BERGAMO (Villa di Serio), Italy


Member since
2007Exchange dates | Duration |
---|---|
July 15, 2024 - August 24, 2024 | 15 days |
Our main exchange will be two weeks next summer (2023) but we may be able to get away for short swaps, maybe in early January. |
We live in an independent apartment 7 kms from Bergamo, the Italian Capital of Culture for this year with Brescia. We are looking for a two-week exchange for the summer of 2024 ; we may be interested in a short exchange at Easter or in early January.
Our next exchange will be in summer 2024: we are looking at Norway or the UK but we are open to suggestions. We may be willing to exchange in early January We need petcare for our four cats and are willing to take care of our exchange partners' pets.
Our flat has a main floor and two lofts. The small one is our bedroom, the larger one is a study and has a convertible sofa. Another convertible sofa is in the sitting room. There is a terrace which is very nice to sit and have breakfast or dinner, but it usually gets too hot for lunch in summer. Wi-fi works and there are two computers.
We live in a quiet small town (7000 inhabitants) near Bergamo, and Orio al Serio Airport. In the next town there is a fine swimming pool, it takes five minutes to drive there and exchange partners with children appreciated it. Bergamo is just seven km away and a Milan in 45 km from here. Bergamo has a walled medieval area, on top of a hill, which definitely deserves a visit, plus a couple of good museums, good restaurants and shopping. The hills are pleasant in summer and so are the lakes (Iseo, Endine). There are several beautiful towns within easy reach: beside Verona, which offers open air opera in the summer, there's Pavia, Mantua, Brescia, and many interesting smaller places - they all make fine day trips. Although people consider it more a place for business and shopping, Milan has a lot of historic buildings and museums to offer - and very good restaurants. Further afield to the West is Piedmont, with Lake Orta and Lake Maggiore, and to the East, Padua, Vicenza and of course, Venice. Some of our exchange partners we've had went hiking in the mountains.
We have four cats: a very shy older female, and three younger ones. They are all friendly and got on well with our exchange partners in the past. Angelo’s family, who live across the yard, would take care of the cats if one wanted to be away for a few days. And, in case one wonders about that, only the elderly cat uses the litter boxes, the other three go out to do what they need to do.
Our car is an LPG/petrol Fiat Panda which sits four. If one doesn't want to drive to Bergamo, there's a tram across the river (a 5-minutes' drive) that gets there in 20 minutes, with a large parking lot near the stop. It is convenient when visiting the town, or to get to the railway station to travel to Milan or Brescia. There is also a bus service to Bergamo, the stop is very close to the house. We have bicycles.
Shopping is convenient, there's a bakery across the courtyard, a large greengrocer's nearby, and other shops are all within walking distance while a large supermarket is 2 km from here.
The Milan/Orio al Serio airport is 20-30 minutes from here.
Our Family
- 2 Adults
- 0 Children
- 25 Exchanges made
Occupation
- insegnante
- barista
Our Home
- House Type: House
- Floor: 1
- Environment: In a small town
- Bedrooms: 2
- Bathrooms: 2
- Sleeping Capacity: 4
- Living Area: 130 m2
- Total Area: 130 m2
References
In my house
- Pets - Not allowed
- Small children - Allowed
Exchange Types
- Bed & Breakfast
- Home exchange
Indoor
- Free internet access
- Computer available
- Air conditioning
- Central heating
- Washing machine
- Dishwasher
- Television
- Piano
- Guitar
Outdoor
- Terrace or deck
- Balcony
- Park / playground
- Garage
- Bicycles: 3
Facilities
- Use/Exchange of car
- Pet care wanted
Our Destination Wish List
- Open to any destination
- Bamburgh NE69, UK
- Winchester SO21, UK
- Isle of Wight, UK
- Stavanger, Norway
- United Kingdom
- Bergen, Norway
- Copenhagen, Denmark
- Netherlands
- Norway
Spoken Languages
- English
Our Neighbourhood

Nearest Airport: Milan Orio al Serio - 10
Occupation
- insegnante
- barista
Children
- We do not have children.
Pets
- four cats
Lifestyle
We like reading and watching movies or tv series, there are lots of books (in Italian and in English) and dvds should you want a quiet evening. We have a piano. We also like experiencing nature and ancient architecture, and going to museums and exhibitions. I think we can say what attracts us most, when we chose a destination, is somewhere with medieval sites and natural areas.
References
This member has completed 25 home exchanges. Those referenced below may contain feedback/impression from its exchange partners:

Lille, France
FR51651Un séjour agréable dans une maison confortable. Nos hôtes ont été prévenants et attentionnés. Nous avons apprécié les vélos mis à notre disposition et l'accueil par un voisin qui nous a guidé pour les questions pratiques.