Bergamo area

Ok, to answer both questions, yes Doug that is Citta' Alta that you describe.
Carrie I looked up the agriturismo that you mentioned, but it is some ways from Bergamo, in Calcinate, which is on the Padana plain, and yes, in the morning there would be rush hour traffic. It would take about 30 to 45 minutes to get to Bergamo from there. I would look for something closer to Bergamo and the A4. I don't know much about hotels in Citta Alta, but it is a truly beautiful place, and I think staying there would be more memorable.
OK, I looked on line for you, this is a B&B on the edge of Bergamo, but fits your description of wanting a country setting. It has parking too. It's called B&B Ca' Rossa.
http://www.bebcarossa.com/index.php
The place that I know of which is right in the center of Citta Alta is the Hotel Agnello D'Oro, and they are listed on Trip Advisor.
As for the city itself you could spend a whole day in Bergamo, doing the upper and lower parts of the city, Citta' Alta looks like something out of a fairy tale and is a great place to walk or hike a little if you wanted too and it has some wonderful restaurants too. Hope that helps!

Thanks Claire, I 'll look at the two options you suggest.

I can't recommend any B&Bs, but there is something you should keep in mind. Bergamo is not a huge city and not hard to get in and out of, and it is surrounded by other small towns, one after another, and in the morning the roads are crowded with cars from the smaller towns heading into Bergamo, Milan, or Brescia. The state roads are your standard one lane road. Either look for something in one the valleys north of Bergamo, Val Brembana, Val Seriana in the mountains, or consider staying in Bergamo itself. It is a lovely town and there are places, especially in the Citta' Alta that feel like you are in the country even though you are in the middle of the town. My point is, staying outside of Bergamo may not save you from the hassles of traffic (at least during rush hour) that you are hoping for.

hi Claire, thank you for the advice. We are very used to Italian roads and traffic but don't want to spend too much time in traffic jams. Can I ask you how many days you would recommend staying in Bergamo, if we were to go there just to see that town, and then we would probably move on to somewhere else? Thanks, Carrie

hi Claire, I just received a response from an agriturismo I found online and they are in Cascine Brasile. Does that fall into the category you described, where we would risk too much traffic. And one more question, if we can find a hotel in la citta alta, can we take a car there and find parking? Thanks, Carrie

Claire - Just checking my memory with you. We got up to the Citta Alta by car with no trouble and found parking right against the old walls. Below the walls were fields and forests. I remember the setting as very beautiful, contrasting the midieval character of the old town with the countryside beyond. I'd definitely want to spend the night there. We were on a day trip.