Walking, what a passion! There are more and more numerous and passionate people who travel – day after day – the ancient paths trod by the people or pilgrims of the past. Slowly, without rushing, taking your time and enjoying the places and landscapes you travel through. Refreshing walks for the body and the spirit. In the province of Brescia there are five unmissable paths for those who prefer slow walking, to be enjoyed in various successive stages over several days, or at times for day or weekend trips: The Via delle Sorelle, the Via Valeriana, the Cammino di Charlemagne, the Camino di Santa Giulia and the Camino di Sant’Ercolano.
The Way of the Sisters
130 kilometres, 36 municipalities crossed, two UNESCO sites (the Santa Giulia Complex in Brescia and Città Alta in Bergamo with its Venetian Walls), 3 wine-growing areas (Franciacorta, Val Calepio, Moscato di Scanzo DOCG), 8 other crossed paths . And again: parks, reserves (Torbiere del Sebino), Lake Iseo: this is La Via delle Sorelle, the path that connects Brescia to Bergamo, which were the Italian Capital of Culture 2023. A green artery between two highly urbanized to experience cities and provinces in a slow and sustainable way, which crosses environmental and architectural beauties outside the classic tourist routes, enhanced by artistic installations that make it unique in its kind.
Its name is inspired by the relationship between Brescia and Bergamo: cities that are similar, that are close and that, like sisters, can compete or argue, but are fundamentally united.
Bidirectional, the route develops on the hilly strip of the two cities and provinces. The recommended stages to do it entirely are six of varying degrees of difficulty, each with an average of 20-25 km, but each walker can still modulate daily time and length based on their level of training. However, each stage has specific natural and cultural characteristics, such that it can also be experienced as a day or weekend trip. A reception network for sleeping and eating is structured around the Camino.
The Via delle Sorelle is enriched by the interaction with contemporary arts called to interpret its fundamental values: the relationship between man and nature, between man and territory, between past and present. Permanent works of art are placed along the Camino, to create the first creative construction site between two cities and transform the Via delle Sorelle into an open-air stage. The first was Claudia Losi’s scattered work in the Bergamo area, along the path that leads from Nembro to Lonno. Along the entire Camino, one encounters Laura Renna’s large tapestries in various locations, woven with thousands of strips of colored wool (each 1.5 m long) recovered from Viva Vittoria’s “50 miles” project, the colorful human chain which on 4 June 2023 united 40,000 people from Brescia to Bergamo, for a length of 50 miles. The Path also intercepts areas already characterized by their open gaze to the relationship between art and nature, such as – in Brescia – the Mompiano Valley with its artistic installations located along the ArteValle route (enriched this year with the project “Nel Bosco I imagine” ) or on Monte Maddalena, the project of the AAB – Brescian Artists Association entitled “Maddalena. The forest of art”, with Land Art works – the Tasso and the Folletto, for example – which introduce a creative and fairy-tale note to the journey.
www.laviadellesorelle.it
Via Valeriana
On the strip of land that connects the shores of Lake Iseo to the woods of Valle Camonica, two extraordinary landscape, historical and cultural routes wind – without ever overlapping – the Via Valeriana and the Path of Charlemagne.
Counted among the most beautiful paths in Italy, the Via Valeriana winds along a highly suggestive route with passages between ancient villages and with magnificent views of Franciacorta, Lake Iseo and the natural beauty of Valle Camonica. Once the only road of communication between these territories, the road is now a much appreciated path for its incredible panoramic views and its historical importance. The itinerary starts from Brescia, touches Franciacorta, Lake Iseo and Valle Camonica up to Edolo, where it divides into two sections, one towards the Aprica Pass and then descends to Tirano and one towards the Tonale Pass, thus connecting Valle Camonica with the province of Sondrio and Trentino. It develops mostly along the mid-coast of the mountain ranges for around 190 km and is divided into 12 stages. It is a route of medium difficulty with some quite challenging climbs and descents due to the irregular shape of the mountains.
The Camino retraces the ancient road which, it is said, was built in the 3rd century. by the Roman general Gaius Publius Licinius Valerianus, moved by the need for a route that would allow rapid movement from Italy to the Rhine and Danube basins to gather the Roman troops as quickly as possible. Another hypothesis derives the name from “Vallesiana or Valleriana”, a term that indicates a path that winds through a valley. In the Middle Ages the route became an important transport route linked to the trade of iron and stone extracted from the mountains of Valle Camonica, as well as a passage for pilgrims.
Among the musts of the itinerary, the view from above of Monte Isola (the largest lake island in central-southern Europe, which stands out very green in the center of Lake Iseo), the stone fairies in Zone (like the people of the place has always called these extraordinary pyramids of erosion, with large boulders on the top, like a hat), the sixteenth-century frescoes by Romanino in the Church of Santa Maria della Neve in Pisogne (“the Sistine Chapel of the Poor”) and then, little by little you continue along the path that leads to the upper valley, with unforgettable alpine views, and artistic treasures such as the Sanctuary of the Via Crucis in Cerveno and the Convent of the Annunciation in Piancogno with frescoes by Giovanni Pietro da Cemmo. The journey can be made at any time of the year. You can travel along the route with the train service on the Brescia-Iseo-Edolo line.
www.viavaleriana.it
Path of Charlemagne
The Way of Charlemagne starts from Bergamo and ends in Carisolo, in Trentino Alto Adige and develops, as regards its Brescia section, along the entire Camonica Valley. The itinerary follows the ancient paths and old roads that have been used since ancient times as a connection between the various towns and mountain areas, following in the footsteps of Charlemagne, who according to popular legend passed through Valle Camonica. Legend has it that Charlemagne, traveling along it, gradually conquered the castles of the local lords, forcing them to convert and to celebrate his victories he had various churches built, sometimes on top of the ruins of the manors that he had destroyed.
The itinerary develops mostly along the mid-coast of the mountains for approximately 225 km and is divided into 12 stages, for an average of approximately 18 km per day. The direction is unidirectional and leads towards moments. Departing from Bergamo, it crosses the municipalities along the Serio river, the Argon Valleys, Val Cavallina, Val Borlezza, Valle Camonica (a stretch in the province of Brescia), Val di Sole and Val Rendena up to Carisolo.
The route in Valle Camonica – famous throughout the world for its 8 parks registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site – winds through art and history in beautiful landscapes and passes through important villages, historical sites, churches, noteworthy architecture, heroic vineyards. Among the unmissable points, Lake Moro, a small jewel nestled in the mountains above Darfo Boario Terme, the Park of rock engravings in Foppe di Nadro and that of Naquane in Capo di Ponte (in 1979 the first UNESCO site in Italy), Bienno (in circuit of the most beautiful villages in Italy). Finally, interesting itineraries from the Great War unfold in the mountains near Ponte di Legno and Tonale.
www.camminodicarlomagno.it
Camino di Santa Giulia
The Cammino di Santa Giulia is an itinerary evocative of a historical event, namely the translation of the corpus Sanctae Iuliae, desired by the last Lombard rulers, Desiderio and Ansa, in 762-763 AD from the island of Gorgona (LI), where she was buried, in Brescia in the recently founded female monastery of San Salvatore where his daughter Anselperga was abbess. The Way connects 16 historical places, i.e. the churches and parishes dedicated to the devotion of Santa Giulia and, with its 30 stages for a total of over 500 km from Livorno to Brescia, crosses three Regions (Tuscany, Emilia Romagna, Lombardy) and 81 Municipalities. Of these, 23 are in the province of Brescia for a total of approximately 70 km. Crossing the Brescia plain, the Camino offers naturalistic itineraries of the Monte Netto agricultural park, cultural stops (Pievi della Formigola and della Comella, the two famous altarpieces by Tiepolo in Verolanuova, the Abbey of Leno, the castle of Pontevico to name just a few ), food and wine values (the DOC Capriano del Colle and IGT Montenetto di Brescia wines, the products and wines of the Lombard Hills Wine and Flavor Route). Brescia is the last stage of the Camino and a visit to the place where the relics of the Saint arrived in 762-763 AD is unmissable, i.e. in the former Monastery of San Salvatore, now the Museum of Santa Giulia, a monumental complex which is a World Heritage Site. UNESCO which allows those who visit it to take a journey into the history of the city and also of Europe itself from the 3rd millennium BC. C. until the 18th century. In the Parish of the Prealpine Village, where the relics of the Saint are now preserved, you can obtain the coveted testimonium which attests to having completed the entire route.
www.ilcamminodisantagiulia.it
The Way of Sant’Ercolano
From the shores of Lake Garda to the sky: the Cammino di Sant’Ercolano is a path between nature and places of worship within the territory of Toscolano Maderno. Divided into three rings of different levels of difficulty, it owes its name to Sant’Ercolano, patron saint of the town, who was Bishop of Brescia and was buried in the stupendous Church of Sant’Andrea in Maderno. The territory over which it winds is incredibly varied: from the flat mouth of the Toscolano stream you climb the moraine hills passing along the beautiful Valle delle Cartiere and Valle delle Camerate, up to the peaks of the Lombard Prealps, namely Monte Pizzocolo and Monte Spino. The vastness of the territory and the difficulty given by the difference in altitude have made it necessary to create three different circular routes, in order to offer a path suitable for everyone’s needs, from those who are new to trekking to those who are already experts and want to discover corners of Lake Garda hidden and fascinating. All routes can also be traveled by bike or mountain bike.
The urban route, on asphalt and suitable for everyone, just over 7 km long on flat terrain, touches on the most significant views of the Tuscan territory. The average route lasts just over 8 hours, is 29.7 km long and has a difference in altitude of over 1000 m, with the surface alternating between asphalt and dirt road. It starts from the hilly hamlet of Bezzuglio, crosses the astonishing Valle delle Cartiere, with the ruins of the ancient factories and the Paper Museum, and climbs up to the small, panoramic villages of Cecina and Cussaga, and then descends again. The complete route, for more experienced walkers, lasts approximately 18 hours and extends over 63 km in length. An itinerary to be done in several stages, which fully reveals the beauty and variety of the Toscolano Maderno area, with the gems of the two previous routes and many other natural and artistic beauties. The highest point is the crest of Monte Pizzocolo, from which you can enjoy one of the most beautiful views of Lake Garda.
www.ecomuseovalledellecartiere.it/it/Percorsi
