Hike: Bergamo to Monte Filaressa, Monte Costone, Corna Bianca

Overview | Notes | Flora | Trail Photos

Top left: Trail 533 in Salmezza. Top center: A broken birch tree near Corna Bianca. Top right: Trail 531 marker. Bottom left: Hike tracks from Bergamo to Salmezza calling out trails 531 and 533. Bottom right: On Trail 533 below Salmezza.

Overview

Length: 31 km (19.2 mi)
Duration: ~9 hours (one 30 min stop for lunch, and two small stops)
Elevation: 1,640 m (5,380 ft)
Location: Italy, Lombardy, Parco dei Colli, Alzano Lombardo

Notes

Two weeks ago we tried to reach Monte Filaressa and turned around due to stormy conditions. Today, we are able to make it to Monte Filaressa (1134 m) and beyond to Monte Costone (1195 m) and the flanks of Corna Bianca (1228 m). Our turn around point before returning to Bergamo is the small hamlet of Salmezza. This hamlet is a good example of an alpine village.

To reach Salmezza, you can walk from Bergamo as we do here, or you can take a tram – bus – gondola combination to get to Selvino and then walk up. Or, you can drive. To be honest, this is a long walk. There are plenty of places to stop along the way to relax. We stopped at Canto Basso for a small break, then again at the top of Monte Filaressa for lunch, and then at Salmezza for a coffee (take-out only during pandemic). In our hike to Salmezza last August, we ate at Merelli Gilberto. So that's a great option for lunch when thinks return to normal after the pandemic.

You can climb to the peak of Monte Filaressa, but must turn around to continue on toward Salmezza. As you are descending from Filaressa, you might be tempted by the first trail going off to the right, heading to Salmezza. Be warned that trail is very steep. If you continue down a little more, descending back toward Monte di Nese, you'll reach a easier and flatter trail that goes around the north of Monte Filaressa.

As a reminder, typical for these hikes, study before going: CAI maps and OpenStreetMap. There are trails that follow the crests, which can be a bit intimidating. There are usually alternate trails slightly lower (and longer) but just as satisfying. Trail signage gives indications to difficulty. For the path between Monte di Nese and Salmezza, Trail 533 is your lower altitude trail and Trail 531 is your crest trail. In today's hike we took Trail 531 going and Trail 533 returning.

Flora

Many of the resources we use are listed in our post Resources for Identifying Plants around Bergamo. We especially rely on the Checklist flora (for the Lombardy region) to check if the altitude we spotted the plant and the season of bloom are correct. Then, we double check in the half dozen guide books we have. In particular, the Gruppo Flora Alpina Bergamasca have a series of really useful books.

On this hike, the Gentians were particular difficult to identify. We used the data at Checklist Flora. We ruled out G. acaulis (found above 2000 m, blooms starting in May, and looks like G. clusii) and G. bavarica (found above 1700 m, blooms starting in July, and looks like G. verna). On this hike we didn't break 1200 m.

We give identifications in this form:

[Family] Genus species – Common name in English {Common name in Italian}


[Brassicaceae] Alliaria petiolata – Garlic Mustard {Alliaria comune}
[Brassicaceae] Cardamine heptaphylla – Pinnate Coralroot {Dentaria pennata}

• Note the seven (hepta) parts (leaflets) to the leaf.

[Caprifoliaceae] Knautia arvensis – Field Scabiosa {Ambretta comune}
[Ericaceae] Erica carnea – Winter Heath, Spring Heath – {Erica carnicina}
[Euphorbiaceae] Euphorbia amygdaloides – Wood Spurge {Euforbia mandorlo}
[Fabiaceae] Laburnum anagyroides – Common Laburnum, Golden Rain/Chain {Maggiociondolo}

• Didn't get a good photo of this, but was spotted at low elevations < 600 m.

[Gentianaceae] Gentiana clusii – Trumpet Gentian {Genziana di Clusius}

• Found above 1400m (we saw it between 900 – 1100 m, outside of reported range).
• Bloom starting April. (satisfied)
• No green inside corolla to distinguish between G. acaulis. (satisfied)

[Gentianaceae] Gentiana utriculosa – Bladder Gentian {Genziana alata}

• Found above 300 m (satisfied)
• Blooms starting in May (stretching it but we are almost in May)

[Gentianaceae] Gentiana verna – Spring Gentian {Genziana primaverile}

• Found above 400 m. (satisfied)
• Blooms starting April. (satisfied)

[Polygalaceae] Polygaloides chamaebuxus – Shrubby Milkwort {Poligala falso bosso, camebosso}
[Ranunculaceae] Helleborus niger – Christmas rose {Rosa di Natale}
[Rubiaceae] Cruciata laevipes – Crosswort, Smooth Bedstraw {Crocettona comune}

• Rubiaceae is a family of flowering plants, commonly known as the coffee, madder, or bedstraw family.

[Salicaceae] Salix sp. – Willow {Salice} – possibly S. purpurea.
[Thymelaeaceae] Daphne cneorum – Garland flower {Dafne odorosa}

Left and center: [Brassicaceae] Alliaria petiolata – Garlic Mustard. Right: [Brassicaceae] Cardamine heptaphylla – Pinnate Coralroot.


[Brassicaceae] Cardamine heptaphylla – Pinnate Coralroot.


Left: [Caprifoliaceae] Knautia arvensis – Field Scabiosa. Right: [Ericaceae] Erica carnea – Winter Heath, Spring Heath.

Left: [Euphorbiaceae] Euphorbia amygdaloides. Right: [Rubiaceae] Cruciata laevipes – Crosswort, Smooth Bedstraw.


[Gentianaceae] Gentiana clusii – Trumpet Gentian.


[Gentianaceae] Gentiana utriculosa – Bladder Gentian.


[Gentianaceae] Gentiana verna – Spring Gentian.


[Polygalaceae] Polygaloides chamaebuxus – Shrubby Milkwort.


Left: [Ranunculaceae] Helleborus niger – Christmas rose. Center and right: [Thymelaeaceae] Daphne cneorum – Garland flower.

[Salicaceae] Salix sp. – Willow.

Trail Photos

Left: Above Monte di Nese, walking toward Monte Filaressa. Right: Canto Basso, walking toward Monte Cavallo.

Left: The hike tracks (without annotation). Center: Trail north of Monte Filaressa that skirts the peak. Right: Madonna del Riposo overlooking Selvino.


Left: Madonnina of Monte Costone. Right: Leaving the Madonnina and heading to Corna Bianca on the crest trail.

Left: The flanks of Monte Filaressa heading up to the peak. Right: From the flanks of Monte Filaressa looking south toward Monte di Nese.


Left: Trail 533 below Monte di Nese with profile of Monte Filaressa in the background. Right: View of the alpine village of Salmezza from Corna Bianca.

Bergamo Wall Plants - Sedum album and Sedum dasyphyllum

Left: Photo of Sedum dasyphyllum on a wall in Bergamo.
Center: Photo of Sedum dasyphyllum and Sedum album in bloom on a wall in Bergamo.
Right: Nestled in a wall, Madonna della borraccina, the protector of sedum.

Both of these Bergamo Wall Plants ™ plants are part of the genus Sedum, commonly referred to as stonecrop. Stonecrops are in the family Crassulaceae, also known as the stonecrop or orpine family.

Sedum album – White Stonecrop – has alternate, fleshy leaves that are nearly cylindrical with rounded tips. The Italian name for S. album is borraccina bianca. Its flowers are in a corymb structure.

Sedum dasyphyllum - Thick-leaved Stonecrop or Corsican Stonecrop – has opposite gray-green leaves, often tinged pink. This stonecrop's leaves are more plump-looking compared to S. album. The Italian common name for S. dasyphllum is borracina cenerina. Both of these sedums found in hot, dry locations on walls with good sun exposure. Often they are growing next to each other as shown in some of the photos here.

The etymology for these plants as follows. Sedum is from the Latin sedum meaning "houseleek" as least as far as Wikitionary is concerned. Sempervivum tectorum – Common Houseleek – is also in the Crassulaceae family. Another possible etymology we found interesting because of its reflection on the Italian language is given in the Italian Wikipedia page for Sedum album. The entry claims that sedum comes from the the Latin verb to sit, sedeo, "I sit". In Italian it's io mi siedo. The connection is the way the stems lay down or sit. (Sedere – to sit – is one of the verbs in Italian that throws an I in during conjugations: siedo, siedi, siede, sediamo, sedete, siedono.) Who knows for sure what the exact etymology is, but we won't forget the conjugation of this verb.

Continuing: Album is "white". Dasyphyllum – according to dryades.it – comes from the Greek dasýs meaning "hairy" e phýllon meaning leaf. If you look closely, sure enough there are hairs.

A list of our wall plants of Bergamo thus far:

• [Papavero] Fumaria officinalis (post) – Earth Smoke
• [Brassicaceae] Aubrieta deltoidea - Purple Rock Cress and Iberis sempervirens - Evergreen Candytuft (post)
• [Geraniaceae] Geranium robertianum (post) - Stinking Bob
• [Asteraceae] Erigeron karvinskianus (post) - Mexican Fleabane
• [Aspleniaceae] Asplenium ceterach (post) - Rustyback Fern
• [Aspleniaceae] Asplenium ruta-muraria (post) - Wall Rue
• [Aspleniaceae] Asplenium trichomanes (post) - Maidenhair spleenwort
• [Urticaceae] Parietaria diffusa (post) – Pellitory
• [Plantaginaceae] Cymbalaria muralis (post) - Pennywort

Left: A wall on Via Fontana in Bergamo where many of the photos of sedum were taken.
Center and right: Sedum album on a wall.

Left: Sedum album and Sedum dasyphyllum.
Center and right: Sedum dasyphyllum.

Sedum album and Sedum dasyphyllum growing together on a wall in Bergamo.

Left: Sedum dasyphyllum in winter.
Right: Sedum daspyphyllum in spring with flowers.