Bergamo is a town that is renowned for it's outstanding beauty, and it isn't hard to understand why - perched in the foothills of the Alps north-east of Milan, the town is split between Città Alta and Città Bassa (the upper, older town and the lower, newer town). Bergamo's upper city section is home to a number of important medieval buildings and is surrounded by a fortified wall. The Cappella Colleoni and the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore are renowned for their intricate architecture and Renaissance artwork, while the Accademia Carrera is regarded as one of Italy's best art museums. Bergamo is within close driving distance of a number of ski resorts as well as many of the famous northern Italian lakes. Milan is approximately sixty kilometres away (via a motorway), and could easily be visited for a day trip.
Bergamo is serviced by Orio al Serio International Airport which, although not overwhelmingly large, still sees over five million passengers annually. Due to it's proximity with Milan Orio al Serio International is used by a number of low-cost international airlines that want to avoid paying higher rates for landing and take-off slots at Milan's busier international airport, Malpensa. BMI-Baby, Jet2.com and Ryan Air all fly numerous routes in and out of Orio al Serio, including flights to and from London and Manchester. There are several car rental companies based at the airport, such as Sixt, Hertz, Avis, Budget, and Europcar. Bergamo can be easily reached from the airport - the SS671 takes motorists west to the Circonvallazione Paltriniano turn-off which in turn can be used to navigate the outskirts of the city.