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Travel

Bergamo in the Rain

written by Brenna Holeman November 13, 2015

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.”

Bergamo in the Rain 17

Lovere

Bergamo in the Rain 10

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.

Bergamo in the Rain 12

A stranger with the most perfect umbrella in Clusone

Bergamo in the Rain 16

Clusone

Bergamo in the Rain 2

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.

Bergamo in the Rain 1

Bergamo

Bergamo in the Rain 15

Clusone

Bergamo in the Rain 5

Lovere

Bergamo in the Rain 4

Bergamo

Bergamo in the Rain 14

Clusone

Bergamo in the Rain 6

Bergamo

Bergamo in the Rain 13

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.

Bergamo in the Rain 11

Clusone

Bergamo in the Rain 7

Lovere

Bergamo in the Rain 3

Clusone

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

EuropeItalyPhoto Essay
14 comments
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Brenna Holeman

Brenna Holeman has travelled to over 100 countries in the past 15 years, many of them solo. She's a big fan of whisky and window seats.

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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!

Reply
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 🙂

Reply
Brenna Holeman November 14, 2015 - 4:36 pm

Thank you very much Sophie, I really appreciate it!

Reply
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 🙂

Reply
Brenna Holeman November 14, 2015 - 4:34 pm

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

Reply
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.

Reply
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!

Reply
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!

Reply
Brenna Holeman November 16, 2015 - 10:47 am

Thanks a lot! Glad you like the post. 🙂

Reply
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!

Reply
Brenna Holeman November 22, 2015 - 3:06 pm

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

Reply
Zalie November 20, 2015 - 8:44 pm

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

Reply
Brenna Holeman November 21, 2015 - 9:54 am

Thank you so much, Zalie! xo

Reply

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About Me

About Me

Hi, I'm Brenna

My name is Brenna Holeman and I drink a lot of whisky. No, wait. That’s not how I want to start. After travelling to more than 100 countries over the past 15 years, many of them solo, I tend to write about travel a lot, but I write about other things, too: getting dumped, buying way too much jewellery, and yeah, OK, whisky (none of those things are related, I swear). You’ll find a mix of advice, opinion pieces, and stories on this blog, but either way, I hope to make you want to read more. And up next? I'm about to become a single mom to a beautiful baby boy, the biggest solo adventure I've ever been on. For more about me and what you'll find on This Battered Suitcase, click here .

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