Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
TOP OF CHAPTER
Valle Seriana
As you wind out of Bergamo to the northeast, the Valle Seriana starts as a broad affair,
pierced by a busy road (the S) and lined with towns and some industry.
Along the way, 25km northeast of central Bergamo, the town of
Gandino
is well worth a
stop for its impressive
Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta
(Piazza della Emancipazione; 8am-noon &
3-6pm)
, a baroque beauty with a richly decorated interior atop a sloping square.
Back on the main S road, things continue much as before. Then, quite suddenly, it all
changes at
Ardesio
. The gushing Serio river is crowded in by lush green mountains and
traffic drops to a trickle. Three kilometres north of Ardesio,
Gromo
is a charming medieval
hamlet, with twisting lanes and stone houses topped by slate roofs.
Another 12km leads you north to
Valbondione
, a town used as a base by hikers and
winter-sports enthusiasts. The highlight here is a 2½-hour hike to the
Cascate del Serio
, a
triple cascade of 300m that constitutes one of Europe's tallest waterfalls. Follow signs for
the nearby
Rifugio Curó
( 0346 4 40 76;
www.antoniocuro.it
; dm without/with half-board €24/42; Fri-Sun
May, Oct & Nov, every day Jun-Oct)
, which sits at 1915m near a pretty glacial lake and offers beds
and meals. Check ahead for opening times. A 7km drive along a series of hairpin bends
leads east up to
Lizzola
, another hiking base at 1256m, with magnificent views of the sur-
rounding mountains and back south down the valley.
Eating
Posta al Castello
( 0346 4 10 02;
www.postalcastello.it
; Piazza Dante Alighieri 3, Gromo; meals €25-30; noon-3pm &
6.30-10pm Tue-Sun)
Spread about inside what remains of the one-time castle at the heart of
Gromo, the various rooms (some with frescoes) have a convivial air. Mushrooms are the
speciality and you'll find them in many of the dishes, starting with the
zuppa di funghi
(mushroom soup) or
la delizia del Posta
(a kind of cheese-and-mushroom pancake).
ITALIAN
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