• Cycle Tourism
    • Active & Green
    • Mountains

Val Seriana, from Ranica to Clusone

Where
Provincia di Bergamo

For more than a century, the Val Seriana has been a place of work with little time for leisure.

From 1884, a railway line just over 34 kilometres long, with gradual gradients and wide bends, travelled up the valley and formed the main means of transport for manufactured goods and minerals, above all zinc, lead and silver-bearing galena. The train also carried passengers travelling to Clusone, the gateway to the Presolana Mountains.

In the 1960s, after the old railway line was closed, little by little the route was made into a cycle path, like many disused railway lines all over Europe. The path runs along the banks of the River Serio, connected by tensile structure crossings for bicycles, with short branches leading to the centre of the towns and villages along the route.

The path starts from Ranica, 7 kilometres north-east of Bergamo, easy to reach in around 15 minutes from the train station in Bergamo if you load your bike onto the electric tramway. The cycle path initially travels along the left bank of the River Serio. At Ranica, there is a historical cotton mill with adjacent housing for the workers, characterised by balconies running continuously along each floor. At Alzano, however, it is not possible to ignore the first major heritage of the valley’s industrial past. Soaring out of all proportion, in fact, are the six gigantic smoke stacks of the former cement factory built in 1833 and shut down in 1966.

At Albino, a medieval stone bridge crosses the river: here the smoke stacks that can be seen belong to another historical textile factory. The path continues along the right-hand side of the River Serio as far as Cene, where a fine public park overlooks the bend in the river. If you wish to take a detour you can cycle up to the Palaeontological Park in the upper part of the town where, amongst other exhibits, you can see a perfectly preserved skeleton of the oldest pterosaur in the world.

At Colzate, the cycle path returns to the right bank of the river and stays there. The valley narrows, towns and villages become rarer, the vegetation becomes denser and you begin to smell mountain air. After the narrow stretch, the massive profile of the Presolana appears. You leave behind the dirt path and from here onwards you pedal on paved surfaces.

At Ponte Nossa, where the Nossana torrent flows into the River Serio, a bridge once again crosses the river. The cycle path continues along the opposite side and begins to gradually climb. In front of the former railway station at Ponte della Selva a rest area has been set up for cyclists, with benches, tables and a welcome drinking fountain. After going through a short tunnel, there are only 4.5 kilometres to cycle until the point of arrival. The cycle path continues through spacious meadows. An incline, while not too challenging, makes you stand on your pedals, off your saddle.

Another kind of dance awaits you at Clusone, on the wall of the Oratorio dei Disciplini, next to the Chiesa Madre. It is the famous Dance of Death, frescoed by an unknown artist in AD 1485. However, it is not really so very scary: at the end of a bike ride, you will certainly be more fit than the skeletal courtly dancers.
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One day route
Difficulty: for all cyclists
Length: 31 km
Elevation profile: 340 m
Roads: dirt road as far as Ponte Nossa, then paved
Type of bike: touring with gear change, road and mountain bikes
When: from April to October
Mood: curious

Take me here: Val Seriana, from Ranica to Clusone

Places

Selvino

A perfect family destination to visit in any season
  • Mountains
Selvino
5.34 km

Il Santuario della Madonna del Perello

  • Art & Culture
Il Santuario della Madonna del Perello
7.4 km

Terme di Trescore

A silent valley and its healthy sulphur water with body healing and regenerative properties
  • Wellness
Terme di Trescore
9.62 km

Villa Tassis

  • Art & Culture
Villa Tassis
11.73 km

Villa Ambiveri

Villa Ambiveri, a Baroque architectural gem in Seriate, is now home to the spiritual centre of the Russia Cristiana Association.
  • Art & Culture
Villa Ambiveri
12.67 km

Villa Piccinelli

Splendid Neoclassical villa, known for hosting the first experiments for the production of artificial cement in Italy.
  • Art & Culture
Villa Piccinelli
12.71 km

Villa Grismondi Finardi

  • Art & Culture
Villa Grismondi Finardi
12.92 km

Villa Guerrinoni

From farmhouse to municipal library, the splendid Villa Guerrinoni in Seriate has been part of history since 1800.
  • Art & Culture
Villa Guerrinoni
12.95 km

Carrara Academy

1,800 works, five centuries of Italian art, from Raphael to Baschenis, in one of the most visited museums in Italy
  • Art & Culture
Accademia Carrara Bergamo
13.82 km

GAMeC

With 1500 square meters of exhibition space, the Gallery gives space to contemporary art in all its forms
  • Art & Culture
GAMeC
13.85 km

Casinò-Teatro di San Pellegrino Terme

  • Art & Culture
Casinò di San Pellegrino Terme
14.07 km

Duomo of Bergamo

Main catholic place of worship of the city, it is dedicated to Sant'Alessandro patron of Bergamo and is located in Città Alta
  • Religious Tourism
Duomo of Bergamo
14.13 km

Terme di San Pellegrino

Panoramic pools, waterfalls and bio saunas, in an elegant Belle Époque atmosphere
  • Wellness
QC terme di San Pellegrino
14.17 km

Palazzo Agliardi

  • Art & Culture
Palazzo Agliardi
14.2 km

Palazzo Moroni

  • Art & Culture
Palazzo Moroni
14.39 km

Rocca of Bergamo

The castle has long been a landmark and the protagonist of events that have changed the city’s history.
  • Art & Culture
Rocca di Bergamo
14.44 km

Venetian Walls Bergamo

Venetian Walls of Bergamo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site from 2017, extend for over 6 kilometers, with a varying height
  • Unesco Sites
Venetian Walls Bergamo
14.64 km

Piazza Vecchia Bergamo

Renaissance masterpiece in the heart of Upper Bergamo, Piazza Vecchia is "the perfect square" that has enchanted (also) Le Corbusier
  • Art & Culture
Piazza Vecchia Bergamo
14.65 km

Palazzo del Podestà

  • Art & Culture
Al suo interno il Museo storico del Cinquecento
14.67 km

Donizetti Theater

It covers an area of 3200 square meters for a total of 1154 places. For the harmony of sound it is considered among the best in Italy
  • Art & Culture
Donizetti Theater
14.72 km

Activities

Upper Bergamo in eMTB

  • Cycle Tourism
Upper Bergamo in eMTB
13.13 km

Full day trekking – high mountains

  • Active & Green
Full day trekking – high mountains
14.13 km

Trekking in the Orobie Alps, Bergamo

  • Active & Green
Trekking in the Orobie Alps, Bergamo
14.14 km

Bergamo, a hidden treasure

  • Art & Culture
Bergamo, a hidden treasure
14.78 km

Where to sleep

B&B MONTINO

Cene
B&B MONTINO
928 mt

VALLE D'ORO

Albino
VALLE D'ORO
1.12 km

BARONI SIRIA

Albino
BARONI SIRIA
1.5 km

BELLAVISTA

Valmadrera
BELLAVISTA
1.62 km

HOTEL SERENELLA

Gazzaniga
HOTEL SERENELLA
1.76 km

AGRITURISMO LUCCHETTI IPPOLITA

Cene
AGRITURISMO LUCCHETTI IPPOLITA
1.87 km

LA RIPA HOSTEL

Albino
LA RIPA HOSTEL
1.97 km

B&B CASAVIVA

Albino
B&B CASAVIVA
2.29 km

B&B SOLE E LUNA

Gazzaniga
B&B SOLE E LUNA
2.39 km

B&B BAITA DE L'ANGEL

Aviatico
B&B BAITA DE L'ANGEL
2.48 km

AGRITURISMO GREEN VALLEY

Cene
AGRITURISMO GREEN VALLEY
2.53 km

MOROTTI FLAVIA

ALBINO
MOROTTI FLAVIA
2.55 km

LOCANDA FELICITA'

Aviatico
LOCANDA FELICITA'
2.82 km

LA CA' DOL SUL

Gazzaniga
LA CA' DOL SUL
3.16 km

AL PAESELLO

Gazzaniga
AL PAESELLO
3.26 km

CASA VACANZE KARLA'

Aviatico
CASA VACANZE KARLA'
3.61 km

AMATA BERGHEM

AVIATICO
AMATA BERGHEM
3.74 km

MONTE POIETO

Aviatico
MONTE POIETO
4.01 km

K2

Gaverina Terme
K2
4.04 km

CASA ADRIANA

PRADALUNGA
CASA ADRIANA
4.05 km