Bergamo in the Rain

by Brenna Holeman

Bergamo in the Rain 9

Bergamo, Italy

A few days before I flew to Bergamo, in northern Italy, I checked the weather forecast. “Uh oh,” I remember thinking, “It’s raining the entire time.”

I’ve been weirdly cursed with rain for almost all of my travels this year; though I expected it when I covered a music festival in Ireland this summer, I didn’t expect it in nearly every place I visited. I’m currently in Bangkok and it’s pouring rain here, too, though I hope it won’t last… at least I got a sunny first day yesterday.

I once spent a week on the island of Little Corn in Nicaragua and it absolutely belted down the entire time, so much so that I only saw the sun once. I’ve spent my fair share of days in the rain, even scuba diving in it, camping in it, hiking in it, and more. Hell, I live in London, I’m used to a bit of drizzle.

Because that’s the thing – we have absolutely no control over the weather (short-term, anyway, don’t get me started on global warming). When we go to book a holiday we have little to go on other than what previous years have told us about the weather in that particular month. I may know that a particular season is rainier than others, but even that doesn’t guarantee that I’ll need a raincoat or umbrella.

But looking at that forecast for Bergamo, I decided to pack accordingly. “I’ll bring an umbrella,” I thought. “A pink one.”

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Lovere

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Lovere

And it did indeed rain for two of the three days I was in Italy; it poured and poured, the cobblestoned streets slick with water. Somehow, however, I didn’t mind it – it seemed to highlight the bright colours of Bergamo’s buildings, the yellows and blues and greens a vibrant contrast against a grey sky. And because there isn’t anything we can do to stop it, I thought I may as well embrace it, and I did so by taking photos of people with their umbrellas.

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A stranger with the most perfect umbrella in Clusone

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Clusone

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Bergamo

So as I travelled around the region, through the city of Bergamo and into the countryside to see the towns of Clusone and Lovere, right on Lake Iseo, I looked for umbrellas. I posed my travel companions, too, because sometimes we need a few models to get the right shot.

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Bergamo

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Clusone

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Lovere

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Bergamo

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Clusone

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Bergamo

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Lovere

So despite the rain – or because of it – I ended up falling in love with Bergamo’s beauty. I tried to make the most of my time, whether that involved rain or sunshine. We may not be able to control the weather, but we are able to embrace it.

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Clusone

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Lovere

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Clusone

Many thanks to Visit Bergamo for hosting me in their region. For more on my time in Bergamo, click here. 

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14 comments

Christine November 13, 2015 - 4:06 pm

I love that you turned this circumstance around and turned it into something fun! 🙂

Reply
Brenna Holeman November 14, 2015 - 4:32 pm

Thank you very much, Christine!

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Sophie November 13, 2015 - 4:07 pm

absolitely brill post! I love that you didn’t let pesky rain get in your way and you flipped it on its head and took advantage of the photographic opportunities!
The photos of people with umbrellas – simply genius. Such a great collection of photos 🙂

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Brenna Holeman November 14, 2015 - 4:36 pm

Thank you very much Sophie, I really appreciate it!

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Jennifer November 13, 2015 - 8:20 pm

I loved your umbrella series on Instragram, and am happy to report I did the same thing when I was in Chambery. Nerds unite 🙂

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Brenna Holeman November 14, 2015 - 4:34 pm

Ha ha, indeed! Thanks for the comment, Jennifer. 🙂

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Amanda November 14, 2015 - 1:41 pm

This is such a neat and kinda beautiful idea! I’ve also been getting a string of rainy travel weather. My most recent umbrella picture was of me at a winery, though. So I can’t complain. 🙂 Have you noticed throughout the places that you’ve traveled the balance of who uses umbrellas vs who doesn’t? I mean as a whole! Philadelphia is not a huge city of umbrella users…lots of times people just use hoods! But I love my umbrella.

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Brenna Holeman November 14, 2015 - 4:36 pm

No, I couldn’t complain about a winery, either! I noticed that a lot of people use them in Italy… and a lot of people use them in the UK, too. I don’t think I’ve ever really thought about it, so I’ll take note the next time it rains when I’m travelling!

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LC November 15, 2015 - 7:52 pm

I agree – not much you can do when there’s bad weather, best to put a positive spin on it. Pink was a bold (and effective) choice!

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Brenna Holeman November 16, 2015 - 10:47 am

Thanks a lot! Glad you like the post. 🙂

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Alessandro Veneziani November 20, 2015 - 12:04 pm

I am from Bergamo, I spent every summer of my life close to Clusone and Lovere (I was there this summer too) and I am living in USA since almost 10 years. I am glad you enjoyed my hometown in spite of the bad weather. I hope you appreciated the “Danza Macabra”, the very ancient (1485 aC) painting right close to thev balcony where you got pictures in Clusone, the view of the lake in Lovere and the magic of Citta’ Alta. From you first picture, I see you went to the City Tower, amazing! Thanks for this article (much appreciated by the local newspaper in Bergamo). All the best!

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Brenna Holeman November 22, 2015 - 3:06 pm

Oh great, I’m glad you liked the post! Bergamo was so beautiful…

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Zalie November 20, 2015 - 8:44 pm

You definitely made the most out of your time in the rain! These pictures are beautiful. xoxo

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Brenna Holeman November 21, 2015 - 9:54 am

Thank you so much, Zalie! xo

Reply

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