Valle Brembana, a complete mountain experience

From hikes with various difficulty degrees to long mountain bike rides or trips along the cycle paths discovering a series of picturesque isolated villages, through the most extreme of sports.

The mountains in Valle Brembana are the ideal choice for those wanting an active holiday packed with stimuli and excitement.

Beautiful mountains and wonderful refuges
For keen hikers, Valle Brembana offers a wide range of excursions with varying difficulties. One of the classics is the uphill route to Pizzo del Becco via the Fratelli Calvi mountain refuge, where the final ascent starts. Here you can try the thrill of a short, but strenuous via ferrata. Another lovely excursion is to Monte Aga, from Carona to the Longo refuge, and then up the very steep slope to Pizzo di Cigola.

Shortly before getting to the mountain pass, you enter a wide gorge that is almost always covered in snow and this leads up a regular slope with a few rocky outcrops and to the top ridge. On the way up to Monte Aga, there is a rocky slab that requires some care. At this point, expert rock climbers can descend by following the southwesterly ridge, which will take them first to Lago del Diavolo and then back to the refuge. One of the most desirable peaks for excursionists is the Tre Signori, which stands high above the provinces of Bergamo, Sondrio and Lecco. A path for this hike up the mountain on the borders starts in Costa di Valtorta, rises up through Valle Grobbia and leads to the Grassi refuge.

For fans of vertical ascents
Valle Brembana has a good many cliffs for climbers, and one of the best known is definitely Falesia di Cornalba, overlooking the Val Serina below. Here you can “free climb” and Corna Bianca has more than 132 ascents with only a few pitches lower than grade 6. On the walls of the Monolito degli Dei, fans of this sport can put their skills to the test with technically exciting lengths. Another good climbing challenge is Corna Piana, a sheer cliff in a quiet zone with fifteen different ascent routes, and Porta delle Cornacchie, a cliff with about 60 belayed pitches. Both these gyms are a 20-minute walk from Roncobello. The go-to destination for boulder climbers is the area that opens out after the village of Fondra: it has more than 60 boulders. A couple of interesting cliffs in the area are the one called Fiume, beside Ponte dei Canali, and the new one called Bosco.

Exploring Val Parina
One of the most exciting routes takes visitors through Val Parina, up from San Pellegrino Terme to Piani di Scalvino. This is a true adventure that calls for physical fitness and good technical skills, because it has a series of vertical gorges and scree slopes, where it is better to proceed on foot. It is a good idea to tackle this route with other bikers, as in many zones along the way there is no phone signal, potentially leaving you isolated in case of need. Much gentler and suitable for everyone is the cycle and pedestrian path from Zogno to Piazza Brembana. A bike ride through the cultural and natural heritage of Val Brembana, following the old railway tracks, with picturesque villages along the way such as Oneta or Cornello dei Tasso.

Adrenaline in the sky and water
Just a few minutes from Ganda di Selvino there is a launch base for hang-gliders, including two-seaters. Whereas San Pellegrino Terme has a fully equipped canoe centre on the River Brembo, right in the middle of town.

5 REASONS FOR...

1. Nature. Zogno is home to the Grotte delle Meraviglie, a series of irregular circular tunnels that formed many aeons ago and lead to amazing grottoes. The most spectacular of these is the “Labirinto” (Büs de la Marta), made up of a large main cave with a very high roof that is covered with a huge variety of calcareous decorations.
    
2. History. Visitors to Valtorta can walk along the old mine path in Val Stabina, which starts just after the Bolgià bridge. In the village, there are old renovated mills and trip hammers, and a Museum of Ethnography.
    
3. Culture. San Pellegrino Terme is "La Regina del Liberty", the queen of Italian Art Nouveau. Must-sees in the town are the bathing establishment on Viale delle Terme, the “Sala Bibite” (literally Drinks Room) with its portico, the Grand Hotel, the mineral water bottling factory, casino and town hall.
    
4. Children. Casa di Arlecchino is a building in the medieval village of Oneta, in the municipality of San Giovanni Bianco, at the start of Valle Taleggio. There are also adventure parks for kids at Passo di Zambla and at the top of Mount Purito.
    
5. Food and wine. Formai de Mut, Branzi, Stracchino Taleggio and the “blue” Strachitunt are cheeses that delight even the most discerning of gourmet palates. Other must-tries are goat’s cheese, ricotta and Agri.