchen for use.
*Personal Experience*
I have recently been living in Italy as I was studying at a University there and I arrived initially in Bergamo by car after a very long and exhausting journey from England. We had an address for the guest house and successfully managed to find the road on which it is on. On booking the room we was given a telephone number and told to ring it when we arrived and then someone would come and show us to the apartment. We had a bit of difficulty as the number in which we was given didn’t actually work, so we went in search of the apartment to see if anybody was in. We looked all the way up and down the street however could not find it as there were no signs or notices for ‘Alex e Angie’. We thought this a little odd as we had thought it was a b&b and therefore would be signposted.
After speaking to someone in the shop next door we got the correct number and gave them a call. 15 minutes later somebody then appeared to show us in. It was difficult communicating with them as there was a bit of a language barrier and he basically showed us up to the apartment, gave us the keys then left. It wasn’t the friendliest of encounters however we was just pleased to have arrived and managed to get into the apartment and was looking forward to some much needed sleep. On first impressions however, the apartment was very nice and clean and there was no one else staying there so we had the whole place to ourselves. We was very impressed with the high standard of the apartment and thoroughly enjoyed staying there!
*Getting to Bergamo*
Ryanair fly directly to Bergamo Airport (Orio al Serio) for a very reasonable price from various airports in the UK including Liverpool, Birmingham and Manchester. There are also Easyjet flights available to this airport from Leeds/Bradford and Jet2 also do flights from certain UK airports.
There are other airports closer to Milan however this is the cheapest airport to fly to and it is still in good reach of Milan. If it is Milan that you are travelling to then there are coaches which leave directly from outside the airport and take you to Milan for as little as 8 euros return.
Bergamo airport is literally 10 minutes away from the centre of the city and there is a bus which will take you directly there for 1.7 euros. The bus also stops off at the train station where you can get trains to the Lakes, Milan, Verona, Brescia and many other destinations for a really reasonable price.
*Bergamo*
Bergamo is divided into two cities; there is Citta Alta and Citta Bassa. From the main square you can see how there is this divide as the ‘Old City’ (Citta Alta) is at the top of a hill, surrounded by a historic castle wall and the ‘Lower City’ (Citta Bassa) is everything at the bottom.
Citta Bassa –
Citta Bassa is the more modern part of the city and has a lot of flats and houses and also the main shopping area. There is one main shopping street with some brilliant shops, such as; Sisley, Calvin Klein, Zara and Kiko Make Up Milano. It is very historic and the architecture is beautiful.
There are lots of typically Italian cafe’s which sell amazing coffee and food and there are quite a few nice art shops. There is of course a few designer boutiques also, amazing for looking around but the prices are astronomical.
There are a few squares which have beautiful churches in and statues and there are often markets and festivals held in these and the main square, Porta Nuova. There are also art galleries and museums to look around. As you head up the main street in the centre towards Citta Alta the atmosphere starts to change; you see more Ferrari’s darting past and the houses suddenly turn into idyllic mansions...
Ciita Alta –
Citta Alta is quite simply beautiful, as are the views from it. The title means the ‘Old City’ and that certainly is what it is, full of history yet so timelessly Italian. To get up to the city there is a cable car going up the mountain side of a bus or you can walk up. All the streets are treasures to be explored and there are some great restaurants. The University is in Citta Alta so luckily I spent a lot of time up there every day, it is definitely a place I won’t forget visiting.
*Local Area*
Locally there are many beautiful places to visit. I would suggest using the trains to visit places if you are based in Bergamo. It only takes 40 minutes to get to Milan on the train and the same amount of time to get to Lecco which is on Lake Como. The prices of train tickets are very reasonable and you can travel a long distance for only a small price, you must stamp your ticket in one of the available machines however before getting on the train or else it is invalid and you risk getting a fine.
As Milan is so close and such an amazing city it is definitely worth visiting. There is so much to see and so much shopping to be done that you could spend a few days there! Going back to Bergamo after a day in Milan however feels like such a retreat as it is away from the city. There is something for everyone to see, not just shops, no matter what your interest is!
Bergamo is a great place to stay to use as a base for travelling around Lombardy. It is only a short distance to Lake Como which is the second largest lake in Italy. It is an absolutely stunning must see destination if you are in the area. It is home to such stars as George Clooney and Donatella Versace. Lake Garda is also only about an hour and a half away after two train journeys.
Brescia is a wonderful city with quaint shops and a real authentic Italian feel and is only about 45 minutes away from Bergamo on a direct train. From Brescia you can travel to Verona which is about an extra 20 minutes away, where you can visit the ‘home’ of Romeo and Juliet.
*Personal Opinion*
Overall I really liked this accommodation as it had the typical laid back Italian feel to it and yet was classy, clean and convenient. I would definitely stay there again and now that I know where it is there would be no problem finding it. It is in a prime location and the rooftop terrace is absolutely amazing for watching the sun set over the city and for having breakfast on in a morning whilst listening to the hustle and bustle of the city down below. The price in which you pay for staying here is very reasonable, when we stayed it was £20 a night per room.
Overall I think that Bergamo is a great place to visit. It is a great platform for travelling around Lombardy and in itself it holds a lot of history and has a real authentic Italian feel. There isn’t a great deal to see or do but ‘Citta Alta’ makes this city really stunning and worthwhile visiting. Furthermore the flights there can be bought very cheap online, especially with Ryanair so it is not that expensive to visit. I hope to return again soon.
Website: http://www.alexeangie.it/
E-mail: mailto:info@alexeangie.it
Pictures of Alex e Angie, Bergamo
view from citt'alta
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