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EXPERIENCE BEAUTY & TASTE GOODNESS

CULTURAL & ENOGASTRONOMIC TOURS
IN BERGAMO & PROVINCE

A wonderful passion to share with you, one step after another through itineraries of history, art, traditions and the delicious flavours of the local food production and cuisine.
See you soon in Bergamo.

Bergamo Capital of Cheeses in Italy & Europe

(9 O.D.P. CHEESES produced in Val Brembana)

Bergamo is not exclusively magnificent for its historic and artistic heritage but for its exquisite enogastronomy. For this reason I like to offer my guests a complete cultural experience that includes also the possibility to taste the local excellent food productions , directly where these have their origins. 

My attention is mainly addressed to the local CHEESES first because I LOVE THEM and I started to appreciate them when I was a child and then because I started to be curious to know more about them (today I’m officially an ONAF Cheese Taster - National Organization for Cheese Tasters in Italy) discovering that the tradition of the cheese production in Bergamo was deeply related to the past and for long time it represented the main economic resource for a lot of poor families who lived in the mountain.
Today Bergamo, thanks to its long tradition in the cheese production is considered the Capital of cheeses in Italy with its 9 different O.D.P. varieties.

My mission is to share with you a cheese experience directly in Bergamo if you have not enough time to reach the mountain (just to facilitate the visitor who has few hours to spend in my town I’ve selected different places in Bergamo where to enjoy a cheese tasting supported by my explanations) or a direct experience with a CHEESE TOUR in the mountain region directly where the CHEESE is produced

AT THE ORIGINS OF THE BRANZI FTB CHEESE & FORMAI DE MUT DELL’ALTA VAL BREMBANA D.O.P. F.P.O.

Branzi village is located in the northern part of Bergamo, in the mountain region named Val Brembana at the confluence of the Valleve with the Val Carona, at a distance of 49 kms (33,54 miles) (about 1,20 hour) from Bergamo.

It is at 844 m. a.s.l. in the green frame of the very high Orobie mountains with a stunning view on a waterfall called “la Borleggia”.

It is the homeland of two great cheeses I’d like you could taste as you could believe to be in heaven: BRANZI FTB and FORMAI de MUT DELL’ALTA VAL BREMBANA D.O.P, the white fruits produced by the nature in joint-venture with men, the cheesemakers who have been able to create pure masterpieces for the cheese lovers.

Other exquisite cheeses like the Formaggella dell’Alta Val Brembana, Bistracco, Primo sale, complete the rich variety of the great cheeses produced in this valley.

This tour includes a visit to one of the local dairy factories to take part to the production of the cheese and have a taste of it.

We cannot miss then to taste the most traditional dish of the village and probably of the Val Brembana: the POLENTA TARAGNA made of course with Branzi cheese.

The afternoon will be dedicated to a short walking tour in the beautiful small medieval hamlet named Camerata Cornello dei Tasso, discovering the story of the Tasso Family who generated a great business related to the postal system from the Middle Ages until 1866.

Last but not least in case we had few crumbles of time left and the itinerary is not too tight for your taste I’d like to explore with you the village of San Pellegrino where the springs of the SAN PELLEGRINO WATER, the champagne of the water, fill millions of bottles every year to be exported on the world market.

TOUR DURATION: 6 - 7 HOURS (Transfer from/to Bergamo takes about 1,15 by car, 1,30 by minibus).

Lunch in a local restaurant- short visit to the Medieval Village of Camerata Cornello – short visit (if there is enough time) to San Pellegrino. 

CHEESE TOUR TO VALTALEGGIO – THE HOMELAND OF TALEGGIO D.O.P – STRACHITUNT D.O.P.- F.P.O.

Valtaleggio is a very unique and isolated valley in the region of Val Brembana (50 kms from Bergamo – 1 hour distance) where two important cheeses are produced: the TALEGGIO D.O.P. and the very special blue cheese named STRACHITUNT D.O.P. - F.P.O..

The tour is directly addressed to the small dairy factories where these genuine cheeses are produced both using raw cow milk and processed differently according to the methods that were already used in the Middle Ages when the Taleggio cheese was already present in the daily nutrition of the locals. The visit to the dairy factory will be completed with a tasting experience and other tours in the beautiful mountain region.

TOUR DURATION: 6 – 8 HOURS (Transfer from/to Bergamo takes about 1 hour 1,10 by car or minibus). Visit to a dairy factory in the Valley and cheese tasting. Lunch in a local restaurant - visit of the Medieval Village of Camerata Cornello – San Pellegrino).

CHEESE tours in the Valley can be proposed with bike tours itineraries and short tracking tours too. 

The Wine Routes

Valcalepio, Moscato di Scanzo & Franciacorta Wines

Discover the wine street in Valcalepio area to learn more about the enological bergamask world of the Valcalepio wines and Moscato di Scanzo wine, two autoctone productions reaching the highest quality performance.


Visit the Castle in Grumello del Monte, its medioeval huge tower and the voulted roof wine-cellar, tasting the Colle Calvario wines; Reach the ancient sand-stone quarry called "Le Molere" in Gandosso where the Romans used to work the stone to obtain mill-stones of which several traces are still visible. Taste the excellent wines and foods at the "Fontanile Tallarini Wine Cellar".
Reach the area of the Scanzo hills where it is possible to taste the famous "Moscato di Scanzo" at La Brugherata, a spectacular nice place amidst gentle hills carefully cultivated with vineyards or Celinate wine cellars.

ENOTOURS TO THE HOMELAND OF THE MOSCATO DI SCANZO D.O.C.G.

Scanzorosciate is a small village located 6 kilometres (4 mi) northeast of Bergamo in an hillyside area (min mt 279 a.s.l.; max 686 a.s.l.) covered by rows of red grape vines that produce the famous autoctone MOSCATO DI SCANZO, a wine whose origins date back to pre-roman times, tasted in XVIII°century by the Russian zarina Caterina.II and today by the royal British family; a wine that at the end of 2017 has reached the shelves of Astor Wine & Spirits in New York, the paradise of the enological world in U.S.A.

Passion, love and respect of nature, great expertise are the main ingredients we’ll taste in the precious drops of this unique wine.

TOUR DURATION: 1,45 - 2 Hours (included the transfer from/to Bergamo by car or minibus).

ENOTOURS TO THE HOMELAND OF THE VALCALEPIO D.O.C. WINES AND TERRE DEL COLLEONI WINES

VALCALEPIO WINE ROUTE
Valcalepio is the name given to four local wines, produced in the territory of Bergamo province between the Iseo Lake and the Adda River.

Valcalepio wine a D.C.O. production since 1976, has its roots planted far away in the past while today for the local enologists and wine producers it represents a true bet on the future and the most important mission to obtain excellent wines.

*The wine-tours could complete a half day tour in Bergamo Upper Town or a tour to the Lake Iseo area, or a cheese tasting tour in the mountain area.

Valcalepio Wine Tour – Itinerary 1
The wine tour includes a visit to a selected winery in the Valcalepio region to find out more about the Valcalepio wines, their terroir, winemaking processes, the history of the estate and something more personal on the protagonists’s life of this reality. The visit to the winery will be completed with a wine-tasting to enjoy a sensorial experience of the Valcalepio wines.
Useful Information
• Distance from Bergamo: from 6 Km (3,7 miles) to 35 km (21,7 miles) – max. 30 minutes by car from Bergamo city.
• The visit to the wine-cellar lasts an hour and half; the cost of a wine tasting ranges from € 20,00 to € 35,00 or more, according to the wine cellar and the wine-tasting selected.
• The wine tours must be reserved at least 3 days in advance.
• The temperature in the cellars is of about 10°C/50°F; suitable clothing is recommended.

** This tour can be completed with a Tour of Bergamo in the morning or a cheese tasting tour in the the mountain for a full-day tour (6 – 7 hours).


Valcalepio & Franciacorta Wine Tour – Itinerary 2

This itinerary is dedicated to the visit of two different kinds of wineries and wines: a Valcalepio & a Franciacorta.
The two different wines are produced in two different territories that are strictly close one to the other.
Valcalepio area and Franciacorta vineyards are separated only by a natural border, the Oglio River.
Just for this reason it is extremely interesting to exploit the vicinity of two different territories with two excellent wines to discover and enjoy both of them in the same day.
Useful Information
• Distance from Bergamo: from 6 Km (3,7 miles) to 35 km (21,7 miles) – max. 30 minutes by car from Bergamo city.
• The visit to the wine-cellar lasts an hour and half; the cost of a wine tasting ranges from € 20,00 to € 35,00 or more, according to the wine cellar and the wine-tasting selected.
• The wine tours must be reserved at least 3 days in advance.
• The temperature in the cellars is of about 10°C/50°F; suitable clothing is recommended.

** This tour can be completed with a Tour of Bergamo in the morning or a cheese tasting tour in the the mountain for a full-day tour (6 – 7 hours).

ENOTOURS TO FRANCIACORTA

Franciacorta wine region is a small wine-producing area in the province of Brescia, close to ISELO LAKE, on the border with the province of Bergamo where the production of the FRANCIACORTA has transformed this territory in a very carefully cultivated area with hectares of vineyards of Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanche and Chardonnay grapes that produce a true excellence, the extraordinary FRANCIACORTA D.O.C.G. sparkling wine, always more appreciated as the Italian Champagne by the wine lovers of all over the world.

Visit & Wine-Tasting in a Franciacorta winery
The wine tour includes a visit to a selected winery in the Franciacorta region to discover the origins of this fabulous wine, to know more about its production processes and to enjoy its extraordinary high qualities. Useful Information:
• Distance from Bergamo to Franciacorta region: 40 Km (24 miles) – about 40 minutes by car from Bergamo city.
• The visit to the wine-cellar lasts an hour and half and the cost of a wine tasting ranges from € 20,00 to € 35,00 or more, according to the wine cellar and the wine-tasting selected.
• The wine tours must be reserved at least 3 days in advance.
• The temperature in the cellars is of about 10°C/50°F; suitable clothing is
recommended.


** This tour can be proposed with: a Tour of Bergamo in the morning or / a tour to Lake Iseo in the morning or / a cheese tour in the mountain in the morning (6 – 7 hours). 

HAPPY CUSTOMERS

Some customer reviews

This was my first visit to Bergamo, a very neat sort of off-the beaten path place to visit that is a short 1 hour train ride from Milano. Had the good fortune to spend the day touring the city with Sara Cologni. Sara is incredibly knowledgeable of the interesting history of Bergamo and her pride in her city and region really shines through. We toured both the Citta Alta (the well preserved upper town) as well as the Citta Bassa, visiting several of the major works of artist Lorenzo Lotto in churches in the lower town. Was scheduled for 6 hours and think we ended up going 7+ hours as she really wanted to show me everything we talked about seeing. I would highly recommend visiting Bergamo if you have a chance and, would likewise, highly recommend using Sara as your guide if you do!

We were a group pf 5 friends with a short time in Bergamo and booked a 3 hour walking our of the old town with Sara. She was absolutely delightful and we had a great afternoon. She was friendly, knowledgeable, passionate about her town and a wonderful guide. She provided an excellent historical context for the growth of the town and provided a wealth of information about the beautiful buildings and squares. The highlight was the Basilica which was enhanced by her extensive knowledge of art history. We were all agreed that we could not have done better! Thank you Sara for a great tour.

Last week we did a tour in the old town of Bergamo, the ""Citta Alta" with Sara Cologni as our guide. During the 2 hours we planned with her, she told a lot about the history of Bergamo, pointing at the geographical position and the importance of Bergamo.

During our tour through the Citta Alta, she explained a lot about ancient details on the buildings, squares, etc.

The absolute highlight of the tour was the visit to the Basilica and the monument of Bartolomeo Colleoni, with so many things to see. And on every question we had, Sara had the answer.

She is really the perfect guide if you visit Bergamo!

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Address

Via Galileo Galilei, 4
24040 Osio Sopra
Bergamo (Bg)
Italy

Contacts

Email: scolognibg@gmail.com
Phone: +39 338 339 9846

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