Hike from Bergamo to Prati Parini and Back

Overview | Notes | Flora | Trail Photos

Top left: Hike tracks roundtrip from Bergamo to Prati Parini.
Top right: A yak at Prati Parini with Bergamo in the distant background.
Bottom left: Looking toward Spino al Brembo from Canto Alto.
Bottom right:  Valle del Giongo - view west.

Overview

Length: ~ 28.2 km (17.5 miles)
Duration: 7.75 hours (includes at ½ hour lunch at Prati Parini)
Elevation:  gain 1,693m (5,554 ft), max 1,146 m (3,760 ft) Canto Alto, min 265 m (869 ft) – Bergamo.
Location: Italy, Lombardia, Bergamo, Colli di Bergamo, Sedrina/Sorisole

Notes

Problem: Sunday, no car and no desire to use public transit, and it's a beautiful day out. What to do? Solution: another megawalk! Hooray. Today the destination is AgriturismoPratiParini, an enchanting ridge that we heard about often but never visited. Admittedly, the thought of walking there and back and seeing the response in our friend's faces was a motivation, almost as good as saying we were the first to listen the latest dope track of Susie & the Nahrcocks.

There are incredible 360 degree views from the meadows (prati) around the agriturismo. Looking south you can see the green spine of hills behind Bergamo's upper city, even further the Po River Plain, and on a particularly clear day like today on the distant horizon: the Apennines. Looking north, you can take your pick and look up into Val Brembilla, Valle Brembana or Val Serina, all with the snow-capped Bergamasque Alps as backdrop.

Most people drive to a small parking lot in the little hamlet Cler and then take CAI trail 507 trail up. (You could half this walk by taking a bus (any running up Val Brembana) and get off  at Sedrina, walk up to Cler and start the hike.)

To get there on foot from Bergamo: patience and willing to cross different types of terrain. We chose a path that kept us off asphalt as much as possible, but some road was necessary. In particular, we crossed SS470 – the main thoroughfare up into Val Brembana – at Petosino which involved about 1 km on sidewalks. On our clockwise path, the first leg before lunch stop had these points of interest:

• Colle Roccolone
• Cross Piana del Grès
• Petosino (start of Via Brughiera)
• Centro Sportivo Communale (Villa d'Almè)
• Località Boscalgisi
• Flank of Monte Pissöl (between Monte dei Giubilini and Monte Pissöl)
• Cà Giongo (Valle del Giongo)
• Monte Passata (Prati Parini)

After a lunch, we continued clockwise:

• Corna dell'Uomo
• Monte Canto Alto
• Forcella del Sorriso
• Cà del Latte
• La Maresana
• Bergamo

Views of the hike route. Left: Outdoor Active. Center: East view: Right: View southwest.

Flora

Today's special special botanical finds include Alpine squill and Snowdrop, both around the sumit of Canto Alto, as well as February daphne, found in the lower woods of today's walk. This daphne is easy to spot this time of year because of it's purple flower clusters on the branches with few or no leaves.

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

[Amaryllidaceae] Galanthus nivalis – Snowdrop {Bucaneve}
[Asparagaceae] Scilla bifolia – Alpine squill or Two-Leaf Squill {Scilla silvestre}
[Boraginaceae] Omphalodes verna – Creeping Blue-eyed Mary or Navelwort {Occhi della Madonna primaverili}
[Iridaceae] Crocus sp. likely C. vernus – Crocus {Zafferano}
[Rosaceae] Prunus spinosa – Blackthorn or Sloe {Pruno selvatico spinoso}
[Rosaceae] Potentilla sp. – likely P. reptans or P. verna – Cinquefoil {Cinquefoglia}
[Thymelaeaceae] Daphne mezereum – Mezereum or February daphne {Dafne mezereo o fior di stecco}

• The specific epithet (mezereum) derives instead from an Arabic root and means "deadly", referring to the poisonousness of the plant.

[Ranunculaceae] Hepatica nobilis – Liverwort {Erba trinità}

[Amaryllidaceae] Galanthus nivalis – Snowdrop


[Asparagaceae] Scilla bifolia – Alpine squill or Two-Leaf Squill


[Boraginaceae] Omphalodes verna – Creeping Blue-eyed Mary or Navelwort


[Iridaceae] Crocus sp. likely C. vernus


[Ranunculaceae] Hepatica nobilis – Liverwort


[Rosaceae] Potentilla sp. – likely P. reptans or P. verna

[Thymelaeaceae] Daphne mezereum – Mezereum or February daphne

[Rosaceae] Prunus spinosa – Blackthorn or Sloe

Trail Photos

Left: Woodland below Colle Roccolone, Bergamo.
Center: Cheese, salumi and ice cream - Piana del Gres.
Right: A path in Valle del Rino, above Petosino.


Left: View of Prati Parini meadow.
Center: Costa Serina viewed from Prati Parini.
Right: Looking Toward Presolana from Canto Alto.


Left: Trail 507 below Canto Alto.
Center: View from Prati Parini towards Val Brambilla.
Right: View of Bergamo from above Boscalgisi.