The funiculars of Bergamo

March 22, 2026

The cheapest way home was from Milan, so we took an early (6:00 a.m.) flight to Bergamo, where the discount airlines fly. It was very quiet early in this Sunday, with a nice buzz developing later as people came out after 10:00, including many runners going up and down the hills. Unlike many other touristy cities in Italy, we heard almost no English on the streets, only Italian (1).

East of Milan, Bergamo is set where the plains end and the Alps abruptly begin. My friend regaled me with the geologic history of the African tectonic plate pushing under the Eurasian plate, raising the Alps and lifting the formerly-undersea plains above the water.

A funicular runs to Citta Alta, the charming walled city atop the hill. Further along, another funicular climbs further up to the castle at St Vigilio. From here, sweeping views awaited north to the Alps, and south to Citta Alta and the plains beyond. The walk back down was quite scenic. Back in Citta Alta, we encountered a local dance group performing (2).

Palazzo Moroni is known for its art work and gardens in the city center. The introductory video said that one of the Moronis exchanged art with Isabella Stewart Gardner in Boston (2). The ceiling frescoes were quite vibrant. We had a stroll through the gardens before catching a late afternoon train to the Milan Malpensa Airport for a flight home tomorrow.

(1) The one exception was a mother from Atlanta and her daughter traveling through Italy for spring break lunching at a table next to us. Her husband and other daughter were in Scotland sampling whiskey.

(2) There was a TV crew filming the troupe, which performed one song/dance (in which the dancers feigned drunkenness) twice, presumably because the camera crew missed something the first time through.

View to Citta Alta

The Citta Alta funicular

The St Vigilio Funicular

Views south to Citta Alta and the plains beyond

Views north to the Alps

Castello San Vigilio

Walking back down

Porta Sant'Alessandro, near the lower station of the St Vigilio Funicular. The lion at the top of the arch is a symbol of the Venetian Republic, of which Bergamo was a part. 

Local dancing group

In Citta Alta

Basilica of Mary Maggiore

At Palazzo Moroni

The train to Milan, and home tomorrow

The regional express to Iaşi

March 21, 2026

We had a good chat with Lucas, the Greek barista (1) at a breakfast place in Suceava. He was very enthusiastic about coffee, bringing out multiple espressos for my friend to try with different tasting notes that he makes each morning (2). Dropping the car, we hopped on the train to Iaşi (pronounced "yaash"), the Moldavian capital.

Like Budapest, much of Iaşi was built in the late 1800s/early 1900s, with a grand boulevard, public parks and intentional lines of sight. The Moldavian National Theater, Concert Hall, and Orthodox Cathedral (3) (4) anchored a park bisecting the pedestrian boulevard leading to the Palace of Culture.

Tonight's entertainment was a Romanian pop band from the 2000-aughts. The band is named 3 Sud Est because the three singers were from Galaţi in southeast Romania. Even though they sang and talked solely in Romanian, we were able to figure out the concerts flow by watching the audience reaction. They started  with familiar fast songs, then a few slower songs, then some of the bands bigger hits. As usual, the band pretended to end the night, but the house lights did not come up, and the audience shouted what I presume meant something like "one more song." As planned, the band obliged (5).

(1) His wife is from Romania. Having worked in the tourist trade in Greece, he was happy to be practicing English again.

(2) My friend likes milk in her coffee. "I don't judge," Lucas said.

(3) While part of Romania, Moldavia (a) sees itself as a nation within a nation.

(a) Not to be confused with Moldova, an independent country formerly part of the Soviet Union, about 10 miles east.

(4) Both the Theater and concert hall, while hosting performances last night, were dark on this Saturday.

(5) A young woman (probably mid teens) sitting next to us asked in hesitant English if we enjoyed the show. We had, and she replied (as only a young person could) "They are a very old band."

Officially, Suceava train station is in Burdujeni

Arrival at Iaşi

You can buy Spinoza in a book vending machine at the railway station

A biography of Queen Marie (a granddaughter of Victoria, who convinced the Allies to give Transylvania to Romania) is also on offer.

Iaşi Railway station

Walking in Iaşi

Moldavian National Theater

"Sorrow" sculpture in front of the National Theater

The Orthodox Cathedral

Mănăstirea Sfinții Trei Ierarhi (Monastery of the Three Hierarchs)

Detail of the Monastery exterior; each flower design around the base of the building was unique.

Biserica Sfântul Nicolae Domnesc (Saint Nicholas Princely Church). The Princes of Moldavia where crowned here since the 1400s, although the Church itself was completely rebuilt at the turn of the 20th century.

Glagolithic script from the original Church building. Glagolithic was created by Cyril and Methodius to enable to reading of high Church Slavonic. Clement of Ohrid simplified it to the Cyrillic alphabet used today in many Slavic-speaking nations.

The Angel Gabriel to the right of the altar. 

By the time the church was rebuilt in the late 1900s, Romania had reverted to the Latin Alphabet, more consistent with a Latin-based language like Romanian.

Palatul Culturii (Cultural Palace), 1906 to 1925

"Grigore Alexandru Ghica, Ruler of Moldavia returns home" 

The Prince (reigned 1849 to 1853 & 1854 to 1856) was a reformer known for establishing Romanian-Language schools and for agricultural reform

3 Sud Est at Victoria Theater

The audience sings along