A Hike from Botta di Sedrina to Canto Alto

Overview ~ Notes ~ Plants ~ Photos

   
Left: Trail 507 for Canto Alto, with Canto Alto on hill on the left.
Center: Highland cattle at Agriturismo Prati Parini.
Right: The tracks and elevation profile for this hike.

Overview

It seems to be our ritual to hike at least once a year to Canto Alto, the closest mountain to us. At 1146 m (3,760 ft), it’s visible from a good part of the east and south side of Bergamo.

Today, we hiked to Canto Alto from Botta di Sedrina and back. More precisely, we started in Borgo Mediglio above Botta. We walk up to Agriturismo prati Parini and then on to Canto Alto following trail 507. Botta di Sedrina is the first village you see on the right as you head into the Val Brembana. You can get there by bus from Bergamo.

The last time we were at prati Parini was back in 2021 during the pandemic when we planned one of our epic-get-out-of-the-house walks. See Hike from Bergamo to Prati Parini and Back. That hike was 28 km and a bit of fool’s errand. Today’s hike is reasonable 11.5 km.


Duration: 6.5 hours (including snack and lunch stop)
Elevation: 678 m
Length: 11.5 m
Location: Botta (frazione of Sedrina), Bergamo, Italy

Notes

We won’t say too much about this hike other than it was a welcome relief, and boy is good to be back! We were in the States for just under two weeks and while we had a great visit to Connecticut and Oklahoma, we were missing our walks and hikes like this one. Also, we missed the spontaneous way someone invites us to take a hike. In this case we are visiting where a friend was born and lived (Botta), and exploring the hills of her childhood. Add to that a simple meal at a rifugio and we’re happy. And yes, even buying a bottle of water is welcome instead of the humongous water glasses in US restaurants, always filled with water and with too much ice. Do you appreciate something when it’s scarcer?

On this hike we walked by houses and property with little or no fencing or gates, passing through private property as the trail took goes. It’s normal. In Oklahoma (we stayed in Norman), land tends to be fenced off and you wouldn’t dare enter, let alone walk anywhere because there aren’t trails, at least obvious ones.

Plants

Some plants we noted on this hike:

[Family] Genus species - English common name (Italian common name)

[Amaryllidaceae] Allium ursinum - Bear Garlic (Aglio orsino)

[Amaryllidaceae] Narcissus poeticus - Poet's Narcissus (Narciso dei poeti)

[Aquifoliaceae] Ilex aquifolium - English Holly (Agrifoglio)


[Asparagaceae] Polygonatum multiflorum - Lady's Seal (Sigillo di Salomone maggiore)


[Asteraceae] Achillea millefolium - with Trichodes alvearius (soldier beetle)


[Caryophyllaceae] Saponaria ocymoides - Tumbling Ted / Rock Soapwort (Saponaria rossa). The specific epithet ocymoides means "resembling basil" (genus: Ocimum).


[Euphorbiaceae] Euphorbia helioscopia - Madwoman's Milk (Euforbia calenzuola)


[Orchidaceae] Cephalanthera longifolia – Narrow-leaved Helleborine (Cefalantera maggiore)

[Orchidaceae] Gymnadenia sp.


[Ranunculaceae] Hepatica nobilis leaves


[Ranunculaceae] Trollius europaeus - Globeflower (Botton d'oro)

[Rosaceae] Crataegus monogyna - Common Hawthorn (Biancospino comune)

[Rosaceae] Filipendula vulgaris - Dropwort (Filipendola)

Photos

  

Left: View south toward Monte Bastia.
Center: View from trail 507 north toward Zogno in Val Brembana.

Right: View from trail 507 back toward Bergamo with Città Alta visible.

   

Left: View from Prati Parini - looking north.

Center: Pasture of Prati Parini.

Right: The last stretch on trail 507 up to Canto Alto.

  
Left: Starting the hike in Borgo Mediglio.
Center: Don't forget to turn the corner in Borgo Mediglio to find the trail up.
Right: A sign explaining this history of Borgo Mediglio.

   

Left: On Trail 507 - two figures silhouetted against the sky.

Center left: Larva of a salamander found in a pool of water along the trail.

Center right: Above the Borgo Mediglio, the path through grass.

Right: A tree leafing out with Canto Alto's cross in the background.


  

Left: Highland cattle at prati Parini in the late afternoon.

Center: A hiker gets close to a tree to examine it.
Right: Descending Canto Alto with view west toward Valle Imagna,


Above Borgo Mediglio - view west.

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)

More Photos