Bergamo food landmarks: plan your café and gelato stops
Bergamo's food worth planning around clusters in the arcades and square of the lower town and in the lanes of Città Alta at the top of the funicular. The standout is La Marianna at Largo Colle Aperto, where the Panattoni family says stracciatella gelato was invented in 1961. Note that its sit-down restaurant is on the floor above the pastry counter, which plenty of visitors miss.
Down in the lower town, Pasticceria Balzer has traded under the Sentierone arcades since 1936 and is the place to try Bergamo's own sweets, polenta e ösei and Donizetti Cake. Give it 30 to 60 minutes, and remember the gelateria only runs April to September. Up on Piazza Vecchia, Caffè del Tasso has traded on the square since 1476, and coffee at the bar is quick while a meal at a table is slower; it is listed as open 08:00 to 23:00 daily, though hours can change.
| Place | Area |
|---|---|
| La Marianna Bergamo Guide | Largo Colle Aperto, Città Alta |
| Caffè del Tasso, Bergamo | Piazza Vecchia 3, Bergamo Alta |
| Pasticceria Balzer Bergamo | Via Portici Sentierone 41, lower town |
| Trattoria Parietti, Bergamo | Via Costantino Beltrami, Castagneta |
Bergamo food landmark guides
La Marianna Bergamo Guide: Gelato & Restaurant Tips
A pastry counter and an upstairs restaurant share this building at the top of Città Alta, and it is where the Panattoni family says stracciatella gelato was invented in 1961. Visitors often miss that the sit-down meal is on the floor above.
Book ahead · Best for stracciatella and sit-down meals
Caffè del Tasso, Bergamo: Piazza Vecchia's Historic Café
A café and bar on Piazza Vecchia that has traded on the square since 1476, with photo-covered walls and a guest book kept by the family running it since 1989. Coffee at the bar is quick; a table for a meal is slower.
Book ahead · Best for coffee, aperitivo and historic rooms
Pasticceria Balzer Bergamo: What to Order at the Café
Under the Sentierone arcades since 1936, Balzer sells Bergamo's own sweets alongside croissants and mignon pastries. Order polenta e ösei or Donizetti Cake, and note the gelateria only runs April to September.
30-60 minutes · Book ahead · Best for Bergamo sweets and coffee
Trattoria Parietti, Bergamo: What to Order at This Osteria
A forty-year-old osteria in the Castagneta hamlet, up the climb from Città Alta. Come for polenta taragna with rabbit, casoncelli and a quartino of Valcalepio; the menu is a photo album rather than a list, so be ready to point.
Best for polenta taragna and rabbit
Tables to reserve before you climb
Booking is recommended at Caffè del Tasso, La Marianna and Pasticceria Balzer, so reserve if you want a table rather than a quick coffee at the bar. Trattoria Parietti has no booking information to go on. It sits in the Castagneta hamlet, up the climb from Città Alta, and the menu is a photo album rather than a list, so be ready to point at polenta taragna with rabbit, casoncelli and a quartino of Valcalepio.