Bugan Coffee Lab

Bergamo

LoginSave

Challenging the hegemony of Lavazza and Illy, Bugan was Italy’s first coffee ‘laboratory’ when it opened in 2014. Headquartered in this Città Bassa roastery, tasting room, shop and training school for baristas it offers coffee samples any time of day. Try an espresso made from whatever beans are on offer (a fruity Rwandan concoction was circulating at last visit).

Crowded with roasting machines and other coffee paraphernalia, there’s not a lot of room to sit down, but the staff are contagiously friendly and keen to share their enthusiasm for all things coffee-related. In April 2019 Bugan opened a second tasting room in the Città Alta, handily located just off the main piazza.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Leonardo Da Vinci's 'The Last Supper' in the Santa Maria delle Grazie.

    The Last Supper

    28.65 MILES

    Milan's most famous mural, Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper, is hidden away on a wall of the refectory adjoining the Basilica di Santa Maria delle…

  • Facade of The Duomo ( Cathedral ) - Milano, Lombardy

    Duomo

    27.9 MILES

    A vision in pink Candoglia marble, Milan's extravagant Gothic cathedral, 600 years in the making, aptly reflects the city's creativity and ambition. Its…

  • Entrance to Cimitero Monumentale. 20709-39 Europe, Italy, Lombardy, Milan, arch, architecture, bicycle, building, cemetery, courtyard, culture, day, death, entrance, exterior, facade, group mixed, group of people, low angle view, non-motorised vehicle, outdoors, people, sky, step, transport, vehicle

    Cimitero Monumentale

    27.58 MILES

    Behind striking Renaissance-revival black-and-white walls, Milan’s wealthy have kept their dynastic ambitions alive long after death with grand sculptural…

  • Courtyard of Pinacoteca di Brera.

    Pinacoteca di Brera

    27.71 MILES

    Located upstairs from one of Italy’s most prestigious art schools, this gallery houses Milan’s collection of Old Masters, much of it ‘lifted’ from Venice…

  • Prada shop front in Quadrilateral del’Oro

    Quadrilatero d'Oro

    27.58 MILES

    A stroll around the Quadrilatero d'Oro, the world's most famous shopping district, is a must even for those not sartorially inclined. The quaintly cobbled…

  • 594442556 Architectural Feature; Architecture; Building Exterior; Business Finance and Industry; Castello Sforzesco; Castle; City; City Street; Cityscape; Color Image; Construction Industry; Day; Europe; European Culture; Famous Place; Flower; International Landmark; Italian Culture; Italy; Lombardy; Milan; Monument; Museum; National Landmark; No People; Old Town; Outdoors; Photography; Poppy; Southern Europe; Springtime; Tourism; Tower; Travel Destinations; Vacations; Vertical; Sforza Castle, Milan, Lombardy, Italy.

    Castello Sforzesco

    28.12 MILES

    Originally a Visconti fortress, this iconic red-brick castle was later home to the mighty Sforza dynasty, who ruled Renaissance Milan. The castle's…

  • Italy, Lombardy, Milan, on the Left Museo del Nove

    Museo del Novecento

    27.95 MILES

    Overlooking Piazza del Duomo, with fabulous views of the cathedral, is Mussolini's Arengario, from where he would harangue huge crowds in his heyday. Now…

  • Fondazione Prada building complex exterior.

    Fondazione Prada

    28.14 MILES

    Conceived by designer Miuccia Prada and architect Rem Koolhaas, this museum is as innovative and creative as the minds that gave it shape. Seven renovated…

View more attractions

Nearby Bergamo attractions

1. Chiesa dei Santi Bartolomeo e Stefano

0.4 MILES

At the eastern edge of the lower town, this 17th-century church has a baroque facade (dating from 1897). Inside is Lorenzo Lotto’s largest altarpiece, the…

2. Chiesa del Santo Spirito

0.67 MILES

Look for the Venetian-inspired countryside and colour palette that defines Lorenzo Lotto's Pala di Santo Spirito (1521), where the Madonna sits beneath a…

3. City Walls

0.72 MILES

One of several towns in Italy with an intact ring of defences, Bergamo’s impressive walls were built by the Venetians over 30 years starting in 1561…

4. Chiesa di San Bernardino

0.74 MILES

Worth a visit for Lorenzo Lotto’s stylistically evolved altarpiece, the Pala di San Bernardino (1521), which depicts the Madonna beneath a dynamic,…

5. Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore

0.86 MILES

Bergamo's most striking church, begun in 1137, is quite a mishmash of styles. To its whirl of Romanesque apses (on which some external frescoes remain…

6. Cattedrale di Bergamo

0.87 MILES

Roman remains were discovered during renovations of Bergamo's baroque cathedral, with an interior dating to the 17th century. A rather squat building, it…

7. Torre di Gombito

0.88 MILES

For a wonderful view from one of the highest points in the old town, climb the 12th-century Gombito Tower. Visits must be reserved in advance at the…

8. Cappella Colleoni

0.88 MILES

The Cappella Colleoni, attached to the north side of the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, was built between 1472 and 1476 as a magnificent mausoleum-cum…