Hiking Below Pizzo della Presolana

Left: Path from Passo della Presolana to bivacco città di Clusone. Right: View from sentiero 315 into valley.


Hike Notes

Length: 8.4 km round trip
Duration: 3 hours up to bivouac, shorter coming back
Elevation: ~ 790 m ascent/descent, start at Passo della Presolana @ 1297 m, high point bivouac @ 2085 m
Location: Italy, Lombardy, Bergamo Province, Alta Val Seriana

Overview

A last minute invite to take a Sunday walk seemed like a good way to spend time with the friends who invited us, see a little more of the area around Bergamo and get in a little walking before we hit the Gran Sasso National Park. We following sentiero 315, making it to the bivouac (bivacco città di Clusone @2085 m), which proved to be our turn around point today. The Presolana group is sometimes called the Bergamasco Dolomites.

We came back down from the bivouac to Rifugio Cassinelli (1522 m) for lunch. Casoncelli of course were on the menu as well as polenta, two staples of the Bergamasco cuisine.

Botanical References

• FAB - Gruppo Flora Alpina Bergamasca - there is a beautiful guide to beautiful flowers around Albino, which is close to Bergamo)
• Checklist flora per region - Lombardia - useful for navigating by family and genera.
• www.fioribrembani.it - useful for searching for color and petals
• Flora Alpi Orobie
• Fiori di montagna Alpi Orobie
• I fiori della Val di Scalve
• Description of the plants and trees of Monte Bastia e del Roccolo. No pictures, but a good list.

For more references, see Resources for Identifying Plants around Bergamo.

Left: [Fabaceae] Anthyllis vulneraria; Right: [Ranunculaceae] Trollius eruopaeus


From left to right: [Orchidaceae] Cephalanthera longifolia, [Orchidaceae] Neottia nidus-avis, [Orobanchaceae] Pedicularis verticillata, [Primulaceae] Primula glaucescens, [Gentinaceae] Gentiana


Left: [Plantaginaceae] Globularia; Right: [Violaceae] Viola


[Polygalaceae] Polygala chamaebuxus


Left: CAI Bergamo Map for Sentiero 315; Right: Trailhead sign.


Left: Coming down sentiero 315; Right: View above bivouac to Presolana.


Left: Trail sign pointing to Passo della Presolana; Right: View from Rifugio Cassinelli, looking south.


Casoncelli at Rifugio Cassinelli