DATASHEET:
Cycle path 6%
Paved road 16%.
Paved/asphalted road 35%
White/steep road 20%
Mule track 1%
Trail 22%
Route style: FREE RIDE
Period of riding: ALL YEAR ROUTE
Coordinates Start/finish point: N45 47.295 E9 58.898
Maximum altitude: 1336 m Colletto Cascina Torrezzo
Positive height difference: 1150 m
Distance covered: 22.2 km
Walking time: half a day
Technical difficulty: 3 out of 5
Physical effort: 3 out of 5
100% cyclability on ascent
95% cyclability on descent
e-bike: YES
B&B and/or support points in villages along the route: refuges; Water sources: Solto Collina, Fonteno, Forcella Nigoli.
ENDINE – FONTENO – MONTE TORREZZO
The Torrezzo & Vandul Trail is none other than the twin tour of the Sicolo Trail. In addition to having a totally independent and slightly easier descent, despite a short section to be done with the bike by hand, down a steep flight of steps, we offer a different way up to Fonteno that avoids the asphalt road. As with the Sicolo Trail, there are no hesitations or half-measures for this loop tour. There are two modes: climb or descend, sometimes even off the bike when your leg gets tired and the climb gets steeper. If we also add the initial variant, the climb gives no respite from the very first pedal strokes and does not decrease in intensity even along the Torès mule track and the Brugai path (in reality, these are dirt roads, paved and paved); thank goodness, between the two forks, from the Nigoli fork to the Monte Sicolo fork, you can relax on a wonderful single-track that is almost all suitable for cycling and with considerable panoramic views of both Lake Endine and the Sebino. The traverse continues along dirt and concrete tracks that lead below the summit of Monte Torrezzo, from where, near the farmstead of the same name, along spectacular trail begins that will take you right back to your starting point.
ITINERARY DESCRIPTION
From the Endine cemetery (1), walk along the perimeter wall to the left of the entrance and follow the small road along the towpath of the Fossadone stream which soon becomes a dirt road. After fording the small (generally dry) valley, go up the watercourse, crossing a public green area characterised by the Civil Protection Volunteer Dog Exercise Area and a small lake. Continue along the towpath until you come to Via G. Paglia, where you turn left and shortly afterward take Via Campone to the right: you can go up to Solto Collina and Fonteno by following the ordinary road network, but below we propose a more interesting alternative. Cross via Paglia and take the dirt road that skirts the Fossadone stream on the right. Follow it until you come out, after a few beautiful pools of crystal-clear water, near a ford, where you turn right and climb up the asphalt road that winds its way steeply through woods and meadows. You rise above the Valle del Ferro (2) to where the road flattens out, becoming unpaved; near a hairpin bend to the right, proceed to the left on a level and slight descent until fording the valley. The track, mostly dirt road, crosses several small valleys and proceeds without major jolts halfway up the hillside, and at the end, you will find yourself on a slightly downhill bumpy road. In this stretch, you look out over the small lake of Gaiano and the Val Borlezza, dominated by the Bossico plateau and the peaks that encircle it. While the elegant profile of the Presolana dominates the horizon. When you reach an asphalted road, follow it downhill until you reach the provincial road coming from Solto Collina (3) and ascending towards Fonteno. Turn right and start climbing again and, after a few hundred metres, you will come to a shrine at the crossroads via Sales. A little further on, on the right, there is a road that climbs steeply: take it and turn left immediately, following CAI path no. 567. Descend briefly along a path to a spring, cross the small valley, and pedal along a beautiful trench path that comes out on a dirt road. Follow the off-road track (CAI trail sign 567). After a climb and a few hairpins bend with a concrete-paved surface, a long diagonal begins, which, with slight ascents and circumnavigating the Colle di Luen, will take you to the centre of the village of Fonteno (4). The views of Lake Iseo and the Fonteno Valley are endless. The village, surrounded by greenery, is perched halfway up the mountain in a wonderful position. Go through it and from the piazza up via Campello and at the little church of Divo Rocho, continue to the right. The narrow asphalted road is nothing more than an aperitif of what awaits you: as it rises, it leads you past the village, where the so-called ‘Mulattiera del Torès’ begins, in reality, a completely paved road. Calmly and stubbornly climb up to Madonna del Santello (5), where a stop sign is a must. The mule track passes under the porch of the little church and continues. Fortunately, a few less steep sections allow you to catch your breath. At the first fork, climb to the right, following the sign “Sentiero dei Brugai” (6). This is a dirt road, with the steepest sections cemented in concrete, that climbs the slopes of Monte Boér, winding with 15 hairpin bends through the Brugai forest. At its end, you will come across a shrine and a small water fountain; just beyond it, turn right to reach the ridge at the Nigoli locality (7). Intercept the ridge trail that joins Monte Boér to Monte Sicolo and Torrezzo: turn left towards the latter. Now the height difference is all behind you and the path is at altitude, apart from two short sections to be pushed. To the right of the gate that closes the road, your path climbs up, CAI marker 568. After the short push section, along the northern slopes of the ridge, you ascend and descend by pedalling. Shortly afterward you return to the ridge and cross a clearing with a hut (be careful during hunting periods). Along the southern slopes of Monte Sicolo, at “La Fopa del Còl” you will encounter information panels on the immense underground karst system known as “Bueno Fonteno – Nueva Vida”, a paradise for cavers. The path continues, and after a second short push, you return to the saddle and descend to a dirt road: follow it to the right until you reach the hamlet of Casini, near the Monte Sicolo fork (8). Continue further along the mostly paved road, which with a modest climb reaches the vicinity of Monte Torrezzo, on whose slopes the tarmac road arrives from the Colli di San Fermo. At the first fork, turn right and climb up to the saddle, beyond which is the Cascina Torrezzo (9) (CAI signposts 612 – 620) and the Valle del Colle sinks to the shores of Lake Endine. Orobie, Adamello and Prealpi Bresciane fan out all around you.You can see the two lakes, one to the east and the other to the west, and to the south, above the mists and fumes of the plains, if you are lucky, you will even spot the violet profile of the Apennines. The entire descent, marked by CAI signs, is spectacular and offers a remarkable variety of terrain.We start on a dirt road that skirts the ridges of the Corna dei Fondi and at a hairpin bend to the left, a path branches off to the right. Take it and, after a few metres uphill, start winding towards the ridge, descending to a breathtaking viewpoint.We are above the rocky ramparts of Belzignolo: Lake Endine lies with its waters at the bottom of the valley andin front of it the ridges of Sparavera close off the opposite slope. Evident is the U-shaped profile of the entire valley, originated by the erosive action of the Quaternary glaciers that dug and shaped the furrow that now holds the waters of the lake. From the bench, one descends carefully and cautiously to the right. Bikes in hand, one must descend steep steps, equipped with handrails, which allow one to lose height in safety. At the end of the last flight of steps, set between the rocks, you can get back into the saddle. The path is nice and smooth, with no technical or difficult sections. Near the high-tension pylons, you return to the ridge until you reach Corno Vandul (10). Turn right and descend towards the Valle dei Cervi (Deer Valley) with fun and fast hairpin bends.When you reach a crossroads, do not proceed downhill, but turn left following the CAI 612 trail sign towards Seridondo. The track, after a short counter-slope, begins to descend fast and smoothly again as far as the clearing that houses the Seridondo hut (11). You come out onto a dirt track which you follow downhill, taking care to take the first fork on the right, following the signs for Rumignano (CAI 620 var). Then, having left the small road, continue to descend along a fast path with a regular and compact surface until you come out on the meadowy plains where the huts of Rumignano are scattered (12). Now all that remains is to descend along a small road, initially unpaved and then cemented, to the hamlet of Valmaggiore (13). After crossing the alleys of the hamlet, you will find yourself in the church square, where, turning left, you will quickly descend to the starting point.
GPX TRACK – MTB ROUTE ON MONTE TORREZZO AND VANDUL
Credits: bibliography “MTB from Bergamo to the Endine and Iseo Lakes” Versante Sud Editions
