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Golf guide • Italy • Lombardy

Golf in Bergamo: Alpine foothills and Venetian ramparts

Bergamo, some forty kilometres north-east of Milan, is played from Golf Club Bergamo L'Albenza, 27 holes laid out from 1961 at the foot of the Alpine foothills and venue of the 1996 Italian Open, and from Franciacorta Golf Club, by Pete Dye and Marco Croze, amid the vineyards. Come to pair a morning round with an evening in the fortified upper town, ideally from April to June and in September and October.

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Bergamo has two faces: the lower town, modern and commercial, and the Città Alta, perched on its hill behind the ramparts Venice built in the 16th century, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2017. A funicular has linked the two since 1887. For a golfer it is a compact base: Orio al Serio airport is on the edge of town, and the region's main course lies a dozen kilometres away, on the first slopes of the Alpine foothills.

That course is L'Albenza, at Almenno San Bartolomeo, the home village of Costantino Rocca, the man who beat Tiger Woods in the singles at the 1997 Ryder Cup. Its 27 holes play between oaks and streams, over ground that rises and falls without respite. To the east, on the road to Brescia, Franciacorta Golf Club adds another mood: a Pete Dye layout around a lake, at the heart of a wine region renowned for its sparkling wines.

Three or four nights are enough: two championship courses, a nine-hole course in town for a late afternoon, and time to wander the Città Alta as its lanes empty. The food is equal to it, from the Cerea family's cooking at Brusaporto to casoncelli, Bergamo's ravioli with butter and sage, served in the trattorias of the upper town.

The courses

Green and white-sand bunker at the foot of a wooded slope of oaks and conifers in autumn colours

Golf Club Bergamo L'Albenza

  • Architect: Cotton & Sutton; Marco Croze, Tom Linskey (1988)
  • Opened 1961
  • 27 holes
  • Par 72

Opened at Easter 1961 on 85 hectares between Barzana and Almenno San Bartolomeo, at the foot of the Lecco Prealps, L'Albenza owes its first eighteen holes to the London firm Cotton & Sutton, hence its very British character. A third loop, the Magnetti course, by Marco Croze and Tom Linskey, opened in 1988. The three nines, Blue, Yellow and Red, are all par 36 and combine into 18 holes. The terrain, century-old trees and water demand that you place the ball rather than hit it hard. The Italian Open was played here in 1996, won by the Englishman Jim Payne.

Signature hole. The 4th on the Red course, a par 5 of 575 yards from the back tees, which the club presents as one of the longest holes in Europe.

Official website

Franciacorta Golf Club

  • Architect: Pete Dye; Marco Croze
  • Opened 1986
  • 27 holes
  • Par 72

Founded in 1984 by Vittorio Moretti and eighteen partners on a former clay quarry at Corte Franca, the club opened its first eighteen holes in July 1986, designed by Pete Dye with Marco Croze. The Brut course follows the lake for its first five holes before heading off towards the vineyards and woods; the Satèn, the most complete according to the club, strings together doglegs, water hazards and an island green at the 2nd. A third loop, the Rosè, a par 34, was added in 2009. Allow about forty minutes from Bergamo, and plan a winery visit for the afternoon.

Signature hole. The 2nd on the Satèn course, whose island green demands a precise iron shot with no bail-out.

Official website

Golf Club Ai Colli di Bergamo

  • 9 holes
  • Par 30

A few minutes from the centre, in the Colli di Bergamo regional park, this nine-hole course of 1,747 metres lines up six par 3s and three par 4s. The club itself describes it as tricky, with strategically placed out-of-bounds, and the ground lends itself to a short round at the end of the day, between sightseeing and dinner. Bought in 2016 by the Bergamo entrepreneur Antonio Percassi, it has a panoramic restaurant and a pro shop.

Official website

Where to stay

GombitHotel

In the Città Alta, on Via Mario Lupo, a palazzo whose walls date back to the 13th century, like the neighbouring Gombito tower, holds around fifteen rooms, each different, in a restrained contemporary style. Ask for the 'la torre' junior suite or one of the split-level suites, and take breakfast in the Tower Lounge. In the evening the upper town is yours; L'Albenza is half an hour away.

Petronilla Hotel

In the lower town, on Via San Lazzaro, a house owned by the same family since 1853 holds twelve rooms over four floors, where designer furniture sits alongside period details. Ask for the second-floor Studio, with its small terrace, four-poster bed and a large De Chirico painting. In fine weather breakfast is served in the courtyard, and valet parking makes early starts for the courses painless.

Where to dine

Da Vittorio

The Cerea family's restaurant, with three Michelin stars, set in an estate with a park and terrace at Brusaporto, a quarter of an hour east of Bergamo on the road to Franciacorta. Order the pacchero alla Vittorio, the house signature, which Francesco Cerea often finishes at the table, and save room for the cheese trolley. Closed Wednesday lunchtime; the family also lets rooms at La Dimora.

Trattoria Parietti

On the hill of the Città Alta, on Via Beltrami, the same family has run this trattoria since 1974: green tablecloths, a small open kitchen by the door, walls painted with Bergamo country scenes. Order the casoncelli, then polenta taragna with rabbit or braised beef, with the house wine, Ines for white and Carlo for red. The room is small, so book, and note it closes on Monday evening and Tuesday.

Plate of golden grains topped with melted cheese and a glass of red wine in a stone-vaulted room

Beyond golf

The Città Alta and its ramparts

The 1887 funicular climbs in two minutes from the lower town to Piazza Mercato delle Scarpe. From there, a few lanes lead to Piazza Vecchia, then to the basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, where the composer Gaetano Donizetti is buried, and to the Colleoni Chapel, a masterpiece of the Lombard Renaissance. Walk the circuit of the UNESCO-listed Venetian walls at sunset, as the lights come on across the plain.

The Accademia Carrara

Founded around 1780 by the collector Giacomo Carrara, Bergamo's picture gallery holds one of Italy's finest collections of Italian painting: Raphael's Saint Sebastian, Giovanni Bellini's Alzano Madonna and Pisanello's portrait of Lionello d'Este. It can be seen in a late afternoon, at the foot of the upper town, before aperitivo.

The wineries of Franciacorta

Between the southern shore of Lake Iseo and Brescia lies Franciacorta, a wine region of sparkling wines made by the traditional method, a DOCG since 1995. After a round at Franciacorta Golf Club, a winery visit, with its galleries of bottles resting on racks, is the natural way to extend the day. Lake Iseo, close by, offers a stop by the water on the way back.

Cobbled lane lined with stone houses with green shutters, a lit shop window and an arch at dusk

When to go

Spring and early autumn are the best seasons: from April to June the courses are green and temperatures mild, and September and October add the colours of the chestnut trees on the hills. July and August are hot and humid on the Lombard plain; play early in the morning. Winter is cold, averaging around 4 °C in January, and fog on the plain can delay tee times.

Getting there

Milan Bergamo airport (BGY), at Orio al Serio, is less than four kilometres from Bergamo, a quarter of an hour from the city and half an hour from L'Albenza. It is very well served by European airlines. From Milan, regional trains reach Bergamo station in about an hour; Linate and Malpensa are more distant alternatives. A car is essential for the courses.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best golf course near Bergamo?

Golf Club Bergamo L'Albenza, at Almenno San Bartolomeo: 27 holes opened in 1961 and 1988, designed by Cotton & Sutton and then Marco Croze and Tom Linskey, which hosted the Italian Open in 1996.

How many golf courses are there around Bergamo?

Two major 27-hole clubs less than 45 minutes away, L'Albenza to the north-west and Franciacorta to the east, and a nine-hole course in town, Ai Colli di Bergamo, in the Colli park.

When is the best time to play golf in Bergamo?

From April to June and in September and October. Summer is hot and humid, winter cold and sometimes foggy on the plain.

How many days do you need for a golf trip to Bergamo?

Three to four nights: L'Albenza and Franciacorta, a nine-hole course in town, and time for the Città Alta and a winery visit.

Which airport should I fly into for a golf trip to Bergamo?

Milan Bergamo airport (BGY), at Orio al Serio, a quarter of an hour from the city and half an hour from L'Albenza.

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