Death in the High City

A successful decade for crime novel set in Bergamo

Death in the High City, the first detective novel written in English to be set in Bergamo in northern Italy, was published ten years ago this summer.

To mark the tenth anniversary, East Wind Publishing have issued a new edition of the mystery with a front cover showing Bergamo’s Via Colleoni at night. The historic street in the Città Alta, Bergamo’s upper town, features as a key location in the novel. 

Referred to as un romanzo giallo in Italian, Death in the High City centres on the investigation into the death of an English woman staying in Bergamo while working on a biography of the opera composer Gaetano Donizetti, who was born and died in the city. 

The dead woman had been living in an apartment in Bergamo’s Città Alta and much of the action takes place within the walls of the upper town. 

The novel was the first in a series to feature the characters of Kate Butler, a freelance journalist, and Steve Bartorelli, a retired Detective Chief Inspector, who is of partly Italian descent. 

At first the local police do not believe there is enough evidence to open a murder enquiry and so journalist Kate Butler, the victim’s cousin, arrives in Bergamo to try to get some answers about her relative’s death, on behalf of her elderly aunt, who is too frail to make the journey herself.

She stays first at a hotel in the Città Bassa and then moves to a hotel in Bergamo’s historic Città Alta. Like the characters and events in the novel, the hotels are fictional, but the descriptions of them were inspired by the wonderful hospitality the author has experienced in Bergamo over the years. 

Kate visits many of the places in Bergamo with Donizetti connections and her enquiries also take her out to Lago d’Iseo and into the countryside around San Pellegrino Terme.

 But after her own life is threatened and there has been another death in the Città Alta, her partner, Steve Bartorelli, joins her in Bergamo to help unravel the mystery and trap the killer.

The reader can enjoy Bergamo’s wonderful architecture and scenery from the comfort of their own armchair, while savouring the many descriptions in the novel of local food and wine.

After the novel was published, Author Val Culley was invited to present Death in the High City to an audience in San Pellegrino Terme in Lombardy, and sign copies of the book, as a guest at the fifth anniversary celebrations of Bergamo Su e Giù, a group of independent tour guides based in the city. During the evening, she was presented with a book about San Pellegrino Terme by the town’s mayor. 

She also made two appearances on Bergamo TV to talk about the novel with presenter Teo Mangione during his daily breakfast programme. During one of her visits to the studios, she presented a copy of the book to the Mayor of Bergamo, Giorgio Gori, who took office the year the novel was published. 

Val was invited to Bergamo for a further visit by the Cambridge Institute to give a talk about Death in The High City to a group of 80 Italian teachers of English and to sign copies for them. 

She has also formally presented a copy of Death in the High City to the Biblioteca Civica (Civic Library), a beautiful 16th century building in white marble, designed by Vincenzo Scamozzi, situated in Piazza Vecchia, a location that features frequently in the novel. 

She was later invited to give a talk about Death in the High City at a sixth form college in Zogno, a comune in Valle Brembana set in beautiful countryside in the hills above Bergamo. 

Another highlight was when the New York Times mentioned to Death in the High City in a travel feature they were running about Bergamo. 

The novel came out in Kindle format in May 2014 and a paperback version was released in July 2014. It has since sold copies in the UK, Italy, Spain, France, the Netherlands, Germany, America, Australia, Canada, and Mexico. 

Death in the High City will interest readers who enjoy the ‘cosy’ crime fiction genre, or like detective stories with an Italian setting.

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Mercure Bergamo Centro Palazzo Dolci

A modern Città Bassa hotel in a convenient location

Housed in a traditional Bergamo palazzo, the
Mercure enjoys a convenient central location

A smart, four-star hotel, the Mercure in Bergamo’s Città Bassa is ideally situated for enjoying a visit to this fascinating northern Italian city.

Housed in the Palazzo Dolci on Viale Papa Giovanni XXIII, one of the main thoroughfares in the lower town, the Mercure is convenient for the railway station but also within walking distance of the Sentierone (which means broad path), at the hub of the Città Bassa, and handy for all the restaurants, bars and shops.

Opposite the Mercure there is a bus stop outside the beautiful church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, from which regular buses take passengers up to the Città Alta, Bergamo’s historic upper town. The stop for the bus to Bergamo Caravaggio airport is on the same side of the road as the Mercure, about five minutes’ walk from the hotel.

The pink-painted Palazzo Dolci has a simple, contemporary décor on the inside and provides generously proportioned, comfortable guest rooms with modern furniture. Some rooms feature a striking, large landscape of the Città Alta above the bed.

The Mercure's rooms are spacious and
have plenty of amenities

The air-conditioned rooms all have free wi-fi, a flat screen tv, and a mini-bar, and the large bathrooms are immaculate and well appointed.

A generous buffet breakfast offering guests sweet and savoury food and hot and cold dishes is served each day in the restaurant on the ground floor of the hotel.

The Donizetti Theatre and the monument to the Bergamo-born opera composer are close by, and there are churches housing masterpieces by Lorenzo Lotto within walking distance.

As an alternative way to travel up to the magical Città Alta, you can take a ride on Bergamo’s funicular railway, which is situated about 20 minutes’ walk away from the Mercure.

Book a room at the Mercure with Hotels.com

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Hotel Piemontese Bergamo

Smart hotel in an ideal spot for visitors

The Hotel Piemontese is in a handy location in Piazzale Marconi on the opposite side of the square from Bergamo’s railway station.

Guests can quickly access local buses that leave from outside the railway station or from stops near the top of Viale Papa Giovanni XXIII to go out and about.

The pink facade of the Hotel Piemontese

The hotel is within comfortable walking distance of the shops, bars and restaurants of the Città Bassa (lower town)

The Piemontese has a modern décor and there are 50 rooms served by a lift, all with telephone, satellite television and wifi connection.

A generous buffet breakfast is served each day in the large breakfast room on the lower ground floor and there is an internet point in reception and car parking available for guests.

Transport advice

The hotel is a short bus or taxi ride from Bergamo Caravaggio airport at Orio al Serio.

There are coaches to the lakes and nearby towns from the bus station, which is close to the hotel in Via Bartolomeo Bono. Trains leave frequently to Milan, Brescia, Lecco, Cremona and further afield from the railway station.

To visit the Città Alta (upper town) you can either take the bus to the funicular railway station in Viale Vittorio Emanuele II, from where you will be conveyed up the steep hill by the funicular, or you can take the bus round the 15th century walls that surround the upper town and get off at Colle Aperto, which is next to Porta Sant’Alessandro, one of the city gates.

Editor’s note: ‘It was great to be able to just cross the square to the station in the mornings and board a train to Milan or Cremona and not have far to walk from the station back to the hotel at the end of an enjoyable day out.’

Click here for more information, to check prices and to book a room at the Hotel Piemontese.

What to see in Bergamo

Città Bassa

Walk down Viale Papa Giovanni XXIII until you reach Via Sentierone. Turn right to see the 18th century Teatro Donizetti and next to it the monument to the composer Gaetano Donizetti, erected in 1897 in the centenary year of his birth in Bergamo. Opposite is Balzer, a bar founded in 1850 under the portici that has now become a Bergamo institution. 

The Accademia Carrara is one of Italy's finest art galleries

Further along Via Sentierone is the church of San Bartolomeo, which houses a large altarpiece by Renaissance artist Lorenzo Lotto depicting the Virgin Mary and child on a throne surrounded by saints.

Walk down Via Torquato Tasso to Piazzetta Santo Spirito, where the church of Santo Spirito also has a work by Lorenzo Lotto. Turn left into Via Pignolo and walk along until you reach the church of San Bernardino in Pignolo, also home to a Lotto masterpiece. Further along Via Pignolo you can turn right into Via San Tomaso, at the end of which you will find the Pinacoteca di Accademia Carrara, one of Italy’s finest art galleries.

Città Alta

If you ride up to Bergamo’s upper town on the funicular railway and step out into Piazza Mercato delle Scarpe you will feel as though you have travelled back in time.

Walk along narrow Via Gombito, which is thought to have existed during the Roman era. It is lined with shops and bars occupying the ground floors of medieval houses. 

The Cappella Colleoni and (bottom left)
il Battistero in Piazzetta del Duomo

Via Gombito lead to Piazza Vecchia, a beautiful square with a 12th century building, il Palazzo della Ragione (Palace of Reason). Next to it, the big bell tower, il Campanone, dates back to at least the 12th century. Just in front of the Palazzo della Ragione is a statue of Torquato Tasso, one of the greatest Italian Renaissance poets, who was the son of a Bergamo nobleman. 

If you walk through the archways of the Palazzo della Ragione you will find yourself in the Piazzetta del Duomo, where in addition to il Duomo you will see the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, the Cappella Colleoni, and il Battistero.

In nearby Via Arena is the Palazzo della Misericordia Maggiore, which houses a museum dedicated to the life of composer Gaetano Donizetti, who was born and died in Bergamo.

Another fascinating street leading off Piazza Vecchia is Via Colleoni, which is lined with shops, wine bars and restaurants housed in medieval buildings.

Bergamo food and wine

Sampling melt-in-the-mouth casoncelli alla bergamasca, topped with chopped bacon, sage, butter and grated cheese, is an unforgettable part of a stay in Bergamo.

Casoncelli alla bergamasca is a traditional Bergamo dish

Casoncelli, also sometimes referred to on menus as Casonsei, are a type of ravioli, filled with sausage meat, which has been mixed with several other vital ingredients, including finely chopped pears, sultanas and amaretti.

Casoncelli are believed to have originated in the countryside outside Bergamo, where they were originally created as a way of using up left over meat.

Enjoy your casoncelli with a glass of chilled Valcalepio Bianco, a light, dry white wine with a delicate fragrance, produced in the small valley between Bergamo and Lago d’Iseo. If you prefer red wine, try Valcalepio Rosso, which is dry and soft with an intense scent and goes well with red meat, polenta and local cheeses, such as taleggio.

Book a room at the Hotel Piemontese with Hotels.com

NH Bergamo

Smart hotel is right in the centre of the Città Bassa

The smart and modern NH Bergamo

The immaculate and comfortable NH Bergamo is in a great location in Bergamo’s lower town, the Città Bassa.

This modern hotel in Via Paleocapa is close to the railway station and the stops for buses going to the upper town, the Città Alta, or to Bergamo Caravaggio airport.

It is handy for the best shops and restaurants in the lower town, but within walking distance of the funicular railway that ferries passengers up to the historic Città Alta.

The smart, well-designed hotel has 88 comfortable guest rooms, all with TV, mini bar and free Wi-Fi.

An excellent buffet breakfast is served daily on the ground floor of the hotel and there is a 24-hour bar service.

Editor’s note: ‘I enjoyed a comfortable, peaceful stay at the NH Bergamo. The room was quiet and I was able to sleep soundly, even though I was in the centre of the lower town and close to the main street.’

Click here for more information, to check prices and to book a room at the NH Bergamo.

Why stay at the NH Bergamo?

The NH Bergamo is in a good position, right in the centre of Bergamo’s Città Bassa, but it is also handy for both the buses and the funicular railway up to Bergamo’s historic Città Alta.

It is within walking distance of the main sights in the Città Bassa.and all the shops, bars and restaurants.

The hotel is close to the stops for the bus service that runs to the airport and is also handy for the railway station and the regular train services to Milan, Brescia, Lecco and Cremona. From the nearby bus station there are coaches to resorts on Lago d’Iseo and the countryside north of Bergamo.

Bergamo's beautiful Piazza Vecchia

What to see in Bergamo

Bergamo is a fascinating historic city with two distinct centres. The Città Alta is a beautiful walled city with buildings that date back to medieval times but there are plenty of shops, bars and restaurants to make it comfortable for visitors today.

At the heart of the upper town is Piazza Vecchia, which was remodelled during the Renaissance and has been hailed by architects and writers as the most beautiful square in Italy.

It is surrounded by old palaces and has a 12th century bell tower that still strikes 100 times at ten pm each night to mark the ancient curfew.

With bars on two corners and prestigious restaurants along two sides, Piazza Vecchia is the perfect place to stop for something to eat and drink.

You can walk through the archways under Palazzo della Ragione to Piazza Duomo where you will see the Duomo, the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, the Colleoni Chapel and the Battistero - all of them architectural gems.

Streets of shops and restaurants lead off Piazza Vecchia to other squares with fountains, beautiful buildings, old churches and museums.

The elegant Città Bassa grew up on the plain below and still has buildings that date back to the 15th century.

More imposing and elaborate architecture was added in the 19th and early 20th centuries and it is now a vibrant city with a wealth of shops, bars and restaurants. There are also palaces, churches, art galleries and museums to visit as well as a theatre and other venues providing concerts and entertainment.

The elegant Via Sentierone 

Via Sentierone, a short walk from NH Bergamo, is a popular place for la passeggiata. The Sentierone, which means broad path, links Piazza Vittorio Veneto with Via Torquato Tasso, a road that leads into the oldest part of the Città Bassa.

The Donizetti theatre, named after the opera composer, is on the corner of Via Sentierone, and close by, the Donizetti monument, set back from Via Sentierone in Piazza Cavour, was erected in 1897 to commemorate the first anniversary of the birth of the composer in Bergamo.

Directions: From the airport, you can either take a reasonably priced taxi, or buy a ticket for the No 1 bus that passes the railway station before turning along Viale Papa Giovanni XXIII in the direction of the Città Alta. The hotel is in Via Palocapa, on the left, which is across the road and a short distance from the bus stop outside the beautiful church of Santa Maria delle Grazie. The church is a good landmark, on the corner of Viale Papa Giovanni XXIII and Porta Nuova, with its 19th century green cupola topped with a golden statue.

Restaurant recommendation:

La Ciotola is a short walk away from NH Bergamo in Viale Papa Giovanni XXIII in the centre of the Città Bassa. La Ciotola, which means ‘the bowl’, offers many Bergamo specialities, including the local pasta dish, casoncelli,gnocchi with fennel in a cream sauce and risotto with truffles in red wine. There are fish and chicken dishes and a long pizza list, or you could try the local favourite of veal with mushrooms and polenta. 

Local specialities:

Try casoncelli alla bergamasca (Bergamo’s own version of stuffed pasta), polenta taragna (polenta with Taleggio cheese) and stinco al forno (pork shank braised in wine with vegetables and herbs).

Local wines:

White: Try Valcalepio Bianco, a light dry wine with a delicate fragrance, produced in the small valley between Bergamo and Lago d’Iseo.

Red: Valcalepio Rosso is dry and soft with an intense scent. It is placed on sale every year after 1 November following six months’ refinement in wooden casks. It goes well with red meat, game and polenta and local cheeses, such as taleggio.

The Bergamo speciality casoncelli

Shopping

One of the main thoroughfares in the Città Bassa in Bergamo is Via XX Settembre, which leads from Piazza Vittorio Veneto in the centre to Largo Nicolo Rezzara at the lower end of Via Sant’Alessandro.

Dubbed ‘the shopping street’ by the Bergamaschi because of the wealth of smart shops that line both sides, Via XX Settembre is named after an important event in Italy’s history. It was on 20 September 1870 that Italian troops under Victor Emmanuel II finally entered Rome and completed the unification of Italy.

Rome had remained under French control even after the first Italian parliament had proclaimed Victor Emmanuel King of Italy, despite repeated events by nationalists to liberate it. But after the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian war, Napoleon III withdrew his troops. Italian soldiers seized their chance, and, after a brief bombardment were able to enter Rome through a breach in the walls at Porta Pia.

Victor Emmanuel took up residence in the Quirinale Palace and Italy was declared officially united.

These days shoppers celebrate the anniversary by visiting the establishments gracing the elegant street such as Calvin Klein, Stefanel, Benetton, Max Mara, Luisa Spagnoli, Marina Rinaldi and Sisley.

Book a room at the NH Bergamo 

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Death in the High City first anniversary

Successful year for Bergamo’s first English crime novel

Death in the High City, the first British detective novel to be set in Bergamo, has had an exciting first year.

The novel, which was published in Kindle format on Amazon 12 months ago today, has sold copies in the UK, Italy, America, Australia and Canada. A paperback version of Death in the High City was published in July 2014.

Piazza Vecchia features in several
scenes in Death in the High City
 

Author Val Culley has had some heart warming emails and messages about the book from readers both in the UK and abroad and has been delighted with the level of interest in her first novel.

In October 2014 Val was a guest at the fifth anniversary celebrations of Bergamo Su e Giù, a group of independent tour guides in the city. She was invited to present Death in the High City to an audience in San Pellegrino Terme and sign copies of the book and she also made an appearance on Bergamo TV to talk about the novel with presenter Teo Mangione.

In November the book was purchased by Leicestershire Libraries and is now in stock at Loughborough, Shepshed, Ashby de la Zouch, Coalville, Castle Donington and Kegworth Libraries and is going out on loan regularly.

In April this year Val was invited to Bergamo again to present her novel to a group of 80 Italian teachers of English and to sign copies. She made a second appearance on Bergamo TV and also formally presented a copy of Death in the High City to the Biblioteca Civica (Civic Library) in Piazza Vecchia, a location that is featured in the novel itself.

Death in the High City centres on the investigation into the death of an English woman who was staying in the Città Alta while writing a biography of the composer Gaetano Donizetti.

The novel is the first of a series to feature the characters of Kate Butler, a freelance journalist, and Steve Bartorelli, a Detective Chief Inspector, who is of partly Italian descent and has just retired from the English police.

The victim had been living in an apartment in Bergamo’s Città Alta and much of the action takes place within the walls of the upper town. The local police do not believe there is enough evidence to open a murder enquiry and so Kate Butler, who is the victim’s cousin, arrives in Bergamo to try to get some answers about her death.a

The Città Alta seen from San Vigilio

Kate visits many of the places in the city with Donizetti connections and her enquiries even take her out to Lago d’Iseo and into the countryside around San Pellegrino Terme. But after her own life is threatened and there has been another death in the Città Alta, her lover, Steve Bartorelli, joins her to help unravel the mystery and trap the killer. The reader is able to go along for the ride and enjoy Bergamo’s wonderful architecture and scenery while savouring the many descriptions in the novel of local food and wine.

The novel will be of interest to anyone who enjoys the ‘cosy’ crime fiction genre or likes detective novels with an Italian setting.

Death in the High City by Val Culley is available from Amazon.co.uk

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Arli Hotel Bergamo

 

This smart Bergamo hotel is in an ideal position

In the heart of Bergamo’s Città Bassa (lower town), the comfortable Arli Hotel provides an ideal base for exploring the city and surrounding area.

Situated in Largo Porta Nuova, the three-star hotel is about half way between the railway station and the funicolare (funicular station) for the Città Alta (upper town), approximately 400 metres from them both.

Arli Hotel in Largo Porta Nuova

It is very close to the stops for buses to the Città Alta and the airport at Orio al Serio and is handy for some of the best shops and restaurants in the Città Bassa.

The Arli Hotel has a bright, welcoming reception area, which leads into La Delizia restaurant. There is also a dedicated internet room on the ground floor.

There is a lift to the 66 bedrooms and guests can opt for single, double or king size accommodation.

Editor’s note: “When I stayed at the Arli Hotel I was impressed with both the comfort of the bed and pillows and the selection of food offered at the buffet breakfast, which was included in the price of the room.”

For more information, to check prices and to book a room at the Arli Hotel, try our booking partners Hotels.com and Expedia UK.

Why stay at Arli Hotel in Bergamo?

The Arli Hotel is in an excellent location in Bergamo, handy for some of the best bars, restaurants and shops.

The Arli Hotel also has its own wine bar and guests can use the facilities of the Fit and Well Spa. There is free car parking for guests and room service is available after 10.30 pm for late arriving visitors.

Book a room at the Arli Hotel, Bergamo with Expedia UK.

What to see near the Arli Hotel

The beautiful church of Santa Maria delle Grazie is on the corner of Viale Papa Giovanni XXIII and Porta Nuova, with its 19th century green cupola topped with a golden statue. The origins of the church go back to 1422 when a convent was built on the site. The beautiful cloisters have been preserved within the church buildings, although the convent was suppressed at the beginning of the 19th century.

Porta Nuova with the upper town in the background

The distinctive Propilei di Porta Nuova, two buildings that look like small temples, were designed by Ferdinando Crivelli in the mid 19th century and built on the site of one of the gates of the muraine, the name for the old city walls that used to run through the Città Bassa.

Via Sentierone is a popular place for la passeggiata. The Sentierone, which means broad path, links Piazza Vittorio Veneto with Via Torquato Tasso, a road that leads into the oldest part of the Città Bassa.

The Donizetti monument, set back from Via Sentierone in Piazza Cavour, was erected in 1897 to commemorate the first anniversary of Donizetti’s birth. An imposing structure in white marble, it depicts the composer sitting on a bench gazing at the figure of a female playing the lyre. Set in the middle of a pond and surrounded by plants and trees, the monument is inscribed simply ‘A Gaetano Donizetti’.

La Chiesa dei Santi Bartolomeo e Stefano, at the corner of Via Torquato Tasso and Largo Bortolo Belotti, provides an impressive backdrop for Via Sentierone. Inside are some beautiful 18th century frescoes, but it is difficult not to be drawn straight to the magnificent altarpiece, Madonna with Child and Saints painted in 1513 by Lorenzo Lotto. The painting is also sometimes referred to as Pala Martinengo as it was commissioned by Alessandro Martinengo Colleoni, the nephew and adopted ‘son’ of condottiero Bartolomeo Colleoni.

Palazzo della Provincia in Via Torquato Tasso is Bergamo’s seat of provincial government. Built between 1864 and 1871, it was the first public work to be carried out in Bergamo after the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy . The new building was designed on a grand scale to house both the offices of the provincial administration and the prefecture of police. On the facade you will notice five carvings depicting significant events and personalities in Bergamo’s history.

La Chiesa di Santo Spirito in Piazzetta Santo Spirito is considered the most important religious Renaissance building in the Città Bassa. It was converted from an original 14th century church by the Venetian born architect Pietro Isabello in 1530 on behalf of some of the rich merchant families in Bergamo . The fine Renaissance design is more striking inside where there is a nave and ten side chapels divided by tall columns. Santo Spirito houses Enthroned Madonna with Saints and Angels, painted by Lorenzo Lotto in 1521.

Directions:

The Arli Hotel can be found in Largo Porta Nuova, just off Viale Papa Giovanni XXIII, the main thoroughfare that leads from the station up to the Città Alta.  It can be reached on foot or by bus or taxi from the station, or by bus and taxi from the airport at Orio al Serio.

Restaurant recommendation:

La Ciotola is a short walk away from Arli Hotel in Viale Papa Giovanni XXIII in the centre of the Città Bassa. La Ciotola, which means ‘the bowl’, offers specialities such as gnocchi with fennel in a cream sauce and risotto with truffles in red wine. There are fish and chicken dishes and a long pizza list, or you could try the local favourite of veal with mushrooms and polenta.

Local specialities:

Try casoncelli alla bergamasca ( Bergamo’s own version of stuffed pasta), polenta taragna (polenta with Taleggio cheese) and stinco al forno (pork shank braised in red wine with vegetables and herbs).

Local wines:

White: Try Valcalepio Bianco, a light dry wine with a delicate fragrance, produced in the small valley between Bergamo and Lago d’Iseo.

Red: Valcalepio Rosso is dry and soft with an intense scent. It is placed on sale every year after 1 November following six months’ refinement in wooden casks. It goes well with red meat, game and polenta and local cheeses, such as taleggio.

Shopping:

One of the main thoroughfares in the Città Bassa in Bergamo is Via XX Settembre, which leads from Piazza Vittorio Veneto in the centre to Largo Nicolo Rezzara at the lower end of Via Sant’Alessandro.

Dubbed ‘the shopping street’ by the Bergamaschi because of the wealth of smart shops that line both sides, Via XX Settembre is actually named after an important event in Italy’s history.

It was on 20 September 1870 that Italian troops under Victor Emanuel II finally entered Rome and completed the unification of Italy .

Rome had remained under French control even after the first Italian parliament had proclaimed Victor Emanuel King of Italy, despite repeated events by nationalists to liberate it.

But after the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian war Napoleon III withdrew his troops. Italian soldiers seized their chance and after a brief bombardment were able to enter Rome through a breach in the walls at Porta Pia.

Victor Emanuel took up residence in the Quirinale Palace and Italy was declared officially united.

These days shoppers celebrate the anniversary by visiting the top establishments that grace the elegant street such as Calvin Klein, Stefanel, Benetton, Max Mara, Luisa Spagnoli, Marina Rinaldi and Sisley.

Book a room at the Arli Hotel, Bergamo with Hotels.com or compare prices with Expedia UK. 

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Beat the winter blues with a bargain break in Italy

At this time of the year, with Christmas now behind us, many people start to look forward to their next holiday.

But because the summer seems a long way away, I would recommend planning a short winter break in Italy to take your mind off the bad weather and having to return to the daily grind.

The next few weeks would be a good time to go with cheap flights and bargain hotel prices being advertised at the moment.

To keep the costs down still further, be prepared to stay in less well-known towns or resorts where meals and taxi fares are usually cheaper.

There are often low cost flights available to airports close to the great cities of Rome, Venice and Milan.

The Venetian lagoon in winter

But if you base yourself just outside these cities you will find you spend less, while still getting the chance to enjoy the same great atmosphere, architecture, food and wine.

If you can find a cheap flight to Rome (Ciampino), consider staying in the ancient, wine-producing city of Frascati, just down the road from the airport.

The city has the feel of Rome, but it is on a smaller scale and life is at a less frantic pace. There are statues, fountains and wonderful architecture, but it is easy to walk around Frascati and there is little crime there, according to a taxi driver I spoke to.

It is said that Frascati’s delicious white wine ‘non viaggia bene’ (does not travel well), which is all the more reason to drink it there, in quaint wine bars serving it cheaply by the glass.

Villas built by wealthy Romans on the hills behind Frascati now lie in ruins, but there are elegant 16th and 17th century villas, such as the imposing Villa Aldobrandini, to look round.

Take the train to Rome (30 mins) and see the sights, but return in the evening to sit on a terrace sipping wine, looking down over the eternal city.

I recommend the Hotel Colonna as a good base in Frascati.

If you can book a low cost flight to Venice (Marco Polo), why not go by train or taxi to nearby Padova, a sophisticated city with good shops, restaurants and hotels.

Padova’s Scrovegni Chapel contains one of the world’s greatest works of art, a complete cycle of frescoes painted by Giotto between 1303 and 1305, the first time an artist created life-like figures with realistic expressions.

Padova is home to one of the most important places of Christian worship, the Basilica di Sant’Antonio, where pilgrims pray to the saint.

Foodies will be fascinated by the variety of shops and stalls in the Piazza delle Erbe and Piazza delle Frutta.

You could take the train to Venice (35 mins) and arrive in style at Santa Lucia railway station on the Grand Canal, then return to Padova at night to enjoy an excellent meal, at a lower price than you would pay around St Mark’s Square.

Good places to stay in Padova are Hotel Belludi 37 and Hotel Europa.

For more detailed information about Padova visit www.bestofpadova.com.

There are currently some bargain flights to be found for Bergamo Caravaggio airport, also known as Milan Bergamo.  And you will be missing a trick if you don’t stay and explore Bergamo, a historic city with two distinct centres.

Bergamo's beautiful Piazza Vecchia

The upper town is a beautiful, walled city with buildings that date back to medieval times, but there are plenty of shops, bars and restaurants to welcome visitors.

At the heart of the city is Piazza Vecchia, remodelled during the Renaissance and praised by architects as the most beautiful square in Italy.

Walk through the archways under Palazzo della Ragione to see the Colleoni Chapel, considered the finest Renaissance building in Italy.

The lower town also has elegant buildings and a good choice of restaurants and hotels. From there you could take the train to Milan (50 mins) to see the sights, but in the evening you will be glad to return to the peace of Bergamo and dine within its 16th century walls.

I'd recommend staying at the Hotel Excelsior San Marco or the Hotel Cappello d’Oro while in Bergamo.

For more detailed information about Bergamo visit www.bestofbergamo.com.

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