A quite underrated destination for a football weekend: Bergamo, an attractive Italian province city near Milan. The sportive march to the top of Atalanta changes that slightly. Also good: two famous players have their own restaurant here.
To Bergamo you can fly pretty cheap thanks to the nearby Milano-Bergamo airport, home of several low-cost airlines. The city is very good to combine with Milan as well, also by train. Bergamo is compact and romantic, so you can always decide to bring your partner with you as well. For football - like anywhere in Italy - you don't have to search long.
Now that's how you renovate a classic football stadium. Walk along the monumental outside of the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia and you'll see how they've preserved the history, mixed up with a modern main stand with all of the comforts demanded these days. Even on the inside, the old inner walls are preserved as well.
Atalanta is not just in a sportive way a guiding club in the Italian Serie A. Where lots of Italian clubs still play in old, rundown concrete jungles, the Atleti Azzurri d’Italia has become a stadium where the club can stay for decades.
It's at the north side of Bergamo, located in the lower part of the city called 'Città Bassa'. A tip from us: walk there from the higher located old town, the Città Alta, and you'll see the stadium beautfully on the hoirzon, in a decor of hills and the houses of Bergamo.
The old town of Bergamo is truly recommended anyway. There's lots of souvenir shops with shirts and other stuff of Atalanta, the pride of the city. The club has a very local, tight fan base. After the severe corona crisis in Bergamo, the bond between the fans got even tighter. In Bergamo, there's very little fans of neigbouring clubs like AC Milan or Inter, it's Atalanta who's reigning here. You feel that in the Città Alta, where you see lots of club flags in the narrow streets, or inside in the coffee bars.
Bergamo has a great culinary tradition, and also a real football restaurant: Boedo, under the ownership of former Atalanta player Alejandro 'Papu' Gomez (now playing for Sevilla). The outstanding Argentine meat restaurant is named after the area of Buenos Aires where Gomez' favorite team San Lorenzo is coming from. Also nice: the restaurant has not just two paintings of Diego Maradona, the legend can also be found at the window of the restaurant. After his transfer to Spain, Papu isn't often around anymore, but his wife Linda is still closely connected to the business.
Also former Italian international Claudio Marchisio has his own restaurant in Bergamo: 'Legami Sushi & More'. Not a typical football restaurant, but a luxurious, top of the bill sushi bar where you can have great maki rolls.
It's hard nót to eat good in Italy anyway, but if you're looking for a good restaurant close to Atalanta's stadium: DeGusto at the Via del Lazzaretto. A simple but great restaurant with very good pasta. Even closer: the Via Sport Café, just behind the north stand. A little bit kitschy, but a perfect spot for a beer and a bite.
If you're interested in obscure Italian stadiums and pitches, you can find good joy in Bergamo. Close to the Atalanta stadium you'll find the home of SS. Excelsior Bergamo, with a funny stand and some apartments next to the pitch. Even better is the pitch of US Olimpia at the Via Borgo Palazzo. It's close to the centre, sandwiched by houses and a church.
Ordering tickets on the official website of Atalanta isn't that hard, but make sure you order them in time, because the occupancy rate of the club is by Italian standards quite high. The big matches against Milan, Inter or local rivals Brescia are usually sold out, in that case a football travel agency might be able to help you out.
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