Bergamo to Canto Alto – A Sunday Hike

Overview ~ Notes ~ Flora ~ More Photos

Overview

Length: 22 km (13.7 miles)
Duration: 7.6 hours (including lunch stop)
Elevation: gain 1075 m (3,527 ft), max elevation at Canto Alto 1,146 m (3,760 ft)
Location: Italy, Lombardy, Bergamo, Parco dei Colli di Bergamo

Notes

When friends proposed a hike to Canto Alto, initially we weren't that enthused. We've been there three times, and while the views are beautiful up there it isn't our favorite hike. But, we slapped ourselves and said get with it! You are in Italy and Italian friends asked you to go on a hike. Snap to it! That did the trick to change our attitude as well as reservations at Trattoria del Moro for lunch. Why walk if there isn't some food reward at the end?

A hike to Canto Alto is a rite of passage for anyone living in the area. For visitors with a penchant for long walk/hikes, Canto Alto is reachable from Bergamo (city) but coming in at around 20 km, roundtrip. You could park in Monterosso neighborhood or take a bus there to eliminate a few kilometers of city-walking part. You could even drive up to – gulp – La Maresana, park, and start the hike there.

The trails of interest are Sentiero 507 and Sentiero 533. After Maresana, the trails are fairly well-marked and well-traveled by hikers and bikers for a part. We went to Canto Alto and then Canto Basso, which is one of our favorite spots. If you don't want to do the "scramble" up to Canto Alto, just go to Canto Basso and enjoy a picnic and the views there. Canto Basso is an open grassy ridge, running easy-west. In some ways, it's just as scenic as Canto Alto, less crowded, and easier to reach.

For lunch, we decided on Trattoria del Moro, just a stone's throw off the trail to Canto Alto in Ponteranica. La Maresana is also a good choice for lunch.

Flora

[Family] Scientific name - Common name English (Common name Italian)

[Adoxaceae] Viburnum lantana - Wayfaring Tree (Viburno lantana)

[Asteraceae] Centaurea nigrescens – Tyrol knapwee, Tyrol Thistle (Fiordaliso nerasto)

[Asteraceae] Cichorium inthybus – Chicory (Cicoria selvatica)

[Asteraceae] Eupatorium cannabinum – Holy Rope, Hemp-Agrimony (Canapa aquatica)

[Caryophyllaceae] Dianthus superbus – Fringed Pink (Garafano superbo)

[Lamiaceae] Salvia glutinosa - Sticky Sage (Salvia vischiosa)

[Liliaceae] Allium carinatum - Keeled Garlic (Aglio carenato)

[Primulaceae] Cyclamen purpurascens – Cyclamen (Ciclamino delle Alpi)

[Scrophulariaceae] Verbascum sp. – Mullein (Verbasco)

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