Skip to content
oltre il colle
The stone Capanna 2000 hut with the Italian flag on the pastures of the Alpe Arera, below the rocks of the Pizzo Arera

Itineraries · One day

A day on the Arera: Capanna 2000 and the Sentiero dei Fiori

The classic summer day in Oltre il Colle: from the Alpe Arera car park to the Capanna 2000 hut, the Sentiero dei Fiori loop and the Cattedrale Vegetale.

DurationOne day
Stops6
SeasonsSummer
Photo: Bovero gerino · Public domain

This is the outing people in Oltre il Colle suggest to first-time summer visitors. You drive up from Plassa, above Zambla Alta, to the Alpe Arera car park at about 1,600 metres, walk for about an hour to the Capanna 2000 hut and from there do the Sentiero dei Fiori loop: about 3 hours between 1,821 and 2,078 metres, on the slopes of the Arera where the endemic species of the Bergamo Prealps grow. July is the month with the most flowers, according to the Orobie Park.

Times and elevation gains come from the linked pages, which give their sources and the date they were checked. The hut's opening calendar changes from year to year and in 2026 the municipality put its renovation out to tender: phone before counting on lunch up there.

Stops

The plan

  1. Early morning

    Drive up to the Alpe Arera car park

    From Zambla Alta you drive up to Plassa and continue on the Alpe Arera road to the car park at about 1,600 metres, which is pay-and-display. A municipal order closes the road in winter and it reopens in spring: in 2026 it reopened on 22 April.

    Open the page →

  2. Mid-morning

    At the Capanna 2000 hut

    E · 400 m D+ · 1 hour from the upper car park

    About an hour's climb brings you to the municipal hut at 1,960 metres, below the south ridge of the Pizzo Arera. It is the base for the day and the last place to fill your water bottles: above the hut, on the limestone massif, there is practically no water.

    The stone Capanna 2000 hut with the Italian flag on the pastures of the Alpe Arera, below the rocks of the Pizzo Arera
    Open the page →

  3. Until early afternoon

    The Sentiero dei Fiori loop

    E · 500 m D+ · About 3 hours for the loop

    From the hut the loop heads towards the Passo Branchino and returns across the flowering slopes of the Arera, with the Bocchetta di Corna Piana as its highest point. CAI Bergamo grades it E. The full circuit of the Arera is something else, longer, with the section below the Forcola di Valmora where CAI has reported loose chains: do not confuse it with this walk.

    The rocky walls of the Pizzo Arera and the Corna Piana dusted with snow in late-afternoon light, seen from the Sentiero dei Fiori, with a hut among the pastures
    Open the page →

  4. Along the way

    Recognising the flowers without picking them

    The flora page explains which species you can see and when: Linaria tonzigii flowers from late June to mid-July, Campanula raineri comes in August. Primroses and saxifrages are among the species protected by Lombardy regional law 10/2008: photograph them, do not pick them.

    Two edelweiss in bloom among grass and dwarf juniper, along the Sentiero dei Fiori
    Open the page →

  5. Afternoon, on the way down

    A stop at the Cattedrale Vegetale

    On the road between Plassa and the Arera, at Grumello, stands Giuliano Mauri's work inaugurated in 2010: woven poles around 42 beech trees, damaged by storm Vaia in 2018. A short path leads to it from the road.

    The village of Zambla Alta, a hamlet of Oltre il Colle, under snow with the houses and bell tower among the fir woods
    Open the page →

  6. Evening

    Dinner in Zambla Alta

    Zambla Alta, below the Colle, has three restaurants: Quattro Cime, Neve and Miramonti. Opening hours and closing days change with the season: the list with phone numbers is on the Food and services page.

Practical tips

Before you set off

  • From 5 October to 18 December 2026, between 8.00 and 17.00, the Plassa–Alpe Arera road has temporary closures managed by flaggers for logging at Grumello (mayor's order no. 39/2026): allow for waits in those weeks.
  • Fill your water bottles at the Capanna 2000: there are practically no springs along the loop.
  • Set off early: in the ERA5 climate series the months from May to August are also the wettest of the year.
  • In 2026 the hut was open every day from 12 June to 7 September according to the indicative calendar of the regional portal: outside those dates, phone before going up.
  • If you want the summit of the Arera, the normal route is on the Pizzo Arera page: it is graded EE, with a fixed-equipment gully below the top.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions: A day on the Arera: Capanna 2000 and the Sentiero dei Fiori

How long do Capanna 2000 and the Sentiero dei Fiori take?

About an hour from the Alpe Arera car park to the hut and about 3 hours for the Sentiero dei Fiori loop, plus the walk back down to the car park: with stops it is a full day.

When is the best time to see the flowers of the Arera?

July is the month with the most flowers according to the Orobie Park; Linaria tonzigii flowers from late June to mid-July. CAI gives the trail from May to October.

Is the Sentiero dei Fiori difficult?

The classic loop from the Capanna 2000 is graded E by CAI Bergamo, between 1,821 and 2,078 metres. The full circuit of the Arera is harder, with a fixed-equipment section below the Forcola di Valmora where CAI has reported some loose chains.

Times and elevation gains come from the linked pages, which list their sources and the date they were checked.

Sources

Page verified on

Itineraries

More itineraries

Itineraries
The rocky peaks of Monte Alben from the meadows of the Monte di Zambla, with woods and hamlets of Oltre il Colle

Two days

A summer weekend between the Alben and the Arera

Two days and two summits for experienced hikers: Monte Alben from the Colle di Zambla on Saturday, the Pizzo Arera by the south normal route on Sunday.

The meadows of the Conca dell'Alben above Oltre il Colle, with an old ski lift and the rocky spires

One day

Oltre il Colle with children

A family day: the barrier-free walk from the Colle di Zambla to the Conca dell'Alben, a picnic, the playgrounds and a stop at the ice-cream shop.

The road at the Passo di Zambla, at 1,264 metres above Zambla Alta, between high walls of snow after a snowfall, with snow-capped peaks in the background

Two days

A snow weekend in Zambla

Cross-country skiing at the Colle di Zambla, snowshoes to the Conca dell'Alben, the beginners' area for children and the Capanna 2000 snowshoe climb for the fit.