Gravity Gravel

A steep shortcut at Cerete Alto leads to the old mill in Cerete Basso.

The right bank of the Borlezza stream hides a very pleasant gravel segment up to the fork to the Sanctuary of the Madonna della Torre, commissioned by Charlemagne in 801 to protect his expulsion of the Lombards.

Lake Gaiano is a hidden gem, the smallest low-altitude lake in Lombardy, and can be discovered by lowering yourself on your handlebars amongst the branches.

Lake Iseo is undoubtedly better known. For geologists, the Bergamo shore is an open-air encyclopaedia, with outcroppings symbolic of the Alpine foothills, such as the argillites of Riva di Solto. The asphalt road between Riva di Solto and Lovere mimics the lakeshore giving the illusion of pedalling directly on the water. Steep cliffs to the left and lake waters to the right, often separated only by a narrow concrete wall.

From Lovere, registered in the club of ‘Italy’s most beautiful villages’, you will ascend on steep, direct roads. Now you can catch your breath, looking back and admiring the lake as you gain altitude.

Why all this effort? For the breathtaking and prolonged views along the panoramic road between Ceratello and Bossico, located at an altitude of 900 metres.

The main asphalt road takes you back to Valle Borlezzo where you get back on the secondary route used this morning.

The ‘sponda’, a steep road famous for its Giro d’Italia (Cycling Tour of Italy) stages and murals, including the famous handing of the water bottle between Bartali and Coppi, takes us into Val di Scalve. From the Dezzo, climb up to Azzone where you will enter the ‘Boschi del Giovetto di Paline’ Regional Nature Reserve.

The dense forests of ‘pagher’, European spruce, are the realm of rufa wood ants, to which an impressive sculpture by Mattia Trotta has also been dedicated. In the shade of this picturesque park, you will also find the old Furfì sawmill, and a geomorphological trail that reveals the actions of glaciers still visible on the slopes outlining Bergamo’s valleys. A steep and enjoyable descent closes the park ring.

You now face the challenge of the Sponda uphill, echoing the feats of cyclists of the past, or those who became great on these roads, such as local champion Paolo Savoldelli.

Just before returning downhill to the Presolana Pass, make a detour to the Salto degli Sposi (Spouses’ Leap). The overwhelming and sweeping view is dominated by Pizzo Camino. Here you can discover the legend of a Polish artistic couple, he a musician and she a painter, who in the 19th century made their love eternal in a leap into the void below.

The pleasantly unpaved and slightly downhill road leads to the meadows of Castello Orsetto, at the foot of the Monte Pora ski slopes. From here, the road leads back to Dorga and descends once again towards Clusone.

Da Cene, si sale lungo la Valle Rossa, dapprima su asfalto e poi deviando su sterrato e cemento nel bosco, lungo una strada frequentata da boscaioli.

Dal Passo una discesa ampia su strada porta fino all’abitato di Ranzanico, dal quale si inerpica la salita alla Forcella di Ranzanico. Il panorama silenzioso sulle Val Cavallina ed il Lago di Endine accompagnano la scalata su asfalto ruvido.

Dalla Forcella inizia un lungo traverso fatto di saliscendi e anche tratti dolci e pedalabili che aggirano il monte Sparavera. L’antica via della Lana, ampliata nel 1500 per facilitare il transito della pregiata lana della Val Gandino è uno skate-park per biciclette gravel, con vedute su lago Iseo ed Endine, pascoli ampli, baite in pietra, cavalli, mucche e roccoli verticali.

La Malga Lunga, roccaforte partigiana ed oggi rifugio-museo, ci riporta sull’asfalto. Una bellissima discesa attraverso la Valle Piana riporta a Casnigo.

Da Colzate si può riprendere la ciclabile e tornare a Clusone, oppure salire fino all’unico Santuario in Italia dedicato a San Patrizio, patrono d’Irlanda. I suoi affreschi e la sua posizione aggrappata a rocce scure a strapiombo vale la fatica. Si prosegue fino alla località Barbata, bolla di natura silenziosa al cospetto del severo monte Alben. Qui una mulattiera, e per un breve tratto single-track da affrontare a piedi tra i caratteristici tabiotti di caccia portano in Val del Riso, dove si imbocca nuovamente la ciclabile della Val Seriana, direzione Clusone.