By MTB from Gerosa to Val Taleggio

Fat tyres, mud on your shoes and a whole valley to discover ahead. This stage of the Sentiero dei Laghi by mountain bike enters Val Taleggio through its least-known gateway, the Forcella di Bura, and crosses it from end to end on mule tracks, hamlet roads and descents that test arms and brakes.

The route

You start from Gerosa, in Val Brembilla, and climb through the hamlet of Bura to the Forcella di Bura (884 m), the watershed with Val Taleggio. The descent leads towards the valley floor and the climb up to Olda and Costa d'Olda; then you reach Sottochiesa and the little church of Santa Rosa, perfect for a stop.

The second half is a long series of ups and downs that leaves the valley and descends through Roncopolacco, Lavezzo and Roncaglia to San Giovanni Bianco, on the Brembo.

Good to know

• Start: Gerosa (Val Brembilla). Finish: San Giovanni Bianco.
• Route: Sentiero dei Laghi by MTB, second stage – checked on OpenStreetMap.
• Figures: 21.1 km, about 1,500 m of ascent and 1,900 m of descent, 4 hours.
• For whom: fit bikers with good riding technique; helmet required and watch out for hikers.

Keep discovering the valley

From Sottochiesa also starts, on foot, the loop The villages of Sottochiesa and Pizzino. And to see the power of the Enna up close, don't miss the Val Taleggio Gorge.

Photo - MatthewGhera / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0) (reworked)