The Val Brembana bicycle path is a bicycle and pedestrian route that runs up the valley from Zogno (a town about 20 km from Bergamo) to Piazza Brembana. The route follows almost entirely the old railroad track, in use until the 1960s, with extraordinary views of the Brembo River between sheer rock walls.
The bottom of the cyclovia is asphalt so it is passable with any bicycle and, on some sections, it is divided into two roadways. There are several tunnels along the route that automatically light up as they pass. However, it is recommended that you also carry a spotlight. Very impressive are the tunnels near Cornello dei Tasso lit from below to bring out the living rock of the vaults.
The bike path passes through noteworthy historic places such as:
– San Pellegrino Terme, an Art Nouveau town famous for its mineral water and hot springs
– San Giovanni Bianco with its hamlet Oneta, where the mask and character of Harlequin was born
– Cornello dei Tasso, one of the “most beautiful villages in Italy.” with its medieval portico and the Museo dei Tasso, a family that invented today’s postal system
– The Via Priula, a historic trade route traced by the Republic of Venice in the late 1500s to connect Bergamo with Valtellina
The cyclo-route is frequented by families, cyclists and cycle-hikers. Suitable for everyone, you just have to try it!
The bike path begins in Zogno, in the large parking lot of the market on the banks of the Brembo River (Piazza Genieri d’Italia).
Beyond the bridge begins the paved bike path (pic1) that runs along the SS470 state road on one side and the Brembo River on the other. When you reach the locality of Acquada you will encounter the first of a series of characteristic Art Nouveau railway stations.
Having crossed the underpass and the pedestrian bridge, turn left: you will be along the left orographic bank of the Brembo River. On the opposite bank you will see the San Pellegrino factory, whose mineral waters are famous throughout the world.
You will now travel a short distance by road and, having crossed a small square in the middle of a neighborhood of houses, you will soon reach the San Pellegrino Terme station (pic2).
Having reached this point, a stop to visit the beautiful spa town dating from the Belle Époque is a must.
After passing the San Pellegrino Terme power plant and going through the first tunnel at the fork, keep left both before and after entering two more tunnels.
You will then arrive in San Giovanni Bianco: here you will have to ride a stretch on the road but, having passed the parking lot and an alternating one-way tunnel, you will immediately take the bicycle path again .
The road with long straight stretches through the woods begins to climb into the valley and on your right you can see the hydroelectric power plant that in the past supplied energy to the railroad.
Passing through some evocative tunnels carved into the rock, you reach the houses of Camerata Cornello, a town that is home to one of Italy’s Most Beautiful Villages: Cornello dei Tasso.
Here, too, a stop is more than recommended: with a short detour (1.5 km uphill on a road), you can immerse yourself in a medieval village that has remained intact over time.
From Camerata Cornello take the road that runs parallel to the Brembo River, pass by the little church of the dead built against the rock and continue back on the bike path going uphill to the left. After a straight section parallel to the road but protected by guard-rails you reach a small parking lot where you go right on the iron bridge that crosses the Brembo and passes by the Ferdy farmhouse with an adjoining “cyclists’ hut,” an excellent place for refreshment if you want to take a break.
Continue to the goat bridge, a 15th-century stone bridge with the typical humpback shape, cross it, go right and, after a long bridge, you will find yourself pedaling next to some beautiful meadows. Here you can stop at a kiosk with a bar before tackling the last section of the cycle path.
Now the cycle path takes you slightly uphill to make a wide bend to the left and, after the tunnel, you will have arrived in Piazza Brembana: the end point of the route is in a park next to the bus station, once a railway station.
Having come this far a stop is more than deserved! Take a rest in the village or in the small park in the center where there is shade and a fountain for refilling water before facing the return to Zogno.
