This circular route on the Orobic slope follows part of the disused “decauville” between Briotti (Ponte) and Gaggio (Piateda). The crossing stays constantly just above the 1000-metre mark, through truly beautiful natural scenery. Obviously you first have to get up there, climbing on tarmac along the road from Piateda, through Sazzo and a few steep hairpins in Val d’Arigna and up to Fontaniva. Take the right-hand fork, again with a gradient of about 10%, to Dosso del Grillo just below Briotti (sports centre). Continue along this road, which soon turns into the wide “tracciolino” trail. The next five-kilometre crossing takes you through pine forests, small valleys, streams and old waterway constructions such as bridges and weirs. You will come out above the artificial Gaggio Lake and start back down on a tarmacked road to Piateda.

(texts and technical data by Federico Pollini)

Departure / return place: Piateda 310m

Arrival place / maximum quota: Gaggio 1050m

Total gradient slopes: 740m

Total gradient descents: 740m

Slopes’ total length : 10 km

Descents’ total length : 10,3 km

Plain total length : 4,7 km

Total kilometers: 25 km

Slopes’ middle inclination: 7%

Slopes’ maximum inclination: 12 %

Time taken: 2-3 h

Difficulty: medium