Outdoor activities and chilling in Europe's little Yosemite. Mountains and valleys where nature rules supreme and the man who enjoys it respects its beauty

Highest point  2420 mTotal elevation gain 880 mTotal elevation loss 1450 mTotal climb 7,5 kmTotal descent 12,7 kmTotal distance 20,2 kmDuration 5 - 6 hCycling rate (%) 90% The route runs almost completely on a single trail and, most of all, it is the first stretch of a much longer itinerary, which - once com-pleted - will give the bikers the possibility to start from Switzerland, cycle  all  over  Valtellina  along  the  slopes  of  the  Rhaetian  Alps    at  height and finally arrive to lake Como. The starting point is in Val Saiento, which runs sideways to Valposchiavo in Canton Grisons. you climb up to Col D’Anzana, which marks the line between Italy and  Switzerland,  and  which  can  be  reached  also  from  bianzone,  in  the  Province  of  Sondrio,  through  the  road  going  uphill  to  ne-mina and becoming then a trail that leads to the pass. The start-ing crossway runs along the military track of Sentiero Italia up to Prato  Valentino  and  affords  remarkable  views  southwards  over  Scorcio verso le Orobie dalle Baite Agnè in Val Rogna.   42Mountain Bikethe mountain chains of the Orobic Alps and of Middle Valtellina. We leave Passo di Meden on our right together with the spurs go-ing down from Monte Combolo and Monte Calighe and reach the ski runs in Teglio from above. The second part of the ride runs deep into the solitary Val Fontana at first and then goes downhill.The start is from the car park in Pescia bassa on a dirt road at 1810 meters above sea level. you go past the Rifugio Anzana (2050 m) and take the well traced trail on your left heading for the pass, but which you can only partly cycle on. From Col D’Anzana (2233 m) you  go  downhill  some  meters  and  find  a  notice  board  with  map  and indications as well as the sign of the Way n. 301. The trail go-ing  around  Monte  Cancano  begins  on  the  right,  then  it  passes  below Passo di Meden (2440 m), reaches Prato Valentino ski runs, and  gets  steeper  below  Dosso  lau  (2020  m)  up  to  Verdomana  (1521  m).  Otherwise  you  can  choose  to  descend  from  Prato  Val-entino  to  Teglio  on  a  road.  but  from  Verdomana  you  turn  to  the  right on a dirt road (sign Way n. 302) through Val Rogna and get to Dalico (1465 m), which is situated on the Costa di San Gaetano along a trail among the woods. We cut across the road climbing from  the  valley  and  –  always  westwards  –  we  turn  into  the  long  sideway on a trail going north and descending to Sant’Antonio in Val Fontana (1253 m), where we take the road leading to the vil-lage of Ponte in Valtellina.

Chiuro

Take note of the dishes that you can’t help but taste when you’re here. Bergamo’s flavours will be a real surprise. If you say Bergamo, you say polenta: Queen of the table!Polenta is always the right choice because it is a unique dish that is prepared in a thousand ways and goes well with everything: try it on the grill, seasoned with butter and sage, with milk, cheese, meat, fish, cured meats or on its own. An ancient dish in Italian cuisine, the most widespread version is yellow polenta, but there are some native species of corn that cannot be found anywhere else, the Originario dell’Isola from Bergamo Island, Red Rostrato corn from Rovetta and Barbed Corn from Gandino. If you hear about “polenta e pica sö” you have just entered the myth of Bergamo’s cuisine: the expression means “polenta and something to beat it on”, polenta, once a poor dish, was eaten by rubbing it on a smoked anchovy hanging from the centre of the table so that the flavour could be absorbed without consuming too much fish. The ideal Sunday lunch in Bergamo is hot polenta, rabbit in red wine and its “pucì”, the sauce that goes perfectly with the hot polenta (with a spoon a small groove is made in the slice of polenta and it’s filled with sauce). Another typical dish to look for are the Capù, bundles of boiled cabbage stuffed with meat or breadcrumbs and cheese. The origins of the name are not very clear: in times of extreme poverty, the capù were the lean consolation for the poor who could not afford capon (chicken). They are rarely found on restaurant menus and every year in Parre, in the Seriana Valley, they hold the Capù Festival, an opportunity to try this delicacy. Bergamo is the cheese capital.There is no other province in Europe that can boast such a high number of DOP cheeses, 9 to be exact. A gastronomic record! The name of the cheese often tells the story of its production. The Formai de Mut, or “mountain cheese”, produced only with mountain pasture milk and famous for having different flavours and aromas every time. The “strachìtunt”, or “round stracchino”, is produced using an ancient technique and is made with milk from cows that were “stràcch” or tired from the transhumance. Quartirolo is the late-September cheese, in homage to the last blades of grass, called quartirola, because they grew after the third hay cut. And let’s not forget the other cheeses: Taleggio, Bitto, Agrì, Branzi and Formagella di Scalve. If polenta is queen, Casoncello can only be king!Life of the party, you can find them in every restaurant. “Casonséi” are ravioli that hide a meat filling and are seasoned with melted butter, sage and bacon. In May in the Upper Town there is a festival is dedicated to them: “De Casoncello”. “Scarpinocc” are the lean version of casoncelli, a typical and ancient recipe from Parre, in the Seriana Valley. In place of meat, they have a filling made with stale bread and cheese. Winter brings with it the fixed appointment of killing the pig. As the famous saying goes “Of the pig you know you do not throw anything away”, and in fact, there are numerous cured meats produced from it. Bergamo salami is the product par excellence, then the testina, pancetta, lard, cotechino, sausage and black pudding are produced. A real delicacy are the endives from Bergamo’s hills. A precious variety of endives whose uniqueness lies in the process of whitening the leaves. It is sown at the end of July and towards the end of October each bunch is tied so that the inner leaves do not get any light and remain white. Bergamo is also a land of delicious desserts. The “polenta e osei”: a small yellow sponge cake filled with custard, chocolate and liqueur, with a yellow sugar glaze, all garnished with a little chocolate bird. The shape recalls a dish from the past, polenta with birds. The Donizetti cake, in honour of the great composer, is a soft donut with candied pineapple and apricots, maraschino liqueur and vanilla. Did you know that the stracciatella ice cream flavour was created in Bergamo? Discover its history and its original flavour at the Pasticceria Marianna in the Upper Town. Bergamo is also a land of springs: who doesn’t know SanPellegrino water? It is produced in the homonymous village and is famous all over the world. Do not leave without having tasted the delicious ValCalepio wine, producing excellent DOC red and white wines and for those who don’t know, Bergamo boasts Italy’s smallest DOCG, the Moscato di Scanzo. The new and greatly successful trend are craft breweries that have popped up in every corner of the province. Try Hammer, Hopskin, Mapsy or Elav beer!  

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