GETTING THERE & AROUND

Bergamo’s Orio al Serio airport is a low-cost hub, so there are excellent non-stop flight connections from the UK. Ryanair flies from nine UK airports including Belfast International, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and Stansted, while Wizz Air flies from Cardiff and Gatwick. EasyJet also flies from Gatwick and new Italian airline Aeroitalia flies from Heathrow. ryanair.com wizzair.com easyjet.com aeroitalia.com

Average flight time: 1h50.

It’s also an easy journey by train: take the Eurostar to Paris, then the 6h40 Frecciarossa to Milan. From there, hourly trains take 50 minutes to Bergamo. Bergamo is compact and is easily explored on foot — though you might want to take the funicular from the Città Bassa to the Città Alta. Regular buses connect the funicular with the station. It’s best to hire a car if you’re heading into the mountains. eurostar.com trenitalia.com

WHEN TO GO

Bergamo is wonderful year-round though it comes into its own in spring, when temperatures average around 18C. Summer is warmer, at around 25C, while visiting in winter means you can cram in some skiing in the mountains.

MORE INFO

Visit Bergamo. visitbergamo.net Seriana Valley. valseriana.eu

HOW TO DO IT

Travel Republic offers three nights’ B&B at NH Bergamo from £291 per person, room only, including EasyJet flights from Gatwick. travelrepublic.co.uk