“There was a time in my life when I decided to become an innkeeper. But deep down, I’ve always felt like something else — first and foremost, a seeker of good things. And maybe, before even that, a curious traveler.
A traveler on wheels, drawn to the roads less traveled, chasing that unmistakable feeling you get when you stumble upon something hidden — a detail no one talks about, a place not yet pinned on a map. If such places like these still exist, I like to believe they’re waiting just around the next bend.
I’m convinced the Bergamo area still holds many of these quiet treasures. You just need to know how — and where — to look.
My love for road trips, for motorcycles and vintage cars, for style in its most understated forms, led me to cross paths with Francesco. From that encounter came the idea for a different kind of travel guide. Not for the average tourist, but for those who feel most at home with the window down or the helmet visor up, wind in their face and curiosity at the wheel.
We imagined a guide that would be beautiful first — something that could ignite the desire to leave right away, before even reading the details. I knew Francesco’s eye would know how to shape a journey that starts with photography and leads straight to the open road.
This isn’t meant to be a comprehensive list of all the finest products from Bergamo. Far from it. Instead, it’s a collection of discoveries — a personal selection of places, flavors, and stories I’ve come across in my own wanderings. Think of it as a spark: something to stir your appetite and your curiosity, and to encourage you to seek out your own versions of these gems.
Inside, you’ll find a few tips on where to stop for lunch or dinner — 65 recommendations, split into four categories — alongside 74 local producers, each one matched with my own personal pick.
Our goal isn’t to make you believe you can explore everything in just one day for each of the 7 road trips we suggest — that would be impossible. What we truly aim to do is broaden your sense of just how rich and high-quality the local offerings are, inspiring you to seek them out at weekly markets or in specialized shops. But perhaps, more than anything, our real invitation is for you to return — again and again — to travel these roads and fully immerse yourself in the life of our valleys and villages.
And we’ll take you there the way we love best: sticking to the back roads, weaving the way through the hidden folds of the province and its surrounding lands.
Because what we want to show you are glimpses of beauty, winding roads worth driving just for the pleasure of it, and a local food culture that’s as rich and honest as the land it comes from.”
