A Bergamo field trip

In our new and shiny surroundings, we still find room for our most grizzled, rambling and downright obscure reviewer. The inimitable O'Reilly whose guide to grappa is something of a bible to those who don't actually own a bible.

Bergamo, 7th to 9th April 2006

For this episode of the Grappa Diaries I decided to go to Bergamo. Like Dannii Minogue, Bergamo is often overlooked in favour of a big sister which in Bergamo’s case is Milan. Also like Dannii, Bergamo has two outstanding attractions that deserve closer inspection, namely its citta alta (high city) and citta bassa (low city).


Venerdi
Arriving in Bergamo on Friday evening the first objective was to find a restaurant and hence a grappa. Fortunately less than 50 yards from the hotel the Taverna Valtellinese provided a warm welcome. In the best traditions of Italian restaurants the matriarchal owner sat behind the till while two waiters ran their legs off trying to keep the diners in a packed restaurant happy. The grappa served was also of a fine vintage and was the perfect end to the first evening. Looking back it was the best grappa of the trip. Having recently caught up with the rest of civilisation by buying a mobile with a camera I was able to send Ginkers a picture of this excellent grappa so he could see what I was enjoying. That’s the kind of friend I am.


Sabato
It is often said that I would climb a mountain for a grappa and that’s what I did on Saturday. Well when I say mountain I mean steep slope and when I say climbed I mean got the cable car up to Bergamo’s citta alta. On looking at the menu in La Marianna I had one of those Shaggy and Scooby “Yoiks!” moments when I saw that a starter portion of pasta cost around €15 while a main course was around €35. After ordering my pasta the waiter enquired “e poi?” and although I thought “e poi I’m out of here at these prices pal” I simply replied “niente”. Who knows how much the grappa would have cost and how good it would have been because I made my escape faster than the aforementioned Shaggy and Scooby being chased by an unscrupulous landowner in an unconvincing werewolf costume.

Fortunately Il Suite bar on Viale Giovanni XXXII back down in citta bassa came to my rescue. Although the grappa was no more than average in taste it was served in a very generous amount which is never a bad thing.


Domenica
The best stadium in the world to watch football is unquestionably Celtic Park in Glasgow. However the San Siro in Milan is a worthy alternative when the 2006 Scottish Champions are away from home as was the case on Sunday. A Kaka hat-trick helped Milan to a deserved 4-1 victory over Chievo but the star of the show was Pippo Inzaghi. Who else when clean through on goals could hit the ball at exactly the right speed and angle for it to hit the keeper square on the chest and land at Kaka’s feet for Milan’s second goal? Join the campaign to get Pippo to the World Cup at http://rinaldisblog.blogspot.com/

Looking for a restaurant back in Bergamo to finish off my trip I was given a sign from the grappa gods when I passed La Bruschetta on the way back to the hotel from the station. The one person who has stuck with this meandering drivel since I started it last October (cheers Ginge!) will remember that the first restaurant I reviewed was La Bruschetta in Edinburgh. Fortunately La Bruschetta in Bergamo lived up to the standards set by its Scottish cousin. Although the grappa was of the variety that forced a sharp intake of breath, followed by the loss of speech for a few seconds it was still a welcome end to the weekend. The fact that it was served by a delightfully charming waitress probably helped. Who am I kidding, it definitely helped!


So the next time you are taking a trip to Milan with Ryanair this grappaholic would recommend spending some time in the city of Bergamo rather than just jumping on the first bus to Milan.

And if you can find a restaurant that provides a grappa experience that combines the grappa quality of Taverna Valtellinese, the quantity of Il Suite bar and the waitress of La Bruschetta, let me know. It will be the first place I visit on my next visit.