BERGAMO (Villa di Serio), Italy

Our next exchange will be in summer 2026. We are looking for an exchange in Norway. We may manage to get away at Easter, and the UK would be our destination then. We need petcare for our three 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. In the summer we actually sleep there, as it’s cooler. 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 is available, and there are two computers. Two years ago we installed air conditioning.
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 ladylike female, Molly, two tabbies, Longshanks and his sister, Rosa Calzetta, and finally Batman. In theory he belongs to Angelo’s mother, but he decided he likes us better. 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 them if one  wanted to be away for a few days. And, in case one wonders about that, even though we keep a litter box because one never knows, the cats go out through the flap 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, depending on the traffic.