English information about Bergamo

1. Welcome to Bergamo.
2. General Information for foreigners in Bergamo:
2.1. Immigration Office – State Police (Questura)
2.2. First Aid
2.3. Pharmacies
2.4. University of Bergamo.
2.5. Italian Language Course.
2.6. Churches and religious communities
2.7. National Holidays in Italy
2.8. Useful information:
a) Important telephone numbers
b) City tickets
c) Internet
d) Post Offices
e) Parking places
f) Shopping

3. Tourist Information.
3.1. About Bergamo
3.2. How to reach Bergamo
a) Airport
b) Buses
c) Taxi
d) Trains
3.3. Additional activities
a) Cinema, theatre, museums, concerts
b) Sport centre
3.4. International NIGHTs and EVENTs in Bergamo

1. Dear international guests and inhabitants!
We would like to welcome all of you in Bergamo, wishing you a nice stay and a lot of enjoyment in our city.
Bergamo is a city located in the north part of Italy, in Lombardy, about 40 kilometers northeast of Milan. The city is divided into two parts: upper and lower town. The upper town (Città Alta) is famous for its venetian style, narrow, paved streets and splendid landscapes that one can admire when walking along the venetian walls, that surround Bergamo Alta. On the other side, lower town (Città Bassa) is a modern part of Bergamo, in which life goes on quickly and rapidly, unlike peaceful and joyful Città Alta’s life.  There are about 117 000 citizens, not only Italians but also people from all over the world who have made themselves at home here and they do not feel like foreigners any more. They study, work and live in Bergamo and its province, increasing our culture and influencing the development of our city.  Bergamo is now a motherland for many foreigners for whom Bergamo is their real home.
It is not important if your reason of staying here is touristic, connected with your work career, university or any other. As a guest or an inhabitant of our city, you can face some difficulties, that may cause troubles in finding yourself in structures that are not familiar to you. Trying to solve your problems we have created this site which would provide you with useful and practical information.
If you need more help, do not hesitate to contact us.

2. General information for foreigners in Bergamo:

2.1. Immigration Office – State Police (Questura)

Questura:
Via Noli n.26
24100 Bergamo
Telefono:  035276111
fax: 035276777
email: urp.bg@poliziadistato.it
webside: http://questure.poliziadistato.it/Bergamo

Immigration Office
Via Noli n.26
24100 (BERGAMO – BG)
telefono: 035276111
Fax: 035276702
Email: immigrazione.bg@poliziadistato.it
Information for foreigners: http://www.poliziadistato.it/pds/cittadino/stranieri/stranier.htm
Open hours: from Monday to Friday: 8:30-13:30 and 14:30-16:30

If your stay in Bergamo will last longer than 3 months and if you do not have EU passport you are obliged to apply for a legal stay in Bergamo, in the period of your first 8 days being in the city. The document, allowing you to stay in Italy is called Permesso di Soggiorno. Questura (State Police) is an institution issuing it. You may purchase it going to a Post Office and sending an application form (which you will be given in the Post Office). After a while you will be contacted and given an appointment (usually you are called), for which you are obliged to go  personally and leave all the necessary documents:

- Form of request (application form)
- passport or other document allowing you o enter the country, if necessary
- a photocopy of the same document
- 4 photos ( ID card format)
- amount of at least 14,62€
- all other documents necessary for receiving Permesso di Soggiorno

2.2. First Aid

In Italy every city has a different emergency number. In Bergamo First aid number is 118.
EU members in case of possessing European Health Insurance Card are entitled to use the Italian National Health Service.
Non-EU citizens staying in Italy will be charged for the service provided transfering the amount of 149,77 € for Italian National Health Service which can be done in any post office in Bergamo.
Azienda Ospedaliera Ospedali Riuniti di Bergamo
via Largo Barozzi 1
24128 Bergamo (BG), Italy
+39 035 269 255

Local Health Service For the Province of Bergamo:
A.S.L. Azienda Sanitaria Locale della Provincia di Bergamo
via Borgo Canale 130
Opening hours: Monday to Friday: 8:30 am to 13pm
Monday to Thursday: 14 pm to 16pm

2.3. Pharmacies:

Each pharmacy in Bergamo has its own working calendar, so on of them can be opened in the night. Opening timetables are displayed in front of every pharmacy. To check information online visit www.asl.bergamo.itHYPERLINK “http://www.asl.bergamo.it/” , clicking on farmacie e farmaci and after orari.

2.4. University of Bergamo

Università degli studi di Bergamo
Ufficio Affari Internazionali (International Office)
Via S. Bernardino 72
24127 Bergamo

e-mail: relint@unibg.it
website: http://www.unibg.it/struttura/struttura.asp?cerca=intro_studioestero

AEGEE (Association des Etats Generaux des Etudiants de l’Europe) Bergamo: (Non-profit students organization responsible for international students abroad).

http://www.aegeebergamo.eu/

2.5. Italian language Course:

The university of Bergamo offers an Italian language course for foreigners during the academic year. The course is divided into 5 levels of difficulty and includes 4 hours a week (2 hours a day twice a week). Moreover it is possible to attend business language and written language course. Those two courses contains 2 hours of classes a week.

For further information: in the bottom of the side there are essential information in English
http://www.unibg.it/struttura/struttura.asp?cerca=cis_corsi

2.6. Churches and religious communities:

Unfortunately there are no masses in foreign languages in Bergamo. What you can find are some in Latin and if u cannot communicate in italian it possible to use French language.

2.7. National Holidays in Italy:

1st November – All Saints Day
8th December – Immaculate Conception
6th January – Epiphany
25th April – Liberation Day
1st May – Labour Day
2nd June – Republic Day

If any of the mentioned days behooves on Sunday, the wage is paid double.

2.8. General information

a) Important telephone numbers:

Direct number to Italy:0039
Direct number to the city: 035

Police: 112
State Police: 113
Childrens emergency: 114
Fire brigade:115
Ambulance: 116
Finance Police: 117
Red Cross: 118

b) City Tickets: It is not possible to buy tickets in the buses! There are automatic machines allowing to purchase them, situated in the train station, in some of the bus stops and close to funicolare. You can also buy them in news-stands or ticket offices, close to main services. Ticket from airport to the city centre costs 1,65€ and is valid 90 minutes, whereas ticket around the city costs 1€ and is valid for 75 minutes. A carnet of 10 tickets costs 8€.

c) Internet: In Italy wireless is paid even in public places like airport, moreover access to the internet is difficult. There is no place where you can connect to wireless with your laptop. The best way is going to Internet Point to use it. In some hotels and B&Bs it is available for quests.

d) Post offices:  Post Officies are open from Monday to Friday 8:30 – 14pm, Saturdays: 8:30 – 12:30. For further information: www.posteitaliane.it.
Stamps and postcards can be bought on shops called Tabacceria. Central Post Offices stays opened from Monday to Friday: 8:30 a.m till 7 p.m. and on Saturdays: 8:30 – 12:30.

e) Parking places:
There are tree main city parkings in Bergamo. The fee for parking your car is about 1€ for an hour.  Moreover there are parking zones on the street on the places marked with white, yellow or blue lines. Places with white lines are always non-paid, blue ones are not-paid only in the nights and festival days, during the weekdays are usually paid  from 9 am till 7pm and yellow lines are not available, usually are private, you are not allowed to park there. http://parcheggi.informadove.it/locator.asp

f) Shopping:

During the week time the huge part of shops are closed for a lunch break for about 2 hours, so better not to go shopping after 12 p.m.
Another important information is that nearly all the supermarkets are closed on Sundays in Bergamo. 24H shops do not exist here. The ways to purchase some nourishment is to do shopping in mall centres outside the city like the one in front of Orio al Serio airport (5 km from Bergamo), which is closed at 21 pm. On Sundays.

3. Touristic information:

3.1. About Bergamo:

Bergamo is a city which originated on a hill, which today is the old part of the town (città alta-upper town) surrounded by XVI century Venetian walls of 5 km length. Contemporary Bergamo has been developing  down the hill, on the lowland.

The first inhabitants were Celts, Goths, Romans and Longobards. In the city there are also some parts left from medieval period. However, the most essential role for the development of the city took the four centuries of Venetian command.

In the heart of Upper Bergamo, Citta Alta, there is Piazza Vecchia (Old Square), which is surrounded by Palazzo della Ragione (town hall), Palazzo del Comune (old town hall) with its tower and medieval clock. We can also see palazzo del Podesta (the base of Venetian governor) and neoclassical Biblioteca Civica Angelo Mai (The Civil Library of Angelo Mai).

Going through The Old Square we can reach Cathedral Square. Here we can find a splendid Cathedral Santa Maria Maggiore with its renaissance pearl Colleoni’s Chapel and a famous font.

To other precious monuments of Bergamo we can include a large number of churches and monasteries such as: San Agostino or San Alessandro. It is also worth going to Academia Carrara, where we can admire one of the biggest collection of Italian paintings.
The main point of the lower part of the city is Vittorio Veneto Square, which was extended in the period of the Fascism command,  in the neoclassical style.

What is more, so called borghi,old city districts, are also a characteristic to Bergamo. In those districts trade and crafts were developing. The modern city centre id divided by the walking boulevard called Sentierone (Main Route).

Moreover, another attractive place to see is a vantage point from San Vigilio Fortress, where you ought to go by funicular form Colle Aperto Station
3.2. How to reach BG

a) Airport: The best way to get to Bergamo is to fly directly to the local airport ORIO AL SERIO           www.orioaeroporto.it, which is about 5 km from the city centre.

b) Bus: to get from the airport to the city centre you can take a Shuttle Bus Service (buses 1, 1A, 1C and direct Airport – Bergamo station service) which is available every 15 minutes. You have to buy a ticket for Zona 3 which costs 1,65€. It takes about 15-20 minutes to get to the city centre.

c) Taxi: In front of the airport there is also taxi service available. It costs approximately 15-25€ to get to the city centre of Bergamo from the airport.
Radio TAXI: 035/4519090

d) Trains: being in Italy It is advisable to travel by trains, which are cheaper than busses here.
Timetables: http://www.ferroviedellostato.it/ on the website there is a possibility to transfer into English language. It is also important to metion that before entering the train you are obliged to stamp the ticket. If you do not do it, the ticket is not valid and you may have to pay a penalty.

3.3.Additional activities
a)cinema, theatre, museums, concerts: tickets cost about 7.5€  ( reductions on Wednesdays). Concerts Theatres tickets depend on a spectacle and performing actors.
For more  information: http://www.mymovies.it/cinema/bergamo/.

b) Sport centres:
BergamoSport spa
Piazzale L.Goisis 6
24124-Bergamo
Tel.:035234917
Fax.:035234280
email.: info@bergamosportspa.it
website: http://www.bergamosportspa.it/index.html

3.4. INTERNATIONAL NIGHTs & EVENTs in BERGAMO

Bergamo is famous for hosting quite a big number of international students. They organize some events to meet . Usually they have a meeting point on fixed week day. Places they choose for meetings are worth visiting and usually the prices are suitable for their expenses. The most famous places are Velvet (Tuesdays) UD bar (Thursdays) Bacaro (Wednesdays) in the academic year.

During the summer time there are international events in the park (outdoor parties) in Parco della Trucca, 135, starting from 8:30 pm till 1:30am. For more information go to the AEGEE BERGAMO website: http://aegee.altervista.org/aegeebergamo/

18 dicembre 2009