Bergamo is a wonderful small city that benefits from being located just at the point where the southernmost ripples of the Alps reach the North Italian Plain. It is overshadowed by the great city of Milan to the south-west. Bergamo is chic and affluent, but these qualities come without any hint of Milanese pretension. Bergamo’s città alta (upper town) is a fine place just to wander. Make time for the Piazza Vecchia, sometimes acclaimed as one of the finest urban squares in Europe. And check out the Sestini Museum of Photography which opened in autumn 2018 in a beautifully restored former convent in the città alta.

The one and only railway station is simply called Bergamo. It lies on the flatter land well down the hill from the città alta. Happily, there’s a little funicular railway that whisks new arrivals up into the loveliest part of the Old Town.

Bergamo is short on long-distance rail services. But the upgrading for 2019 of the early morning service to Rome to a posh Frecciarossa train is being touted in Bergamo as a mark of the city's status. That journey to the capital takes 4 hrs 30 mins.

There is also a useful early morning direct train to Pisa, but it's not for those in a hurry. The run to Pisa takes over five hours. However, local trains depart at least hourly for Milan, Brescia and Lecco – all three cities are less than an hour away. Milan in particular offers excellent onward connections to many cities across Italy, although Brescia is best for travellers heading for Verona, Padua or Venice.