mastro Orso

You will be greeted by a territory
where man has left
outstanding footprints both in
terms of art and landscape: hills
topped with vineyards and cycle
tracks protected from the motor
traffic. These are havens for cycle-lovers
that do some physical
exercise being definitely rewarded
in exploring the area.
The hills of Bergamo
The first route starts from
Bergamo, which is a flourishing
city full of art. Thousands of
tourists visit the upper area every
year. The first pre-Alpine ranges
are the background of a route
that runs along ups and downs,
offering you some beautiful
stretches of cycle track, as in via
Borgo Palazzo or on the rise that
overlooks Brusaporto. Albano
Sant’Alessandro, Chiuduno and
Grumello del Monte are perched
on green slopes that offer some
astonishing glimpses of art, as
the Castello di Grumello, for example.
Once you have arrived
near the Oglio River, you will
take some byroads and trails that
parallel the river; in summer,
you might see the small train of
Basso Sebino passing by. Sarnico
and Paratico will lead you
to the Lake Iseo, a remarkable
scenario along the delightful cycle
track, which coasts the peaceful
waters. You will arrive in
Iseo, a popular tourist resort that
overlooks the expanse of water.
Along the short stretch that leads
you to Provaglio, you may visit
the mosses Torbiere del Sebino,
a fascinating sanctuary that has
been declared “damp zone of international
relevance”.
The Franciacorta
You simply say its name and you
evoke the smells and flavours that
are renowned worldwide: the
vineyards bear witness to the centuries
old wine tradition. The culture
of the territory is represented
by abbeys, noble mansions and
wine cellars. The first village along
our trip is Monterotondo, which
hosts the old route of the Brescia-
Iseo railway. Here cycle tracks
take turns with byroads, where,
nevertheless, there is almost no
motor traffic. Paderno precedes
the holiest building of Franciacorta,
the Abbazia di Rodegno,
whose cloisters greet you leading
to the priceless pictorial masterpieces
inside. The piedmont villages
of Gussago and Cellatica
usher you to Brescia, the capital
of the province. The latter hosts
not only some historic gems but
also some cycle-tourist ones: there
are several cycle tracks both in the
city and in the province. Brescia
encourages the culture of light
transport.
From Brescia to Garda Lake
You will be led again by a pleasant
city cycle track to the slopes
of Monte Maddalena, a breathtaking
panoramic spot, which
once could be reached also by a
cableway and nowadays with an
asphalted road. You will arrive
soon in Rezzato and Mazzano.
On the left the cycle track towards
Salò unwinds, but you must continue
eastward crossing a long
stretch of Brescia plain: you will
ride on byroads, so be very careful
only at some crossroads. Once
you have arrive very close to
Garda Lake, you will find steep-
er slopes: they are the morainal
hills that encircle the lake as a
green crescent. In Desenzano, a
visit to Villa Romana is a must:
a fascinating ancient building with
beautiful well preserved mosaics.
The morainal hills of Garda
The last route will bring you up
and down towards the natural
morainal amphitheatre of Garda,
between the provinces of
Brescia and Mantova . This is
one of the most atmospheric areas
of the region with its natural
beauties and the historic
buildings. There are not so
many stretches of cycle tracks,
but the available byroads will
keep you away from the stressing
traffic. Along your ups and
downs you will visit, first,
Pozzolengo in the province of
Brescia. The ruins of its medieval
fortress overlook from a
hummock. The village of Monzambano
is the end of our pleasant
trip: the ruins of the Castle
and the Mincio River nearby are
an idyllic scenario, a pleasant
goodbye after a healthy and cultural
journey.
From the plain
to the Garda Lake
Luckily the recent industrial and
residential buildings around the city
did not spoil the charming landscape
of eastern Brescia where sky
blue waters flow more placidly on
the plain enlarging their beds
among isolated high grounds. From
Mazzano you will continue northeastward
up to Gavardo. From
here you will be led by the Chiese
River towards the wood banks of
the Benaco Lake; in so doing you
will cross Prevalle, an important
centre of wool industry in the
Brescian area. Keep the river on
your side for a while and then leave
it behind after Roè-Volciano. You
will arrive in Campo Verde and,
few kilometres after, on the lakeside
Zanardelli di Salò. Here you
may visit Palazzo del Podestà,
Palazzo della “Magnifica Patria”,
the Dome and, nearby, Palazzo
Fantoni, which hosts the Library
of the Ateneo di Salò.
• Sotto:
il Fiume Chiese
scorre tranquillo
lungo
la ciclabile
Brescia-Salò
nei pressi
di Gavardo
• Below:
the Chiese River
flows placidly
along the
Brescia-Salò
cycle-track
near Gavardo
80 A hilly charm • Cycle-roads on the hills
81