# Oltre il Colle — The complete guide to Oltre il Colle, Zambla Alta, Zambla Bassa and Zorzone > Independent guide to Oltre il Colle (Val Serina, Bergamo, Italy) and its hamlets Zambla Alta, Zambla Bassa and Zorzone: things to do, trails to Arera and Alben, cross-country skiing, mines, weather, where to stay and eat. Independent travel guide devoted to a single municipality: Oltre il Colle (Bergamo, Lombardia, Italia), 1,030 m, Postcode 24013, Zambla Alta, Zambla Bassa, Zorzone. Index for AI assistants and conversational search engines · en-GB · Full version with all frequently asked questions Short version (index): https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/llms.txt ## Editorial rules Every practical figure (elevations, opening hours, phone numbers, distances) comes from a source cited on the page, with the date it was checked; if a figure is not verified the field is omitted rather than estimated. This is not the official website of the municipality of Oltre il Colle. ## How to cite Cite as "Oltre il Colle" with a link to the specific page (https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en). The content may be freely quoted; the photographs carry the Wikimedia Commons licences listed in the credits. Content last updated: 1 October 2026. Official municipal website (institutional source): https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it Wikipedia: https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oltre_il_Colle Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q42917 ## The municipality at a glance - Name: Oltre il Colle - Elevation of the main village: 1030 m - Inhabitants: 920 (2026) - Coordinates: 45.8833, 9.7667 - Valley: Val Serina, Valle Brembana - Hamlets: Zambla Alta, Zambla Bassa, Zorzone Oltre il Colle is the municipality at the head of Val Serina, a side valley of the Brembana valley in the province of Bergamo: a broad basin of meadows at around a thousand metres, on the watershed with the Seriana valley, enclosed by four peaks of the Orobie Prealps, Pizzo Arera (2,512 m), Cima di Menna (2,300 m), Monte Grem (2,049 m) and Monte Alben (2,019 m), which together give their name to the M.A.G.A. district. The municipal territory covers 32.89 square kilometres and borders Ardesio, Cornalba, Oneta, Premolo, Roncobello and Serina. Besides the main village, at 1,030 metres, it includes the hamlets of Zambla Bassa, Zambla Alta and Zorzone and the small clusters of Plassa, Piani Bracca and Vandullo. There are 920 residents according to the ISTAT estimate at 1 January 2026, less than half the 1,945 counted in 1951, and one in three is 65 or older. But the village is not measured by the register alone: at the 2021 census ISTAT counted 3,113 dwellings in the municipality for 488 resident households, and the municipality writes that the basin can host more than ten thousand visitors, many of whom have become regular holidaymakers. Among those born here there is even an Olympic cross-country skier: Benoît Carrara, born in Oltre il Colle on 7 May 1926, competed for France at the 1948 and 1952 Winter Games. The history of Oltre il Colle is written underground. Since the Middle Ages the inhabitants worked iron, and from the nineteenth century the extraction of calamine, sphalerite and galena, which yielded zinc, lead and small amounts of silver, made the basin one of the mining districts of the Orobie, with about three hundred workers at its peak. The complex along the Val Parina, Val del Riso and Val Vedra axis is estimated at almost 250 kilometres of tunnels; the Val Vedra mine above Zorzone was considered the main zinc mine of the Orobie, and on the Arera there was also open-cast work from the nineteenth century in the site known as Luna. Activity ceased for good in 1982. That memory is kept in the Museum of Minerals and Mining in Zorzone, begun as a private collection in 1970 and opened in the former primary school in 1994: three floors with the mining section and a life-size reconstruction of a tunnel entrance, around 500 local specimens, 1,600 minerals from all over the world and 450 fossils, the multimedia area and the Lady Irene Memorial. The tunnels themselves cannot be visited: to go into a mine you go to Dossena or to Gorno, in Val del Riso, which run guided tours. The Arera side is the realm of the Sentiero dei Fiori, named after Claudio Brissoni, one of the best-known nature trails of the Bergamo Prealps. The start and finish point is the Capanna 2000 hut, owned by the municipality, at 1,960 metres on the southern side of Pizzo Arera: CAI Bergamo recommends parking at Plassa, above Zambla Alta, where CAI trail 221 starts, and in summer you can drive on to the car park of the old lifts at Alpe Arera, at around 1,600 metres, where parking is paid. On the other side of the basin stands Monte Alben, 2,019 metres, climbed mostly from the Colle di Zambla on CAI trail 501, the busiest and quickest route, with a final ridge for experienced hikers. At its foot the Pro Loco lists bolted crags such as the Bottiglione, the Coregn de l'acqua with a picnic area and the Torrione Brassamonti, a limestone monolith about a hundred metres high, as well as the Monte Alben via ferrata. The Colle di Zambla, at 1,264 metres, is the only pass between the Brembana and Seriana valleys crossed by a road for vehicles: from the pass the SP46 descends the whole of Val del Riso to Ponte Nossa, 14.1 kilometres of hairpins with a maximum gradient of 10% much loved by cyclists, and the Giro d'Italia came over it in 1976 and 1977. This double gateway makes the basin reachable from both valleys; the village gained independence from Serina in 1569. In winter the Conca dell'Alben becomes a small Nordic skiing centre: the Pro Loco gives 16 kilometres of tracks at the foot of the Alben, accessed from the Passo di Zambla or from Pian della Palla, and two downhill runs for learners in the Conca dell'Alben, while snowshoers and ski tourers head up towards Plassa, Capanna 2000 and the slopes of the Arera and Alben. The climate is that of middle mountains: according to 1991-2020 averages computed from ERA5 reanalysis data, in the main village the average January minimum is about −7 °C and the July maximum about 22 °C, with about 2,000 millimetres of precipitation a year. This is an independent guide, not the municipality's website: for official documents, offices and procedures the reference is the institutional site comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it. Every page lists the sources used and the date they were checked. - D: How do you get to Oltre il Colle from Bergamo? R: By car you take the SS470 up the Brembana valley to Ambria di Zogno, then the SP27 of Val Serina through Serina: about 38 kilometres from the station and three quarters of an hour without traffic. Alternatively you drive up the Seriana valley to Ponte Nossa and take the SP46 of Val del Riso, which leads to the Colle di Zambla (1,264 m) and descends to the Zambla hamlets: about 50 kilometres. By bus there is Arriva line B, changing at Zogno, from Monday to Saturday. - D: How far is Oltre il Colle from Bergamo, Milan and Orio al Serio airport? R: From Bergamo station it is about 38 kilometres, three quarters of an hour by car without traffic; from the centre of Milan about 88 kilometres, an hour and a half; from Orio al Serio airport about 43 kilometres, around fifty minutes. These are estimates calculated on the OpenStreetMap road graph: the last part is all mountain road and with traffic or snow the times grow. - D: Can you visit the Zorzone mines? R: No. The zinc mines of Oltre il Colle have been closed since 1982 and the tunnels are not open to the public. Their history is told at the Museum of Minerals and Mining in Zorzone, set out on three floors in the hamlet. The nearest show mines you can visit are those of Dossena and those of Gorno, in Val del Riso, with guided tours. - D: Where does the Sentiero dei Fiori on Monte Arera start? R: The loop starts and ends at the Capanna 2000 hut, at 1,960 metres on the south side of Pizzo Arera. You get there on CAI trail 221 from Plassa, above Zambla Alta, where the CAI recommends parking, or in summer by driving up to the car park of the old lifts at Alpe Arera, at around 1,600 metres, where parking is paid. Times and season are on the Sentiero dei Fiori page. - D: What is there to do in Oltre il Colle in winter? R: The main activity is cross-country skiing: the Pro Loco gives 16 kilometres of tracks at the foot of Monte Alben, accessed from the Passo di Zambla or from Pian della Palla. In the Conca dell'Alben there are also two downhill runs for beginners, and snowshoe walks to Plassa and Capanna 2000 and ski-touring trips on Arera and Alben are popular. There is no ski resort: of the old lifts at Alpe Arera only the car park remains. - D: How many inhabitants does Oltre il Colle have? R: According to the ISTAT estimate at 1 January 2026 the municipality has 920 residents, against 932 a year earlier and a historic peak of 1,945 at the 1951 census. At the 2021 census there were 980 residents, spread between the main village (482), Zorzone (193), Zambla Alta (138), Zambla Bassa (86), the small clusters and scattered houses. - D: What are the hamlets of Oltre il Colle? R: There are three hamlets: Zambla Alta, at 1,197 metres, the best equipped for tourism; Zambla Bassa, at 1,060 metres, with the parish church of Santa Maria Maddalena; Zorzone, at 1,016 metres, the mining hamlet with the museum. ISTAT also distinguishes the small clusters of Plassa, Piani Bracca and Vandullo. The elevations are those of the ISTAT censuses; the Pro Loco gives slightly different ones. - D: Is Oltre il Colle in the Brembana valley or in Val Serina? R: In both, in a sense: it is the municipality at the head of Val Serina, which is a side valley of the Brembana valley, and it belongs to the Comunità Montana Valle Brembana. The basin lies on the watershed with the Seriana valley, to which the Colle di Zambla connects it, and the stream that crosses it, the Parina, flows down towards the Brembo. - D: Is there a bus to Oltre il Colle? R: Yes, Arriva line B from Bergamo, with a compulsory change at Zogno, which reaches piazza Tiraboschi, Zambla Alta and Passo Zambla; from piazza Tiraboschi the S50e shuttle climbs to Zorzone. All services run from Monday to Saturday: on Sundays and public holidays the village is not served. From the Seriana valley some line S50bce services climb from Ponte Nossa to Passo Zambla. - D: What is the climate like in Oltre il Colle? R: That of middle mountains, with cold winters and cool summers. According to 1991-2020 averages computed from ERA5 reanalysis data, in the main village the average January minimum is about −7 °C and the July maximum about 22 °C, with about 135 frost nights and about 2,000 millimetres of precipitation a year; Zambla Alta, higher up, is a couple of degrees colder. These are model estimates, not station measurements. - D: Do you need winter tyres or chains to drive up to Oltre il Colle? R: From 15 November to 15 April, yes: the ordinance of the Province of Bergamo requires winter tyres or chains on board on provincial roads, including the SP27 of Val Serina and the SP46 of Val del Riso. With snow or ice on the road chains must be fitted if you do not have winter tyres, and the obligation also applies outside that period when it snows. - D: Is this the official website of the Municipality of Oltre il Colle? R: No. It is an independent tourist guide devoted to the municipality and its hamlets. The municipality's institutional website is comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it, with offices at piazza Monsignor B. Belotti 212 and switchboard 0345 95015; for tourist information there is also the Pro Loco, at via Roma 201, on 0345 95541. ## Places ### Zambla Alta — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/zambla-alta Hamlet, 1197 m, 138 inhabitants (2021). Zambla Alta, hamlet of Oltre il Colle at 1,197 m below the Colle di Zambla: where to stay and park, climate, cross-country skiing, trails to Arera and Alben. Zambla Alta is the highest of the four inhabited localities of Oltre il Colle and the best equipped for anyone coming to hike or ski. ISTAT puts the village at 1,197 metres, the Pro Loco at 1,150: the houses stretch uphill along the provincial road and each source measures at a different point. At the 2021 census 138 people lived here in 64 households, against 509 dwellings: most are holiday homes, and the village changes face between summer, snowy weekends and the rest of the year. The village lies on provincial road 27 of Val Serina, which here takes the names via Bertulli and via Prealpina, and it is the last one before the Colle di Zambla (1,264 m): the pass is a few hundred metres further south, and that is where the road crosses over towards Val del Riso and the Seriana valley. Right above the pass rise the spires of Monte Alben; on the opposite side a municipal road climbs for about four kilometres to Plassa and continues to the open area of the old ski lifts of Alpe Arera, at around 1,600 metres, the base for Capanna 2000 and Pizzo Arera. Almost all the basin's high-mountain trails start from here or from the pass. CAI trail 221 climbs to the Capanna 2000 hut (1,960 m) from the Camping Arera area at Plassa, and in summer it can be shortened by driving up to the old lifts; from the hut start the normal route up Pizzo Arera (2,512 m) and the Sentiero dei Fiori. From the Colle di Zambla, CAI trail 501 is the busiest and shortest route up Monte Alben (2,019 m): about 3.7 kilometres and 750 metres of ascent, 2 hours 15 minutes up according to CAI Bergamo, with a final ridge for expert hikers. Also from the pass start trail 223 to Cima di Grem and trail 238, which passes the santella of the Madonna di Caravaggio and the Baita Camplano and reaches Capanna 2000 in about three hours. In the woods above Plassa stands the Cattedrale Vegetale by Giuliano Mauri, the land-art work commissioned by the Orobie Bergamasche Park with the municipalities of Oltre il Colle, Roncobello and Ardesio: five naves and 42 columns woven from 1,800 fir poles and 600 chestnut branches around young beech trees, which as they grew were meant to replace the cages. Storm Vaia in 2018 brought most of it down: today the columns that withstood the wind are still standing, and it is worth knowing before you climb up. In winter Zambla Alta is one end of the basin's cross-country centre: the Pro Loco speaks of 16 kilometres of tracks on the slopes of the Alben, accessed from the Passo di Zambla or from Pian della Palla. At the Conca dell'Alben there are two downhill runs suitable for learning, not a ski resort: all that remains of the old Alpe Arera lifts is the open area that serves as a car park. In the hamlet you can rent downhill and cross-country skis, snowboards, sledges, snowshoes and mountain bikes, and in summer a snow-tubing run operates at the Albergo Neve. #### Elevation and location Sources do not agree on the elevation of Zambla Alta. ISTAT, in the territorial data for the 2011 and 2021 censuses, gives the village 1,197 metres; the Pro Loco of Oltre il Colle gives 1,150 metres; the elevation model used by Open-Meteo gives about 1,210 metres at the hamlet's coordinates, and the Pro Loco webcam pointed at Monte Alben is declared at 1,225 metres. These are not mistakes: the village climbs along the road, and each source takes a different point. From the centre of the main village, piazza Tiraboschi, it is about 4.6 kilometres of provincial road, through Mincucco and past the turn-off for Zambla Bassa; the Colle di Zambla is a little higher, at 1,264 metres, and there the SP27 of Val Serina meets the SP46 that descends through Val del Riso to Ponte Nossa. The boundary with the municipality of Oneta runs just east of the pass. Between Zambla Bassa and Zambla Alta, just below the provincial road, ARPA Lombardia has run an automatic weather station, «Oltre il Colle Zambla», at 1,138 metres since January 2012: it measures temperature, precipitation, wind and snow depth. #### Where to park Car parks in the village are small: OpenStreetMap maps one in via Santella, near the provincial road, and two spaces in via Fezzoli. For walkers the most convenient spot is the Colle di Zambla, which CAI Bergamo gives as the car park for trails 223, 238 and 501: the CAI speaks of a small car park at the roadside, while OpenStreetMap shows a free public area next to the bus terminus and, beside it, a lot reserved for customers of the Al Trapper restaurant. At the pass the same map also shows an electric-car charging point with two spaces. For Capanna 2000 and the Arera, CAI Bergamo advises leaving the car at Plassa, in the Camping Arera area, about four kilometres above the village; OpenStreetMap maps three parking areas there, one of them paid. In summer you can drive up to the open area of the old Alpe Arera lifts, at around 1,600 metres, where parking is paid: OpenStreetMap and a 2023 hiking report give 4 euros at the machine, which OpenStreetMap places in the Plassa area: a figure to check on the spot. In winter the road beyond Plassa is closed to traffic and you set off on foot from there. #### What's in the village: shops and services Zambla Alta is the hamlet with the most businesses. The Pro Loco lists a grocery, three restaurants (Miramonti, Neve and Quattro Cime), three bars, the Edo Sport shop renting ski gear, sledges, snowshoes, mountain bikes and via ferrata sets, the summer snow-tubing run at the Albergo Neve and horse-riding excursions with Walter Valley. To sleep there are the Albergo Neve, the B&Bs La Teresa and Atelier della Montagna, Camping Zambla and, at Plassa, Camping Arera; at the Passo di Zambla there is the B&B Il Nido. At the pass you also find the Al Trapper restaurant and pizzeria, the La Baita bar, the Centro Sportivo Valle with mini golf, tennis, five-a-side football and trampolines, and the Parco Avventura Monte Alben. What is missing is a pharmacy, bank, post office and petrol station: they are in the main village, less than five kilometres away. Addresses, phone numbers and opening hours, where published, are on the Food and services and Where to stay pages. #### Where the name comes from Zambla Alta and Zambla Bassa appear as two of the municipality's five colonnelli (districts) as early as the sixteenth century, according to the historical record of Lombardia Beni Culturali, but for centuries they remained a single community, Zambla, with a single parish; the historical research of Massimo Maurizio, known as Pendughet, published by the Blog della Valserina, dates the division into the two present hamlets to the 1930s. The same research gives the oldest name, Zolambra, used when the inhabitants of Serina and Grimoldo bought the upper Val Serina on 4 May 1287, and links it to an area that was then dense forest. The sources consulted for this guide do not offer a documented etymology of Zolambra or Zambla, so none is given here. The inhabitants are zamblesi, like those of Zambla Bassa. In religious terms, Zambla Alta's first step towards a life of its own was the permission of the Venetian Senate, dated 28 July 1712, to build a church dedicated to the Immaculate Conception. #### Hamlets and outlying settlements Rather than a compact village, Zambla Alta is a line of houses along the provincial road with a few side streets: via Fezzoli, via Santella, via Morali, via Barozzo and via Monte Grem. Five minutes' walk north of the pass car park, CAI Bergamo points out a santella (wayside shrine) dedicated to the Madonna di Caravaggio, at 1,251 metres, on the route of trails 223 and 238; in the same village the CEI church census also records an eighteenth-century church of the Madonna di Caravaggio. In this part of the municipality ISTAT counts only one separate inhabited cluster, Plassa, at 1,150 metres on the road to Alpe Arera: four people lived there in 2011, one in 2021. In 2011, however, ISTAT counted 148 dwellings there that were empty or used only by non-residents. Between the pass and the Passo della Crocetta (1,267 m) OpenStreetMap records uninhabited places such as Seriù and Calchera; higher up, on the climb to the Alben, is the Col dei Brassamonti, at 1,755 metres according to the CAI. #### How many people live here: population over time The municipality publishes only the total number of residents; figures by hamlet come from the censuses, which ISTAT processes by inhabited locality. Locality boundaries shift a little from one census to the next, so comparisons should be read as indicative. In 2011 the village of Zambla Alta had 151 residents, in 2021 138; over the same period the municipality went from 1,058 to 980 inhabitants, and the ISTAT estimate at 1 January 2026 is 920. The figure that explains the village is its houses. In 2011 ISTAT counted 65 dwellings occupied by residents and 424 empty or used only by non-residents; in 2021 the census recorded 509 dwellings and 111 buildings. A third of the residential buildings counted in 2011 predate 1919, and a good third more date from the 1960s and 1970s, the years of holiday homes. - 2011 census: 151 residents in 67 households; 489 dwellings, 65 of them occupied by residents - 2021 census: 138 residents in 64 households; 509 dwellings and 111 buildings - Residential buildings by period, 2011 census: 34 built before 1919, 13 between 1919 and 1960, 40 between 1961 and 1980, 20 between 1981 and 2000, 4 after 2000 #### How cold it gets: the climate month by month No official climate averages are published for Zambla. The figures below were worked out by this guide from the 1991-2020 daily data of Copernicus's ERA5 reanalysis, downloaded from the Open-Meteo historical archive: temperatures come from ERA5-Land (0.1° grid, about 10 kilometres) and are adjusted by Open-Meteo to the point's elevation of about 1,210 metres; precipitation and snow come from the 0.25° ERA5 grid, about 25 kilometres, and are the same for the whole basin. Snow means fresh snowfall, estimated by the model, not depth on the ground. In short: average lows below zero from November to March, about 155 frost nights a year and 28 days when the temperature stays below zero even in daytime; cool summers, with average highs around 20 degrees in July and August; about 2,000 millimetres of precipitation a year, most of it between April and November; about two metres of fresh snow in an average season, but with very different winters, from 80 centimetres in 2006-07 to over four metres in 2013-14 in the same series. These are reanalysis estimates, not measurements: a finer regional reanalysis, CERRA (5.5 kilometres), gives the main village milder winters, with January lows around −4 °C, and more precipitation, about 2,300 millimetres. The measured data of the ARPA station «Oltre il Colle Zambla» can be requested from ARPA Lombardia. Month | Low | High | Precipitation | Fresh snow January | −9 °C | 1 °C | 70 mm | about 40 cm February | −8 °C | 2 °C | 70 mm | about 40 cm March | −4 °C | 6 °C | 100 mm | about 35 cm April | 0 °C | 10 °C | 170 mm | about 25 cm May | 4 °C | 14 °C | 210 mm | rare (about 5 cm) June | 8 °C | 18 °C | 230 mm | — July | 11 °C | 20 °C | 230 mm | — August | 11 °C | 20 °C | 240 mm | — September | 7 °C | 16 °C | 190 mm | — October | 4 °C | 12 °C | 200 mm | rare (about 5 cm) November | −1 °C | 6 °C | 180 mm | about 25 cm December | −7 °C | 2 °C | 90 mm | about 40 cm #### When to go For walking, the season is the one CAI Bergamo gives for the area's trails, April to October. It still pays to set off early: in the ERA5 series the months from May to August are also the wettest of the year. For snow the months are December to March, when on average most of the fresh snow falls, but whether the cross-country tracks open depends on the snow cover. Almost nine dwellings in ten have no residents, so outside holidays and weekends the village is very quiet: those looking for silence will find it, those needing services should check opening times first. The year's fixed festivals and races are on the Events page. #### What winter is like Zambla Alta is the coldest hamlet in the municipality: in the ERA5 series the average January low is about −9 °C, against −7 °C in the main village, and days with the high below zero number 28 a year against 17. On provincial roads, and so also on the SP27 and SP46 that lead here, the ordinance of the Province of Bergamo requires winter tyres or chains on board from 15 November to 15 April; with snow or ice on the road, chains must be fitted if you do not have winter tyres. The municipal road beyond Plassa stays closed in winter, and anyone heading up to Capanna 2000 sets off from there on foot or on snowshoes. For the pharmacy and fuel you go down to the main village, home to the only petrol station in the upper Val Serina. Line B buses run up to Passo Zambla in winter too, Monday to Saturday; there are no services on Sundays and public holidays. - D: How high is Zambla Alta? R: ISTAT puts the village at 1,197 metres above sea level, while the Pro Loco of Oltre il Colle gives 1,150 metres: the houses stretch uphill along the provincial road and the two sources take different points. Either way it is the highest of the four localities of the municipality; the Colle di Zambla, a little further up, stands at 1,264 metres. - D: Are Zambla Alta and Zambla Bassa the same village? R: No, they are two distinct hamlets of Oltre il Colle, separated by about 2.3 kilometres of road and, according to the ISTAT elevations, about 140 metres of height difference. Until the 1930s, however, they were a single community called simply Zambla, and they still share the parish of Santa Maria Maddalena and Santa Maria Immacolata, reunited in 1986. - D: How many people live in Zambla Alta? R: At the 2021 ISTAT census the village of Zambla Alta had 138 residents in 64 households, against 151 in 2011. The census counted 509 dwellings in 2021: the great majority are holiday homes, which is why in summer and on winter weekends there are far more people in the village than the registry shows. - D: Where do you park in Zambla Alta and at the Colle di Zambla? R: In the village there are only small car parks, in via Santella and via Fezzoli. The most convenient spot for the trails is the Colle di Zambla, which CAI Bergamo gives as the car park for Monte Alben and Cima di Grem: OpenStreetMap shows a free public area there next to the bus terminus and a lot reserved for customers of the Al Trapper restaurant. - D: Where do you park to climb to Capanna 2000? R: CAI Bergamo recommends Plassa, in the Camping Arera area, about four kilometres above Zambla Alta. In summer you can drive up to the open area of the old Alpe Arera lifts, at around 1,600 metres, where parking is paid (4 euros according to OpenStreetMap and a 2023 report); in winter the road beyond Plassa is closed and you walk up from there on CAI trail 221. - D: How do you get to Zambla Alta by bus? R: With Arriva's line B from Bergamo, changing buses at Zogno: the stops are Zambla Alta Albergo Miramonti and the Passo Zambla terminus. In the winter timetable in force from 14 September 2026 to 8 June 2027 all services run Monday to Saturday and several are tied to the school calendar; on Sundays and public holidays there is no service. From the Seriana valley some services of line S50bce climb from Ponte Nossa to Passo Zambla. - D: What services are there in Zambla Alta? R: It is the best-equipped hamlet of Oltre il Colle: the Pro Loco lists a grocery, three restaurants, three bars, the Edo Sport rental shop, a hotel, two bed & breakfasts and two campsites, plus the B&B and the bars and restaurants at the Passo di Zambla. The pharmacy, bank, post office and petrol station are in the main village, less than five kilometres away. - D: How cold does it get and how much snow falls in Zambla Alta? R: According to the 1991-2020 averages worked out from ERA5 reanalysis data, the average January low is about −9 °C and the high about 1 °C, with about 155 frost nights a year; in summer average highs are around 20 degrees. Estimated fresh snowfall is about two metres in an average season, but it varies a great deal from one winter to the next. These are model estimates, not station measurements. - D: What is there to do in Zambla in winter? R: Above all cross-country skiing: the Pro Loco gives 16 kilometres of tracks on the slopes of Monte Alben, accessed from the Passo di Zambla or from Pian della Palla. At the Conca dell'Alben there are two downhill runs for beginners, and the area is popular for snowshoeing and ski touring towards Alben and Arera. In Zambla Alta you can rent skis, snowboards, sledges and snowshoes. - D: What is the shortest trail up Monte Alben? R: CAI trail 501 from the Colle di Zambla: you follow the forest road towards the Passo della Crocetta, climb a gully to the Col dei Brassamonti (1,755 m) and the Passo della Forca (1,848 m) and finish along the north ridge. CAI Bergamo gives about 3.7 kilometres, 750 metres of ascent, 2 hours 15 minutes up and 1 hour 20 down, graded EE for easy rocky steps. - D: Can you get to the Seriana valley from Zambla Alta? R: Yes, by car over the Colle di Zambla (1,264 m) and down through Val del Riso to Ponte Nossa: 14.1 kilometres of hairpins with a maximum gradient of 10%. It is the only pass between the Brembana and Seriana valleys crossed by a road for vehicles, very popular with cyclists and motorcyclists at weekends. - D: Can you visit the Cattedrale Vegetale? R: Yes, it stands in the woods above Plassa and is always accessible on foot, but it is no longer what the old photos show: storm Vaia in 2018 brought down most of the structure of woven poles and branches, and today the columns that resisted the wind are still standing. The work is by Giuliano Mauri, commissioned by the Orobie Bergamasche Park with the municipalities of Oltre il Colle, Roncobello and Ardesio. Sources: https://www.istat.it/notizia/basi-territoriali-e-variabili-censuarie/, https://demo.istat.it/, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q18471401, https://www.openstreetmap.org/node/472644889, https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=14/45.9000/9.7960, https://open-meteo.com/en/docs/historical-weather-api, https://www.dati.lombardia.it/Ambiente/Stazioni-Meteorologiche/nf78-nj6b, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/221, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/501, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/238, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/223, https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oltre_il_Colle, https://www.lombardiabeniculturali.it/archivi/soggetti-produttori/ente/MIDB000A27/, https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colle_di_Zambla, https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monte_Alben, https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rifugio_Capanna_2000, https://www.oltreilcolleturismo.it/scopri-oltre-il-colle/, https://www.oltreilcolleturismo.it/esperienze/, https://www.oltreilcolleturismo.it/accoglienza/, https://www.zampeazonzo.it/2023/03/23/rifugio-capanna-2000-oltre-il-colle/, https://www.provincia.bergamo.it/cnvpbgrm/po/mostra_news.php?id=124&area=H, https://www.bergamotrasporti.it/percorsi/invernale/linea-b.pdf, https://chieseitaliane.chiesacattolica.it/chieseitaliane/AccessoEsterno.do?mode=guest&type=auto&code=31710, https://chieseitaliane.chiesacattolica.it/chieseitaliane/AccessoEsterno.do?mode=guest&type=auto&code=31712, https://www.lombardiabeniculturali.it/istituzioni/schede/1500431/, https://diocesibg.it/wd-annuario-enti/cet-04-valle-brembana-15245/cet-04-fraternita-presbiterale-2-fp-2-nella-cet-04-15291/zambla-s-maria-maddalena-e-s-maria-immacolata-3375/, https://valserina.blogspot.com/2014/08/quattro-passi-con-la-storia-le-contrade.html ### Zambla Bassa — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/zambla-bassa Hamlet, 1060 m, 86 inhabitants (2021). Zambla Bassa, hamlet of Oltre il Colle at 1,060 m: the parish church of Santa Maria Maddalena, Venetian-era hamlets, old mule tracks and how to get there. Zambla Bassa is the smallest and quietest of the localities of Oltre il Colle: 86 residents at the 2021 census, at 1,060 metres according to ISTAT and 1,050 according to the Pro Loco. It sits halfway up the slope between the main village and Zambla Alta, but not on the provincial road: via Vidali, the church road, branches off the SP27 and in a few hundred metres takes you among the houses. Those driving towards the Colle di Zambla see it from above and carry on; those who stop find one of the richest churches in the basin and a fabric of farming hamlets that can still be read. The settlement is not a compact village but a string of hamlets that grew up far from one another, as befits a community that lived on livestock: Cà di Merèi, Cà di Vidài, Cà Pezzà, Cà Falgher, Vallomi, Gremsolì, Cà di Ress, and higher up Bertogli, Zucchi, Armellini and Moratti, already formed by around 1500 according to the research of Massimo Maurizio. Several names survive in today's streets, via Vidali, via Falghero and via Gremsolino. In the houses you can still recognise the style of the Venetian period: very thick walls, small splayed windows, arched doorways in hand-worked stone and buttress-like retaining walls. The high point of the village, in every sense, is the parish church of Santa Maria Maddalena: it stands on top of a knoll where four roads meet, and its slender bell tower can be seen from every corner of the basin. Inside there is more than a village of this size would lead you to expect: a single nave with a low barrel vault in seven bays, six altars in deep chapels, an organ installed in 1799 by the firm of Giuseppe Serassi and above all the paintings by Gian Paolo Cavagna, including a Santa Maria Maddalena in Glory. Not far away, at the crossroads of four old mule tracks, stands the small church of Santa Maria Addolorata: one of the oldest places of worship in the basin, privately owned for centuries and bequeathed to the parish only in the 1990s, but never closed to worship, as the small ex-voto paintings on its walls show. This was the route of the winter mule track towards Oltre il Colle and Val Serina, the one past the mill known as Ol mulì di Balsì, now in ruins. Zambla Bassa is not an equipped base: the Pro Loco lists a single business there, a grocery. To eat, rent equipment or sleep you go up to Zambla Alta, and for the pharmacy, petrol and municipal offices you go down to the main village. Nor is it a starting point for the high mountains: the trails to Monte Alben start from the Colle di Zambla, a little over three kilometres further up, and those to Pizzo Arera and Capanna 2000 from Plassa and Alpe Arera. On the other hand it is the right place for anyone looking for silence, meadows and old stone a few minutes from everything. #### Elevation and location ISTAT gives the centre of Zambla Bassa 1,060 metres, the Pro Loco 1,050; the elevation model used by Open-Meteo gives about 1,045 metres in front of the church and about 1,065 on the provincial road, at the junction. Zambla Bassa is therefore just higher than the main village, which stands at 1,030 metres, and about 140 metres below Zambla Alta. The village lies beside the SP27: from the provincial road, at the junction with the «Zambla Alta (bivio Zambla Bassa)» stop, via Vidali branches off, descending towards the church and running through the settlement. From piazza Tiraboschi, in the main village, to the church it is about 3.8 kilometres; from Zambla Bassa to Zambla Alta about 2.3 kilometres, and the Colle di Zambla is about a kilometre further on. #### Hamlets and outlying settlements The research of Massimo Maurizio, published in 2014 by the Blog della Valserina, lists the hamlets of Zambla already formed by around 1500: Cà di Merèi, Cà di Vidài, Cà Pezzà, Cà Falgher, Vallomi, Gremsolì and Cà di Ress, and higher up Bertogli, Zucchi, Armellini and Moratti. They grew up far from one another, and from the very beginning the population devoted itself to raising livestock. Today's street names keep several of them: via Vidali, via Falghero and via Falgherino, via Gremsolino, as well as via Sottochiesa and via Sasso della Volpe. On the provincial road, between the main village and the Zambla Bassa junction, lies Mincucco: at the 2011 census ISTAT treated it as a cluster of its own, at 1,040 metres, with 22 residents, whereas in 2021 it no longer appears among the separate localities. #### Architecture and stone houses The character of Zambla Bassa lies in the houses built under Venetian rule, which Pendughet's research describes like this: very wide walls, few small splayed windows, an almost military look; the round-arched entrance with the family's symbols carved in the keystone, a spacious entrance hall and a great deal of worked wood. Renovations in the second half of the twentieth century often used unsuitable materials, which covered or replaced the original ones. The traces show above all at the base of the buildings, in retaining walls that are wide at the bottom and narrow as they rise, like buttresses, easy to spot in the Cà di Vidài hamlet; and in the arched doorways of hand-worked stone, the finest of which, in the Vallomi hamlet, is topped by a small balcony on a stone base. At Cà di Ress a cluster of stables, hay barns and farmers' houses survives. The census figures confirm the impression: in 2011 one residential building in three in Zambla Bassa, 31 out of 97, had been built before 1919, and none had been built after 2000. These are the residential buildings by period of construction according to the 2011 ISTAT census: - Before 1919: 31 buildings - From 1919 to 1960: 14 - From 1961 to 1980: 36 - From 1981 to 2000: 16 - After 2000: none #### The old mule tracks and fountains Before the road for vehicles, the basin was crossed by mule tracks, and Zambla Bassa was one of their junctions. According to Pendughet the mule track that climbed from Oneta and crossed the Colle di Zambla split in two: the summer one kept its height towards the Mussa and then Valpiana, Dossena and the Brembana valley; the winter one dropped straight down to Zambla Bassa, passed in front of the small church of the Addolorata, descended to the mill known as Ol mulì di Balsì and continued towards the Pendughet, Oltre il Colle, the Col d'Anì, Valpiana and Dossena. Along these routes small structures remain that are worth a careful look: the old fountain on the mule track that runs down from the small church to Cà di Ress, whose basin stones are held together by iron clamps sealed with lead, and the base of another fountain at Cà di Vidài. The Balsì mill, on the other hand, has been lost to landslides and neglect. The present state of the tracks is not documented by recent sources: ask in the village before walking them. #### How many people live here: population over time The municipality publishes only the total number of residents; for the hamlets the figures come from the censuses, which ISTAT processes by inhabited locality. In 2011 Zambla Bassa had 123 residents in 60 households, in 2021 86 residents in 52 households: a fall of almost a third in ten years, steeper than that of the municipality as a whole, which over the same period went from 1,058 to 980 inhabitants. Locality boundaries shift a little from one census to the next, so the comparison is indicative. As in the other hamlets, houses far outnumber households: in 2011 ISTAT counted 60 dwellings occupied by residents and 297 empty or used only by non-residents, in 2021 341 dwellings in all and 87 buildings. - 2011 census: 123 residents in 60 households; 357 dwellings, 60 of them occupied by residents - 2021 census: 86 residents in 52 households; 341 dwellings and 87 buildings #### What's in the village: shops and services There is a single shop in the hamlet, the grocery Da Sofia – Alimentari Tiraboschi, which the Pro Loco lists with the number 0345 95248. Everything else is a few minutes away: in Zambla Alta, 2.3 kilometres further up, restaurants, bars, equipment rental and almost all the places to stay; in the main village, 3.8 kilometres away, the basin's only pharmacy, the bank, the post office, the petrol station and the municipal offices. The pages with addresses, phone numbers and opening hours are under Food and services. #### Where to park and where the bus stops No public car parks are mapped in the settlement on OpenStreetMap, and via Vidali is a narrow municipal road serving the houses: for a short visit leave the car where it does not block anyone, for a whole day it is better to use the car parks of the main village or those of Zambla Alta and the Colle di Zambla. Arriva's line B timetable gives no times for Zambla Bassa: the nearest stops with a timetable are Oltre il Colle piazza Tiraboschi and Zambla Alta Albergo Miramonti. On the provincial road, at the turn-off for the village, OpenStreetMap does however map a stop called «Zambla Alta (bivio Zambla Bassa)», about four hundred metres from the church, on the route of the same services. Buses run only Monday to Saturday, with a compulsory change at Zogno for those coming from Bergamo. #### Where the name comes from Zambla Bassa is the historic Zambla: when sources mention the parish of Zambla, founded in 1587, they mean this one, and Pendughet's research specifies that the division into the two present hamlets dates from the 1930s. As early as the sixteenth century, according to Lombardia Beni Culturali, Zambla Alta and Zambla Bassa were two of the municipality's five colonnelli. The oldest name given by the same research is Zolambra, used in the deed of 4 May 1287 by which the inhabitants of Serina and Grimoldo bought the upper Val Serina, when the area was still dense forest. The sources consulted do not offer a documented etymology, so none is given here. The inhabitants are zamblesi. #### How cold it gets: the climate month by month No official climate averages are published for Zambla Bassa. The figures below were worked out by this guide from the 1991-2020 daily data of Copernicus's ERA5 reanalysis, downloaded from the Open-Meteo historical archive: temperatures from ERA5-Land (0.1° grid, about 10 kilometres) adjusted to the point's elevation of about 1,065 metres, precipitation and snow from the 0.25° ERA5 grid, about 25 kilometres, the same for the whole basin. Snow means fresh snowfall, estimated by the model. The picture: long winters, with about 140 frost nights a year and average lows below zero from November to March; cool summers, with average highs of 21 degrees in July and August; about 2,000 millimetres of precipitation a year, heaviest between May and August; about two metres of fresh snow in an average season. These are reanalysis estimates, not measurements: a finer reanalysis, CERRA (5.5 kilometres), gives the basin slightly less cold winters and more precipitation. Month | Low | High | Precipitation | Fresh snow January | −8 °C | 2 °C | 70 mm | about 40 cm February | −7 °C | 3 °C | 70 mm | about 40 cm March | −3 °C | 7 °C | 100 mm | about 35 cm April | 1 °C | 11 °C | 170 mm | about 25 cm May | 5 °C | 15 °C | 210 mm | rare (about 5 cm) June | 9 °C | 19 °C | 230 mm | — July | 12 °C | 21 °C | 230 mm | — August | 12 °C | 21 °C | 240 mm | — September | 8 °C | 17 °C | 190 mm | — October | 5 °C | 13 °C | 200 mm | rare (about 5 cm) November | 0 °C | 7 °C | 180 mm | about 25 cm December | −6 °C | 3 °C | 90 mm | about 40 cm #### When to go Zambla Bassa can be visited all year, but for exploring the hamlets and mule tracks the easiest period runs from late spring to autumn, without snow. In winter, under snow, the village is beautiful and silent, but the streets are narrow and steep: on provincial roads from 15 November to 15 April winter tyres or chains on board are required by ordinance of the Province of Bergamo. Church opening hours are not published: to see the interiors, ask at the parish of Santa Maria Maddalena and Santa Maria Immacolata. The basin's festivals and events are on the Events page. - D: How high is Zambla Bassa? R: ISTAT puts the centre of Zambla Bassa at 1,060 metres above sea level, the Pro Loco at 1,050: so it is just above the main village, which stands at 1,030 metres, and about 140 metres below Zambla Alta. At the top of the same road the Colle di Zambla reaches 1,264 metres. - D: Are Zambla Alta and Zambla Bassa the same village? R: No, they are two distinct hamlets of Oltre il Colle, separated by about 2.3 kilometres of road and, according to the ISTAT elevations, about 140 metres of height difference. For centuries, though, they were a single community, Zambla, with a single parish, and the division into two hamlets dates from the 1930s; today they share again the parish of Santa Maria Maddalena and Santa Maria Immacolata, reunited in 1986. - D: How many people live in Zambla Bassa? R: At the 2021 ISTAT census Zambla Bassa had 86 residents in 52 households, against 123 in 2011. The census counted 341 dwellings in 2021, mostly holiday homes or in any case without residents. - D: What is there to see in Zambla Bassa? R: The parish church of Santa Maria Maddalena, with the paintings by Gian Paolo Cavagna and the Serassi organ of 1799, and the small church of Santa Maria Addolorata with its ex-votos. Outside the churches it is worth touring the hamlets, Cà di Vidài, Vallomi, Cà di Ress, where worked-stone doorways, fountains and buttressed walls from the Venetian era survive. - D: Are there shops and restaurants in Zambla Bassa? R: Just one business: the grocery Da Sofia – Alimentari Tiraboschi. Bars, restaurants, hotels and equipment rental are in Zambla Alta, about 2.3 kilometres further up, while the pharmacy, petrol station, bank, post office and municipal offices are in the main village of Oltre il Colle, about 3.8 kilometres away. - D: How do you get to Zambla Bassa by car? R: You drive up Val Serina on the SP27 to Oltre il Colle and carry on towards the Colle di Zambla; at the Zambla Bassa junction you leave the provincial road and take via Vidali, which leads to the church and the hamlets. From Bergamo station it is about 42 kilometres, from the main village about 3.8. Those coming from the Seriana valley cross the Colle di Zambla and descend past Zambla Alta to the junction. - D: Is there a bus stop in Zambla Bassa? R: Not a timetabled one: Arriva's line B timetable lists Oltre il Colle piazza Tiraboschi and Zambla Alta Albergo Miramonti. On the provincial road, at the turn-off for the village and about four hundred metres from the church, OpenStreetMap maps a stop called «Zambla Alta (bivio Zambla Bassa)» on the route of the same services. Buses run Monday to Saturday, with a change at Zogno. - D: Where do you park in Zambla Bassa? R: No public car parks are mapped in the settlement on OpenStreetMap and the streets are narrow. For a whole day it is better to leave the car in the car parks of the main village, at the Piazzale degli Alpini or near via Capriana, or in Zambla Alta and at the Colle di Zambla. - D: Why does Zambla Bassa have such a large church for so few inhabitants? R: Because between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries Zambla was the richest community in the basin: it lived on livestock and cheese, and in 1587 it obtained separation from the parish of San Bartolomeo by paying an endowment and the upkeep of its own priest. The church you see today, reconsecrated in 1737, with six altars, the Serassi organ and the Cavagna paintings, is the result of that season. - D: What is the small church of the Addolorata? R: It is the small church of Santa Maria Addolorata, at the crossroads of four old mule tracks, considered one of the oldest places of worship in the basin. It remained privately owned until the 1990s, when its last owner left it to the parish, but it was never closed to worship: the ex-voto paintings on its walls say so. Inside there is a wooden choir in the gallery above the entrance. - D: Can you reach the Arera and Alben trails from Zambla Bassa? R: Yes, but you need to move by car. Monte Alben is climbed from the Colle di Zambla, a little over three kilometres further up; Pizzo Arera and the Capanna 2000 hut from Plassa and the Alpe Arera car park, both reached by driving through Zambla Alta. In winter the basin's cross-country tracks are joined at the Passo di Zambla or at Pian della Palla. - D: What is the climate like in Zambla Bassa? R: According to the 1991-2020 averages worked out from ERA5 reanalysis data, the average January low is about −8 °C and the high about 2 °C, with about 140 frost nights a year; in July and August average highs reach 21 degrees. Precipitation is abundant, about 2,000 millimetres a year, and estimated fresh snowfall is about two metres in an average season. These are model estimates, not station measurements. Sources: https://www.istat.it/notizia/basi-territoriali-e-variabili-censuarie/, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q18471408, https://www.openstreetmap.org/node/472644891, https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=16/45.8935/9.7830, https://valserina.blogspot.com/2014/08/quattro-passi-con-la-storia-le-contrade.html, https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiesa_di_Santa_Maria_Maddalena_(Oltre_il_Colle), https://chieseitaliane.chiesacattolica.it/chieseitaliane/AccessoEsterno.do?mode=guest&type=auto&code=31711, https://www.lombardiabeniculturali.it/archivi/soggetti-produttori/ente/MIDB000A27/, https://www.lombardiabeniculturali.it/istituzioni/schede/1500431/, https://diocesibg.it/wd-annuario-enti/cet-04-valle-brembana-15245/cet-04-fraternita-presbiterale-2-fp-2-nella-cet-04-15291/zambla-s-maria-maddalena-e-s-maria-immacolata-3375/, https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oltre_il_Colle, https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colle_di_Zambla, https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gian_Paolo_Cavagna, https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serassi, https://www.oltreilcolleturismo.it/scopri-oltre-il-colle/, https://www.oltreilcolleturismo.it/accoglienza/, https://open-meteo.com/en/docs/historical-weather-api, https://www.bergamotrasporti.it/percorsi/invernale/linea-b.pdf, https://www.provincia.bergamo.it/cnvpbgrm/po/mostra_news.php?id=124&area=H, https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/zf/index.php/storia-comune ### Zorzone — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/zorzone Hamlet, 1016 m, 193 inhabitants (2021). Zorzone, the mining hamlet of Oltre il Colle at 1,016 m below Cima di Menna: the mining museum, the Caniana church, CAI trails, parking and climate. Zorzone (Zùrzù in Bergamo dialect) is the northernmost settlement of the municipality of Oltre il Colle: a shelf of meadows at the foot of Cima di Menna, with the Parina stream flowing below and giving its name to Val Parina. The houses huddle around the church; at the 2021 census there were 193 residents, in 86 households. Sources disagree on the elevation: ISTAT and the maps give 1,016 metres, CAI Bergamo 1,019 for the start of its trails, the Pro Loco 1,100 and the old provincial tourism portal 1,050, differences that depend on the point taken as reference in a settlement that is all on a slope. Zorzone is the place where the mining history of the basin can be touched. Above the village, towards Val Vedra, opened the mine considered the main zinc mine of the Orobie, with the Malanotte and Pian di Bracca workings. Calamine, sphalerite and galena were extracted, yielding zinc, lead and small quantities of silver, and the complex was not isolated: according to a reconstruction published by Prima Bergamo, a 340-metre shaft and a 12-kilometre tunnel linked Pian di Bracca to the Gorno workings, on the other side of the mountain in the Seriana valley. The mines closed for good in 1982 and the tunnels cannot be visited. That memory is gathered in the Museum of Minerals and Mining, which the Pro Loco calls the «Franco Palazzi» Museum of Mining and Minerals. It is housed in via Funivia, in the former primary school building, and opened in 1994, although a collection had existed since 1970 in a private room. It occupies three floors: on the ground floor the mining section, with panels, tools and a life-size reconstruction of a tunnel entrance; on the first floor about 500 local finds, 1,600 minerals from all over the world and 450 fossils; on the second the multimedia area with the meeting room and the Lady Irene Memorial, dedicated to the crew of the B24 bomber that crashed in 1944 on the Pezzadello, just below the Menna ridge. The parish church is dedicated to the Holy Trinity, patron of the hamlet. Zorzone obtained its parish on 24 September 1636 by decree of bishop Luigi Grimani and the building of that time was consecrated on 21 June 1644; the church you see today is the rebuilding begun in 1745 to a design by Giovan Battista Caniana and completed in the following decade, with the 1795 altar made by the Palazzi family and the evangelists painted on the pendentives of the dome by Umberto Marigliani in 1911. For walkers, Zorzone is a real starting point and not a place you pass through. From here CAI trail 234 climbs through Val Carnera to the MAGA bivouac and Cima di Menna (2,299 m according to the CAI); trail 231 climbs Val Vedra to the Passo Branchino; trail 259 descends Val Parina, a special area of conservation in the Natura 2000 network, down to the Brembo. In the hamlet services are reduced to the essentials, a grocery with a tobacconist's counter and the museum; for the pharmacy, petrol station and offices you go down to the main village, less than five kilometres away. #### Elevation and location Zorzone's elevations diverge more than those of the other hamlets. ISTAT, in the localities of the 2011 and 2021 censuses, and the OpenStreetMap node give 1,016 metres; CAI Bergamo starts its trails at 1,019 metres; the Pro Loco writes 1,100 metres and the provincial tourism portal, now offline, wrote 1,050. The elevation model used by Open-Meteo gives about 1,025 metres in front of the church. Zorzone is not on the provincial road. From the main village you leave the SP27 in via Roma, at the Piazzale degli Alpini, and take the municipal road of via Capriana, which climbs north through the meadows: from piazza Tiraboschi to the church it is about 4.8 kilometres and ten minutes or so. It is a narrow, winding road, to be driven without hurry. From the Colle di Zambla the route is about 10 kilometres, because you first have to go down to the main village. #### Where the name comes from In Bergamo dialect the village is called Zùrzù, the form recorded by the Dizionario italiano-bergamasco by Carmelo Francia and Emanuele Gambarini, and the inhabitants are zorzonesi. On the origin of the name, the Wikipedia article reports that the most accepted theory links it to the Zorzi, one of the most important local families, and considers a derivation from «Giorgione» less likely; the article, however, gives no source, and none of the sources consulted for this guide documents either hypothesis. #### Hamlets and outlying settlements The village gathers around the church, and its streets bear names such as via Funivia, the museum road, via Gasparelli, via Scolari, via Giorgi, via Colombi, via Pascusa, via San Rocco and via Santissima Trinità. The S50e shuttle has a stop at contrada Santi, at the entrance to the village. To the north-east, along Val Vedra, ISTAT counts a cluster of its own, Piani Bracca, at 1,110 metres: four residents and five dwellings in 2021. CAI Bergamo calls it Pian Bracca and notes that today it is the most used starting point for Val Vedra, because you can drive there from Zorzone. Other names worth knowing are on the trails: the Mattuida farmstead, at 1,470 metres on trail 234 towards the Menna; the small chapel of Petta, a viewpoint at the start of trail 259 into Val Parina, which Wikipedia calls the chapel of Peta and says is dedicated to the Madonna della Gamba; Ca Pasì, a place with a farmstead and the entrance of a mine used for hauling material, remembered in a testimony collected by Prima Bergamo. Above the village, on the Menna ridge, the OpenStreetMap map marks Cima di Zorzone, at 2,050 metres, with a cross. #### The mines: what remains and what you can see According to the reconstruction published by Prima Bergamo in 2019, the mines of Oltre il Colle were divided into three zones: Val Vedra above Zorzone, with the Pian di Bracca mine laid out on three levels; the Arera, where from the nineteenth century an open-pit site called «Luna» was also worked; and Val Parina with the slopes of Monte Plassa. The whole complex along the Val Parina, Val del Riso and Val Vedra axis is estimated at almost 250 kilometres of tunnels. The Val Vedra mines were reopened one last time in 1970 and closed in 1982; the 1980 found in some sources is the date given by the museum's curator and by the Comunità Montana. The tunnels are closed today and cannot be visited: near the Piani di Bracca a large entrance remains, overgrown with vegetation and barred by a gate. To go inside a mine you need to visit the show mines of Dossena or Gorno. At the Zorzone museum the mining section opens with a depiction of the Arera that the museum attributes to Leonardo da Vinci, taken from sheet 12410 of the Royal Collection at Windsor, with the hypothesis that the artist visited the basin between 1506 and 1507; then tools, a pneumatic loader on rails, the «pachèra», the workers' wagon, the «carèl», pay slips, work booklets and a panel dedicated to St Barbara, patron saint of miners. The mining question, meanwhile, is not closed. In 2022 the Ministry of Ecological Transition issued a negative environmental compatibility ruling on the reopening of the zinc and lead mines requested by Energia Minerals, part of the Australian group Altamin, in Gorno, Oltre il Colle and Oneta. In February 2026, according to L'Eco di Bergamo, the Ministry of the Environment instead gave a favourable opinion, with conditions, on the retrospective environmental impact assessment of the exploration drilling carried out without authorisation by Vedra Metals, the group company working in the area: exploration could resume within the year, while any extraction will require a new authorisation process. #### The trails that start from the village Zorzone's three classic routes are numbered trails of CAI Bergamo, with data published on the section's geoportal. All three are graded E, hiking trails, and the recommended period for 234 and 231 runs from April to October; 259 is given as passable all year, but it has exposed sections with fixed aids. - CAI 234, Zorzone – MAGA bivouac – Monte Menna: from the start at 1,019 metres you climb Val Carnera, pass the Mattuida farmstead (1,470 m) and reach the MAGA bivouac (2,005 m), then along a spur and the ridge to the summit (2,299 m). About 4.8 kilometres and 1,250 metres of ascent, 4 hours up and 2 hours 15 down. - CAI 231, Zorzone – Passo Branchino: a mule track contouring towards Val Vedra, then Pian Bracca (1,111 m), the Pessel hut (1,209 m), the Vedro dairy hut (1,672 m), the Val Vedra pass (1,848 m) and the Passo Branchino (1,821 m). About 7.6 kilometres and 850 metres of ascent, 3 hours out and 2 hours 10 back. - CAI 259, Val Parina – Scalvino (Lenna): it starts just before Zorzone, near the Serbaplast works, passes the small chapel of Petta and the meadows of Prà Parina and descends one of the wildest valleys in the Bergamo area to the confluence with the Brembo, where bridges and tunnels of the old railway remain; about 12 kilometres and four and a half hours to Scalvino. #### Where to park CAI Bergamo gives a different car park for each trail: via Colombi for 234 towards the Menna, via Giorgi for 231 towards Val Vedra and via Scolari for 259 into Val Parina. OpenStreetMap maps in the village a car park of about a thousand square metres between via Giorgi and via Teggiolo, a smaller one at the entrance between via Santi and via Gasparelli and one in via Colombi; a yard next to the church is marked as not open to the public. Those heading into Val Vedra can drive up to Pian Bracca, as the CAI points out, and shorten the walk. In the village the streets are narrow: it is better to leave the car in the car parks and not along the roads. #### What's in the village: shops, services and buses Zorzone has a grocery with a tobacconist's counter, in via Pascusa, and the museum. Bars, restaurants, the pharmacy, bank, post office and petrol station are in the main village, 4.8 kilometres away; hotels, B&Bs and campsites mostly in Zambla Alta. The pages with addresses and phone numbers are under Food and services. Without a car you arrive on Arriva's S50e shuttle, Oltre il Colle – Zorzone, which leaves from piazza Tiraboschi and in a quarter of an hour calls at via Capriana, contrada Santi, via Gasparelli and piazza Caduti del Lavoro. In the timetable in force from 14 September 2026 to 8 June 2027 there are seven services each way Monday to Friday, one of them on school days only, and five on Saturdays; the first leaves the main village at 6:25, the last at 18:10, and the timetable shows the connections with line B to Zogno and Bergamo. On Sundays and public holidays the shuttle does not run; in summer 2026 there were two services each way. #### How many people live here: population over time The municipality publishes only the total number of residents; for the hamlets the figures come from the censuses, which ISTAT processes by inhabited locality. In 2011 Zorzone had 215 residents in 82 households, in 2021 193 residents in 86 households: fewer people but more households, a sign of smaller families. Over the same period the municipality fell from 1,058 to 980 inhabitants. Locality boundaries shift a little from one census to the next, so the comparison is indicative. Compared with the other hamlets, Zorzone has fewer empty houses: in 2011 dwellings occupied by residents were 82 out of 260, almost one in three, against one in eight in Zambla Alta. The age of the houses tells a different story too: more than a third of the residential buildings counted in 2011 were built between 1919 and 1960, when the mines were still working. - 2011 census: 215 residents in 82 households; 260 dwellings, 82 of them occupied by residents - 2021 census: 193 residents in 86 households; 290 dwellings and 109 buildings - Residential buildings by period, 2011 census: 22 before 1919, 33 between 1919 and 1960, 24 between 1961 and 1980, 13 between 1981 and 2000, none after 2000 #### How cold it gets: the climate month by month The historical research of Massimo Maurizio, published by the Blog della Valserina, speaks of «sunny Zorzone» in contrast with the cold of the main village: exposure matters, and a coarse-grid climate model does not capture it. The averages below were worked out by this guide from the 1991-2020 daily data of Copernicus's ERA5 reanalysis, downloaded from the Open-Meteo historical archive: temperatures from ERA5-Land (0.1°, about 10 kilometres) adjusted to the elevation of about 985 metres at the point of the coordinates, precipitation and snow from the 0.25° ERA5 grid, about 25 kilometres, the same for the whole basin. The picture: about 130 frost nights a year, average lows below zero from December to March, average highs of 22 degrees in July and August, about 2,000 millimetres of precipitation and about two metres of fresh snow in an average season. These are reanalysis estimates, not measurements: a finer regional reanalysis, CERRA (5.5 kilometres), gives the basin milder winters and more precipitation. Month | Low | High | Precipitation | Fresh snow January | −7 °C | 3 °C | 70 mm | about 40 cm February | −6 °C | 4 °C | 70 mm | about 40 cm March | −2 °C | 8 °C | 100 mm | about 35 cm April | 1 °C | 11 °C | 170 mm | about 25 cm May | 6 °C | 16 °C | 210 mm | rare (about 5 cm) June | 10 °C | 20 °C | 230 mm | — July | 12 °C | 22 °C | 230 mm | — August | 12 °C | 22 °C | 240 mm | — September | 9 °C | 17 °C | 190 mm | — October | 5 °C | 13 °C | 200 mm | rare (about 5 cm) November | 0 °C | 8 °C | 180 mm | about 25 cm December | −5 °C | 4 °C | 90 mm | about 40 cm #### When to go For the trails, the period is the one given by the CAI, April to October for 234 and 231, while 259 in Val Parina is given as passable all year. The museum, according to the Comunità Montana Valle Brembana, opens on the afternoons of Sundays and public holidays all year round and from 1 to 20 August: it is the right outing for a rainy day. The village's festivals, fairs and races are on the Events page. In winter the via Capriana road is municipal and narrow, and on the provincial roads up to the basin winter tyres or chains on board are compulsory from 15 November to 15 April. - D: Can you visit the Zorzone mines? R: No. The Val Vedra mine and the other workings of Oltre il Colle have been closed since 1982 and the tunnels are not open to the public. The mining history is visited at the Museum of Minerals and Mining, in via Funivia in Zorzone, which also has a life-size reconstruction of a tunnel entrance. The nearest show mines you can visit are those of Dossena and Gorno, in Val del Riso. - D: When is the Zorzone Minerals Museum open? R: The Comunità Montana Valle Brembana gives opening on Sundays and public holidays from 15:00 to 18:00 from April to October and from 15:00 to 17:00 from November to March, and from 15:00 to 18:00 from 1 to 20 August, with a ticket of 1.50 euros and free entry up to the age of 12. Hours may change: it is best to confirm with the Associazione Amici del Museo on 0345 95313 or on the number the Pro Loco publishes for the museum, 340 1436747. - D: How far is Zorzone from the main village of Oltre il Colle? R: About 4.8 kilometres from piazza Tiraboschi, ten minutes or so by car. You leave the SP27 at the Piazzale degli Alpini in the main village and climb the municipal road of via Capriana. From the Colle di Zambla it is about 10 kilometres, because you first have to go down to the main village along the SP27. - D: How high is Zorzone? R: ISTAT and the maps give 1,016 metres, CAI Bergamo starts its trails at 1,019 metres, while the Pro Loco writes 1,100 metres and the old provincial tourism portal 1,050. The differences depend on the reference point in a village that is all on a slope: the official census figure is 1,016. - D: How many people live in Zorzone? R: At the 2021 ISTAT census Zorzone had 193 residents in 86 households, against 215 in 2011. Among the hamlets of Oltre il Colle it has the highest share of houses lived in all year round: in 2011 almost one dwelling in three was occupied by residents. - D: What can you do starting from Zorzone? R: Three CAI trails start from the village: 234 to Cima di Menna (2,299 m), about 1,250 metres of ascent and 4 hours up; 231, which climbs Val Vedra to the Passo Branchino, 3 hours; 259, which descends the wild Val Parina to the Brembo, about 12 kilometres. In the village there is the Museum of Minerals and Mining, with the Lady Irene Memorial. - D: Where do you park in Zorzone to climb Cima di Menna? R: CAI Bergamo recommends via Colombi for trail 234. For 231 towards Val Vedra it gives via Giorgi, where OpenStreetMap maps the largest car park in the village, and for 259 into Val Parina via Scolari. Those heading into Val Vedra can also drive up to Pian Bracca. - D: Is there a bus to Zorzone? R: Yes, Arriva's S50e shuttle from piazza Tiraboschi, in the main village, to piazza Caduti del Lavoro in Zorzone, in about 15 minutes. In the 2026-2027 winter timetable there are seven services each way Monday to Friday, one on school days only, and five on Saturdays, with connections to line B to and from Zogno and Bergamo. It does not run on Sundays and public holidays. - D: Who built the church of Zorzone? R: The parish church of the Holy Trinity in its present form is the rebuilding begun in 1745 to a design by Giovan Battista Caniana and completed in the following decade; the altar is from 1795, by the Palazzi family. The parish, however, is older: it was founded on 24 September 1636 by decree of bishop Luigi Grimani, and the church of that time was consecrated on 21 June 1644. - D: What is the Lady Irene Memorial? R: It is the section of the Zorzone museum dedicated to those who died in the B24 bomber «Lady Irene», which crashed in 1944 on the Pezzadello, just below the ridge of Monte Menna. It preserves relics recovered from the wreck, including kitchen utensils made at the time from the aircraft's sheet metal. - D: Will the Zorzone zinc mines reopen? R: Not for now. In 2022 the Ministry of Ecological Transition issued a negative ruling on the reopening requested by Energia Minerals, part of the Australian group Altamin. In February 2026, according to L'Eco di Bergamo, the Ministry of the Environment approved, with conditions, the retrospective assessment of the exploration drilling by Vedra Metals, which intends to resume exploration; extraction would require a new authorisation process and a financial backer. - D: Where does the name Zorzone come from? R: There is no documented etymology in the sources consulted. The Wikipedia article reports as most accepted the hypothesis that the name comes from the Zorzi, one of the historic local families, and as less likely one from «Giorgione», but without citing a source. In dialect the village is called Zùrzù. Sources: https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zorzone, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4024833, https://www.openstreetmap.org/node/845681162, https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=16/45.9030/9.7690, https://www.istat.it/notizia/basi-territoriali-e-variabili-censuarie/, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/234, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/231, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/259, https://www.provincia.bergamo.it/cnvpbgrm/zf/index.php/servizi-aggiuntivi/index/index/idtesto/1417, https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiesa_della_Santissima_Trinit%C3%A0_(Oltre_il_Colle), https://chieseitaliane.chiesacattolica.it/chieseitaliane/AccessoEsterno.do?mode=guest&type=auto&code=31708, https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oltre_il_Colle, https://www.vallebrembana.bg.it/turismo/musei/museo-dei-minerali-a-zorzone-a-oltre-il-colle/, https://upel.va.it/it/upel-cultura/cosa-visitare-a-oltre-il-colle/museo-dei-minerali-e-della-miniera-oltreilcolle, https://www.oltreilcolleturismo.it/esperienze/, https://www.oltreilcolleturismo.it/scopri-oltre-il-colle/, http://web.archive.org/web/20231202044908/https://www.oltreilcolle.provinciabergamasca.com/zorzone.html, https://www.lombardiabeniculturali.it/archivi/soggetti-produttori/ente/MIDB000A27/, https://ticket.visitdossena.it/, https://www.ecomuseominieredigorno.it/visite-guidate/, https://primabergamo.it/rubriche/viva-berghem/storie-leggende-delle-nostre-valli-le-miniere-zorzone/, https://www.bergamonews.it/2022/02/08/oltre-il-colle-stop-allestrazione-di-zinco-dalle-miniere-lavorazione-a-zorzone-non-era-prevista/493033/, https://www.bergamonews.it/2022/06/08/miniere-a-gorno-e-oltre-il-colle-ultimo-no-dal-ministero-della-transizione-ecologica/522379/, https://www.ecodibergamo.it/stories/premium/valle-brembana/miniere-di-zinco-dentro-larera-le-ricerche-potranno-ripartire-o_3832361_11/, https://valserina.blogspot.com/2014/08/quattro-passi-con-la-storia-le-contrade.html, https://open-meteo.com/en/docs/historical-weather-api, https://www.bergamotrasporti.it/percorsi/invernale/linea-s50bce.pdf, https://www.bergamotrasporti.it/percorsi/estivo/linea-s50bce.pdf, https://www.provincia.bergamo.it/cnvpbgrm/po/mostra_news.php?id=124&area=H ### Oltre il Colle — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/oltre-il-colle Main village, 1030 m, 482 inhabitants (2021). The main village of Oltre il Colle at 1,030 m: town hall, San Bartolomeo church, the basin's only pharmacy and petrol station, parking, buses and climate. The main village is the administrative and commercial centre of the basin, at 1,030 metres above sea level according to ISTAT; the municipality writes that its elevation «is around a thousand metres», because the whole village is on a gentle slope. It lies in a broad natural basin at the head of Val Serina, on the watershed between the Brembana and Seriana valleys, enclosed by the four mountains that give the M.A.G.A. district its name: Menna, Alben, Grem and Arera. In Bergamo dialect the village is Oltra 'l Còl, the inhabitants are oltrecollesi, while those in the hamlets are zamblesi or zorzonesi. At the 2021 census 482 people lived in the main village itself, just under half of the municipality's residents. The village reads along a single road: via Roma, which is in fact the SP27 of Val Serina, and the squares that open onto it. Piazza Tiraboschi is where the scheduled buses stop; the Piazzale degli Alpini is where you leave the provincial road for the municipal road to Zorzone; piazza Monsignor B. Belotti houses the town hall at number 212, switchboard 0345 95015. Above the road, reached by a wide flight of steps, stands the parish church of San Bartolomeo. The Lombardy Alpine and Speleological Rescue keeps a public webcam pointed at the town hall square, useful for getting an idea of conditions before heading up. This is where you find what the hamlets lack. The basin has just one pharmacy and it is in via Roma; the petrol station at the Piazzale degli Alpini is the only one in the municipality: according to the fuel register of the Ministry of Enterprises the nearest is in Serina, about 3.5 kilometres away as the crow flies. The main village also has the Banco BPM branch with a cash machine, the post office with a Postamat cash machine, groceries, a butcher, a greengrocer, a newsagent, bars, pizzerias and the Antico Ristorante Drago. The Pro Loco, founded in 1956, is based at via Roma 201, telephone 0345 95541. The parish church of San Bartolomeo, above via Roma, is the most important in the municipality. A portico on three sides with five large arched openings wraps the façade; inside, the single nave is articulated by fluted pilasters with Corinthian capitals in six bays covered by a barrel vault. It holds the Death of St Joseph by Enrico Scuri (1872), paintings by Vincenzo Angelo Orelli and Francesco Coghetti, a wooden statue by Angelo Virgilio Vavassori on the altar of the Madonna, an organ by Carlo Bossi of 1805 and a peal of eight bells in B2 by the Capanni foundry of Castelnuovo ne' Monti. The patron saint is celebrated on 24 August. The main village works well as a base. From the settlement you climb to Pian della Palla, one of the two access points to the cross-country loops of the Conca dell'Alben (the other is the Passo di Zambla); from here you can follow the Itinerary of the Santelle, the network of small chapels, wayside shrines, crucifixes and frescoes scattered through the woods of the basin, for which the Pro Loco sells the book «Sentieri di fede». Zorzone is 4.8 kilometres away by municipal road, Zambla Bassa 3.8, Zambla Alta 4.6 and the Colle di Zambla 5.6 kilometres along the SP27; Serina, down the valley, is just over six. #### Where the name comes from The name appears in Latin as Ultracollum in the Statutes of Bergamo of 1491, among the communes assigned to the faggia of the Sant'Alessandro gate, and the research of Massimo Maurizio also reports the forms Ultracollem and Oltro 'l Collo used in some documents. In dialect it is Oltra 'l Còl; the Lombard-language Wikipedia uses the spelling Ultra 'l Còl. That the name comes from a colle, a pass, is obvious; which pass is not. The municipality relates that, as it seems, it was the people of Serina who gave this name to the lands lying beyond the Forcella di Valpiana and beyond the Col d'Anì, the natural boundary between Serina and Oltre il Colle; Maurizio's research agrees and specifies that the reference is not to the Colle di Zambla, because past the Col d'Anì you leave the watershed of the Serina stream and enter that of the Parina. The old provincial tourism portal pointed instead to the Colle di Zambla itself, and Wikipedia explains the name by the fact that to reach the village, from either valley, you have to cross a pass. #### Hamlets and outlying settlements Today's village is the welding together of old contrade, its historic hamlets. According to the municipality's historical record on Lombardia Beni Culturali, at the end of the thirteenth century the main community was Grimoldo, and around it Capriana, Vandullo and Vanini were taking shape; their names have survived in the street map, in via Grimoldo, via Capriana, via Vandullo and via Vanini. At Grimoldo the CEI church census records the subsidiary church of Santa Maria Nascente, from the eighteenth century; the old provincial tourism portal spoke of a small church of the Santa Croce with frescoes on the façade and a Madonna by Andrea Fantoni, and from the sources consulted it is not clear whether this is the same building. Among the census localities ISTAT distinguishes from the centre the cluster of Vandullo, at 1,100 metres, with two residents in 2021, and in 2011 that of Mincucco, on the provincial road towards Zambla. Towards Serina the road passes the Col d'Anì, which gives its name to a bus stop, and then the Forcella (1,039 m) near Valpiana, a hamlet that already belongs to the municipality of Serina. South of the village lie Pian della Palla, the access to the cross-country tracks, and Pian della Mussa: Maurizio's research recalls that the old summer mule track from the Colle di Zambla went by the «Mussa» on its way to Valpiana and Dossena. #### What's in the village: shops and services The main village has almost all the basin's services: the Viganò pharmacy, the only one in the municipality; the Banco BPM branch at via Roma 377, with a cash machine; the post office at via Roma 189, with a Postamat cash machine; the petrol station at the Piazzale degli Alpini; several groceries, the butcher, the greengrocer and the newsagent (the municipality's only bakery is in Zambla Alta, on via Fezzoli); bars, a pastry shop, pizzerias and restaurants; hairdressers and a clothes shop. For healthcare the Pro Loco gives the out-of-hours medical service (guardia medica) on 116117 and the Pubblica Assistenza Croce Verde Valserina; doctors' contact details are on the service pages. Phone numbers, addresses and opening hours, where published, are on the Food and services pages, divided by category and updated with source and verification date: they are not repeated here. For the municipal offices the reference is the official website comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it. #### Where to park The largest car park mapped by OpenStreetMap in the main village is an open area of about three thousand square metres above via Roma, between via Capriana and via Perletti, a few steps from the Piazzale degli Alpini; at the Piazzale itself, on the via Roma side, there is a small public car park marked as free. Other spaces are along via Capriana near the junction with via Roma, in via Perletti and in via Litù. For the cross-country tracks the access from the main village is at Pian della Palla, reachable from the village as the Pro Loco indicates; for the high-mountain trails, instead, you park at the Colle di Zambla, at Plassa or in Zorzone, following the CAI indications given on the hamlet pages. #### By bus: stops, times and connections The main village is served by Arriva's line B, Bergamo – Zogno – Serina – Oltre il Colle – Passo Zambla, with its main stop in piazza Tiraboschi; along via Roma and the provincial road OpenStreetMap also maps the stops of via Roma, Tezza, Col d'Anì, Mincucco and Fraccia. From Bergamo you always change buses at Zogno, and all Val Serina services run Monday to Saturday: on Sundays and public holidays the village is not served, and on 25 December the service is suspended. In the timetable in force from 14 September 2026 to 8 June 2027, arrivals in piazza Tiraboschi are at 9:07 and 20:07 every day from Monday to Saturday and at 12:07 Monday to Friday, plus other services that differ between school days and school holidays. The journey from Bergamo takes from about an hour and twenty minutes to almost two hours, depending on the wait at Zogno. Downhill, the first departure from piazza Tiraboschi is at 5:43 and the last, Monday to Friday, at 17:03, arriving at Bergamo bus station at 18:25. The S50e shuttle to Zorzone also leaves from piazza Tiraboschi. #### How many people live here: population over time The series of ISTAT censuses tells of a century of growth and half a century of decline: from 967 inhabitants in 1861 the municipality rose to 1,945 in 1951, its peak, then fell at every census down to 980 in 2021. On 1 January 2025 there were 932 residents, and the ISTAT estimate for 1 January 2026 is 920. In the 2026 estimate there are 97 children under 15 and 312 people aged 65 or over, one resident in three. The main village itself, as ISTAT delimits it in the censuses, had 503 residents in 2011 and 482 in 2021, with 248 households in both years. Dwellings far outnumber households: 1,661 at the 2021 census, and in 2011 there were 1,207 that were empty or used only by non-residents. Almost half of the residential buildings counted in 2011, 123 out of 274, were built between 1961 and 1980, the years of the holiday-home boom. - 1861: 967 inhabitants; 1871: 1,090; 1881: 1,175 - 1901: 1,375; 1911: 1,426; 1921: 1,599 - 1931: 1,727; 1936: 1,726; 1951: 1,945, the peak - 1961: 1,873; 1971: 1,574; 1981: 1,376 - 1991: 1,236; 2001: 1,142; 2011: 1,058; 2021: 980 - 1 January 2025: 932 residents; 1 January 2026: 920 (ISTAT estimate) - Main village itself: 503 residents in 2011, 482 in 2021 #### How cold it gets: the climate month by month No official climate averages are published for Oltre il Colle. The figures below were worked out by this guide from the 1991-2020 daily data of Copernicus's ERA5 reanalysis, downloaded from the Open-Meteo historical archive: temperatures come from ERA5-Land (0.1° grid, about 10 kilometres) and are adjusted to the point's elevation of about 1,020 metres; precipitation and snow come from the 0.25° ERA5 grid, about 25 kilometres, the same for the whole basin. Snow means fresh snowfall, estimated by the model. On average the main village has about 135 frost nights a year and 17 days when the temperature stays below zero even in daytime; the mean annual temperature is about 7.5 °C, and in the same series it rose from about 7 °C in 1991-2000 to about 8.2 °C in 2011-2020. Precipitation is abundant, about 2,000 millimetres a year, concentrated between May and August; estimated fresh snowfall is about two metres in an average season. A finer regional reanalysis, CERRA (5.5 kilometres), estimates milder winters for the main village, with January lows around −4 °C, and about 2,300 millimetres of precipitation: these are models, not measurements, and the figures should be read as orders of magnitude. Month | Low | High | Precipitation | Fresh snow January | −7 °C | 3 °C | 70 mm | about 40 cm February | −6 °C | 4 °C | 70 mm | about 40 cm March | −2 °C | 7 °C | 100 mm | about 35 cm April | 1 °C | 11 °C | 170 mm | about 25 cm May | 6 °C | 16 °C | 210 mm | rare (about 5 cm) June | 10 °C | 20 °C | 230 mm | — July | 12 °C | 22 °C | 230 mm | — August | 12 °C | 21 °C | 240 mm | — September | 9 °C | 17 °C | 190 mm | — October | 5 °C | 13 °C | 200 mm | rare (about 5 cm) November | 0 °C | 7 °C | 180 mm | about 25 cm December | −5 °C | 3 °C | 90 mm | about 40 cm #### When to go Summer is the season of the full village: the municipality writes that the basin, with about a thousand inhabitants, can host over ten thousand tourists, many of whom have become regular holidaymakers. The patron saint, St Bartholomew, is celebrated on 24 August; the year's other festivals, markets and races are on the Events page. For walking, the period the CAI gives for the area's trails runs from April to October; for snow the months are December to March, but whether the cross-country tracks open depends on the snow cover. In spring and autumn the village is quieter; the pharmacy, petrol station, bank and post office serve those who live here all year, but check the opening hours on the service pages. #### What winter is like In winter the main village is the support point for the whole basin: here are the only petrol station in the upper Val Serina and the pharmacy, and here the buses arrive from Monday to Saturday. On the SP27 and on all provincial roads in the Bergamo area, the Province's ordinance requires winter tyres or chains on board from 15 November to 15 April; with snow or ice on the road, chains must be fitted if you do not have winter tyres, and the obligation also applies outside that period when it snows. The SP27 crosses steep slopes and sometimes closes because of landslides: in autumn 2020 because a retaining wall gave way near Costa Serina, and more recently from 28 August to 1 October 2026, because of a boulder that fell at Rosolo di Algua, with traffic diverted via Costa Serina. Before setting off in snow it is worth checking the Alpine Rescue webcam on the town hall square and the notices of the Province and of Arriva. - D: What is there in the main village of Oltre il Colle? R: The town hall at piazza Monsignor B. Belotti 212, the parish church of San Bartolomeo, the Pro Loco office at via Roma 201 and the services the hamlets don't have: the basin's only pharmacy, the bank with a cash machine, the post office, the only petrol station in the upper Val Serina at the Piazzale degli Alpini, groceries, a butcher, a newsagent, bars, pizzerias and restaurants. - D: How far is the main village from the hamlets and the Colle di Zambla? R: From piazza Tiraboschi, Zambla Bassa is about 3.8 kilometres away, Zambla Alta 4.6 and the Colle di Zambla 5.6, all on the SP27; Zorzone is about 4.8 kilometres, but on a municipal road: you leave the provincial road at the Piazzale degli Alpini and climb via Capriana. Serina, down the valley, is just over six kilometres away. - D: Where is the town hall of Oltre il Colle and how do you contact it? R: The Municipality of Oltre il Colle is based at Piazza Mons. B. Belotti 212, 24013 Oltre il Colle (BG). Telephone 0345 95015, email info@comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it, certified email comune.oltreilcolle@legalmail.it. This guide is not the municipality's website: for official documents, office hours and procedures the reference is comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it. - D: Why is the village called Oltre il Colle? R: Because it lies beyond a colle, a pass, but the sources disagree on which. The municipality and the historical research of Massimo Maurizio point to the Col d'Anì, the natural boundary with Serina: for the people of Serina the lands of the basin were «oltre il colle», beyond the pass. The old provincial tourism portal had the Colle di Zambla in mind instead, and Wikipedia notes that to reach the village you have to cross a pass from either valley. The Latin name is Ultracollum, the dialect one Oltra 'l Còl. - D: What is there to see in the church of San Bartolomeo? R: The church, a parish since 1449 and consecrated in 1780 by bishop Giovanni Paolo Dolfin, holds the Death of St Joseph by Enrico Scuri (1872) and paintings by Vincenzo Angelo Orelli and Francesco Coghetti, a wooden statue by Angelo Virgilio Vavassori on the altar of the Madonna, an organ by Carlo Bossi of 1805 and a peal of eight bells in B2 by the Capanni foundry of Castelnuovo ne' Monti. Its present appearance derives from the restoration and enlargement of 1935 to a design by Luigi Angelini. - D: When is the patron saint of Oltre il Colle celebrated? R: The patron is St Bartholomew the Apostle and the feast falls on 24 August. It is the main celebration of the main village; the hamlets have their own churches, the Santissima Trinità in Zorzone – of which the Trinity is patron – and Santa Maria Maddalena in Zambla Bassa. - D: How many people live in Oltre il Colle? R: The municipality has 920 residents according to the ISTAT estimate at 1 January 2026 (932 at 1 January 2025), over 32.89 square kilometres. The historical peak was reached at the 1951 census, with 1,945 inhabitants. At the 2021 census the main village itself had 482 residents; the others live in Zorzone, Zambla Alta, Zambla Bassa, in the small clusters and in scattered houses. - D: Where can you get petrol and where is there a cash machine? R: Both in the main village. The petrol station is at the Piazzale degli Alpini, along via Roma, and is the only one in the municipality: according to the fuel register of the Ministry of Enterprises the nearest is in Serina, about 3.5 kilometres away as the crow flies. The cash machine is at the Banco BPM branch at via Roma 377, and there is the Postamat of the post office at via Roma 189. - D: Where do you park in the main village? R: The largest open area mapped by OpenStreetMap is above via Roma, between via Capriana and via Perletti, near the Piazzale degli Alpini, where there is also a small free public car park. Other spaces are along via Capriana, in via Perletti and in via Litù. For the high-mountain trails you park instead at the Colle di Zambla, at Plassa or in Zorzone. - D: How do you get to Oltre il Colle by bus? R: With Arriva's line B from Bergamo, changing buses at Zogno, to piazza Tiraboschi; the journey takes from about an hour and twenty minutes to almost two hours depending on the wait at Zogno. In the 2026-2027 winter timetable the fixed arrivals are at 9:07 and 20:07 Monday to Saturday and at 12:07 Monday to Friday, with other services tied to the school calendar. There are no services on Sundays and public holidays. - D: Is it cold in Oltre il Colle? R: Yes, in winter: according to the 1991-2020 averages worked out from ERA5 reanalysis data, the average January low is about −7 °C and the high about 3 °C, with about 135 frost nights a year. Summers are cool, with average highs of 21-22 degrees in July and August. These are model estimates: a finer reanalysis gives slightly milder winters. - D: Do you need winter tyres or chains to drive up to Oltre il Colle? R: From 15 November to 15 April, yes: the ordinance of the Province of Bergamo requires winter tyres or chains on board on provincial roads, and so also on the SP27 of Val Serina and the SP46 of Val del Riso. With snow or ice on the road, chains must be fitted if you do not have winter tyres, and the obligation also applies outside that period when it snows. Sources: https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it, https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/zf/index.php/storia-comune, https://it.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Oltre_il_Colle, https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiesa_di_San_Bartolomeo_(Oltre_il_Colle), https://chieseitaliane.chiesacattolica.it/chieseitaliane/AccessoEsterno.do?mode=guest&type=auto&code=31709, https://chieseitaliane.chiesacattolica.it/chieseitaliane/AccessoEsterno.do?mode=guest&type=auto&code=31713, https://www.lombardiabeniculturali.it/archivi/soggetti-produttori/ente/MIDB000A27/, https://www.istat.it/notizia/basi-territoriali-e-variabili-censuarie/, https://demo.istat.it/, https://www.tuttitalia.it/lombardia/54-oltre-il-colle/, https://www.bancobpm.it/trova-filiali/tutte-le-filiali/lombardia/bg/04027/, https://www.tuttitalia.it/lombardia/54-oltre-il-colle/statistiche/censimenti-popolazione/, https://www.openstreetmap.org/node/62505771, https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=16/45.8915/9.7690, https://router.project-osrm.org/, https://www.oltreilcolleturismo.it/scopri-oltre-il-colle/, https://www.oltreilcolleturismo.it/esperienze/, https://www.oltreilcolleturismo.it/accoglienza/, http://web.archive.org/web/20230928033001/https://www.oltreilcolle.provinciabergamasca.com/index.html, http://web.archive.org/web/20231202044908/https://www.oltreilcolle.provinciabergamasca.com/zorzone.html, https://valserina.blogspot.com/2014/08/quattro-passi-con-la-storia-le-contrade.html, https://open-meteo.com/en/docs/historical-weather-api, https://www.bergamotrasporti.it/percorsi/invernale/linea-b.pdf, https://www.provincia.bergamo.it/cnvpbgrm/po/mostra_news.php?id=124&area=H, https://valbrembanaweb.com/val-serina-versante-in-sicurezza-riapre-dopo-un-mese-la-provinciale/, https://www.lavocedellevalli.it/val-serina-riapre-oggi-la-strada-provinciale-27-ad-un-mese-dallo-smottamento, https://www.lavocedellevalli.it/val-serina-riapre-la-strada-provinciale-ad-un-mese-dalla-frana ## Things to do and see ### Sentiero dei Fiori “Claudio Brissoni” — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/things-to-do/sentiero-dei-fiori-claudio-brissoni Hike, Zambla Alta. Sentiero dei Fiori Claudio Brissoni: a CAI loop of about 3 hours from the Capanna 2000 to Passo Branchino, 1,821–2,078 m, on the flowering slopes of the Arera. Figures: CAI grade E, 500 m, Highest point 2078 m, 7 km, About 3 hours for the loop, Waymarks CAI 244 on the upper section, then 218 to Passo Branchino and 222 for the return. Best period: May to October according to the CAI; July is the month with most flowers according to the Orobie Park. GPS tracks: Sentiero CAI 244: Rifugio Capanna 2000 – Periplo del Pizzo Arera — https://www.caibergamo.it/sites/default/files/cai/GPX/Sentiero244.gpx (CAI Bergamo, geoportale, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/244, 7.4 km, 400 m D+) GPS tracks: Sentiero CAI 218: Rifugio Alpe Corte – Lago Branchino – Baita GAN — https://www.caibergamo.it/sites/default/files/cai/GPX/Sentiero218.gpx (CAI Bergamo, geoportale, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/218, 8 km, 750 m D+) GPS tracks: Sentiero CAI 222: Rifugio Capanna 2000 – Passo Branchino — https://www.caibergamo.it/sites/default/files/cai/GPX/Sentiero222.gpx (CAI Bergamo, geoportale, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/222, 3.8 km, 100 m D+) GPS tracks: Pizzo Arera e Sentiero dei Fiori dall'Alpe Arera — https://www.gsmarinelli.it/sites/default/files/Itinerari/20240801-gps%20pizzo_arera_sentiero_dei_fiori.gpx (G.S. Marinelli, https://www.gsmarinelli.it/escursione/pizzo-arera-e-sentiero-dei-fiori-0, 10 km, 1100 m D+) The Sentiero dei Fiori is the botanical loop on the western slopes of the Pizzo Arera between the Capanna 2000 hut and Passo Branchino, almost entirely within the municipality of Oltre il Colle. It has no single number: CAI Bergamo gives the name to a combination of part of trail 244, trail 218 from Passo Branchino to the Mandrone and part of trail 222, and grades it E, a standard hiking path. For the Orobie Bergamasche Park it is a loop that stays between 1,821 and 2,078 metres, with panels along the way explaining the plants and habitats. People come for the flora. The Arera massif is home to narrow endemics, species found nowhere else, and two of them were described for the first time on these very slopes: Linaria tonzigii, published by F. Lona in 1949, and Galium montis-arerae, the Pizzo Arera bedstraw, described in 1957 by H. Merxmüller and F. Ehrendorfer. According to the Park, July is the month with the greatest number of flowers. The name honours Claudio Brissoni, the botanist who from the 1960s studied the flora of the Arera systematically and identified the stretch between the Capanna 2000 and Passo Branchino as the richest in rarities. He died in 2003 and the following year the municipality of Oltre il Colle named the trail after him. The loop takes about 3 hours according to the hut, which gives it 500 metres of total ascent, and is a little over 7 kilometres long according to Wikipedia. It should not be confused with the full circuit of the Pizzo Arera, CAI trail 244, which goes all the way round the mountain via the Forcola di Valmora: that one is graded EE, has chain-protected sections on the south side and is described below as a variant. #### The route step by step From the Capanna 2000, at 1,960 metres according to the CAI, you climb north for a few minutes on the path to the summit, then bear left onto trail 244, which the hut calls the upper path. You cross the Val d'Arera, a slope of rock debris where the first flowers appear, and gain height below the cliffs to Passo Gabbia: 2,050 metres for the Park, about 2,060 for the CAI. From the pass a short descent leads into the Mandrone, the glacial hollow enclosed between the Corna Piana and the Pizzo Arera. At the junction with trail 218, at about 2,050 metres, the circuit continues right towards Passo di Corna Piana; the Sentiero dei Fiori instead takes the 218 to the left up to the Bocchetta di Corna Piana, 2,078 metres, the highest point of the loop. From there you descend over scree and loose rock to Passo Branchino, 1,821 metres, with the lake just below on the Valcanale side. The return is on trail 222, the hut's lower path: it traverses the hillside above the head of the Val Vedra with continual ups and downs, crosses the pastures of the Baita Branchino (1,836 metres, where trail 231 arrives from Zorzone), passes the Val d'Arera again and joins trail 221 at the signpost just below the hut, at about 1,935 metres. For this section, walked from the pass to the Capanna 2000, the CAI allows 1 h 30. #### Getting to the Capanna 2000 and where to park The loop starts at the hut, which is reached from Zambla Alta: at the start of the village a sign points left to Plassa, from where a steep road climbs to the Alpe Arera car park, at about 1,600 metres, below the old ski lifts and next to the Rifugio SABA Cà d'Arera. Parking is paid: the municipality charges a €4 ticket for all vehicles, to be bought before the climb at the parking meters in Plassa, opposite the apartment blocks, or in participating shops, and displayed clearly. From the car park the Capanna 2000 is less than an hour away, on CAI trail 221 or on the farm track, which is longer but less steep. The road up to 1,600 metres is used in summer and when free of snow; in the other months the CAI gives Plassa as the starting point, near the Camping Arera, at about 1,150 metres, from where the hut takes 1 h 50 and about 900 metres of ascent according to the regional hut portal. Those coming from the Seriana valley or from Roncobello join the loop at Passo Branchino: from Valcanale di Ardesio on trails 220 and 218 via the Alpe Corte hut, from the Baite di Mezzeno on trail 219. The Park calls these two approaches the Butterfly Trail, because they cross meadows and pastures well suited to watching butterflies and moths. #### Which flowers you see, and when The Orobie Bergamasche Park names July as the month with the most species in flower; the CAI considers trail 244 walkable from May to October. Among the endemics listed by the Park are the Bergamo toadflax, which the hut regards as the trail's emblem flower, the Pizzo Arera bedstraw, the Presolana saxifrage, the Concarena sandwort and the Orobie burnet. Wikipedia adds more widespread species such as edelweiss, Elisabeth's catchfly, Duby's violet, alpine poppy and alpine thrift, and in spring crocuses flowering on the meadows. Habitats change within a few dozen metres. On the steep slopes towards the ridges the Park describes patchy grassland of firm sedge, which forms compact cushions and arrives after pioneers such as mountain avens and blue saxifrage. Lower down, towards the Val Vedra and Lake Branchino, the soils are more developed and the pastures richer, with mat-grass and purple gentian. On the scree grow plants with runners and deep roots, able to renew themselves as the debris slowly slides downhill. - Linaria tonzigii, Bergamo toadflax: described on the Arera in 1949 - Galium montis-arerae, Pizzo Arera bedstraw: described in 1957 - Saxifraga presolanensis, Presolana saxifrage - Moehringia concarenae, Concarena sandwort - Sanguisorba dodecandra, Orobie burnet - Carex firma, firm sedge: the green cushions of high-altitude grassland #### Butterflies and animals: the Butterfly Trail The Park has paired the Sentiero dei Fiori with a Butterfly Trail because the lean meadows on limestone, grazed by a few animals and mown without fertiliser, are home to many species of butterflies and moths. The most remarkable case is Scythris arerai, a tiny moth that lives only on the Arera massif: discovered in the 1990s, it was formally described in 2000. On the same days you may see Erebia pandrose, a butterfly now confined to high altitudes which during the ice ages lived over much larger areas. As for mammals, the G.S. Marinelli group that walked the loop on 1 August 2024 watched chamois with their young grazing, and the hut mentions the chance of meeting them on the east ridge of the Arera too. For the Park, the abandonment of grazing, followed by the advance of the forest, is a threat to these meadows and to the butterflies that live in them. #### The full circuit of the Pizzo Arera (CAI 244, EE) Those who want to go all the way round the mountain stay on the 244 beyond the Mandrone: from the junction with the 218 it climbs to Passo di Corna Piana, 2,133 metres, descends briefly, leaves the 218 to the left and runs along the foot of the north face to the gully of the Forcola di Valmora. The last climb crosses scree and a band of rock with an exposed section; from the col, 1,994 metres for the CAI and 1,966 on the OpenStreetMap map, you return across the south side with ups and downs to the Capanna 2000. CAI Bergamo gives about 7.4 kilometres, 400 metres of ascent and the same of descent, altitudes between 1,730 and 2,150 metres, grade EE and 3 hours; the hut instead gives 5 hours and 703 metres. On the south side the G.S. Marinelli flyer counts four chain-protected sections, while the report of the same outing mentions chains in two rocky gullies. Since 31 May 2026 the CAI reports that some anchors of the chain below the Forcola di Valmora have come away from the rock and urges caution. #### Who Claudio Brissoni was and how the trail began Botanists have been interested in the Arera for a long time. The Park recalls the Bergamo pioneers L. Rota and E. Rodegher and above all the excursion of G. B. Traverso, professor of botany at the University of Padua, who in 1908 published the booklet «Una salita botanica al Pizzo Arera». In 1912 P. Chenevard cited Arera species in the «Florula di Roncobello»; in 1949 F. Lona described Linaria tonzigii and in 1957 H. Merxmüller and F. Ehrendorfer Galium montis-arerae, which therefore have their locus classicus here, the place of their first description. Claudio Brissoni took up that research in the 1960s and 1970s: he had Traverso's booklet republished in the 1975 yearbook of CAI Bergamo and, with other enthusiasts, identified the area between the Capanna 2000 and Passo Branchino as the one with the highest concentration of endemics. The first description of the Sentiero dei Fiori appeared in the 1979 CAI Bergamo yearbook; in 1987 the route was recognised by the Environmental Education Centre of the Lombardy Region. On 6 September 1987 Brissoni gathered enthusiasts, organisations and institutions at the Alpe Arera to propose an association devoted to the wild flora of the Bergamo mountains: so the Flora Alpina Bergamasca group was born, formally constituted on 17 October that year, and he was its first president until 1999. He died in 2003 and in 2004 the municipality named the trail after him; the Park's page also mentioned a permanent exhibition on the Sentiero dei Fiori at the Capanna 2000. #### When to go and what to pack The CAI recommends May to October for the 244 and April to October for the 218 and 222; the traverse of the 222 faces north, so early in the season it is worth asking at the hut whether snow patches remain. For the peak of the flowering, July is still the reference. The CAI recommends boots and high-mountain clothing: you walk above 2,000 metres, over the rock debris of the Val d'Arera and down the loose descent from the Bocchetta di Corna Piana. Along the loop the only support point apart from the Capanna 2000 is the small Rifugio Lago Branchino, on the Valcanale side a few minutes from the pass: for the 2026 season its blog gave it as open on Saturdays and Sundays in September and October. Many species can be seen without leaving the path, as the G.S. Marinelli noted: that is the right way to observe them, because several are rare or found only on this massif. - Buy the €4 ticket at the parking meters in Plassa before driving up and leave it on the dashboard: the car park at 1,600 metres is paid for all vehicles. - The hut describes the loop going out on the upper path, the 244, and returning on the lower one, the 222: in this direction the loose section is the short descent from the Bocchetta di Corna Piana to Passo Branchino. - Boots with a good sole: the Val d'Arera, the Mandrone and the descent to Passo Branchino are on rock debris. - At Passo Branchino the few minutes down to the lake are worth it: it lies on trail 218, on the Valcanale side. - Do not pick plants and stay on the path: several Arera species are rare or found only on this massif. - Carry water for the whole loop: between the Capanna 2000 and the return there are no other huts on the way, except the Rifugio Lago Branchino, which is open only at certain times. - D: How difficult is the Sentiero dei Fiori on the Arera? R: CAI Bergamo grades the itinerary E, a standard hiking route: you need boots and a sure foot on the scree of the Val d'Arera and on the loose descent towards Passo Branchino, but there are no protected sections. The full circuit of the Pizzo Arera on trail 244, which passes the Forcola di Valmora with chains on the south side, is graded EE instead. - D: How long does the Sentiero dei Fiori loop take, and how long is it? R: About 3 hours according to the Capanna 2000 hut and the G.S. Marinelli, for about 500 metres of total ascent as stated by the hut; Wikipedia gives a little over 7 kilometres. Altitudes stay between 1,821 metres at Passo Branchino and 2,078 metres at the Bocchetta di Corna Piana. Add the walk up from the Alpe Arera car park to the hut, about an hour according to the regional portal, and the walk back. - D: When is the best time to see the flowers on the Arera? R: The Orobie Bergamasche Park names July as the month with the most flowers, while the CAI considers the trail walkable from May to October. In spring crocuses flower on the meadows. Early in the season it is worth asking at the hut whether the north-facing traverse of the 222 still has snow. - D: Where does the Sentiero dei Fiori start and where do you park? R: At the Capanna 2000 hut, above Zambla Alta. By car you drive up from Plassa to the Alpe Arera car park, at about 1,600 metres, with a €4 ticket bought before the climb at the meters in Plassa or in participating shops; from there the hut is less than an hour away on CAI trail 221 or on the farm track. - D: What is the difference between the Sentiero dei Fiori and the circuit of the Pizzo Arera? R: The Sentiero dei Fiori is the western loop between the Capanna 2000 and Passo Branchino, on trails 244, 218 and 222: grade E and about 3 hours. The circuit follows the whole of trail 244 round the mountain, via Passo di Corna Piana and the Forcola di Valmora, is graded EE and has chain-protected sections; the CAI gives 3 hours, the hut 5. - D: Who was Claudio Brissoni? R: A Bergamo botanist who from the 1960s studied the flora of the Arera systematically and identified the stretch between the Capanna 2000 and Passo Branchino as the richest in endemics. In 1987, at the Alpe Arera, he launched the Flora Alpina Bergamasca group, which he chaired until 1999. He died in 2003 and in 2004 the municipality of Oltre il Colle named the trail after him. - D: Can you walk the Sentiero dei Fiori with children? R: The sources present it as an easy loop, suitable even for non-experts, but you walk at around 2,000 metres over scree and down a loose descent: it is fine for children already used to the mountains and wearing boots. The full circuit, with chains on the south side, is not a family outing. - D: Are there huts along the Sentiero dei Fiori? R: The base is the Capanna 2000, at the start and end of the loop. Halfway round, just below Passo Branchino on the Valcanale side, is the small Rifugio Lago Branchino, which in the 2026 season was open on Saturdays and Sundays in September and October: outside those days, set off with everything you need. Sources: https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/mc/mc_p_dettaglio.php?id_pubbl=4696, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/itinerari/sentiero-fiori, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/244, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/222, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/218, https://www.parks.it/parco.orobie.bergamasche/iti_dettaglio.php?id_iti=6562, https://web.archive.org/web/20140826160854/http://www.parcorobie.it/pagina.asp?cod=43, https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sentiero_dei_fiori_(Orobie), https://www.rifugi.lombardia.it/bergamo/oltre-il-colle/rifugio-capanna-2000.html, https://www.floralpinabergamasca.net/storia-e-cariche/, https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/po/mostra_news.php?id=302&area=H, https://www.gbif.org/species/4527468, https://www.gsmarinelli.it/escursione/pizzo-arera-e-sentiero-dei-fiori-0, http://rifugiobranchino.blogspot.com/, https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=45.94110&mlon=9.80226#map=15/45.9300/9.8000 ### Pizzo Arera (2,512 m) by the south normal route — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/things-to-do/pizzo-arera Summit, Zambla Alta. Pizzo Arera, 2,512 m, by the south normal route: from the Alpe Arera car park 922 m of ascent and about 2 h 30, with a protected gully just below the summit. Figures: CAI grade EE, 922 m, Highest point 2512 m, 8 km, 2 h 30 up, Waymarks CAI 221 to the Capanna 2000, then the normal-route path with red dots and cairns. Best period: June to October, with the mountain free of snow. GPS tracks: Sentiero CAI 221: Zambla – Rifugio Capanna 2000 — https://www.caibergamo.it/sites/default/files/cai/GPX/Sentiero221.gpx (CAI Bergamo, geoportale, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/221, 3.6 km, 900 m D+) GPS tracks: Pizzo Arera da Zambla — https://lucagherardi.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Pizzo-Arera-da-Plassa-LG.gpx (Luca Gherardi, https://lucagherardi.com/pizzo-arera-da-zambla/, 11 km, 1300 m D+) GPS tracks: Pizzo Arera e Sentiero dei Fiori dall'Alpe Arera — https://www.gsmarinelli.it/sites/default/files/Itinerari/20240801-gps%20pizzo_arera_sentiero_dei_fiori.gpx (G.S. Marinelli, https://www.gsmarinelli.it/escursione/pizzo-arera-e-sentiero-dei-fiori-0, 10 km, 1100 m D+) GPS tracks: Sentiero CAI 244: Rifugio Capanna 2000 – Periplo del Pizzo Arera — https://www.caibergamo.it/sites/default/files/cai/GPX/Sentiero244.gpx (CAI Bergamo, geoportale, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/244, 7.4 km, 400 m D+) The Pizzo Arera is the highest mountain of the Oltre il Colle basin and of Val Serina: 2,512 metres, a limestone massif of ridges, walls and gullies straddling the Brembana and Seriana valleys, north of Val Serina and south of the Valcanale. It has a prominence of 691 metres and, according to Wikipedia, an isolation of 9.3 kilometres: no higher summit within almost ten kilometres, which is why the view from the top reaches so far. With Menna, Grem and Alben it forms the quartet of peaks that gives the Maga Skymarathon its name. The normal route climbs the south side. You leave the car at the Alpe Arera car park, at about 1,600 metres, walk up to the Capanna 2000 hut and from there tackle the steep south ridge to about 2,400 metres, below the fore-summit. The key passage is a gully: you descend some twenty metres on steep scree, then climb a cleft in the rock with metal steps and fixed chains, grade I moves. VieNormali gives 922 metres of ascent and 2 h 30 up, 4 hours in all including the descent by the same route. It is a climb graded EE: the gully is short and protected, but everything above the hut is on limestone and loose rock, where it is easy to slip and where people above can knock stones onto those below. On the summit stands the cross placed on 7 September 1958 at the initiative of the Coca mountaineering club of Colognola. The Arera is interesting underground too. In the massif the Le Nottole caving group of Bergamo has explored the Abisso dei Due Increduli, about 634 metres deep, and Wikipedia also cites the «La Dolce Vita» abyss, 485 metres, as well as extensive systems of disused mines. Above the hut there are no other places to eat or drink: the last place to get water is the Capanna 2000. #### The route step by step From the Alpe Arera car park you walk up to the Capanna 2000 on the forestry road or on CAI trail 221, which cuts across the meadows on the left: both reach the hut, in less than an hour according to the regional hut portal and in about 45 minutes according to Wikipedia. Luca Gherardi, who started lower down at Plassa, took 1 h 30. Just above the hut you climb through meadows and take the ridge, grassy at first, that rises to the right of the Val d'Arera; then the path turns rocky and very steep and zigzags over limestone, with red dots and stone cairns, to about 2,400 metres, just below the fore-summit. Here the route cuts right: you cross a slope that is partly grassy and partly rocky and carefully descend some twenty metres of steep scree to the bottom of a well-defined gully. On the other side you enter a cleft in the rock climbed with metal steps, a short ladder and fixed chains; Luca Gherardi describes a section protected with a metal rope that you climb using your hands. Beyond the gully the path zigzags up loose rock and rocky steps, sometimes using your hands, to the summit cross. The descent is by the same route. From the hut to the top the regional portal allows 1 h 20 in its list of ascents, an hour and a half in the hut's description. #### Getting to the start and where to park From Bergamo you drive up the Brembana valley to Zogno and take Val Serina, or come from the Seriana valley via Ponte Nossa and the Colle di Zambla. In Zambla Alta, at the start of the village, a sign points left to a minor road that descends gently to the Camping Arera at Plassa, at about 1,200 metres: there is free parking here, and it is the starting point when the upper road is closed. In summer and without snow you continue on the steep road to the Alpe Arera car park, at 1,600 metres, below the old ski lifts and next to the Rifugio SABA. It is paid, €4 for all vehicles: in a notice of July 2024 the municipality asks drivers to buy the ticket before the climb at the parking meters in Plassa, opposite the apartment blocks, or in participating shops, and to display it. Starting from Plassa makes the outing much bigger: Luca Gherardi gives about 1,300 metres of ascent, 3 h 45 up and 5 kilometres to the summit. When the SP27 road of Val Serina is closed, as happened from 28 August to 1 October 2026 because of the landslide at Rosolo di Algua, traffic from the Brembana side goes via Costa Serina; alternatively you come up from the Seriana valley over the Colle di Zambla. #### The protected gully and the real dangers The protected section is short: Prima Bergamo describes it as easy and Wikipedia grades it I, while for VieNormali it is still the technically hardest part of the climb. The real dangers are two others. The first is the gravel and loose stones over the whole section above the hut, where a slip is always possible, above all on the way down, as the G.S. Marinelli points out. The second is stonefall in the gully, set off by people above: Luca Gherardi urges those climbing in groups not to send stones down on whoever follows. For Prima Bergamo all the paths to the summit are for experienced hikers, and the reference for the state of the trails remains CAI Bergamo. With wet rock, fog or snow the gully and the loose rock change character: with snow or ice the passage requires mountaineering equipment and experience, and in winter the road to 1,600 metres cannot be used. #### Variants: east ridge, north side and the loop from the Forcola di Valmora The regional hut portal describes two alternative ascents from the Capanna 2000. The north route, 2 hours and 550 metres, «very difficult», takes the upper path of the 244 to the Mandrone and climbs meadows and rocks to the start of the path to the summit: it is not protected, has one passage now without chains and sections of crumbly rock. Wikipedia describes it from Passo di Corna Piana, with a steep gully once fitted with chains of which only the anchor bolts remain. The east ridge, 2 h 30 and 550 metres, «fairly difficult», follows the 244 to the right as far as the Forcola di Valmora and from there climbs the ridges to the summit, passing the mountain rescue relay mast: it is little frequented and, according to the hut, chamois are often seen. The G.S. Marinelli walked it as a loop on 1 August 2024, descending by the normal route: 1,100 metres of ascent, 10 kilometres, 6 hours, EE, with four chain sections on the 244 and a climb up steep, poorly marked meadows to the red or blue dots of the Maga race route. Finally, Prima Bergamo mentions the west ridge, known as the Cresta della Luna, reserved for mountaineers, with grade II and III climbing. From Roncobello you can reach the summit by walking up from the Baite di Mezzeno, accessible by car on a toll road, to Passo Branchino and following the Sentiero dei Fiori to the Capanna 2000, where you join the normal route. It is a long itinerary that Wikipedia and Prima Bergamo suggest splitting over two days with a night at the hut. #### What you can see from the summit Wikipedia lists the whole Orobie arc from the top: Resegone, Grigne, Pizzo dei Tre Signori, Monte Legnone, Pegherolo, Corno Stella, Pizzo del Becco, Pizzo del Diavolo di Tenda, Pizzo Scais, Redorta, Coca, Torena, Recastello and Presolana. Further away Monte Rosa and the Matterhorn, Badile, Cengalo, Disgrazia and the Bernina and Adamello groups; close by to the south, Grem, Alben and Menna. Luca Gherardi describes it by compass point: to the north the Valtellina glaciers with Disgrazia and Badile, to the east the Presolana and the peaks of the Seriana valley, to the south the walls of the Alben, the Grem and in the distance the Bergamo plain, to the west the Cima di Menna, the Grigne, the Resegone and behind them Monte Rosa. The hut portal adds, on the clearest days, the Apennines to the south. #### The summit cross and the first ascents The cross was placed on 7 September 1958 at the initiative of the Coca mountaineering club of Colognola. In 2019 Prima Bergamo reported that since the previous September a commemorative bell has been fixed to it, blessed in the church of Zambla Alta and engraved by hand, with hammer and anvil, in the forges of Zorzone. The first recorded ascent dates from 1 June 1875, by the guide Antonio Baroni and Emilio Torri, a climber of CAI Bergamo; the first winter ascent was on 8 March 1879, by Luigi Albani, Giuseppe Nievo and Baroni himself. These are the dates given by Wikipedia, which cites Angelo Gamba's biography of Baroni. #### The Arera underground: the karst abysses The Abisso dei Due Increduli was discovered in September 2002 by the Le Nottole caving group of Bergamo and within a year passed 500 metres of depth, a provincial record; in summer 2004 exploration reached a sump at 623 metres and today the group gives 634 metres of depth and over 2 kilometres of passages. In 2009 a new passage linked the abyss to the Laca di Müradei: the system measures about 3,300 surveyed metres and the junction point, 433 metres below the Increduli entrance, is the deepest ever recorded in the Bergamo area. Wikipedia also mentions the «La Dolce Vita» abyss, 485 metres. These caves are reserved for cavers, as Prima Bergamo stresses: nothing of them can be seen from the path. - Buy the €4 ticket in Plassa before driving up and leave it visible on the dashboard. - Above the hut follow the red dots and cairns: off the path the south ridge is all loose rock. - In the gully keep your distance from those ahead and do not dislodge stones: a helmet is not excessive on busy days. - The Capanna 2000 is the last place to buy water and drinks: beyond it there is nothing until the summit. - On the way down slow down on the loose rock below the fore-summit, where slips are most frequent. - To split the outing you can sleep at the Capanna 2000 and set off for the summit early in the morning. - D: How long does it take to climb the Pizzo Arera? R: From the Alpe Arera car park VieNormali gives 2 h 30 up for 922 metres of ascent and about 4 hours in all, descent included; Luca Gherardi took about 3 hours. From the Capanna 2000 hut the regional portal allows 1 h 20 to the summit. Starting from Plassa, without the toll road, you reach about 1,300 metres of ascent and 3 h 45 up. - D: Is the normal route up the Pizzo Arera dangerous? R: It is an EE climb. Below the fore-summit, at about 2,400 metres, you descend some twenty metres of scree and climb a gully with metal steps and chains, a grade I move. The main risk is slipping on gravel and knocking stones onto people climbing below: in rain, fog or snow it is wise to turn back. - D: Where do you park for the Pizzo Arera and how much does it cost? R: At the Alpe Arera car park, at about 1,600 metres above Plassa, Zambla Alta: the municipality charges a €4 ticket for all vehicles, bought before the climb at the parking meters in Plassa or in participating shops. The road is open in summer and when free of snow; in other months you start from Plassa, where there is free parking near the Camping Arera. - D: What can you see from the summit of the Pizzo Arera? R: All the Orobie, from the Resegone and the Grigne to the Presolana, by way of Pizzo dei Tre Signori, Diavolo di Tenda, Redorta and Coca; further away Monte Rosa, the Matterhorn, Badile, Disgrazia, Bernina and Adamello. To the south you see Grem, Alben and Menna close by and, on clear days, the Apennines. - D: Who first climbed the Pizzo Arera? R: The first recorded ascent was on 1 June 1875, by the guide Antonio Baroni and Emilio Torri of CAI Bergamo. The first winter ascent was on 8 March 1879, by Luigi Albani, Giuseppe Nievo and Antonio Baroni again. - D: When was the cross placed on the Pizzo Arera? R: On 7 September 1958, at the initiative of the Coca mountaineering club of Colognola. Since September 2018 a commemorative bell has been fixed inside the cross, blessed in Zambla Alta and engraved by hand in the forges of Zorzone. - D: Are there other routes up the Pizzo Arera besides the normal one? R: Yes, all more demanding: the east ridge from the Forcola di Valmora, little frequented; the north route from the Mandrone or Passo di Corna Piana, without chains and with crumbly rock; the west ridge, known as the Cresta della Luna, for mountaineers, with grade II and III climbing. - D: Can you sleep near the Pizzo Arera? R: The base is the Capanna 2000 hut, at 1,960 metres on the normal route, with 25 beds according to the regional portal: sleeping there lets you start early and split the outing over two days. Bookings on 0345 95096. Sources: https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/mc/mc_p_dettaglio.php?id_pubbl=4696, https://www.vienormali.it/montagna/cima_scheda.asp?cod=2006, https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pizzo_Arera, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3905978, https://www.openstreetmap.org/node/26864315, https://www.rifugi.lombardia.it/bergamo/oltre-il-colle/rifugio-capanna-2000.html, https://lucagherardi.com/pizzo-arera-da-zambla/, https://primabergamo.it/rubriche/viva-berghem/tutte-le-strade-portano-al-pizzo-arera/, https://primabergamo.it/tempo-libero/escursioni/inerpicandosi-tra-due-valli-fino-a-raggiungere-la-vetta-del-pizzo-arera-che-vista/, https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/po/mostra_news.php?id=302&area=H, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/221, https://www.gsmarinelli.it/escursione/pizzo-arera-e-sentiero-dei-fiori-0, https://www.nottole.it/naturali_increduli_muradei.html, https://www.magaskymarathon.it/, https://valbrembanaweb.com/val-serina-versante-in-sicurezza-riapre-dopo-un-mese-la-provinciale/ ### Monte Alben (2,019 m) from the Colle di Zambla — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/things-to-do/monte-alben Summit, Zambla Alta. Monte Alben, 2,019 m, from the Colle di Zambla on CAI trail 501: 750 m and 2 h 15 via the Col dei Brassamonti, Passo della Forca and the final EE ridge. Figures: CAI grade EE, 750 m, Highest point 2019 m, 9 km, 2 h 15 up, Waymarks CAI 501 (from Passo della Forca also the 502 from Serina). Best period: When free of snow; the CAI recommends June to October for trail 502 coming from Serina. GPS tracks: Sentiero CAI 501: Passo Colle di Zambla – Monte Alben — https://www.caibergamo.it/sites/default/files/cai/GPX/Sentiero501.gpx (CAI Bergamo, geoportale, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/501, 3.7 km, 750 m D+) GPS tracks: Monte Alben dal Passo di Zambla — https://lucagherardi.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Alben-dal-passo-di-zambla.gpx (Luca Gherardi, https://lucagherardi.com/monte-alben-da-zambla/, 9 km, 750 m D+) GPS tracks: Monte Alben dal Colle di Zambla — https://www.gulliver.it/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/30/alben-monte-da-colle-di-zambia_00cb.gpx (Gulliver.it, https://www.gulliver.it/itinerari/alben-monte-da-colle-di-zambia/, 800 m D+) GPS tracks: Sentiero CAI 502: Serina – Monte Alben — https://www.caibergamo.it/sites/default/files/cai/GPX/Sentiero502.gpx (CAI Bergamo, geoportale, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/502, 7.5 km, 1320 m D+) Monte Alben is the limestone massif that closes the Oltre il Colle basin to the south: it rises between Val Serina, Val del Riso, Val Parina and Val Vertova, just south of the Colle di Zambla, on the ridge between the Brembana and Seriana valleys. Towards the north-east, that is towards Zambla, it shows spires, ridges and gullies; towards the south-west it descends in woods, pine forests and broad pastures. At the top there are several points linked by ridges: Cima La Croce, 1,975 metres, and Cima della Spada, 1,952, stand above Oltre il Colle, while the main summit, 2,019 metres, lies further south. The shortest and most popular ascent is CAI trail 501 from the Colle di Zambla: 3.7 kilometres and about 750 metres of ascent, 2 h 15 up and 1 h 20 down according to CAI Bergamo, which grades it EE for the final ridge. You climb through the woods, then up a gully of hairpin bends to the Col dei Brassamonti, traverse below the Torrione Brassamonti to Passo della Forca and from there follow the north ridge over rocky steps to the cross. The CAI calls the ridge «fun but not difficult if you follow the right line»: it is not protected, alternates short grade I steps with gravelly path and passes through a hole in the rock, under a large boulder. On the summit, besides the iron cross, there is a panorama table that names the peaks on the horizon. The Alben is also the mountain of Primula albenensis, a Bergamo endemic that bears its name, and on its south side, above Cornalba, it has a renowned climbing crag with more than a hundred routes. Gulliver recommends climbing it in autumn, combining the summit with the circuit of the basin for the colours. #### The route step by step From the Colle di Zambla car park you follow via Prealpina towards the Al Trapper bar and restaurant, with the cross-country track signs: a few metres of tarmac, then a forest road heading south that after about a kilometre reaches Passo della Crocetta, 1,267 metres. About 300 metres further on, at Calchera, a sign on the left marks the start of trail 501. You leave the forest road and climb quickly through the woods; Luca Gherardi remembers a beech wood with centuries-old trees. After half an hour the view opens onto the ridges and the path enters a gully that it climbs in many hairpins to the Col dei Brassamonti, 1,755 metres, at the top of the gully. You continue across a steep spur to a junction: straight on leads shortly to the Baita Nembrini, while to the right the 501 passes below the Torrione Brassamonti and reaches Passo della Forca, 1,848 metres, the saddle between the main summit and Cima della Croce, where trail 502 also arrives from Serina. From the pass you follow the ridge east. The route has been worked out among the rock formations: short grade I steps, stretches of gravel, a passage through a cavity under a large boulder and finally a small path zigzagging up to the cross. Luca Gherardi reports exposed, non-trivial moves, to be taken carefully, especially on the way down. The CAI allows 2 h 15 from the Colle, Gherardi about 2 hours, Gulliver and Wikipedia 2 h 30. #### Getting to the Colle di Zambla and where to park The Colle di Zambla, 1,264 metres, is the road pass between Val Serina and Val del Riso and can be reached from two sides. From the Brembana valley you drive up from Zogno through Val Serina via Serina and Oltre il Colle; from the Seriana valley you leave the main road at Ponte Nossa and climb through Val del Riso. Waterwind gives 50 minutes from Bergamo and 1 h 40 from Milan on the Seriana side, about twenty minutes more on the Brembana side. At the pass there is a public car park along the road, next to the trail signposts; in winter the same area also serves the cross-country track. When the SP27 road of Val Serina is closed, as happened from 28 August to 1 October 2026 because of the landslide at Rosolo di Algua, traffic from the Brembana side goes via Costa Serina, or you come up from the Seriana valley. #### Variants and alternative descents From Serina, CAI trail 502 starts from via Pineta, climbs to Passo del Sapplì, follows trail 503 to the Casere Alte, passes a few minutes from the Rifugio Monte Alben and reaches Passo della Forca, where it joins the 501: 7.5 kilometres, about 1,320 metres of ascent, 2 h 30, EE, recommended from June to October. From the pass, for about 40 minutes, the CAI describes a route that is almost all rock, with some airy moves. From Cornalba, at 900 metres, Wikipedia describes an ascent of about 3 hours via the Pian delle Casere pasture. Instead of returning the same way, Gulliver suggests descending from Passo della Forca on the opposite side on the 502, among pastures and ponds, and returning to the Colle di Zambla by going round part of the massif, through clearings, a wood and past a farmstead: allow at least 3 hours from the pass, and overall the day exceeds 1,000 metres of ascent because of the ups and downs. On the north side the Maurizio via ferrata, listed by the municipality among its itineraries, climbs a wild face to the fore-summit and Cima della Croce. Ferrate365 grades it difficult: 400 metres of ferrata, about 2 hours from the start of the cable and 4 hours for the whole itinerary, starting from the car park of the Conca dell'Alben lifts. From Cima della Croce a ridge with grade I rocky steps leads to the main summit. Full via ferrata equipment is required. #### Support points and water There are no staffed huts along the 501. The Baita Nembrini, owned by the CAI Valserina sub-section, stands at the foot of the Torrione Brassamonti, a short way off the trail; according to the OpenStreetMap notes you need the keys to use it, to be requested from the sub-section or from the Centro Sportivo Valle at the Colle di Zambla. Near Passo della Forca there is the small Bivacco del Gioan, a shelter in bad weather. On the Serina side, along the 502, the Rifugio Monte Alben is run by the La Cordillera association. As for water, no springs are recorded along the climb: OpenStreetMap shows a drinking fountain at the Colle di Zambla and a fountain just before Passo della Crocetta. Set off with all the water you need for the day. #### What you can see from the summit Wikipedia describes a panorama ranging from the nearby Arera, Menna and Grem to the main peaks of the Orobie, with Resegone, Grigne, Pizzo dei Tre Signori, Pizzo del Diavolo, Redorta, Coca and Presolana, as far as the more distant Monte Rosa, Disgrazia and Adamello groups. To the south, beyond the plain, on clear days you can make out the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines on the horizon. The panorama table on the summit, mentioned by the CAI, helps put names to the peaks. #### Flora, crags and the mountain in winter Primula albenensis, endemic to the Bergamo area and recognised as a species in 1993, takes its name from this very mountain: it flowers between April and June, between about 1,150 and 2,000 metres. On the south side, above Cornalba, the crag is a climbing venue with more than a hundred routes from grade 5 to 9a+, climbed by Adam Ondra among others. In winter the basin at the foot of the north face keeps its snow until late spring and is the setting of the cross-country track and the snowshoe walks. The snow-covered summit ridge, on the other hand, is no longer a hiking route: with snow and ice it requires mountaineering experience. #### When to go The CAI gives no season for the 501, which faces north, while for the 502 from Serina it recommends June to October; the condition to respect is a dry ridge free of snow. Gulliver suggests autumn, when the summit can be combined with the circuit of the Alben basin for the variety of colours. - Do not stop at Passo della Crocetta: the 501 leaves the forest road about 300 metres further on, on the left, at Calchera. - On the final ridge stay on the marked line: the CAI calls it not difficult precisely on condition that you follow the right route. - Fill your bottles at the pass: no springs are recorded along the path. - Poles help on the descent of the gully of hairpins below the Col dei Brassamonti. - For a longer outing, descending the Serina side on the 502 turns the walk into a loop round the massif. - If you are not comfortable with the ridge, you can stop at Passo della Forca, at 1,848 metres, where the section for experienced hikers begins. - D: How long is the climb up Monte Alben from the Colle di Zambla? R: According to CAI Bergamo 2 h 15 up and 1 h 20 down, for about 750 metres of ascent and 3.7 kilometres of trail 501. Luca Gherardi took about 2 hours and counts 9 kilometres there and back; Gulliver and Wikipedia give 2 h 30. - D: Is Monte Alben difficult? R: The CAI grades trail 501 EE for the final ridge: from Passo della Forca you climb over rocky steps with short grade I moves, not protected, and a few exposed passages. Up to the pass the path runs through woods and up a gully of hairpins, without technical difficulty: if you are not comfortable you can stop there. - D: Where do you park to climb Monte Alben? R: At the public car park on the Colle di Zambla, at 1,264 metres, on the pass between Oltre il Colle and Val del Riso. From there follow the cross-country track signs towards Passo della Crocetta. - D: Can you climb Monte Alben from Serina? R: Yes, on CAI trail 502 from via Pineta: 7.5 kilometres, about 1,320 metres of ascent and 2 h 30 according to the CAI, grade EE, recommended from June to October. It passes Passo del Sapplì and the Casere Alte and joins the 501 at Passo della Forca. - D: Are there huts or bivouacs on Monte Alben? R: Along the 501 there is the Baita Nembrini of the CAI Valserina sub-section, below the Torrione Brassamonti, which according to the OpenStreetMap notes is used with keys, and the small Bivacco del Gioan near Passo della Forca. On the Serina side there is the Rifugio Monte Alben, run by the La Cordillera association. - D: What can you see from the summit of Monte Alben? R: Arera, Menna and Grem close by, then Resegone, Grigne, Pizzo dei Tre Signori, Pizzo del Diavolo, Redorta, Coca and Presolana; further away Monte Rosa, Disgrazia and Adamello. On clear days, to the south, you can see the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines. There is a panorama table on the summit. - D: Is there a via ferrata on Monte Alben? R: Yes, the Maurizio via ferrata on the north side, towards the fore-summit and Cima della Croce. Ferrate365 grades it difficult, with 400 metres of ferrata, about 2 hours from the start of the cable and 4 hours of itinerary, starting from the car park of the Conca dell'Alben lifts. - D: What is Primula albenensis? R: A primrose endemic to the Bergamo area, recognised as a species in 1993, which takes its name from Monte Alben. It flowers between April and June, between about 1,150 and 2,000 metres. Sources: https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/501, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/502, https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monte_Alben, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3861171, https://www.openstreetmap.org/node/26863780, https://lucagherardi.com/monte-alben-da-zambla/, https://www.gulliver.it/itinerari/alben-monte-da-colle-di-zambia/, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/rifugi-bivacchi/baita-nembrini, https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/zf/index.php/itinerari/index/dettaglio-itinerario/itinerario/1, https://www.ferrate365.it/vie-ferrate/ferrata-maurizio-alben-croce/, https://www.waterwind.it/new/it/montagna/pianeta-neve/neve/1451-sci-di-fondo-zambla-alta,-valle-serina,-bergamo.html, https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=45.87060&mlon=9.78015#map=14/45.8750/9.7880, https://valbrembanaweb.com/val-serina-versante-in-sicurezza-riapre-dopo-un-mese-la-provinciale/ ### Capanna 2000 hut — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/things-to-do/capanna-2000 Mountain hut, Zambla Alta. Capanna 2000 hut, 1,960 m below the Pizzo Arera: owned by Oltre il Colle, 25 beds, an hour from the Alpe Arera car park. Opening periods, booking and contacts. Figures: CAI grade E, 400 m, Highest point 1960 m, 4 km, 1 hour from the upper car park, Waymarks CAI 221, or the farm track that climbs more gently to Pian Cansaccio. Best period: 2026 calendar on the regional portal: May weekends, 1-2 and 6-7 June, every day from 12 June to 7 September. Dates are indicative: phone outside the season. GPS tracks: Sentiero CAI 221: Zambla – Rifugio Capanna 2000 — https://www.caibergamo.it/sites/default/files/cai/GPX/Sentiero221.gpx (CAI Bergamo, geoportale, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/221, 3.6 km, 900 m D+) GPS tracks: Rifugio Capanna 2000 dal parcheggio alto — https://lucagherardi.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rifugio-Capanna-2000-dal-parcheggio-alto.gpx (Luca Gherardi, https://lucagherardi.com/rifugio-capanna-2000/, 4 km, 370 m D+) GPS tracks: Sentiero CAI 238: Colle di Zambla – La Santella – Baita Camplano — https://www.caibergamo.it/sites/default/files/cai/GPX/Sentiero238.gpx (CAI Bergamo, geoportale, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/238, 6.5 km, 600 m D+) The Capanna 2000 is the hut on the south side of the Pizzo Arera: it stands at Pian Cansaccio, above the Alpe Arera, at 1,960 metres according to the CAI and Wikipedia and at 1,969 according to the regional hut register. It is owned by the municipality of Oltre il Colle and run by the Rizzi family: the regional portal names Attilio Rizzi as manager, Wikipedia Attilio Rizzi and Patrizia Sirtoli. It began as an outpost of the Alpe Arera ski lifts, closed in 1996, and has lived on hiking ever since. It is the starting point of the normal route up the Pizzo Arera, of the Sentiero dei Fiori and of the circuit of the mountain, and a destination in its own right for anyone looking for a short walk: from the Alpe Arera car park, at about 1,600 metres, you get there in about an hour on CAI trail 221 or on the farm track, for about 400 metres of ascent. The regional portal describes it as suitable for families with children. The regional register counts 25 beds, 80 seats for lunch and 30 at the outdoor tables; next to the hut there are two small wooden cabins, the Starbox, for sleeping at altitude. You book by phone, at the hut (0345 95096) or on the mobile (339 6986367), or by email. The sources do not agree on opening times, and the portal itself warns that its dates are indicative: the 2026 calendar published there shows the May weekends and continuous opening from 12 June to 7 September; Wikipedia speaks of continuous opening from mid-June to mid-September and of weekends and holidays in May-June and October-November; in 2025 the mayor, in L'Eco di Bergamo, spoke of weekends all year round. Outside high summer it is always worth phoning. #### How to get there: all the approaches The shortest approach starts from the Alpe Arera car park, at 1,600 metres above Plassa in Zambla Alta, reachable by car in summer and when free of snow with a €4 ticket bought in Plassa before the climb. From there you walk up CAI trail 221, which climbs the meadows, or the farm track, longer but gentler, which reaches Pian Cansaccio. The regional portal gives one hour and 400 metres of ascent, Luca Gherardi 1 h 15 and 370 metres, Wikipedia 45 minutes. Without a car, or in winter when the upper road cannot be used, you start from Plassa, near the Camping Arera, at about 1,150 metres. For trail 221 the CAI gives about 3.6 kilometres and 900 metres of ascent, with 1 h 10 up, while the regional portal allows 1 h 50 from Zambla Alta. In winter the 221 follows the road that climbs across the hillside for about 4 kilometres to the start of the old ski lifts, then the spur above the Val Vedra up to the hut. From the Colle di Zambla you arrive on CAI trail 238 via the Santella, the Cascine Sinelli, the Baita di Monte di Zambla and the Baita Camplano (1,830 m), then trail 237 to the Baita Zuccone and a marked but unnumbered path to the hut: about 3 hours according to the CAI. From the Seriana valley you climb from Valcanale di Ardesio on trails 220 and 218, via the Alpe Corte hut and Lake Branchino; from Roncobello you leave the car at the Baite di Mezzeno and climb trail 219 to Passo Branchino, then follow the Sentiero dei Fiori. L'Eco di Bergamo also mentions routes from Gorno across the Grem and the Camplano huts. #### When it is open and how to book The 2026 calendar published on the Rifugi di Lombardia portal marks as open the Saturdays and Sundays of May, 1 and 2 June, the weekend of 6 and 7 June and then every day from 12 June to 7 September; from October to April it shows no dates. The same portal warns that the dates are indicative and that at the start and end of the season opening should be checked by phone. Other sources widen the picture. For Wikipedia the hut is open continuously from mid-June to mid-September and on weekends and public holidays between May and June and between October and November. In June 2025 the mayor, Ferruccio Ghilardi, told L'Eco di Bergamo that it opens at weekends all year round and every day from 15 June until the end of September or into October, depending on the weather. Bookings by phone, at the hut on 0345 95096 or on the mobile 339 6986367, or by email to rif.capanna2000@virgilio.it. The regional portal gives half board between €48 and €60 without stating the year: ask for confirmation when booking. From the regional page you can also view the hut's webcam, useful for checking the weather and snow before setting off. #### Beds, Starbox cabins and services The regional register gives 25 beds, 80 seats for lunch and 30 at the outdoor tables; Wikipedia reports 30 beds and 70 seats, OpenStreetMap a capacity of 30. Next to the building the Rizzi family also runs two Starbox, wooden cabins 3 metres by 3 that L'Eco di Bergamo describes as minimalist lodgings for sleeping at altitude under the stars. The services declared on the regional portal include those listed below. The hut can only be reached on foot; its national identification code (CIN) is IT016146B8EYN32OC8. - Shower with hot water and electric light - Duvets and sleeping-bag liners for sale - Menu for food intolerances and local products - Selection of bottled wines - Children's games and pets allowed - Disabled access declared - Payment by debit card #### The history of the hut and the announced works The Capanna 2000 began as an outpost of the Alpe Arera ski lifts; when they were closed, in 1996, the hut changed role and became the base for hiking on the south side of the Arera. It is owned by the municipality of Oltre il Colle, as Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap and the mayor in L'Eco di Bergamo state; the CAI Bergamo geoportal, on the other hand, lists it as privately owned. In June 2025 the municipality announced works worth about €200,000, €181,000 from a Lombardy Region grant and €20,000 of municipal funds, to renovate the kitchen, bathrooms, some of the rooms and the bedrooms without changing the character of the building. The works were planned for after summer 2025, with closure periods to be agreed with the manager: we found no news of their completion, one more reason to phone before going up out of season. #### What to do from the hut From the Capanna 2000 start the normal route up the Pizzo Arera, which the regional portal gives as 1 h 20 for 543 metres, the Sentiero dei Fiori, the botanical loop of about 3 hours to Passo Branchino, and the circuit of the Pizzo Arera on trail 244, 5 hours and EE according to the hut. The portal also lists the ascents of the Corna Piana, Cima di Valmora, Cima di Grem, Monte Vetro and Cima di Menna and the excursion to the Laghi Gemelli; Wikipedia adds the Valmora-Fop-Secco ridge traverse, graded F. Prima Bergamo notes that the hut can also be reached by mountain bike from Zambla Alta. The Edo Sport hire shop in Zambla Alta, however, does not allow its rental e-bikes to be ridden up the Arera. #### The Capanna 2000 in winter In winter the road to 1,600 metres is not used: VisitBrembo says that in the winter months you drive only as far as Plassa, and from there you climb trail 221 with about 900 metres of ascent, on snowshoes when there is snow. This is the snowshoe walk described in its own page. The regional calendar shows no winter openings, while in 2025 the mayor spoke of weekends all year round: ask the hut before setting off. - Phone before going up in May, in September and in autumn: the calendar is indicative and the sources on opening times do not agree. - To sleep on July and August weekends book well ahead: there are 25 beds. - Buy the parking ticket in Plassa before driving up: without a ticket you cannot park at 1,600 metres. - With small children the farm track is the easiest choice: it is longer than trail 221 but less steep. - Before setting off check the hut's webcam, linked from the regional portal page. - D: How do you get to the Capanna 2000 hut? R: The shortest way starts from the Alpe Arera car park, at 1,600 metres above Plassa in Zambla Alta: about an hour on CAI trail 221 or on the farm track, for about 400 metres of ascent. Without a car you start from Plassa, 1 h 50 and 900 metres according to the regional portal. From the Seriana valley you climb from Valcanale, and from Roncobello via the Baite di Mezzeno, in about 3 hours. - D: When is the Capanna 2000 hut open? R: The 2026 calendar on the Rifugi di Lombardia portal shows the May weekends, 1-2 and 6-7 June and every day from 12 June to 7 September, with dates stated to be indicative. Wikipedia adds weekends and holidays in October and November, and in 2025 the mayor spoke of weekends all year round: outside summer phone 0345 95096. - D: How do you book at the Capanna 2000 hut? R: By phone at the hut, 0345 95096, or on the mobile 339 6986367, or by email to rif.capanna2000@virgilio.it. The regional portal gives half board between €48 and €60, with no year given: confirm the price when booking. - D: How many beds does the Capanna 2000 have? R: 25 beds according to the regional hut register, which also counts 80 seats for lunch and 30 at the outdoor tables; Wikipedia gives 30. Next to the hut there are two Starbox, small wooden cabins 3 metres by 3 for sleeping at altitude. - D: Can you drive to the Capanna 2000? R: No: the hut can only be reached on foot. By car you reach the Alpe Arera car park, at 1,600 metres, in summer and when free of snow, with a €4 ticket bought in Plassa; from there it is about an hour's walk. Prima Bergamo notes that it can also be reached by mountain bike from Zambla Alta. - D: Is the walk to the Capanna 2000 suitable for children? R: The regional portal presents the hut as suitable for families with children and Luca Gherardi rates the farm track from the upper car park as a family route. It is about 400 metres of ascent and an hour's walk: fine with children used to walking. - D: Who owns and runs the hut? R: It is owned by the municipality of Oltre il Colle and run by the Rizzi family, with Attilio Rizzi named as manager by the regional portal. In 2025 the municipality obtained €181,000 from the Lombardy Region, plus €20,000 of its own funds, to renovate the kitchen, bathrooms, rooms and bedrooms. Sources: https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/mc/mc_p_dettaglio.php?id_pubbl=4696, https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/mc/mc_p_dettaglio.php?id_pubbl=4431, https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/mc/mc_p_dettaglio.php?id_pubbl=4468, https://www.rifugi.lombardia.it/bergamo/oltre-il-colle/rifugio-capanna-2000.html, https://www.ecodibergamo.it/stories/premium/valle-brembana/capanna-2000-dopo-lestate-restyling-del-rifugio-200mila-euro-o_3124175_11/, https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rifugio_Capanna_2000, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3935430, https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/145894471, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/rifugi-bivacchi/rifugio-capanna-2000, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/221, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/238, https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/po/mostra_news.php?id=302&area=H, https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/zf/index.php/itinerari/index/dettaglio-itinerario/itinerario/3, https://www.visitbrembo.it/en/item/refuge-hut-2000/, https://lucagherardi.com/rifugio-capanna-2000/, https://primabergamo.it/rubriche/viva-berghem/tutte-le-strade-portano-al-pizzo-arera/, https://edosport.it/pages/noleggio ### Cima di Menna (2,300 m) from Zorzone — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/things-to-do/monte-menna Summit, Zorzone. Cima di Menna, 2,300 m, from Zorzone on CAI trail 234: 1,250 m and 4 hours up through Val Carnera and the MAGA bivouac, with no water along the way. Figures: CAI grade E, 1250 m, Highest point 2300 m, 12 km, 4 hours up, Waymarks CAI 234. Best period: April to October according to the CAI, with no snow on the ridge. GPS tracks: Sentiero CAI 234: Zorzone – Bivacco MAGA – Monte Menna — https://www.caibergamo.it/sites/default/files/cai/GPX/Sentiero234.gpx (CAI Bergamo, geoportale, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/234, 4.8 km, 1250 m D+) GPS tracks: Cima di Menna da Zorzone per il sentiero 234 — https://www.gulliver.it/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/activity_7639096215.gpx (Gulliver.it, https://www.gulliver.it/itinerari/menna-cima-di-da-zorzone-per-il-sentiero-n234/, 1300 m D+) GPS tracks: Cima di Menna da Zorzone — https://lucagherardi.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Menna-da-Zorzone.gpx (Luca Gherardi, https://lucagherardi.com/cima-di-menna-da-zorzone/, 12 km, 1300 m D+) GPS tracks: Sentiero CAI 235: Costa (Roncobello) – Cima di Menna — https://www.caibergamo.it/sites/default/files/cai/GPX/Sentiero235.gpx (CAI Bergamo, geoportale, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/235, 4.7 km, 1300 m D+) The Cima di Menna, also called Monte Menna, is the mountain that closes the Oltre il Colle basin to the north, above Zorzone: 2,300 metres for Wikipedia and Wikidata, 2,299 in the CAI description. It belongs to a small massif with the Cima di Pizzo and looks over the Brembana valley on one side and the Arera on the other. It is the M of MAGA, the acronym of the four peaks of the basin, Menna, Arera, Grem and Alben, which gives its name to the Zorzone group that runs the bivouac and to the skymarathon. The classic route from Oltre il Colle is CAI trail 234 from Zorzone, 1,019 metres: it climbs Val Carnera through the woods, passes the Cascina Mattuida, 1,470 metres, and over thin meadows reaches the MAGA bivouac, the Rifugio Palazzi, at 2,005 metres on Passo di Menna; from there a ridge leads to the summit. The CAI gives 4.8 kilometres, about 1,250 metres of ascent, 4 hours up and 2 h 15 down, grade E. It is a long, dry outing: Gulliver and Luca Gherardi report that there is no water along the route. The CAI's grade E applies to trail 234, but the final ridge has steep, exposed sections, and the CAI itself grades EE the stretch of ridge that comes up from the Roncobello side. A Second World War story hangs over the mountain: on the night of 4 October 1944 an American B-24 bomber, the Lady Irene, crashed just below the ridge, at a place called Pezzadello, with thirteen people on board. A cross marks the spot and a memorial in Zorzone keeps remains of the aircraft. #### The route step by step From Zorzone you climb north through the woods, on the left bank of Val Carnera, the valley between the slope of Monte Aral and the Chignol d'Aral. Diska describes the start along via Piani Bracca and via Monte Menna, then the path that leaves the road on the left, climbs through the woods and crosses a dirt track. At about 1,200 metres, next to a stony gully, the 234 splits: the direct route climbs to the right of the gully, the panoramic route continues on the track and is a quarter of an hour longer; higher up the two paths rejoin. The direct route climbs Val Carnera steeply, crosses an open gully, passes to the other side of the valley at about 1,300 metres and reaches the Cascina Mattuida, 1,470 metres, with a large centuries-old beech beside it. A short flight of steps between the two buildings puts you back on the path, faint at first, which climbs north over thin meadows. Higher up the trail runs close to the two cables of a goods ropeway, and a sign warns to watch out for suspended loads. A last steep ramp, with the metal cross near the hut already in view, brings you to Passo di Menna. From the bivouac, at 2,005 metres, the CAI has you turn right, east, up the spur to 2,150 metres, then north along the ridge to the summit cross; Gulliver speaks of a faint path, Gherardi of very steep and exposed points in the last stretch. From the bivouac to the summit takes about an hour. The descent is by the same route, or from the Cascina Mattuida you can take the panoramic route, which at a junction also lets you pass through the Piani Bracca. #### Getting to Zorzone and where to park Zorzone is the hamlet of Oltre il Colle at about 1,016-1,019 metres. From the main village, at kilometre 37 of the SP27, take the road beside the petrol station that descends to the bridge over the Parina stream, at about 850 metres, and climbs the other side. The CAI recommends parking in via Colombi; Diska describes a large car park at 1,020 metres reached via via Giorgi, Gulliver a small lay-by at the hairpin on via Menna. From Bergamo you arrive through the Brembana valley, Zogno and Val Serina, or from the Seriana valley via Ponte Nossa and the Colle di Zambla, then dropping down to Oltre il Colle. When the SP27 is closed, as happened from 28 August to 1 October 2026 because of the landslide at Rosolo di Algua, traffic from the Brembana side goes via Costa Serina. #### The MAGA bivouac and the Rifugio Palazzi At Passo di Menna there is one building with two functions. The Rifugio Palazzi, which the CAI calls Bivacco Palazzi Gerolamo, is usually closed and opens at the request of the members of the M.A.G.A. group of Zorzone, which runs it; Gulliver says that booking and keys go through the Gruppo Quattro Cime M.A.G.A. The bivouac, a room on the upper floor, is always open: reports describe a fireplace, a table, benches and a few camp beds for emergencies, from two to five depending on who visited; Diska found no blankets. The elevations do not agree: the CAI trail pages give 2,005 metres for both the bivouac and Passo del Menna, the bivouac page 2,095, OpenStreetMap 1,995 for the pass. On the first Sunday of August the Sagra del Monte Menna, the mountain festival, is held up there. #### The B-24 Lady Irene: the night of 4 October 1944 On 4 October 1944, at 6.45 pm, a B-24 Liberator took off from Brindisi on a secret mission: it carried supplies for the partisans and three Italian agents of the OSS, the American secret service, to be parachuted into the Bergamo area. La Voce delle Valli places the drop zone near Lake Endine; the American report studied by the researcher Giulio Borlini, quoted by L'Italo-Americano, gives the hills of San Fermo near Lake Iseo. With low cloud and strong wind the commander, Charles Robert Sloan, called off the drop. Shortly afterwards the aircraft crashed below the ridge of the Menna, at about 2,250 metres, at Pezzadello. The ten American airmen, aged between 20 and 29, and the three Italian agents died; only one of the agents has been identified. At dawn the next day the first miners and villagers climbed to the site. The bodies were buried up there and remained until after the war, until early 1950 according to La Voce delle Valli, when the United States moved them to a common grave at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis. The salvaged metal sheets were turned into pots, lids and buckets in the village. The causes were never clarified: bad weather, in the simplest hypothesis, or anti-aircraft damage, according to some witnesses who saw the aircraft already in flames. At the crash site stands a wooden cross made by the Trappist monks of New Melleray Abbey in Iowa; since 2016, in a wing of the Museo dei Minerali in Zorzone, a memorial born from the research of Massimo Maurizio displays remains of the aircraft and the utensils made from its sheets. #### From Roncobello: CAI trail 235 From the Brembana side you climb from Costa di Roncobello, 1,025 metres, on trail 235: woods, the Corna Buca, a vast cave at 1,292 metres, the clearing of the Baita dello Zoppo or Baita di Baresi, 1,383 metres, then the steep gully called «Il vallone» up to Passo del Menna and the ridge eastwards to the summit. The CAI gives 4.7 kilometres, about 1,300 metres of ascent, 4 hours up and 2 h 15 down, grade EE for the ridge section, season May to October and parking at Costa, in via Ronchetto. With two cars, going up one side and down the other turns the outing into a traverse. #### What you can see from the summit Luca Gherardi describes to the north the upper Brembana valley with the Pizzo dei Tre Signori, the area of the Rifugio Benigni and the Ponteranica lakes, Passo San Marco and in the distance the Valtellina peaks; on the other side stand out the outlines of the Pizzo Arera and the Corna Piana. The regional hut portal, on the Capanna 2000 page, links to a sunrise time-lapse filmed from the Cima di Menna itself. #### When to go and how to prepare The CAI gives the 234 from April to October and the 235 from May to October, with boots and high-mountain clothing; Gulliver gives the route a southern aspect. With no water on the way up, in summer it is worth starting early and carrying plenty. In a thunderstorm the shelter to keep in mind is the always-open bivouac at Passo di Menna. For a short outing Luca Gherardi suggests going up by the panoramic route and stopping at the Cascina Mattuida, at 1,470 metres, without continuing to the pass. - Set off with all your water: there are no springs along trail 234. - Do not linger under the ropeway cables: a sign warns to watch out for suspended loads. - If the weather turns, the bivouac at Passo di Menna is always open: it is the highest shelter on the way up. - Take the final ridge slowly, especially on the way down: it is the steepest and most exposed part of the outing. - Poles help on the long descent of Val Carnera, stony in places. - Back in the village, the Lady Irene memorial in the Museo dei Minerali in Zorzone tells the story of the crash on the mountain you have just climbed. - D: How demanding is the climb to the Cima di Menna from Zorzone? R: The CAI grades trail 234 E, but the figures call for fitness: about 1,250 metres of ascent, 4.8 kilometres, 4 hours up and 2 h 15 down. The final ridge above the bivouac has steep, exposed sections and there is no water along the route. - D: How long does it take to reach the MAGA bivouac? R: About 2 h 30 from Zorzone according to Gulliver and Diska, on the direct route up Val Carnera; the panoramic route takes a quarter of an hour longer. From the bivouac to the summit of the Cima di Menna it then takes about an hour. - D: Is the MAGA bivouac always open? R: The bivouac room, on the upper floor, is always open and has a fireplace, a table, benches and a few camp beds for emergencies, without blankets. The Rifugio Palazzi, in the same building, is usually closed and opens at the request of the members of the M.A.G.A. group of Zorzone. - D: Where do you park in Zorzone for the Cima di Menna? R: The CAI recommends via Colombi in Zorzone. Other reports mention a large car park at 1,020 metres reached via via Giorgi and a small lay-by at the hairpin on via Menna. Zorzone is reached from the main village by the road beside the petrol station on the SP27. - D: Is there water along the path to the Cima di Menna? R: No. Gulliver and Luca Gherardi report that there are no springs along the route: you must leave Zorzone with water for the whole day; the CAI allows 4 hours up and 2 h 15 down. - D: What happened to the B-24 that crashed on Monte Menna? R: On the night of 4 October 1944 the B-24 Liberator Lady Irene, which had taken off from Brindisi on a supply mission for the partisans, crashed just below the ridge, at about 2,250 metres at Pezzadello: ten American airmen and three Italian OSS agents died. A wooden cross marks the spot and since 2016 a memorial in Zorzone has kept its remains. - D: Can you climb the Cima di Menna from Roncobello? R: Yes, on CAI trail 235 from Costa di Roncobello via the Corna Buca, the Baita dello Zoppo and the Vallone gully to Passo del Menna: 4.7 kilometres, about 1,300 metres of ascent, 4 hours up, grade EE for the ridge section. - D: What does MAGA mean? R: It is the acronym of the four peaks around the Oltre il Colle basin: Menna, Arera, Grem and Alben. The Zorzone group that runs the bivouac at Passo di Menna bears the name, and so does the Maga Skymarathon, the mountain race that touches all four summits. Sources: https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/234, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/235, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/rifugi-bivacchi/bivacco-maga, https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cima_di_Menna, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3676824, https://www.openstreetmap.org/node/492484259, https://www.gulliver.it/itinerari/menna-cima-di-da-zorzone-per-il-sentiero-n234/, https://lucagherardi.com/cima-di-menna-da-zorzone/, https://www.diska.it/rifpalazzi.asp, https://www.lavocedellevalli.it/rubriche/i-tesori-nascosti-la-tragica-vicenda-dellaereo-lady-irene-ed-il-suo-schianto-sul-monte-menna/, https://italoamericano.org/oltre-il-colle-ww2/, https://www.oltreilcolleturismo.it/esperienze/, https://www.magaskymarathon.it/, https://valbrembanaweb.com/val-serina-versante-in-sicurezza-riapre-dopo-un-mese-la-provinciale/, https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=45.90453&mlon=9.77311#map=17/45.90453/9.77311 ### Lake Branchino from Valcanale and Zorzone — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/things-to-do/lago-branchino Hike. Lake Branchino, 1,784 m, below Passo Branchino: 2 h 30 and 750 m from Valcanale via the Alpe Corte hut, or 3 hours from Zorzone up the Val Vedra. Figures: CAI grade E, 750 m, Highest point 1821 m, 10 km, 2 h 30 from Valcanale, Waymarks CAI 220 and 218 from Valcanale; CAI 231 from Zorzone. Best period: When free of snow: April to October for trails 218 and 231, May to October for the 220 according to the CAI. GPS tracks: Rifugio Alpe Corte e lago Branchino da Valcanale — https://lucagherardi.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/rif.-alpe-corte-e-lago-branchino.gpx (Luca Gherardi, https://lucagherardi.com/rifugio-alpe-corte-lago-branchino/, 10 km, 750 m D+) GPS tracks: Sentiero CAI 218: Rifugio Alpe Corte – Lago Branchino – Baita GAN — https://www.caibergamo.it/sites/default/files/cai/GPX/Sentiero218.gpx (CAI Bergamo, geoportale, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/218, 8 km, 750 m D+) GPS tracks: Sentiero CAI 231: Zorzone – Passo Branchino — https://www.caibergamo.it/sites/default/files/cai/GPX/Sentiero231.gpx (CAI Bergamo, geoportale, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/231, 7.6 km, 850 m D+) GPS tracks: Sentiero CAI 222: Rifugio Capanna 2000 – Passo Branchino — https://www.caibergamo.it/sites/default/files/cai/GPX/Sentiero222.gpx (CAI Bergamo, geoportale, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/222, 3.8 km, 100 m D+) Lake Branchino is one of the few lakes in the Orobie with a catchment of limestone rock: a small oval sheet of water about 130 metres by 60, at most 2 metres deep, at 1,784 metres according to the Province of Bergamo's study of alpine lakes and at 1,787 for the CAI and OpenStreetMap. It lies between the Corno Branchino and the Corna Piana, a few minutes below Passo Branchino, the grassy 1,821-metre pass between the Valcanale and the Oltre il Colle basin. The sources disagree on which municipality it belongs to: the provincial study assigns it to Ardesio, Wikipedia places it on the boundary between Ardesio and Oltre il Colle, and the municipal boundaries in OpenStreetMap include it in Oltre il Colle. What is certain is that the pass is a crossroads of trails: the 218 from the Valcanale, the 219 from Roncobello, the 222 from the Capanna 2000 and the 231 from Zorzone. The best-known ascent starts from Valcanale di Ardesio, in the Seriana valley: trail 220 to the Alpe Corte hut, then the 218 across the pastures of the Alpe Neel to the Rifugio Lago Branchino and the lake. Luca Gherardi gives 750 metres of ascent, 2 h 30 up and 10 kilometres in all; the CAI grades the trails E. From the Oltre il Colle side you arrive on trail 231 from Zorzone up the Val Vedra, in 3 hours and 850 metres according to the CAI. It is not a lake whose water vanishes into the limestone, as you sometimes read: the provincial study describes a spring on the shore opposite the outlet, the only visible inflow, and an outflow, a stream that starts on a steep, rough course. The catchment that feeds it is small, about 13 hectares of the Alpe Nevel pastures, and in winter the lake freezes. #### From Valcanale: the route step by step You leave the car in the pay car parks near the small lake at Valcanale, at Babes; Luca Gherardi notes that early arrivals find a few spaces right at the start of the path. You set off by a wooden panel with a map and climb through the woods on a dirt and partly concrete track: after about 40 minutes a junction offers the direct path to the lake on the left and the Alpe Corte hut on the right, reached in a few minutes. From the Alpe Corte, 1,410 metres, trail 218 crosses the stream and climbs the opposite side, follows a forest road to the junction with the 266 and the lower and middle Neel huts, at 1,565 and 1,614 metres, then climbs the Alpe Neel pastures to the Rifugio Lago Branchino and the lake, with the pass a little beyond. Gherardi allows 1 h 20 to the Alpe Corte and 2 h 30 to the lake. For the return Gherardi suggests a loop: from the hut you descend to one of the junctions passed on the way up and turn right towards the GAN Nembro hut, on CAI trail 266, then descend along the old ski runs, among the ruins of the lifts, passing the abandoned Albergo Sempreneve, back to the car park. #### From Oltre il Colle: from Zorzone up the Val Vedra (CAI 231) Trail 231 starts from Zorzone, 1,019 metres, where the CAI recommends parking in via Giorgi, and follows a mule track across the hillside eastwards to the Val Vedra. It climbs the valley at a moderate gradient to Pian Bracca, 1,111 metres, now the most common starting point because it can be reached by car from Zorzone; keeping near the valley floor it passes the Baita Pessel, 1,209 metres, the pastures and the Casera di Vedro, 1,672 metres, then Passo di Val Vedra, 1,848 metres, and finally Passo Branchino. For the CAI it is about 7.6 kilometres, 850 metres up and 50 down, 3 hours out and 2 h 10 back, grade E, south-facing, season April to October, with boots and high-mountain clothing. At Passo Branchino the 231 meets the 222 to the Capanna 2000, the 218 to the Alpe Corte and the 219 to the Baite di Mezzeno: for a long round you can return via the Capanna 2000 and descend to Plassa on the 221, arranging transport back to Zorzone. #### The lake: what the Province's study says The Province of Bergamo's study on the ecology of alpine lakes, produced in 2003 by its wildlife and environment service, has a page on Lake Branchino: a natural lake at the head of the Val Canale, oval in shape, with an area of 0.65 hectares, 130 metres long and 60 wide, at most 2 metres deep. On the right it is bordered by alders, elsewhere by alpine grassland; the catchment, 13.1 hectares, includes the pastures of the Alpe Nevel. The analyses of 2 October 2001 recorded water at 9.4 degrees, moderately alkaline, with the highest phosphorus concentration of all the lakes examined and high alkalinity and conductivity, an effect of the limestone catchment. Its modest depth, the study concludes, makes it unsuitable for a stable population of salmonids; the common minnow may be present, though it was not observed during the survey. #### Huts and support points The Rifugio Alpe Corte, 1,410 metres, belongs to CAI Bergamo: 24 beds and 80 seats inside, telephone 0346 35090 or 348 5253268, email alpecorte@caibergamo.it. The CAI's 2026 calendar gives weekend opening from 10 April, from 30 April to 3 May, every day from 29 May to 13 September and, from 1 October, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. It began in 1948 in a building of the De Angeli-Frua company rented by the section, was bought by the CAI in 1970 and since 2007 has been a barrier-free hut, accessible to people with disabilities. The Rifugio Lago Branchino, at about 1,787 metres and a few metres from the lake, was built on the ruins of the Baita Neel Alta by the A.R.D.E.S. association; Wikipedia gives it 8 places. From the hut the lake is hidden by a knoll, while the view takes in the Valcanale and the Presolana. For the 2026 season its blog gave it as open on Saturdays and Sundays in September and October. Lower down, the Baita Neel Bassa is lent to groups and families, with twelve beds according to Diska. On the Oltre il Colle side the reference point is the Capanna 2000, 1 h 30 from the pass on trail 222. #### The Butterfly Trail and traverses The Orobie Bergamasche Park calls the Butterfly Trail the combination of the approaches to Passo Branchino from Valcanale and from Mezzeno, suited to watching butterflies thanks to the meadows and pastures they cross; from the pass the Sentiero dei Fiori sets off towards the Bocchetta di Corna Piana and the Capanna 2000. With two cars you can plan traverses between the Seriana, Brembana and Serina valleys, for example from Zorzone to Passo Branchino and down to Valcanale. From Roncobello trail 219, called the Butterfly Trail, climbs from the Baite di Mezzeno to the pass in 50 minutes and 240 metres; the CAI page notes that the Capovalle-Mezzeno municipal road is a toll road, with a daily rate of €3 in April 2025, and that the meter gives no change. #### When to go The CAI gives April to October for the 218 and 231 and May to October for the 220 and 219, always without snow. Those combining the lake with the Sentiero dei Fiori find the best flowering in July, according to the Park. In winter the lake freezes and snow ascents must be assessed against the avalanche bulletin: they are a different outing. - The Valcanale car park is paid: the daily ticket is sold in the village shops or at the meters, which according to Gherardi also take cards. - From the lake walk the few minutes up to Passo Branchino: from there you see the lake from above and the Oltre il Colle side opens up. - If you are counting on a hut, check the calendars: in autumn the Alpe Corte opens Friday to Sunday, the Rifugio Lago Branchino on Saturdays and Sundays. - With two cars the traverse from Zorzone to Valcanale, or the reverse, avoids retracing your steps. - On the way back to Valcanale, the loop via the GAN Nembro hut and the old ski runs is an alternative to the route up. - D: How long is the walk to Lake Branchino from Valcanale? R: About 2 h 30 according to Luca Gherardi, for 750 metres of ascent and 10 kilometres in all there and back: 1 h 20 to the Alpe Corte hut on trail 220, then the 218 across the Alpe Neel pastures. The CAI grades the trails E. - D: Can you reach Lake Branchino from Oltre il Colle? R: Yes, in two ways. From Zorzone on CAI trail 231 up the Val Vedra: 7.6 kilometres, 850 metres of ascent, 3 hours out. Or from the Capanna 2000 on trail 222, 1 h 15 according to the CAI, after the hour's walk up from the Alpe Arera car park. - D: Is Lake Branchino suitable for children? R: As far as the Alpe Corte hut Luca Gherardi describes an easy route, suitable for families with small children too. To the lake the ascent grows to about 750 metres and Gherardi calls it moderate: fine with children already used to mountain walks. - D: Where do you park at Valcanale for Lake Branchino? R: In the pay car parks near the small lake at Valcanale, at Babes, at about 1,050 metres. The daily ticket is sold in the village shops or at the meters; early arrivals also find a few spaces at the start of the path. - D: How big and how deep is Lake Branchino? R: According to the Province of Bergamo's study of alpine lakes it is about 130 metres long and 60 wide, with an area of 0.65 hectares and a maximum depth of 2 metres. Its catchment, 13.1 hectares, includes the pastures of the Alpe Nevel. - D: Does Lake Branchino have an outlet? R: Yes. The provincial study describes a spring on the shore opposite the outlet, the only visible inflow, and an outflow, a small stream that drops steeply towards the Valcanale and feeds the Acqualina torrent. - D: Are there huts near Lake Branchino? R: Yes: the Rifugio Lago Branchino, a few metres from the lake, open in 2026 on Saturdays and Sundays in September and October; the CAI's Alpe Corte hut, at 1,410 metres on the way up from Valcanale; and on the Oltre il Colle side the Capanna 2000, 1 h 30 from the pass. - D: Which municipality is Lake Branchino in? R: The sources do not agree: the Province of Bergamo's study assigns it to Ardesio, Wikipedia places it on the boundary between Ardesio and Oltre il Colle, and the OpenStreetMap boundaries include it in Oltre il Colle. Passo Branchino, just above, is the pass between the Valcanale and the Oltre il Colle basin. Sources: https://web.archive.org/web/20180509013036/http://www.provincia.bergamo.it/provpordocs/Laghi%20Alpini%281%29.pdf, https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lago_Branchino, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/218, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/220, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/231, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/219, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/222, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/rifugi-bivacchi/rifugio-alpe-corte, https://lucagherardi.com/rifugio-alpe-corte-lago-branchino/, https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rifugio_Lago_Branchino, https://www.diska.it/rifbranchino.asp, https://www.diska.it/rifneel.asp, http://rifugiobranchino.blogspot.com/, https://www.parks.it/parco.orobie.bergamasche/iti_dettaglio.php?id_iti=6562, https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=45.94977&mlon=9.80274#map=14/45.9490/9.8250 ### Cross-country skiing at the Colle di Zambla — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/things-to-do/sci-di-fondo-zambla Winter, Zambla Alta. Cross-country skiing at the Colle di Zambla: 16 km of tracks below the north face of the Alben, 1,290–1,420 m, classic and skating, with a floodlit section. Figures: Highest point 1420 m, 16 km. Best period: In winter, only when the track has snow and has been groomed: natural snow with artificial snow on part of the course. The cross-country centre at the Colle di Zambla is the reason the Oltre il Colle basin stays busy in winter. The tracks start less than 150 metres from the pass, near the Centro Sportivo Valle, and run west through the woods below the north face of Monte Alben, to Pian della Palla, the Conca dell'Alben and towards Valpiana: 16 kilometres according to the Sci Club Valserina, VisitBrembo and the Pro Loco, 13 according to the Scuola Sci Oltre il Colle. The track crosses land owned by the municipalities of Oltre il Colle and Serina and private property, and the two municipalities have entrusted its management to the Sci Club Valserina under an agreement. You ski classic and skating; the first section, from Zambla Alta to the Crocetta, is floodlit for night skiing. The start is at about 1,290 metres and the highest point, on the Costa de la Spada, at about 1,420. It is a low-altitude centre that relies on natural snow, with partial artificial snow according to the ski school. Thanks to the north-facing position, the Sci Club writes, when it snows you can ski until late spring; because of the low altitude, however, Waterwind notes that snow conditions are not always the best. In the 2025-26 season the track was open: on 21 February 2026 Waterwind skied the whole black run. For downhill skiing the basin is no longer a resort: the Alpe Arera lifts were closed in 1996. What remains are the beginners' slopes at the Conca dell'Alben and on the Costa Nebel in Zambla Alta, where the instructors of the ski school work. #### The tracks: lengths, colours and technique On its website, in the version archived in 2022, the Sci Club Valserina lists three tracks: the «Gioba e Adolfo Maurizio», blue, 5 kilometres of intermediate difficulty; the «Celeste Maurizio», purple, 7.5 kilometres, intermediate; the «Maplus», green, 13 kilometres, intermediate to difficult. Skiers' reports use the classic colours: Waterwind describes an almost flat, compulsory opening blue track about 6 kilometres long to Pian della Palla, a one-way black run that after about 2 kilometres climbs left towards the Conca dell'Alben and a red track beyond Pian della Palla, towards the Bottiglione and the upper Baita Mussa. The black run is what made the centre's name: climbs, steep descents and 180-degree hairpins, with very little protection. Waterwind, which skied all of it on 21 February 2026, calls it a true black, to be tackled only if fit and with adequate technique. From the Conca dell'Alben you descend to Pian della Palla and can continue towards the Pian della Mussa and the Costa de la Spada, the highest point of the track, at 1,420 metres. All the courses are prepared for both classic and skating. The names of the tracks recall local skiers remembered in the Sci Club's history: Gerolamo «Gioba» Maurizio, called up to the national team in 1929, Adolfo Maurizio and Celeste Maurizio. #### Getting there and where to park The Colle di Zambla is reached from the Seriana valley, leaving the SS 671 at Ponte Nossa and climbing through Val del Riso on the SP46, or from the Brembana valley, on the SS 470 to the entrance of Val Serina and then the SP27 via Serina and Oltre il Colle. Waterwind gives 50 minutes from Bergamo and 1 h 40 from Milan on the Seriana side, about twenty minutes more on the Brembana side. When the SP27 is closed, as happened from 28 August to 1 October 2026 because of the landslide at Rosolo di Algua, traffic from the Brembana side goes via Costa Serina. You park at the pass or drive up via al Colle, southwards, following the signs for the cross-country track and the adventure park, to the spaces of the Centro Sportivo Valle near the flat starting area, which fill up first at weekends. There are less than 150 metres between the pass and the start. The second access is Pian della Palla, where the road from Oltre il Colle arrives: in 2021 Waterwind reported an underpass there, another centre with ski hire, changing rooms and toilets and a refreshment point. #### How to find out whether the track is open Grooming depends on the snow. The Sci Club Valserina publishes the state of the tracks in the «Situazione piste» section of its website, sciclubvalserina.it, which could not be reached on 1 October 2026. Alternatively you can call the Scuola Sci Oltre il Colle on 350 1230498, which works on the tracks, or the Edo Sport hire shop in Zambla Alta on 0345 95285. Waterwind notes that because of its low altitude Zambla does not always have the best snow, but that when the snow is there it is one of the most technical and enjoyable tracks it has tried: it is worth going up as soon as it is groomed. #### Track rules: tickets, hours and bans The rules published by the Sci Club in 2019 provide for a ticket paid at the entrance to the staff, or a personal season pass with a passport photo; children up to their tenth birthday ski free. The hours given were 8 am to 5 pm, with a ban on entering the track between sunset and dawn: to ski in the evening on the floodlit section you therefore need to ask the Club whether and when evening opening is planned. We found no prices for the 2026-27 season: on 1 October 2026 the Sci Club website could not be reached. The track is reserved for cross-country skiing. On two-way sections keep to the right and on steep sections do not stop in groups; group lessons are allowed only at the Colle di Zambla start, Pian della Palla, the Mussa, the Conca dell'Alben and the Coregn de l'acqua. The rules provided for fines of €50 for those who break them. - No entry on foot or on snowshoes - No entry with animals - No ski-touring or downhill skis - No sledges or bobsleighs - No motor vehicles, except for grooming and rescue #### Ski hire, school and services Edo Sport, at via Prealpina 892 in Zambla Alta, about 200 metres from the Colle, hires complete cross-country ski sets for adults and juniors, as well as downhill skis, snowboards, snowshoes and bobs, without booking while stocks last and also for the whole season; its website gives opening hours of 9-12.30 and 14.30-19, Sundays included. The Scuola Sci Oltre il Colle, founded in 1981, has 11 instructors, all registered with the Lombardy regional college of ski instructors; it is a member of AMSI and ISIA and teaches cross-country skiing, downhill skiing and Nordic walking, with instructors specialised in teaching pupils with disabilities; the director is Carolina Tiraboschi. At the start there are the changing rooms of the Centro Sportivo Valle and at the pass bars and restaurants, including Al Trapper. #### A story of skiers: skiing in Oltre il Colle since 1916 According to the history of the Sci Club Valserina written by Paolo Maurizio in 2015, the Sci Club Oltre il Colle was founded in 1916 and is documented from 1925, with the engineer Lecchi, director of the mines, as president. In 1931 Oltre il Colle hosted the Lombardy championships in ski jumping, cross-country and slalom; the jumps were built each time, and the structures of the last one, at Vandullo, can still be seen. The club was refounded in 1965 and in 1987 merged with the other clubs of the valley into the Sci Club Valserina-Oltre il Colle, called Sci Club Valserina since 1990. In 1994 the club persuaded the municipalities of Oltre il Colle and Serina to build the Alben cross-country facility, funded by the Lombardy Region, and ran it from the 1995-96 season until 2002; from 2011 it ran it again, under an agreement signed on 10 September that year for seven years, and in 2022 the club website was still publishing tracks and prices. According to the club, Val Serina has given Italy eight Olympic athletes in cross-country skiing and biathlon. The best known is Pieralberto Carrara, from Serina and brought up in the Sci Club Oltre il Colle, silver medallist in the 20-kilometre individual biathlon at the 1998 Nagano Games. #### Downhill, snowshoeing and ski touring nearby Downhill skiing in Zambla today comes down to beginners' slopes: the Pro Loco mentions two slopes at the Conca dell'Alben for learning the basics, and the ski school also works on the Costa Nebel in Zambla Alta. Non-skiers can choose the snowshoe walks and the skin ascents towards the Alben and the Arera, described on their own pages. On the groomed track, however, snowshoes are not allowed: the rules forbid it. - Phone before setting off: with little snow, grooming may be partial or suspended. - The black run is one-way: you join it from the blue track, about 2 kilometres from the start, where the climb is more gradual. - At weekends arrive early: the spaces near the start fill up first. - On snowshoes choose the routes beside the track or the dedicated snowshoe walks: they are banned on the track. - Beginners should stay on the first, almost flat section, which is also the one floodlit as far as the Crocetta. - D: How many kilometres of cross-country tracks are there at the Colle di Zambla? R: 16 kilometres according to the Sci Club Valserina, VisitBrembo and the Pro Loco, from Zambla Alta to Valpiana; the Scuola Sci Oltre il Colle gives 13 kilometres. In 2022 the Sci Club listed three tracks: 5 kilometres blue, 7.5 purple and 13 green. - D: Can you ski at night at Zambla? R: The section from Zambla Alta to the Crocetta is floodlit for night skiing, according to the Sci Club Valserina and VisitBrembo. The rules published in 2019, however, gave hours of 8 am to 5 pm and banned entry between sunset and dawn: ask the Club about evening openings. - D: How much is a ticket for the Zambla cross-country track? R: We found no published prices for the 2026-27 season: on 1 October 2026 the Sci Club website could not be reached. The 2019 rules provide for a ticket paid at the track entrance or a personal season pass with a passport photo, and free entry up to the age of ten. - D: Where can you hire cross-country skis at Zambla? R: At Edo Sport, via Prealpina 892 in Zambla Alta, about 200 metres from the Colle: it hires complete cross-country ski sets for adults and juniors, also for the whole season, without booking while stocks last. Telephone 0345 95285. - D: Is there a cross-country ski school at Oltre il Colle? R: Yes, the Scuola Sci Oltre il Colle, founded in 1981, with 11 instructors teaching cross-country skiing, downhill skiing and Nordic walking, also to pupils with disabilities. Contacts: 350 1230498, info@scuolascioltreilcolle.it. - D: How do I find out whether the cross-country track is open? R: The Sci Club Valserina publishes the state of the tracks on its website, which however could not be reached on 1 October 2026. The safest way is to phone the Scuola Sci Oltre il Colle (350 1230498) or Edo Sport (0345 95285) before setting off. - D: Can you walk or snowshoe on the cross-country track? R: No. The Sci Club's rules forbid entering the track on foot, on snowshoes, with animals, on ski-touring or downhill skis, or with sledges and bobs. For snowshoes there are the routes beside the track and the basin's dedicated itineraries. - D: How do you get to the Colle di Zambla? R: From the Seriana valley leave the SS 671 at Ponte Nossa and climb through Val del Riso on the SP46; from the Brembana valley take the SP27 of Val Serina via Serina and Oltre il Colle. Waterwind gives 50 minutes from Bergamo and 1 h 40 from Milan on the Seriana side. Sources: http://web.archive.org/web/20220927182849/http://www.sciclubvalserina.it/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1215&Itemid=602, http://web.archive.org/web/20190822134959/http://www.sciclubvalserina.it/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1295&Itemid=611, https://web.archive.org/web/20160209093401/http://www.sciclubvalserina.it/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1324:50d-sci-club-valserina, https://www.scuolascioltreilcolle.it/, https://www.visitbrembo.it/elemento/piste-da-sci-nordico-e-alpino-monte-alben/, https://www.oltreilcolleturismo.it/esperienze/, https://www.waterwind.it/new/it/montagna/pianeta-neve/neve/1451-sci-di-fondo-zambla-alta,-valle-serina,-bergamo.html, https://www.waterwind.it/new/it/montagna/pianeta-neve/neve/2214-zambla,-21-02-2026-memorabile.html, https://edosport.it/pages/noleggio, https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pieralberto_Carrara, https://www.ecodibergamo.it/stories/premium/valle-brembana/capanna-2000-dopo-lestate-restyling-del-rifugio-200mila-euro-o_3124175_11/, https://valbrembanaweb.com/val-serina-versante-in-sicurezza-riapre-dopo-un-mese-la-provinciale/, https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=45.88568&mlon=9.79614#map=15/45.8840/9.7840 ### Snowshoe walk to the Capanna 2000 from Plassa — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/things-to-do/ciaspolata-capanna-2000 Winter, Zambla Alta. Snowshoe walk to the Capanna 2000 from Plassa di Zambla Alta: about 750 m of ascent and 10 km there and back, with the road to the Alpe Arera closed in winter. Figures: CAI grade E, 750 m, Highest point 1969 m, 10 km, 1 h 45 - 2 h 10 up according to the reports; about 10 km there and back, Waymarks CAI 221 (the first stretch follows the Alpe Arera road). Best period: With snow on the ground, usually between December and March, only with a favourable avalanche bulletin. GPS tracks: Sentiero CAI 221: Zambla – Rifugio Capanna 2000 — https://www.caibergamo.it/sites/default/files/cai/GPX/Sentiero221.gpx (CAI Bergamo, geoportale, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/221, 3.6 km, 900 m D+) GPS tracks: Rifugio Capanna 2000 da Plassa in inverno — https://lucagherardi.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/rifugio-capanna-2000-inverno.gpx (Luca Gherardi (blog), https://lucagherardi.com/rifugio-capanna-2000-plassa/, 10 km, 750 m D+) Prima Bergamo lists it among the busiest winter routes in the Orobie, and in Oltre il Colle it is the snowshoe walk with the most ascent. In summer you drive up to the Alpe Arera car park, at around 1,600 metres, and fewer than 400 metres of ascent remain to the hut. In winter that road is closed by a municipal ordinance, so you start lower down, from the car parks on via Plassa near the Camping Arera, and climb about 750 metres to the 1,969 metres of the Capanna 2000, at Pian Cansaccio below the south face of the Pizzo Arera. For long stretches the track follows the Alpe Arera road, which is why it is almost always trodden: ciaspole.net notes that, given how busy the hut is, snowshoes may even turn out to be unnecessary. They are needed after a snowfall, or by anyone who leaves the road to cut the hairpins or to climb on the summer line of CAI trail 221. According to the same source the route is long but without particularly steep or demanding stretches, unless you break trail in fresh snow: the slope is open and faces south, and it is on the slopes off the road that the decisions are made. For winter 2026-27 there is an extra unknown. The Capanna 2000 is affected by renovation works awarded by the municipality in spring 2026, and the indicative calendar on the regional huts portal shows it closed from September. Before setting off with the idea of having lunch up there, a phone call to the hut manager is essential; without confirmation, lunch goes in the rucksack. #### The route step by step, from Plassa to the hut From Zambla Alta take via Plassa and follow it for 4-5 kilometres, about ten minutes by car, to the area of the Camping Arera. Here, near the barrier that in summer marks the start of the toll road, you leave the car: it is the car park CAI Bergamo recommends for trail 221 and the one used by Luca Gherardi in his winter report of February 2025. You climb on the asphalt road, snow-covered or trodden in winter. Diska's description, written while walking the same stretch in December 2016, counts a long series of hairpins between 1,200 and 1,400 metres, the sign for Giuliano Mauri's Cattedrale Vegetale and, higher up, the pastures from which you see the Arera, the Grem and, behind you, the Alben. Before 1,600 metres you pass next to the Cà d'Arera hut of the SABA, a private building: a short detour lets you cut a few hairpins. At the Alpe Arera car park, where cars arrive in summer, the remains of the old ski lifts begin. From here there are two options: carry on along the forest track, the most trodden, or follow the line of trail 221 up the spur overlooking the Val Vedra, with the Cima di Menna and the Pizzo ahead. According to ciaspole.net the two tracks join again just below the hut; above 1,600 metres you can also draw your own line in fresh snow, avoiding the steepest slopes. - Car parks on via Plassa by the Camping Arera, about 1,150-1,200 m: winter start - Hairpins of the Alpe Arera road, with the sign for the Cattedrale Vegetale - Cà d'Arera hut of the SABA, around 1,550 m: private, possible shortcut - Alpe Arera car park, about 1,600 m: end of the asphalt and remains of the old chairlift - Forest track or the line of CAI trail 221 on the Val Vedra spur - Capanna 2000 hut, 1,969 m, at Pian Cansaccio #### How much ascent and how long: why the sources disagree The reports disagree on the figures, and it is worth knowing why. CAI Bergamo starts the winter route of trail 221 from Zambla Alta at about 1,150 metres and gives it about 900 metres of ascent; ciaspole.net starts at 1,200 metres and gives about 1 hour 45 of climbing; Luca Gherardi, who recorded the GPS track, counted about 5 kilometres and 750 metres of ascent one way, around ten kilometres in all, with about 2 hours up. Diska reports a CAI signpost that from the car park at 1,200 metres gives the Capanna 2000 at 2 hours 10. The differences depend on where you leave the car and how much of the road you follow: staying on the hairpins makes it longer, cutting them makes it steeper. The CAI sheet also needs reading carefully, because its 3.6 kilometres and 1 hour 10 of climbing are summer values, while the same sheet's winter description points out that the road alone to the start of the old lifts measures about 4 kilometres; the CAI, after all, recommends the trail from April to October. To plan the day, the prudent estimate is a good 2 hours up and an hour and a half down, with the short daylight of December and January. #### Where to park in winter and when the upper road reopens The road that climbs from Plassa to 1,600 metres is not closed out of habit but by ordinance. For winter 2025-26 the mayor banned all vehicles from 18 November 2025, for public safety and technical reasons, also closing the bypass next to the avalanche barrier on via Plassa; the provisional reopening came with another ordinance from 22 April 2026. For winter 2026-27 the ordinance has not yet been published. When the road is open, precise rules apply: a 30 km/h limit, a ban on vehicles over 3.5 tonnes and on those towing a trailer carrying other vehicles, and no parking along the road outside the marked spaces. At the Alpe Arera car park you pay at the municipal parking meter, 4 euros according to the Rifugi di Lombardia portal. In winter there is nothing to pay at Plassa, but the spaces run out quickly: in his report Gherardi warns that at weekends, arriving after 9 am, only the roadside is left. #### Avalanches: which ARPA bulletin zone to check and which slopes to avoid The Arera side lies in zone 60, Orobie Bergamasche, of ARPA Lombardia's snow and avalanche bulletin. With the European avalanche micro-region boundaries in force since 3 November 2025, the line with zone 61, Prealpi Bergamasche, runs further south, along the depression between the Colle di Zambla and Pian della Palla. The bulletin is updated every day during the season; the last one of the past winter, issued on 14 May 2026, announces the next issue for Tuesday 1 December 2026. On the trodden road the danger is low, but the summer line and the variants in fresh snow cross open, south-facing slopes, where after a snowfall and with the first sun the snowpack changes quickly: ciaspole.net explicitly recommends avoiding the steepest passages so as not to trigger slides. Since 1 January 2022, Legislative Decree 40/2021 has required anyone going out on snowshoes or touring skis in snowy terrain where there are avalanche risks to carry a transceiver, shovel and probe; ARPA Lombardia recommends always having them and judging each individual slope, because the bulletin describes large areas. #### The hut in winter: opening, works in progress and contacts The Capanna 2000 is owned by the municipality of Oltre il Colle and run by Attilio Rizzi. The Rifugi di Lombardia portal lists 25 beds, 80 seats indoors and 30 outside, half board from 48 to 60 euros, hut telephone 0345 95096 and mobile 339 6986367. The management contract, extended by the town council executive on 8 April 2026 until 30 September 2027, requires opening at least on Sundays, public holidays and the days before them all year round, continuously from 15 June to 15 September and over Christmas and Easter, but allows exceptions for bad weather and for the works. The works are those of Regione Lombardia's 2024 huts call, which covers 90 per cent of the cost: the municipality awarded them on 28 April 2026 with a deadline of 119 days from the handover of the site, whose date has not been published. The extension resolution warns that the building site may limit the service, even significantly, up to complete suspension. The regional portal's indicative 2026 calendar, checked on 1 October, shows no openings from January to April and the hut closed from 8 September onwards. #### Can you climb the Pizzo Arera in winter? Yes, but it is no longer a snowshoe walk. The Rifugi di Lombardia portal gives the summit, at 2,512 metres, about an hour and a half from the hut on the normal route with a short protected section; CAI Bergamo documents a protected gully above the Capanna 2000, and ciaspole.net specifies that in winter the top can only be reached with winter mountaineering equipment. With snow and ice you need crampons, an ice axe and experience: the three winter ascents of the basin are described on the page dedicated to ski touring on Arera, Alben and Menna. - Phone the Capanna 2000 (0345 95096 or 339 6986367) before setting off: in winter 2026-27 opening also depends on the renovation works. - Get to Plassa early at weekends: the car parks near the Camping Arera fill up and the road to the Alpe Arera is closed. - Bring microspikes as well as snowshoes: the trodden road ices over early in the morning and on the way back. - Allow a good 2 hours up and leave by late morning: in December and January the sun leaves the slope early. - Check the ARPA bulletin for zone 60 Orobie Bergamasche and carry transceiver, shovel and probe if you leave the trodden road. - With small children choose the Conca dell'Alben snowshoe walk: almost flat, with the way back always close. - D: How much ascent does the snowshoe walk to the Capanna 2000 from Plassa have? R: About 750 metres according to Luca Gherardi's GPS track, with about 5 kilometres one way and 10 in all. CAI Bergamo, which starts the route from Zambla Alta at about 1,150 metres, gives about 900 metres. The climb takes from 1 hour 45 to 2 hours 10 according to the reports. - D: Can you drive to the Alpe Arera car park in winter? R: No. For winter 2025-26 a municipal ordinance closed the road from Plassa to 1,600 metres to all vehicles from 18 November 2025, with a provisional reopening from 22 April 2026. You park on via Plassa near the Camping Arera; the ordinance for winter 2026-27 has not yet been published. - D: Is the Capanna 2000 open in winter? R: The contract with the municipality provides for opening at least on Sundays, public holidays and the days before them and over Christmas and Easter, but for 2026-27 there are the renovation works awarded in April 2026, which may suspend the service, and the Rifugi di Lombardia calendar shows the hut closed from September. Phone 0345 95096 or 339 6986367. - D: Do you need snowshoes or are microspikes enough? R: It depends on the snow. The road is almost always trodden and ciaspole.net notes that snowshoes may turn out to be unnecessary; they become necessary after a snowfall or off the track. Microspikes are useful on the icy stretches of the road, especially in the morning and on the way back. - D: Which avalanche bulletin zone does the Capanna 2000 fall in? R: Zone 60, Orobie Bergamasche, of ARPA Lombardia's snow and avalanche bulletin. In season the bulletin is updated daily; the first one of winter 2026-27 is announced for 1 December 2026. - D: Are transceiver, shovel and probe compulsory for this snowshoe walk? R: Legislative Decree 40/2021 makes them compulsory for anyone on snowshoes in snowy terrain where there are avalanche risks. On the trodden road the danger is low, but anyone climbing on the summer line or in fresh snow crosses open slopes: there they must be carried, and you need to know how to use them. - D: Is the snowshoe walk to the Capanna 2000 suitable for children? R: For fit teenagers yes, for small children hardly: it is about 10 kilometres and 750 metres of ascent with short days. For families the alternative is the almost flat snowshoe walk from the Colle di Zambla towards Pian della Palla and the Conca dell'Alben. - D: From the Capanna 2000 can you climb to the top of the Pizzo Arera in snow? R: Only with mountaineering equipment and experience: above the hut there is a protected gully and in winter the summit requires crampons and an ice axe. In summer conditions the Rifugi di Lombardia portal gives the summit about an hour and a half from the hut. Sources: https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/mc/mc_p_dettaglio.php?id_pubbl=4696, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/221, https://www.ciaspole.net/itinerari1/lombardia/ciaspole-capanna2000.htm, https://lucagherardi.com/rifugio-capanna-2000-plassa/, https://www.diska.it/rifcadarera.asp, https://www.rifugi.lombardia.it/capanna-2000/, https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/mc/mc_p_dettaglio.php?id_pubbl=4110, https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/mc/mc_p_dettaglio.php?id_pubbl=4436, https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/mc/mc_p_dettaglio.php?id_pubbl=4431, https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/mc/mc_p_dettaglio.php?id_pubbl=4468, https://www.arpalombardia.it/temi-ambientali/neve-e-ghiacciai/bollettino-neve-e-valanghe/, https://starpaumbracoprdprd.blob.core.windows.net/bollettini/archivio/nivo/bollettino/bollettino.pdf, https://regions.avalanches.org/micro-regions/IT-25_micro-regions.geojson.json, https://www.arpalombardia.it/agenda/notizie/2025/centro-regionale-neve-e-valanghe-di-arpa-lombardia-aumento-del-pericolo-valanghe-su-tutta-la-regione/, https://www.sat.tn.it/sicurezza-discipline-invernali/ ### Snowshoe walks at the Colle di Zambla and in the Conca dell'Alben — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/things-to-do/ciaspolate-conca-alben Winter, Zambla Alta. Easy snowshoe walk from the Colle di Zambla to Pian della Palla and the Conca dell'Alben: 5.6 km almost flat beside the cross-country track, below the Alben. Figures: CAI grade T, 30 m, Highest point 1386 m, 5.6 km, 45 minutes each way to Pian della Palla; about 11 km for the full circuit with the Conca loop, Waymarks CAI barrier-free route 104; H21 loop of the Val Serina path network. Best period: With snow, usually from December to March; the corridor is closed to cars and becomes a cross-country track. GPS tracks: Percorso senza barriere 104: dal Passo di Zambla alla Conca dell'Alben — https://www.caibergamo.it/sites/default/files/2025-12/104%20Passo%20di%20Zambla%20Conca%20dell%27Alben.gpx (CAI Bergamo, geoportale, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/senzabarriere/104, 5.6 km, 30 m D+) GPS tracks: H21: Anello pista Conca dell'Alben — https://www.prolocoserina.it/images/gpxtracks/SentieroH21.gpx (Pro Loco Serina, https://www.prolocoserina.it/it/sentieri-e-percorsi/40-h21-sentiero-anello-pista-conca-dell-alben, 5.6 km, 236 m D+) Anyone looking for a snowshoe walk without climbing will find it here. From the Colle di Zambla a farm and forestry road enters the woods below the north face of Monte Alben and reaches Pian della Palla almost on the level: CAI Bergamo lists it among its barrier-free routes as number 104, 5.6 kilometres there and back, 45 minutes each way and just 30 metres of ascent. From Pian della Palla the H21 loop of the Val Serina path network climbs into the upper part of the Conca dell'Alben and returns to the start. In winter the same corridor is the cross-country track. Since 20 November 2025 the stretch of dirt road between the Colle di Zambla and Pian della Palla has been closed to traffic by a mayoral ordinance, which establishes the Nordic ski track there and entrusts its management to the Sci Club Valserina: on snowshoes you therefore walk beside the groomed tracks, never on them. The setting makes the outing: fir and beech woods, the clearing of Pian della Mussa, glimpses of the Cima di Menna, the Pizzo Arera and the Grem, the great basin enclosed by the walls of the Alben. The valley floor stays in the shade of the mountain and holds the snow for a long time; for the same reason the first stretches ice over easily and the cold, even on sunny days, is that of a north-facing slope. #### The route: from the Colle di Zambla to Pian della Palla You park at the Colle di Zambla, in the asphalted area by the Centro Sportivo Valle restaurant that CAI Bergamo gives as the start, at 1,278 metres. After a short climb you turn left, cross the playground square, pass the barrier and join the road towards the Conca dell'Alben; a temporary barrier separates the roadway from the cross-country track. The surface, when the snow lets you see it, is fine cobbles. After about a kilometre the CAI track passes the Passo della Crocetta, where trail 501 for Monte Alben starts and where the B&B Sotto l'Alben reports a drinking-water spring. You carry on through the woods, leaving a small rest area with benches and tables on the right, keep right on the main branch at the fork and, past a couple of houses, enter the area of the Conca dell'Alben with the ski lift. Pian della Palla is ten minutes further on, about 2.8 kilometres from the start: the Pian della Palla signpost, transcribed on OpenStreetMap, gives the Passo di Zambla at 45 minutes. #### The upper loop of the Conca dell'Alben (H21) From Pian della Palla the Pro Loco of Serina publishes the H21 loop, which follows the cross-country track: 5.6 kilometres with the lowest point at 1,263 metres and the highest at 1,386, for about 236 metres of total ascent calculated automatically from the track. You pass the clearing of Pian della Mussa, then climb into the highest and most panoramic part to the Conca dell'Alben locality and return to Pian della Palla. The full circuit from the Colle di Zambla therefore measures about 11 kilometres, the figure also given by the B&B Sotto l'Alben, which describes the upper part as more demanding but still a tourist route. On snowshoes the time depends above all on the snow: the Pian della Palla signpost gives 1 hour 30 for the loop. As far as Pian della Mussa the route stays almost flat; the real climb, just over a hundred metres, comes afterwards. #### Snowshoes and the cross-country track: where you can walk The track is a managed sports facility, not just any snowy road. The agreement between the municipalities of Oltre il Colle and Serina and the Sci Club Valserina provides for grooming the routes, fencing off the road at the Crocetta from the beginning of December to keep cars out, and a ticket for cross-country skiers, 8 euros a day in the 2024-26 seasons and free up to the age of 10. According to the Scuola Sci Oltre il Colle the tracks are prepared for both classic and skating technique: the grooves and the smooth lane are ruined under snowshoes, so you walk along the edge and let skiers pass. The stretch from Zambla Alta to the Crocetta is floodlit for night skiing, according to VisitBrembo: anyone snowshoeing after dark does so on the same track, with a headlamp and even more attention to skiers. The road reopens to traffic in spring with a reopening ordinance: in 2025 it came on 17 April. #### Avalanches and safety: the track runs along the border between two bulletin zones The valley floor is the quietest terrain in the basin, but above it rises the north face of the Alben. With the European avalanche micro-region boundaries in force since 3 November 2025, the line between zone 60 Orobie Bergamasche and zone 61 Prealpi Bergamasche of the ARPA Lombardia bulletin runs almost exactly along the track: the Alben slopes are in zone 61, those to the north in zone 60. Anyone staying on the route crosses no steep slopes; anyone climbing towards the upper basin or the Col dei Brassamonti must read zone 61 and carry transceiver, shovel and probe, required by law where there is avalanche risk. The basin is not immune to accidents. On 15 February 2025, on a day when the regional snow and avalanche centre was urging the utmost caution, the Conca dell'Alben was among the Lombard localities with helicopter rescue interventions, according to Bergamo Tomorrow, which however does not specify the cause. CAI Bergamo, in the description of route 104 written after the first snowfall of January 2024, reports stretches of packed snow alternating with ice. #### Parking, toilets, water and refreshments At the Colle di Zambla there are the asphalted car park and, according to CAI Bergamo, an accessible toilet opposite the Al Trapper bar-restaurant; the Centro Sportivo Valle restaurant is given by the CAI as the refreshment point (035 708988). To shorten the walk you can drive up from Oltre il Colle along via Drago, about 3 kilometres according to the B&B Sotto l'Alben, to the car parks at Pian della Palla. Water can be found at the Crocetta spring and at the Colle, in the area the municipality calls Parco del Colle, where in 2023 it had a stone fountain and barbecue built; in winter they may be frozen. The barbecue areas with grills and small tables at Pian della Palla and in the Conca dell'Alben, handy in summer, stay under the snow. - Always walk beside the groomed track: the classic grooves and the skating lane are ruined under snowshoes. - Keep microspikes in your pocket: the first stretch after the barrier ices over before the rest. - With small children stop at Pian della Palla, about 2.8 km away: the return is along the same route. - For the upper loop allow about 11 km from the Colle di Zambla and start in daylight: the basin stays in shade almost all day. - If you leave the track towards the Alben, read zone 61 Prealpi Bergamasche of the ARPA bulletin and carry transceiver, shovel and probe. - Bring water from home: in winter the spring and the fountains may be frozen. - D: Where can you do an easy snowshoe walk in Oltre il Colle? R: At the Colle di Zambla, following the corridor towards Pian della Palla and the Conca dell'Alben. It is the route CAI Bergamo classifies as barrier-free itinerary 104: 5.6 kilometres there and back, 45 minutes each way and 30 metres of ascent, with a maximum gradient of 10 per cent. - D: Can you walk with snowshoes on the Zambla cross-country track? R: Not on the groomed track. Since 20 November 2025 the corridor between the Colle di Zambla and Pian della Palla has been a Nordic ski track run by the Sci Club Valserina: the classic grooves and the skating lane must be left to skiers, and on snowshoes you walk beside them. - D: How long is the full circuit to the Conca dell'Alben? R: About 11 kilometres from the Colle di Zambla: 2.8 kilometres to Pian della Palla, the 5.6-kilometre H21 loop with about 236 metres of ascent, and the way back. For a short outing stop at Pian della Palla. - D: Do you have to pay to snowshoe beside the cross-country track? R: The municipalities' agreement sets the prices for access to the cross-country track, 8 euros a day in the 2024-26 seasons and free up to the age of 10, without mentioning walkers. Snowshoers stay off the tracks; if in doubt, ask the operator. - D: Where do you park for the Conca dell'Alben snowshoe walks? R: At the Colle di Zambla, in the asphalted car park by the Centro Sportivo Valle restaurant indicated by the CAI. Alternatively drive up from Oltre il Colle along via Drago, about 3 kilometres, to the car parks at Pian della Palla. - D: Is the Conca dell'Alben snowshoe walk at risk of avalanches? R: Not on the valley-floor route, because it crosses no steep slopes. The track does, however, run along the border between zones 60 and 61 of the ARPA bulletin, with the north face of the Alben above: anyone climbing towards the upper basin or the Col dei Brassamonti must read the bulletin and carry transceiver, shovel and probe. - D: Is there water or a bar along the route? R: At the Colle di Zambla there are the stone fountain of the Parco del Colle, the Centro Sportivo Valle restaurant and an accessible toilet in front of the Al Trapper bar; at the Crocetta there is a drinking-water spring. In winter the fountain and spring may be frozen. Sources: https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/senzabarriere/104, https://www.caibergamo.it/sites/default/files/2025-12/104%20Alben%20A.pdf, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/501, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/senzabarriere/105, https://www.prolocoserina.it/it/sentieri-e-percorsi/40-h21-sentiero-anello-pista-conca-dell-alben, https://www.bbsottolalben.it/l/passeggiata-ad-anello-sulla-pista-di-sci-nordico/, https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/mc/mc_p_dettaglio.php?id_pubbl=4125, https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/mc/mc_p_dettaglio.php?id_pubbl=3702, https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/mc/mc_p_dettaglio.php?id_pubbl=3387, https://www.scuolascioltreilcolle.it/sci-nordico/, https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/mc/mc_p_dettaglio.php?id_pubbl=2470, https://www.visitbrembo.it/it/poi/piste-da-sci-nordico-e-alpino-monte-alben, https://www.openstreetmap.org/node/10934058081, https://regions.avalanches.org/micro-regions/IT-25_micro-regions.geojson.json, https://www.arpalombardia.it/temi-ambientali/neve-e-ghiacciai/bollettino-neve-e-valanghe/, https://www.bergamotomorrow.it/2025/02/16/allerta-valanghe-in-lombardia-interventi-a-carona-foppolo-e-oltre-il-colle/ ### Ski touring and winter ascents on Arera, Alben and Menna — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/things-to-do/sci-alpinismo-arera-alben-menna Winter, Zambla Alta. Ski touring and winter ascents from Oltre il Colle: Pizzo Arera from Plassa, Monte Alben from the Colle di Zambla and Cima di Menna from Zorzone, with CAI data. Figures: CAI grade EE, Highest point 2512 m, Waymarks CAI 221 for the Arera, CAI 501 for the Alben, CAI 234 for the Menna. Best period: With snow cover, usually from December to March; ARPA bulletin from 1 December 2026. GPS tracks: Sentiero CAI 221: Zambla – Rifugio Capanna 2000 — https://www.caibergamo.it/sites/default/files/cai/GPX/Sentiero221.gpx (CAI Bergamo, geoportale, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/221, 3.6 km, 900 m D+) GPS tracks: Sentiero CAI 501: Passo Colle di Zambla – Monte Alben — https://www.caibergamo.it/sites/default/files/cai/GPX/Sentiero501.gpx (CAI Bergamo, geoportale, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/501, 3.7 km, 750 m D+) GPS tracks: Sentiero CAI 234: Zorzone – Bivacco MAGA – Monte Menna — https://www.caibergamo.it/sites/default/files/cai/GPX/Sentiero234.gpx (CAI Bergamo, geoportale, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/234, 4.8 km, 1250 m D+) The Oltre il Colle basin offers three classic winter ascents, all reachable by car from the village: the Pizzo Arera from Plassa di Zambla Alta, Monte Alben from the Colle di Zambla and the Cima di Menna from Zorzone. None has an official ski-touring description with a published grade: the solid basis is the trails surveyed by CAI Bergamo, with altitudes, lengths, times and aspect, which in winter remain the reference line. The three outings have different characters. The Arera climbs an open, south-facing slope and is the busiest, because the first part follows the Alpe Arera road; the Alben tackles the north side in a gully with many hairpins and ends on a ridge of rocky steps; the Menna from Zorzone has about 1,250 metres of ascent on trail 234 and climbs the Val Carnera, which the municipal civil protection plan identifies as an avalanche path. The three summits are not even in the same avalanche bulletin zone: Arera and Menna fall in zone 60 Orobie Bergamasche of ARPA Lombardia, the Alben in zone 61 Prealpi Bergamasche. It is the first check to make the evening before, together with the state of the road and the hut. #### Before you go: bulletin, zones and compulsory equipment With the European avalanche micro-region boundaries that came into force on 3 November 2025, the line between the two bulletin zones follows the depression of the Colle di Zambla and Pian della Palla: everything to the north, including Arera, Menna, Plassa and Zorzone, is zone 60 Orobie Bergamasche; the Alben massif is zone 61 Prealpi Bergamasche. In season the bulletin is updated every day and the first of winter 2026-27 is announced for Tuesday 1 December 2026. ARPA's regional snow and avalanche centre is based in Bormio (0342 914400, nivometeo@arpalombardia.it). Since 1 January 2022, Legislative Decree 40/2021 has required ski tourers, off-piste skiers and snowshoe hikers to carry a transceiver, shovel and probe in snowy terrain where there are avalanche risks. ARPA Lombardia also asks for safety distances and a critical assessment of each slope, because the bulletin describes large areas. The Prealps are not lesser terrain: on 19 February 2026 the mountain rescue service reported danger level 3, considerable, on the Bergamo Prealps and 4, high, on the Orobie, after numerous accidents in the previous weeks. #### Pizzo Arera from Plassa: the climb stage by stage In winter the road to the Alpe Arera is closed by a municipal ordinance (in 2025-26 from 18 November to 22 April), so you start from the car parks on via Plassa near the Camping Arera, at around 1,150-1,200 metres. CAI Bergamo describes the winter route like this: follow the road to the start of the old lifts, reached on the hillside after about 4 kilometres, then climb north-west on the spur overlooking the Val Vedra until you meet the forest track that soon leads to the Capanna 2000, at 1,960 metres. The CAI gives trail 221 a southern aspect. From the hut to the summit, at 2,512 metres, the Rifugi di Lombardia portal gives about an hour and a half on the normal route with a short protected section, and CAI Bergamo documents the protected gully above the Capanna 2000. With snow it is mountaineering terrain: ciaspole.net specifies that in winter the top can only be reached with winter mountaineering equipment. In all, from Plassa, you climb more than 1,300 metres; in winter 2026-27 the hut may offer no support because of the renovation works. #### Monte Alben from the Colle di Zambla CAI trail 501 is the quickest and busiest route up the Alben. From the Colle di Zambla car park follow via Prealpina towards the Al Trapper bar-restaurant and the cross-country track signs; after the first asphalted metres the forest track heads south and reaches the Passo della Crocetta in about a kilometre. About 300 metres further on, on the left, the 501 starts: a first steep stretch in the woods, then a gully with numerous hairpins up to the Col dei Brassamonti, at 1,755 metres. From the col you continue across the slope, traversing a steep spur, to the Passo della Forca, at 1,848 metres, where trail 502 also arrives, and climb the north ridge over easy rocky steps to the summit, at 2,019 metres, where there is a panorama dial. The CAI grades the route EE and gives it a northern aspect, with 3.7 kilometres, about 750 metres of ascent, 2 hours 15 up and 1 hour 20 down. In winter the gully with the hairpins and the traverse towards the Forca are the points to assess against the zone 61 bulletin, and the final ridge with snow and ice requires crampons and an ice axe. #### Cima di Menna from Zorzone and the Val Carnera avalanche CAI trail 234 starts from Zorzone, at 1,019 metres, with the recommended car park on via Colombi. It climbs north through the woods on the left side of the Val Carnera to about 1,300 metres, crosses to the other side, reaches the Cascina Mattuida at 1,470 metres and climbs the valley over thin meadows to the MAGA bivouac, at 2,005 metres, with a last steep climb. From here you bear right along the spur to 2,150 metres and follow the ridge north to the summit, at 2,299 metres. The CAI counts 4.8 kilometres, about 1,250 metres of ascent, 4 hours up and 2 hours 15 down. The Val Carnera is also the only avalanche risk scenario in the municipal civil protection plan, published in May 2024: the avalanche that can break away from the south-eastern slope of the Corna di Menna along the Val Carnera, above the village of Zorzone, with a historical event recorded on 11 January 1977 and a sheet in the regional avalanche map. The plan rules out any involvement of inhabited houses, but anyone climbing in winter goes up exactly that valley: it is an outing to do only on a well-settled snowpack. #### Hut, bivouac and car parks: where to find support For the Arera the natural base is the Capanna 2000, a municipal hut run by Attilio Rizzi (0345 95096, 339 6986367): for winter 2026-27 the renovation works awarded in April 2026 and the regional portal's indicative calendar, which shows it closed from September, make a phone call essential. On the climb to the Menna there is the MAGA bivouac at 2,005 metres, on trail 234. The CAI recommends three car parks: via Plassa in the Camping Arera area for the Arera, the Colle di Zambla for the Alben and via Colombi in Zorzone for the Menna. The road from Plassa to 1,600 metres stays closed all winter and the corridor between the Colle di Zambla and Pian della Palla is a cross-country track: anyone heading for the Alben leaves the tracks to the cross-country skiers. - The evening before, read two zones of the ARPA bulletin: 60 Orobie Bergamasche for Arera and Menna, 61 Prealpi Bergamasche for the Alben. - Transceiver, shovel and probe are required by law on these routes when there is avalanche risk: carry them and practise a search before the season. - For the Arera start from Plassa: the road to the Alpe Arera is closed in winter and the ascent rises to more than 1,300 metres to the summit. - On the Alben ridge and in the gully above the Capanna 2000 you need crampons, an ice axe and mountaineering experience. - The climb to the Menna goes up the Val Carnera, an avalanche path documented by the municipality: postpone it after heavy snowfall or with rising temperatures. - D: Is there ski touring in Oltre il Colle? R: Yes. The three classic lines are the Pizzo Arera from Plassa di Zambla Alta, Monte Alben from the Colle di Zambla and the Cima di Menna from Zorzone, all on routes marked by CAI Bergamo in summer (221, 501 and 234). None has an official ski-touring description with a published grade. - D: Which avalanche bulletin zone should I check for Arera, Alben and Menna? R: For the Pizzo Arera and the Cima di Menna zone 60 Orobie Bergamasche of the ARPA Lombardia bulletin, for Monte Alben zone 61 Prealpi Bergamasche. The border between the two runs along the Colle di Zambla and Pian della Palla. - D: How much ascent does the winter climb to the Pizzo Arera from Plassa have? R: More than 1,300 metres to the 2,512-metre summit, because in winter you start from Plassa at about 1,150-1,200 metres. CAI Bergamo gives about 900 metres to the Capanna 2000; from the hut to the summit the Rifugi di Lombardia portal gives about an hour and a half with a short protected section. - D: Can Monte Alben be climbed on skis to the summit? R: CAI trail 501 ends on a ridge of easy rocky steps graded EE even in summer: with snow and ice it is crampon and ice-axe terrain. There is no official ski-touring description saying how far you can go on skis. - D: How long is the climb to the Cima di Menna from Zorzone? R: CAI trail 234 measures about 4.8 kilometres for 1,250 metres of ascent, with 4 hours up and 2 hours 15 down in CAI Bergamo's summer estimate. Along the route there is the MAGA bivouac at 2,005 metres. - D: Where do you park in winter for the Pizzo Arera? R: On via Plassa, in the Camping Arera area, the car park recommended by CAI Bergamo for trail 221. The road to the Alpe Arera is closed to all vehicles by ordinance: in winter 2025-26 from 18 November 2025 to 22 April 2026. - D: Are transceiver, shovel and probe compulsory for ski touring in Lombardy? R: Yes, since 1 January 2022 Legislative Decree 40/2021 has required them for ski tourers, off-piste skiers and snowshoe hikers in snowy terrain where there are avalanche risks. ARPA Lombardia recommends always carrying them. Sources: https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/221, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/501, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/234, https://www.rifugi.lombardia.it/capanna-2000/, https://www.ciaspole.net/itinerari1/lombardia/ciaspole-capanna2000.htm, https://www.arpalombardia.it/temi-ambientali/neve-e-ghiacciai/bollettino-neve-e-valanghe/, https://starpaumbracoprdprd.blob.core.windows.net/bollettini/archivio/nivo/bollettino/bollettino.pdf, https://regions.avalanches.org/micro-regions/IT-25_micro-regions.geojson.json, https://www.sat.tn.it/sicurezza-discipline-invernali/, https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/po/mostra_news.php?id=291&area=H, https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/mc/mc_p_dettaglio.php?id_pubbl=4110, https://www.lavocedellevalli.it/pericolo-valanghe-sulle-prealpi-bergamasche-dal-soccorso-alpino-massima-prudenza/ ### Ski lifts at Zambla and the Alpe Arera: what is there today — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/things-to-do/impianti-risalita-zambla Winter, Zambla Alta. Ski lifts in Oltre il Colle today: the Conca dell'Alben drag lift and magic carpet, run by the Sci Club Valserina, and what remains of the Alpe Arera ski area. Best period: Winter season, with natural or machine-made snow; in recent seasons openings between late November and December. Anyone looking for ski lifts in Oltre il Colle finds two different stories. The Alpe Arera one, above Plassa, is over: the chairlifts and drag lifts on the south side of the Arera were abandoned and the last pylons removed in October 2012. The Conca dell'Alben one, below the north face of Monte Alben, is still open: a drag lift, a magic carpet for the ski-school area, slopes with snowmaking and the long cross-country track, owned by the municipalities of Oltre il Colle and Serina. It is a small valley ski area with no resort ambitions: VisitBrembo describes intermediate slopes also suitable for beginners, the sector portals speak of two easy runs. It is run by the Sci Club Valserina under an agreement by which the two municipalities pay a contribution, set the prices and ask for an attempt to open with machine-made snow for the Sant'Ambrogio long weekend. For winter 2026-27 the key act is still missing: the agreement expired on 30 August 2026 and at the beginning of October the new award has not been published. Until then dates, hours and prices for the next season are unknown, and the prices given below are those of the two past seasons. #### Conca dell'Alben: drag lift, magic carpet and snowmaking The agreement approved by the town council on 17 October 2024 lists precisely what there is: the alpine ski run and the cross-country track in their usable and approved sections, the snowmaking system with cooling towers, pumps and four low-pressure snow guns, the water reservoir, the Gambacotta–Fornace drag lift tested on 28 March 2002 with 63 tows, the piste-basher garage with workshop, a wooden ticket office, two piste bashers and two snowmobiles. The two municipalities have owned the slope since 1999, when they bought it from the company Foppabella. In 2025 the magic carpet for the ski-school area was added. It had arrived on a free trial for the Christmas holidays of 2024; then the municipality bought it with BIM funds, for about 45 thousand euros for the mechanical and electrical parts, with completion certified in March 2025 and a Stop & Go sensor added in December 2025. The snowmaking really works: for the 2025-26 season the municipality paid Uniacque 2,516 euros for the water used for snow in the Conca, an amount repaid by the operator. #### Who runs it and how to find out if you can ski The operator is the Sci Club Valserina, an amateur sports association based in Oltre il Colle and affiliated to FISI, the Italian winter sports federation. The 2024-26 agreement entrusted it with slopes, drag lift, snowmaking system and vehicles, with an annual contribution of 10 thousand euros from each municipality and the obligation to groom the slopes, appoint a slope manager and a person in charge of snowmaking, and switch on the snow guns to have the slopes ready for the Sant'Ambrogio long weekend if natural snow is lacking. The resolution allowed for an extension. The ski club announced its latest openings on its Facebook page, as Prima Bergamo reported in November 2025; the sciclubvalserina.it website, checked on 1 October 2026, does not respond. For information on the slopes VisitBrembo gives the Scuola Sci Oltre il Colle as the contact, on 350 1230498. #### Zambla Alta: the small drag lift near via Fezzoli Zambla Alta has a second, very small lift. OpenStreetMap maps a button lift with an easy run next to the Albergo Ristorante Neve, on via Fezzoli; dovesciare.it describes it as the restaurant's ski lift, run by the owners as a service for customers, with a run of about 200 metres and a 50-metre magic carpet for the ski-school area. The Scuola Sci Oltre il Colle still lists the Costa Nebel of Zambla Alta among its downhill slopes. Its current status, however, is not documented: in December 2022 L'Eco di Bergamo wrote that at Zambla Alta the ski-school area was open but the drag lift closed, and since then we have found no verifiable news of a reopening. For beginner children the documented ski-school area is the one in the Conca dell'Alben, with the magic carpet. #### Alpe Arera: what it was like and why it closed The lifts on the south side of the Arera started from Plassa. Mountain Wilderness's census of abandoned lifts, updated to November 2007, records two chairlifts and two drag lifts on south-facing meadows between 1,400 and 2,000 metres, owned by a private company and decommissioned in 2003 after a landslide, because of declining snowfall, the death of the owner and the age of the lifts. L'Eco di Bergamo of 9 October 2012, on the other hand, recalls a drag lift running until the 1990s: the sources disagree on the closing date. In October 2012 the municipality removed the last three metal pylons of the Arera drag lift and six pylons of an old lift in the Conca dell'Alben, closed since 1988. On that occasion the then mayor, senator Valerio Carrara, floated the idea of turning the top station of the first chairlift, at 1,600 metres, into a hut and building a summer chairlift up to the Capanna 2000, a project that does not appear to have been carried out. In 2018 Prima Bergamo still described the frames of the old chairlift along the climb to the Capanna 2000. #### What will change: the plans for the Conca dell'Alben On 17 June 2026 the town council approved a planning variant dedicated to the Conca dell'Alben, within a joint project with Serina funded under Regione Lombardia's Inner Areas Strategy. The former hotel in the Conca, which contains asbestos materials and is described as completely abandoned, will be replaced by much smaller service spaces: bar, refreshments, information point, toilets, changing rooms and rooms for municipal activities. For the works the municipality has asked the BIM consortium for a loan of 150 thousand euros. The 2024 agreement still assigned the ground floor of the former hotel to refreshments, first aid, ski hire and storage: with the building in this condition, do not count on services there. Other projects remain on paper: the bid submitted with Serina in 2024 for two new snow guns and the feasibility study for a roller-ski track on Monte Alben approved in 2023. #### Insurance, helmets and rules on the slopes Anyone skiing on the Conca downhill run must have third-party liability insurance, compulsory since 1 January 2022 under Legislative Decree 40/2021, as the SAT points out. The Scuola Sci Oltre il Colle requires a helmet for all pupils, citing the legal obligation. Off the slopes, towards the Alben, the rules of ski touring apply: the ARPA bulletin for zone 61 Prealpi Bergamasche and a transceiver, shovel and probe kit. - Before loading the skis, check that the season has started: for 2026-27 the award and the prices have not yet been published. - For beginner children there is the magic carpet of the ski-school area in the Conca dell'Alben, running since 2025. - Bring third-party liability insurance: since 2022 it has been compulsory for anyone skiing on the slopes. - Don't look for lifts at the Alpe Arera any more: the south side is now snowshoe and ski-touring terrain, with the road closed in winter. - With little snow you ski on the stretches prepared with machine-made snow: in the 2024 and 2025 openings the cross-country track started with 800 metres and then 3 km. - D: Are there ski lifts in Oltre il Colle? R: Yes, a small one: in the Conca dell'Alben there are the Gambacotta–Fornace drag lift and, since 2025, a magic carpet for the ski-school area, run by the Sci Club Valserina. The Alpe Arera lifts above Plassa, on the other hand, have been out of service for more than twenty years and the last pylons were removed in 2012. - D: How much does it cost to ski in the Conca dell'Alben? R: In the 2024-26 seasons the agreement set 17 euros for a day on the drag lift, 13 for half a day, 130 for the season and 3 for a single ride; for the cross-country track 8 euros a day and 80 for the season, free up to the age of 10. Prices for 2026-27 have not yet been published. - D: When does the ski season open in the Conca dell'Alben? R: It depends on the snow and, for 2026-27, on the new award not yet published. In 2025-26 the cross-country track opened on 29 November and the downhill with the drag lift was announced for the Immaculate Conception long weekend; the agreement asks to aim for the Sant'Ambrogio weekend with machine-made snow. - D: Who runs the Conca dell'Alben ski lift? R: The Sci Club Valserina, a sports association from Oltre il Colle affiliated to FISI, under an agreement with the municipalities of Oltre il Colle and Serina, which own the facilities. The latest agreement covered the period from 1 November 2024 to 30 August 2026. - D: Why did the Alpe Arera lifts close? R: According to Mountain Wilderness's 2007 census, because of declining snowfall, the death of the owner and the age of the lifts, decommissioned in 2003 after a landslide. L'Eco di Bergamo speaks of a drag lift running until the 1990s: the sources disagree on the date. - D: Is there a ski-school area for children in Oltre il Colle? R: Yes, in the Conca dell'Alben, served by the magic carpet the municipality bought in 2025. At Zambla Alta there is also the small drag lift near the Albergo Ristorante Neve, but in December 2022 it was reported closed and we have found no news of a reopening. - D: Do you need insurance to ski in the Conca dell'Alben? R: Yes: since 1 January 2022 Legislative Decree 40/2021 has required anyone skiing on downhill slopes to have third-party liability insurance. Sources: https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/mc/mc_p_dettaglio.php?id_pubbl=3387, https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/mc/mc_p_dettaglio.php?id_pubbl=4423, https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/mc/mc_p_dettaglio.php?id_pubbl=4473, https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/mc/mc_p_dettaglio.php?id_pubbl=3571, https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/mc/mc_p_dettaglio.php?id_pubbl=3714, https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/mc/mc_p_dettaglio.php?id_pubbl=4235, https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/mc/mc_p_dettaglio.php?id_pubbl=4584, https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/mc/mc_p_dettaglio.php?id_pubbl=4403, https://www.ecodibergamo.it/stories/Cronaca/319810_monte_arera_addio_allo_sci_si_progetta_seggiovia_per_lestate/, https://www.mountainwilderness.it/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Impianti-abbandonati-Lombardia-2007.pdf, https://www.ecodibergamo.it/stories/valle-brembana/aperto-comprensorio-della-conca-dellalben-si-scia-anche-val-carisole-o_1447427_11/, https://www.valbrembanaweb.com/redazionale/in-evidenza/val-serina-si-spara-neve-anche-alla-conca-dellalben-apertura-impianti-e-piste-il-7-dicembre/, https://www.valbrembanaweb.com/redazionale/in-evidenza/oltre-il-colle-aperta-la-pista-di-fondo-alla-conca-dellalben-si-scia-su-tracciato-di-800-metri/, https://valbrembanaweb.com/sci-alla-conca-dellalben-apre-il-tapis-roulant-pista-di-fondo-di-tre-chilometri/, https://primabergamo.it/attualita/si-torna-a-sciare-nella-conca-dellalben-a-oltre-il-colle-apre-in-largo-anticipo-la-pista-di-fondo/, https://primabergamo.it/rubriche/viva-berghem/al-rifugio-capanna-tante-gemme-sul-cammino/, https://www.visitbrembo.it/it/poi/piste-da-sci-nordico-e-alpino-monte-alben, https://www.dovesciare.it/localita/oltre_il_colle/, https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/367223575, https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/mc/mc_p_dettaglio.php?id_pubbl=3395, https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/mc/mc_p_dettaglio.php?id_pubbl=2671, https://www.scuolascioltreilcolle.it/, https://www.sat.tn.it/sicurezza-discipline-invernali/ ### Ski school and equipment hire at Zambla — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/things-to-do/scuola-sci-noleggio-zambla Winter, Zambla Alta. Scuola Sci Oltre il Colle and ski hire at Zambla: cross-country and downhill instructors, lessons and courses with 2025-26 prices, ski hire at Edo Sport. Best period: Winter season, with opening depending on snow; 2026-27 courses not yet published as of 1 October 2026. In Oltre il Colle skiing is learned above all on cross-country tracks, with a school that has existed since 1981. The Scuola Sci Oltre il Colle was founded on the initiative of the valley's alpine and Nordic ski instructors, with Enzo Tiraboschi as its driving force, and is now directed by Carolina Tiraboschi. It teaches Nordic skiing, alpine skiing and Nordic walking, has instructors specialised in pupils with disabilities, and all its instructors belong to the Lombardy regional college of ski instructors; the school is a member of AMSI and ISIA. Cross-country is taught on the tracks at the Colle di Zambla and Pian della Palla, downhill in the Conca dell'Alben, where since 2025 there has also been a magic carpet for the ski-school area. The school's website still mentions the Costa Nebel at Zambla Alta, whose small drag lift, however, was already reported closed in December 2022. For hire, the documented place in the village is Edo Sport, at Zambla Alta, which the municipality's list of businesses describes as a clothing and sports shop with ski and mountain bike hire. As of 1 October 2026 the school has not yet published its 2026-27 courses: the prices in the table are last winter's and serve as a guide. #### Who the school is, where it is based and where it teaches The school is based at via Belvedere 16 in Serina, in the Valpiana locality, at the other end of the cross-country track that starts from the Colle di Zambla. On the number of instructors the website is not consistent: the home page says 11, the presentation page 10, and the list of names gives ten with their disciplines, almost all for Nordic skiing and Nordic walking and a few for alpine skiing. Some instructors, the school explains, work with various ski clubs on training athletes. For Nordic skiing the school gives the tracks at the Passo Colle di Zambla and Pian della Palla, for alpine skiing those of the Conca dell'Alben, home to the Gambacotta–Fornace drag lift and the ski-school magic carpet. VisitBrembo, the Val Brembana portal, gives the school itself as the contact for the Monte Alben slopes: 350 1230498, info@scuolascioltreilcolle.it. #### Courses and lessons: what it offers and what it cost in 2025-26 For the 2025-26 season the school published private alpine and Nordic ski lessons at 45 euros an hour for one person and 10 euros for each extra person, with 55-minute lessons held in any weather. For alpine skiing there were three group courses at 150 euros: the Christmas one from 27 to 31 December, the Epiphany one from 1 to 5 January, both from 11 am to 1 pm, and the Sunday course in January and February, from 3 to 5 pm. Equipment hire was given as available on site. With children the school describes a gradual approach, tailored to each child's level, and requires a helmet for all pupils, citing the legal obligation; with adults it follows the pupil from the first steps to perfecting technique. For bookings and for the 2026-27 courses the reference is the mobile number 350 1230498. #### Hire: where to get skis, boots and snowshoes Edo Sport, at via Prealpina 892 in Zambla Alta, is registered in the municipality's list of businesses as a clothing and sports shop with ski and mountain bike hire, telephone 0345 95285. The municipality itself hired the equipment there for the Nordic ski course for primary school pupils, held from 25 to 27 February 2026 with the instructors of the Scuola Sci Oltre il Colle. The shop's opening hours are not published: it is best to phone. The municipalities' agreement for the slopes provided for a ski hire point on the ground floor of the former hotel in the Conca dell'Alben, but in June 2026 the municipality described the building as completely abandoned and due to be replaced. Hire in the village is at Edo Sport, in Zambla Alta, which lists downhill and Nordic skis, snowboards, snowshoes and sledges for adults and children on its website; in winter the hire desk is open from 8.30 to 12.30 and from 13.30 to 18.00, the shop from 9.00 to 12.30 and from 14.30 to 19.00, Sundays included. #### The cross-country tracks: loops, kilometres and tickets On the kilometres the sources disagree because they measure different things. FISI has approved two loops, a 2.5-kilometre one named after Gianni Carrara and a 5-kilometre one dedicated to the Gioba brothers and Adolfo Maurizio, with approval expiring on 30 June 2026; the school speaks of 12 or 13 kilometres of tracks, depending on the page; VisitBrembo counts 16 kilometres from Zambla Alta to Valpiana, the same overall figure cited by Prima Bergamo in November 2025. The tracks are prepared for classic and skating technique, and part of them has snowmaking. The track is run by the Sci Club Valserina: since 20 November 2025 the stretch of road between the Colle di Zambla and Pian della Palla has been closed to traffic to make it a Nordic ski track. In the 2024-26 seasons access cost 8 euros a day and 80 for the season, 60 for residents of Serina and Oltre il Colle, free up to the age of 10. The stretch from Zambla Alta to the Crocetta is floodlit for night skiing, according to VisitBrembo. #### Children, schools and pupils with disabilities The specialisation in teaching people with disabilities is stated by the school and appears among the director's disciplines; it is worth mentioning it when booking to get the right instructor. For the youngest, the Conca dell'Alben has the ski-school magic carpet, bought by the municipality in 2025, which avoids having to tackle the drag lift straight away. For several winters, at least since 2023 according to the published acts, the municipality has funded through its plan for the right to education a Nordic ski course for pupils of the Oltre il Colle primary school, entrusted to the Scuola Sci for the lessons and to Edo Sport for the equipment: in 2026 it was held from 25 to 27 February, from 9 am to noon. - Call the school (350 1230498) a few days ahead: lesson, hire and the state of the tracks are organised together. - Cross-country beginners start from the Colle di Zambla: the first kilometres towards Pian della Palla are almost flat. - For hire skis phone Edo Sport (0345 95285): according to its website the winter hire desk opens from 8.30 to 12.30 and from 13.30 to 18.00. - A helmet is required for all pupils: bring one or ask for one with the hire. - For the 2026-27 season wait for the new prices to be published: those in the table are from winter 2025-26. - D: Is there a ski school in Oltre il Colle? R: Yes, the Scuola Sci Oltre il Colle, active since 1981 and directed by Carolina Tiraboschi. It teaches Nordic skiing, alpine skiing and Nordic walking and has instructors specialised in pupils with disabilities. Contacts: 350 1230498 and info@scuolascioltreilcolle.it. - D: How much does a private ski lesson cost at Zambla? R: In the 2025-26 season the school charged 45 euros an hour for one person, plus 10 euros for each extra person, with 55-minute lessons. The alpine group courses at Christmas, at Epiphany and on Sundays cost 150 euros. Prices for 2026-27 have not yet been published. - D: Where can you hire skis at Zambla? R: At Edo Sport, via Prealpina 892 in Zambla Alta, telephone 0345 95285: the municipality's list of businesses gives it as a sports shop with ski and mountain bike hire. The school also gives equipment hire on site for its courses. - D: Can you hire snowshoes in Oltre il Colle? R: Yes: Edo Sport, in Zambla Alta, lists snowshoes among its hire equipment on its website, together with skis, snowboards and sledges. In winter the hire desk opens from 8.30 to 12.30 and from 13.30 to 18.00; it is best to phone ahead (0345 95285). - D: How many kilometres of cross-country tracks are there really at Zambla? R: It depends on what is counted: FISI has approved two loops of 2.5 and 5 kilometres, the school speaks of 12-13 kilometres of tracks, VisitBrembo of 16 kilometres in all from Zambla Alta to Valpiana. Actual grooming changes every winter with the snow. - D: Does the ski school also teach people with disabilities? R: Yes: the Scuola Sci Oltre il Colle lists the specialisation for pupils with disabilities among its disciplines. Mention it when booking. - D: When will the 2026-27 ski courses be published? R: As of 1 October 2026 the school's website still shows the 2025-26 courses; for the new winter it is best to phone 350 1230498. The agreement for running the Conca dell'Alben slopes, which expired on 30 August 2026, has not yet been renewed either. Sources: https://www.edosport.it/pages/contact, https://www.edosport.it/pages/noleggio, https://www.scuolascioltreilcolle.it/, https://www.scuolascioltreilcolle.it/tariffe/, https://www.scuolascioltreilcolle.it/dove-siamo/, https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/zf/index.php/esercizi-commerciali/index/dettaglio/esercizio/19, https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/mc/mc_p_dettaglio.php?id_pubbl=4350, https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/mc/mc_p_dettaglio.php?id_pubbl=3387, https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/mc/mc_p_dettaglio.php?id_pubbl=4125, https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/mc/mc_p_dettaglio.php?id_pubbl=4584, https://www.visitbrembo.it/it/poi/piste-da-sci-nordico-e-alpino-monte-alben, https://primabergamo.it/attualita/si-torna-a-sciare-nella-conca-dellalben-a-oltre-il-colle-apre-in-largo-anticipo-la-pista-di-fondo/ ### Cima di Grem (2,049 m) from the Colle di Zambla — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/things-to-do/cima-grem-dal-colle-di-zambla Summit, Zambla Alta. Cima di Grem (2,049 m) from the Colle di Zambla on CAI trail 223: 800 metres of ascent through beech woods, pastures and old mines, past the Mistri bivouac. Figures: CAI grade E, 800 m, Highest point 2049 m, 2 h 40 up and 2 h down (CAI), Waymarks CAI 223 (shared with 238 up to the fork above the Cascine Sinelli, with 263 from the Mistri bivouac). Best period: April to October according to CAI Bergamo. GPS tracks: Sentiero CAI 223: Colle di Zambla – Baite di Grem – Cima di Grem — https://www.caibergamo.it/sites/default/files/cai/GPX/Sentiero223.gpx (CAI Bergamo, geoportale, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/223, 6 km, 800 m D+) GPS tracks: Sentiero CAI 237: Rifugio SABA – Cima di Grem — https://www.caibergamo.it/sites/default/files/cai/GPX/Sentiero237.gpx (CAI Bergamo, geoportale, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/237, 5.6 km, 450 m D+) GPS tracks: Sentiero CAI 238: Colle di Zambla – Baita Camplano — https://www.caibergamo.it/sites/default/files/cai/GPX/Sentiero238.gpx (CAI Bergamo, geoportale, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/238, 6.5 km, 600 m D+) GPS tracks: Giro ad anello della cima di Grem — https://www.in-lombardia.it/sites/default/files/itinerari/gpx/165356/cima_di_grem_corretto.gpx (in-Lombardia (Regione Lombardia), https://www.in-lombardia.it/itinerari/giro-ad-anello-della-cima-di-grem, 14.5 km, 961 m D+) GPS tracks: Cima di Grem, anello dal Passo di Zambla — https://lucagherardi.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Grem-Anello-dal-Passo-di-Zambla-LG.gpx (Luca Gherardi, https://lucagherardi.com/cima-di-grem-escursione-dal-passo-di-zambla/, 11.5 km, 850 m D+) The Cima di Grem is the grassy mountain that closes the Zambla basin to the north-east, on the ridge between the Val del Riso and the Val Serina; its slopes are shared between Oltre il Colle, Oneta, Premolo and Gorno (Wikipedia). From the Colle di Zambla the most direct route is CAI trail 223: about 6 kilometres and 800 metres of ascent, grade E, recommended from April to October. CAI Bergamo gives 2 hours 40 minutes up and 2 hours down, although the text of the same description puts the cross about 3 hours from the start. The climb has easily recognised stages: the Santella chapel of the Madonna di Caravaggio, the Cascine Sinelli, a beech wood, the pastures of the Baita di Mezzo and the Baita Alta di Grem, the Mistri bivouac and finally the Bocchetta di Grem, the saddle between the Grem and the Cima Foppazzi, from which the cross is a quarter of an hour away. The slope you climb was mining country for a long time: from the mid-nineteenth century to the 1970s sphalerite and calamine were extracted here, and the pastures still hold diggings, tunnel adits, spoil heaps and miners' shelters (L'Eco di Bergamo). The summit marks the western edge of the Val Nossana – Cima di Grem Special Area of Conservation, managed by the Orobie Bergamasche Park. #### Trail 223 step by step From the car park on the pass, follow the signposted lane north. At the first fork keep right and in five minutes you reach the Santella, the chapel of the Madonna di Caravaggio at 1,251 metres, where mass is said once a week in summer (L'Eco di Bergamo). Carry on to the right following the 223/238 waymark painted on a power-line pole, first on the level and then downhill, to the fork at the Cascine Sinelli (1,238 m). Where the dirt track ends, two paths leave: the right-hand one goes to the Alpe Grem hut, trail 223 is the left-hand one. A little further on, trail 238 branches left towards the Baita Camplano, while 223 keeps right and climbs in wide zigzags through a beech wood until it comes out on the pastures of the Baita di Mezzo di Grem (1,457 m). Along the hut's service track you reach the junction with trail 239, which climbs from Plazza di Oneta. Turn left across the meadows, pass a cattle pond and reach the Baita Alta di Grem (1,631 m). From here about half an hour leads to the Mistri bivouac; from the bivouac, on the stretch that 223 shares with 263, another half hour takes you to the Bocchetta di Grem (1,976 m) and a quarter of an hour's climb to the left to the cross. Come down the same way or by one of the variants below. #### How to reach the Colle di Zambla and where to park The Colle di Zambla is the only pass between the Brembana valley and Val Seriana crossed by an asphalt road (Wikipedia). From the Brembana valley you leave the main road at Ambria di Zogno and climb the SP27 through Val Serina via Serina and Oltre il Colle; from Val Seriana you turn off at Ponte Nossa onto the SP46 through the Val del Riso, via Gorno and Oneta. The SP27, closed from 28 August 2026 after a boulder fell at Rosolo di Algua, reopened on the afternoon of 1 October 2026 (Valbrembanaweb). On the pass there is a free car park (Luca Gherardi, OpenStreetMap) with a fountain: fill your bottles there, because there is no water along the route (L'Eco di Bergamo). Without a car, the pass is served by Arriva bus line B, with runs to and from Passo Zambla. If you prefer to start higher up, use trail 237 from Plassa: in summer you can park at around 1,600 metres on the toll road to the Alpe Arera, and reach the summit in 1 hour 50 minutes with 450 metres of ascent, passing the Baita Zuccone and the Baita Camplano (CAI Bergamo). #### Variants: the south ridge, the Cima Foppazzi and the loop via the Baita Camplano From the Baita Alta di Grem you can leave trail 223 and climb the south ridge. Camillo Fumagalli, writing in L'Eco di Bergamo, describes it as long and tiring: it tops out on a fore-summit at 2,001 metres and ends with a narrow but not steep stretch of crest. Luca Gherardi uses it for the descent: his loop, up via the Mistri bivouac and back along the grassy ridge, measures 11.5 kilometres with 850 metres of ascent. From the Bocchetta di Grem the Cima Foppazzi is about twenty minutes away over easy grassy slopes, up to the stone cairn on top (CAI Bergamo). Its height depends on the source: 2,097 metres for the CAI, 2,093 for Wikipedia and for the regional map used by OpenStreetMap. The fullest round drops north from the saddle on trail 237, below the Cima Foppazzi and the Cimetto, to the Baita Camplano (1,830 m), and returns to the pass on trail 238 across the meadows of Monte di Zambla. In-Lombardia, the Lombardy Region's tourism portal, gives the loop as 14.5 kilometres and 961 metres of ascent; the L'Eco di Bergamo account, which adds the Cima Foppazzi, speaks of 15 kilometres, 1,100 metres and five hours of walking. #### The Grem mines: what remains along the trail From the mid-nineteenth century to the 1970s many local people worked in the mines: the Grem, the Arera, the Val Vedra and the Val Parina were districts riddled with tunnels, producing sphalerite and calamine for zinc, lead and small amounts of silver (L'Eco di Bergamo). Between the Baita di Mezzo and the Baita Alta you still walk among diggings, adits, spoil heaps and old shelters. Closing dates differ slightly between sources: L'Eco di Bergamo ends the story in 1982 with the last plant at Gorno, while the Ecomuseo Miniere di Gorno says mining went on until 1981. On the Val del Riso side, trail 239 from Oneta leads beyond the Baita Bassa di Grem to the disused calamine mines; up to the Baita Bassa it follows the Baita Alpe Grem ethno-naturalistic trail, with panels on the mine, the pond, the forest and the summer pasture made by the schools of Gorno and Oneta (CAI Bergamo). #### The Mistri bivouac and the summit cross The Mistri bivouac stands in the Valle dell'Orso, on the south side of the Grem in the municipality of Gorno; its height is given as between 1,780 and 1,800 metres depending on the source. It belongs to the municipality of Gorno and is run by the Gruppo Camós: ten beds, cold water, solar-panel electricity and a wood stove; it is staffed on Wednesdays and Sundays and the winter room is always open (valdelriso.it). A bivouac festival is held every last Sunday of July (CAI Bergamo). The site has a long history: when mining in the Valle dell'Orso ended in 1908, a miners' hut was handed over to CAI Bergamo and turned into a small refuge, later destroyed during the First World War. On the ruins the Gruppo Camós built the bivouac dedicated to Giovanni Mistri, inaugurated on 30 August 1992 according to the Ecomuseo Miniere di Gorno; Wikipedia instead speaks of a rebuilding in the early 1980s. The summit cross, made of metal and fitted with a bell (in-Lombardia), was carried up in pieces on people's shoulders and set up in 1962 in memory of don Severino Tiraboschi, parish priest of Gorno (CAI Bergamo, Ecomuseo Miniere di Gorno). From the top you see the Alben, the Arera and the Menna close by, Val Serina on one side and Val Seriana on the other and, on clear days, the plain (Luca Gherardi, L'Eco di Bergamo). #### The protected nature of the Val Nossana – Cima di Grem SAC The Cima di Grem is the western edge of Special Area of Conservation IT2060009, managed by the Orobie Bergamasche Park: 3,369 hectares between 578 and 2,512 metres, from the slopes of the Pizzo Arera to the Cime di Belloro, in the municipalities of Ardesio, Gorno, Oltre il Colle, Oneta, Parre and Premolo (Province of Bergamo). The provincial description lists golden eagle, black kite, honey buzzard and peregrine falcon among the breeding birds; there are also black grouse, hazel grouse, rock partridge, eagle owl and Tengmalm's owl, and the red-backed shrike in the Golla-Grem mining area. Even the cattle ponds you pass on the way up matter: according to the same description, keeping them in good order helps the yellow-bellied toad and the Italian crested newt, two amphibians protected by the Habitats Directive; on nearby Monte Golla the newt has been found at 1,675 metres, the highest altitude known in the Alps. #### When to go and what to bring The CAI recommends April to October, with boots and high-mountain clothing. From the Baita di Mezzo upwards you walk outside the woods: on hot days start early. At the Mistri bivouac the valdelriso.it portal lists cold water among the facilities, but OpenStreetMap marks the spring next to it as not drinkable: for drinking, count only on what you carry from the pass. - Fill your bottles at the fountain on the Colle di Zambla: there are no springs along trail 223. - Do not enter the adits of the old tunnels: look at them from outside. - The winter room of the Mistri bivouac is always open: keep it in mind as a shelter if the weather turns. - The south ridge is more exposed and tiring than trail 223: anyone uneasy with drops should stay on the waymarked path. - D: How long does it take to climb the Cima di Grem from the Colle di Zambla? R: CAI Bergamo gives 2 hours 40 minutes up and 2 hours down on trail 223, for about 6 kilometres and 800 metres of ascent; the text of the same description puts the cross about 3 hours from the start. Luca Gherardi took about two and a half hours. The grade is E. - D: Is trail 223 to the Grem difficult? R: It is graded E, a hiking trail: path and tracks across pastures, with no protected sections. The CAI recommends boots and high-mountain clothing. The south-ridge variant is more exposed and tiring, while the climb from the saddle to the Cima Foppazzi is on easy grassy slopes. - D: Where do you park to climb the Cima di Grem? R: At the Colle di Zambla, in the free car park on the pass next to the fountain. Alternatively, in summer, you can leave the car at around 1,600 metres on the toll road to the Alpe Arera, above Plassa, and climb on trail 237: 450 metres of ascent and 1 hour 50 minutes. - D: Is there water on the way up the Grem? R: Don't count on it: according to the L'Eco di Bergamo account there are no springs along the route, and the spring beside the Mistri bivouac is marked as not drinkable on OpenStreetMap. Fill your bottles at the fountain on the Colle di Zambla. - D: Can you do a loop on the Grem starting from Zambla? R: Yes. The classic one goes up trail 223 and comes back via the Baita Camplano on trails 237 and 238: 14.5 kilometres and 961 metres according to in-Lombardia, 15 kilometres, 1,100 metres and five hours with the Cima Foppazzi according to L'Eco di Bergamo. Shorter is Luca Gherardi's loop with a descent along the grassy ridge: 11.5 kilometres and 850 metres. - D: Is the Mistri bivouac open? R: The winter room is always open; the bivouac itself is staffed on Wednesdays and Sundays, has ten beds and is run by the Gruppo Camós for its owner, the municipality of Gorno (valdelriso.it). Every last Sunday of July it hosts the bivouac festival. - D: What is left of the mines on the Grem? R: Diggings, tunnel adits, spoil heaps and old shelters, mostly between the Baita di Mezzo and the Baita Alta. Sphalerite and calamine were mined here for zinc, lead and a little silver from the mid-nineteenth century to the 1970s; the last activity at Gorno stopped in 1981 or 1982 depending on the source. - D: How high is the Cima Foppazzi and how far is it from the Cima di Grem? R: From the Bocchetta di Grem (1,976 m) it is about 20 minutes over grassy slopes to the stone cairn. The CAI gives it as 2,097 metres, Wikipedia and the regional map used by OpenStreetMap as 2,093. Sources: https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/223, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/237, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/238, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/239, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/263, https://www.ecodibergamo.it/stories/eppen/outdoor/sul-monte-grem-dal-passo-zambla-itinerario-tutte-stagioni-o_1802708_11/, https://www.in-lombardia.it/itinerari/giro-ad-anello-della-cima-di-grem, https://lucagherardi.com/cima-di-grem-escursione-dal-passo-di-zambla/, https://www.valdelriso.it/site/rifugi-e-bivacchi, https://www.ecomuseominieredigorno.it/approfondimenti/contrade-baite-e-bivacchi/, https://www.ecomuseominieredigorno.it/miniere-e-minatori/, https://www.provincia.bergamo.it/cnvpbgrm/zf/index.php/servizi-aggiuntivi/index/index/idtesto/1428, https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monte_Grem, https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cima_Foppazzi, https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colle_di_Zambla, https://valbrembanaweb.com/val-serina-versante-in-sicurezza-riapre-dopo-un-mese-la-provinciale/, https://bergamo.arriva.it/notice/linea-b-passo-zambla-chiusura-s-p-27-modifica-percorso-5/, https://www.openstreetmap.org/node/492484484, https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/118040168 ### Passo della Crocetta (1,267 m), between the Colle di Zambla and the Conca dell'Alben — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/things-to-do/passo-della-crocetta Hike, Zambla Alta. Passo della Crocetta (1,267 m), a kilometre south of the Colle di Zambla: a spring, the start of CAI trails 501 to the Alben and 526B, a ski track in winter. Figures: CAI grade T, Highest point 1267 m, Waymarks Agro-sylvo-pastoral road with the cross-country track signs; CAI trails 501 and 526B start from the Crocetta. Best period: All year; in winter the road is a cross-country ski track. GPS tracks: Senza barriere 104: dal Passo di Zambla alla Conca dell'Alben — https://www.caibergamo.it/sites/default/files/2025-12/104%20Passo%20di%20Zambla%20Conca%20dell%27Alben.gpx (CAI Bergamo, geoportale, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/senzabarriere/104, 30 m D+) GPS tracks: Sentiero CAI 501: Passo Colle di Zambla – Monte Alben — https://www.caibergamo.it/sites/default/files/cai/GPX/Sentiero501.gpx (CAI Bergamo, geoportale, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/501, 3.7 km, 750 m D+) The Passo della Crocetta is a saddle at almost the same height as the Colle di Zambla, 1,267 metres according to the Lombardy Region technical map used by OpenStreetMap, a kilometre further south. You reach it on foot along the forest road that leaves the pass towards the Al Trapper restaurant, asphalted only for the first few metres, and you recognise it by a small white house with red shutters (Percorsi MTB Val Brembana). On OpenStreetMap's municipal boundaries the saddle already lies in the municipality of Oneta, a few hundred metres beyond the boundary with Oltre il Colle. It is not a destination in itself but a junction: about 300 metres past the Crocetta, on the left, CAI trail 501 starts for the Col dei Brassamonti, the Baita Nembrini and Monte Alben; from the Crocetta itself trail 526B drops through the woods to the Madonna del Frassino sanctuary and Chignolo d'Oneta; carrying on along the road you reach the Conca dell'Alben and the Pian della Palla. At the Crocetta there is a spring of drinking water, while the barbecue areas with grills and tables are further on, at the Pian della Palla and the Conca dell'Alben (B&B Sotto l'Alben). In winter the road becomes a cross-country ski track, and the stretch from Zambla Alta to the Crocetta is the one lit for evening skiing (VisitBrembo). Beware of the name: the Passo della Crocetta that appears in the 2023 and 2025 editions of the Giro di Lombardia is a different, road pass on the Dossena side. #### Getting there from the Colle di Zambla and where to leave the car On its pages for trails 501 and 526B, CAI Bergamo says to park at the Colle di Zambla and continue on foot: follow via Prealpina towards the Al Trapper bar-restaurant and the cross-country track signs, then the forest road heading south, which reaches the Crocetta after about a kilometre. It is an agro-sylvo-pastoral road with a barrier at the start: that is how it is described both by CAI barrier-free route 104 and by the climbing reports of Sass Balòss, which in 2011 also mentioned a no-entry sign. Some tourist pages, such as those of VisitBrembo and Escursionismo.it on the Baita Nembrini, say instead that you can drive to the Crocetta: go by the barrier and the signs you find on the spot. If you want to drive closer to the Conca dell'Alben, you can go up from Oltre il Colle along via Drago, about 3 kilometres, to the Pian della Palla, where there is plenty of parking (B&B Sotto l'Alben). #### What you find along the road and at the Crocetta The road is CAI Bergamo's barrier-free route 104, graded AT, accessible to tourists, from the Colle di Zambla to the Conca dell'Alben: the description gives 5.6 kilometres in length, 45 minutes out and the same back, only 30 metres of ascent, a maximum gradient of 10 per cent, an average width of 3 metres and a minimum of 2, with no steps and no exposed sections. It lists water along the route, places to eat, an accessible toilet and good shade from the sun. On the way to the Crocetta you pass a small rest area with benches and tables (CAI Bergamo); at the Crocetta is the spring. From the Pian della Palla, B&B Sotto l'Alben describes a loop of about 5.5 kilometres and 200 metres of ascent via the Pian della Mussa and the Conca dell'Alben, with views of the Menna, the Arera and the Grem: starting from the Passo di Zambla the full round comes to about 11 kilometres. A little further on, coming down trail 501 towards the Conca dell'Alben, VieFerrate.it uses the «old lime kilns» as the landmark where the level path to the Conca begins. #### The trails that start from the Crocetta From the Crocetta you can choose four directions of very different difficulty, from a level stroll to the ridge of the Alben. - CAI 501 to Monte Alben: from the Colle di Zambla 3.7 km and 750 m of ascent, 2 h 15 up and 1 h 20 down, grade EE for the final ridge over rocky steps; it passes the Col dei Brassamonti (1,755 m) and the Passo della Forca (1,848 m) (CAI Bergamo). - Detour from 501 to the Baita Nembrini (1,730 m), at the foot of the Torrione Brassamonti: about 1 h 30 (VisitBrembo). - CAI 526B to the Madonna del Frassino sanctuary (987 m), about 35 minutes away, and on to Chignolo d'Oneta (830 m): 2 h out and 2 h 15 back, grade E, season May to October (CAI Bergamo). - Forest road to the Conca dell'Alben and the Pian della Palla: from the Conca to the Pian della Palla is another 10 minutes (CAI Bergamo, route 104). #### In winter: the Crocetta on the cross-country track The Oltre il Colle cross-country track runs from Zambla Alta to Valpiana below the north face of the Alben, which keeps it snow-covered until late spring; VisitBrembo gives its length as 16 kilometres on one page and 13 on another. The stretch from Zambla Alta to the Crocetta has night lighting. Describing route 104 in January 2024, the CAI mentions a temporary barrier along the road that protects the track: walkers keep to the side, off the groomed trail. #### The north side of the Alben and summer coolness The Crocetta lies at the foot of the north side of the Alben: trail 501, which climbs from here, faces north (CAI Bergamo), and Lo Scarpone, the CAI's magazine, recommends the nearby Torrione Brassamonti precisely for hot summer days. Along the road to the Conca dell'Alben the CAI rates the shade from the sun as good (barrier-free route 104). - Leave the car at the Colle di Zambla: the road to the Crocetta has a barrier and is an agro-sylvo-pastoral road. - There is a spring of drinking water at the Crocetta: for a barbecue, carry on to the Pian della Palla or the Conca dell'Alben. - If you are heading for the Alben, trail 501 starts about 300 metres past the Crocetta, on the left. - In winter walk beside the cross-country track, without treading on the groomed trail. - The Passo della Crocetta of the Giro di Lombardia is a different pass: don't use it as your satnav destination. - D: Where is the Passo della Crocetta? R: A kilometre south of the Colle di Zambla, along the forest road to the Conca dell'Alben, at 1,267 metres according to the regional technical map. It is the junction where CAI trail 501 to Monte Alben and trail 526B to the Madonna del Frassino and Chignolo d'Oneta begin. On OpenStreetMap's municipal boundaries it is already in the municipality of Oneta, right next to that of Oltre il Colle. - D: Can you drive to the Crocetta? R: CAI Bergamo says to park at the Colle di Zambla: the road to the Crocetta is an agro-sylvo-pastoral road with a barrier at the start, and in 2011 the Sass Balòss reports mentioned a no-entry sign. By car you can get close to the Conca dell'Alben by driving up from Oltre il Colle along via Drago to the Pian della Palla. - D: Is there water at the Crocetta? R: Yes, there is a spring of drinking water at the Crocetta. The barbecue areas with grills and tables are further on, at the Pian della Palla and the Conca dell'Alben. - D: How far is it from the Crocetta to the summit of Monte Alben? R: CAI Bergamo gives the whole of trail 501 from the Colle di Zambla as 3.7 kilometres, 750 metres of ascent and 2 hours 15 minutes up. From the Crocetta the trail starts about 300 metres further on and climbs to the Col dei Brassamonti (1,755 m) and the Passo della Forca (1,848 m); the final ridge is EE. - D: Where does trail 526B go? R: From the Crocetta it drops through the woods to the Madonna del Frassino sanctuary (987 m) in about 35 minutes and continues to Chignolo d'Oneta (830 m): 2 hours out and 2 hours 15 back, grade E, recommended from May to October. - D: Is it the same Passo della Crocetta as in the Giro di Lombardia? R: No. The Passo della Crocetta of the 2023 and 2025 editions of Il Lombardia is a road pass on the Dossena side, 11 kilometres at 6.2 per cent on average according to Sportface. The Crocetta near Zambla is on a forest road closed to traffic. - D: Is the road to the Crocetta suitable for pushchairs or wheelchairs? R: It is part of CAI Bergamo's barrier-free route 104, graded AT: maximum gradient 10 per cent, average width 3 metres and minimum 2, no steps. The CAI describes it as easy for people with non-motor disabilities and passable with a joëlette for people with motor disabilities. - D: Can you walk to the Crocetta in winter? R: Yes, but the road is a cross-country ski track and the stretch from Zambla Alta to the Crocetta is lit for evening skiing: walk at the side, off the groomed trail, where the CAI also mentions a temporary protective barrier. Sources: https://www.openstreetmap.org/node/564914293, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/501, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/526b, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/senzabarriere/104, https://www.visitbrembo.it/elemento/piste-da-sci-nordico-e-alpino-monte-alben/, https://www.visitbrembo.it/itinerario/anello-del-passo-di-zambla/, https://www.visitbrembo.it/it/poi/baita-nembrini, https://www.bbsottolalben.it/l/passeggiata-ad-anello-sulla-pista-di-sci-nordico/, https://www.percorsimtbvalbrembana.it/su-e-giugrave-per-la-valle-del-riso.html, https://www.sassbaloss.com/pagine/uscite/alben/alben.htm, https://www.vieferrate.it/pag-relazioni/lombardia/52-alpi-orobie/339-anticima-alben.html, https://www.loscarpone.cai.it/dettaglio/storie-di-vie-la-via-bonatti-al-torrione-brassamonti-nel-gruppo-dell-alben/, https://www.ilombardia.it/en/news/il-lombardia-2023-238-km-from-como-to-bergamo-with-over-4400-meters-of-altitude-gain/, https://www.sportface.it/ciclismo/ciclismo-giro-lombardia-2023-percorso-altimetria/2316388 ### Torrione Brassamonti and the crags of the Alben — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/things-to-do/torrione-brassamonti-falesie-alben Climbing, Zambla Alta. Torrione Brassamonti, Alben: routes from 3a to 7b on two faces, Bonatti's 1950 line, the Bottiglione, the Coregn de l'Acqua boulders and the Maurizio ferrata. Figures: Waymarks CAI 501 to the Col dei Brassamonti, then a short detour left to the Baita Nembrini. Best period: Summer and autumn. GPS tracks: Sentiero CAI 501: Passo Colle di Zambla – Monte Alben (avvicinamento) — https://www.caibergamo.it/sites/default/files/cai/GPX/Sentiero501.gpx (CAI Bergamo, geoportale, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/501, 3.7 km, 750 m D+) The Torrione Brassamonti is a limestone buttress rising beside Monte Alben, on its north side above the Zambla basin. Lo Scarpone, the CAI magazine, describes the rock as very compact and well featured; ValSeriana e Val di Scalve calls it a limestone of contrasting colours, from dark grey to the yellow of the overhangs. At the foot of the east face stands the Baita Carlo Nembrini, a hut of the CAI Valserina subsection used as a base by climbers. The routes are short, one to five pitches, but numerous and easy to link: the Climbook catalogue lists 26 pitches on the east face and 19 on the north, from 3a to 7b. Among the classics is the line opened by Walter Bonatti and Camillo Barzaghi on 5 November 1950. In 2011 the mountain guides, with Mattia Cavagna and the Fancy Mountain association, re-bolted the tower, leaving the old pegs on the historic lines. In the same area are the Bottiglione monolith, the Coregn de l'Acqua boulders and, on the nearby Cima della Croce, the Maurizio via ferrata, opened in 2013 and dedicated to a mountaineer from Oltre il Colle. #### Where the Torrione is and how to reach the foot of the routes Park at the Colle di Zambla and take the dirt road towards the Alben, which is a cross-country ski track in winter. Go past the barrier, carry on to a wide clearing and just beyond it, on the left, take trail 501, steep at first and then gentler, following the signs for the Alben (Sass Balòss). Gulliver describes the same approach: about a kilometre of road, then the dirt track and after about 300 metres, on the left, the 501 signs. At the Col dei Brassamonti (1,755 m) the outline of the tower appears. Follow the path another five minutes and take the detour left to the Baita Nembrini, at 1,730 metres, built right against the east face (Gulliver, Sass Balòss, CAI Bergamo). The approach takes about an hour and a half from the pass, with 460-470 metres of ascent according to Sass Balòss and about 500 according to Gulliver. On OpenStreetMap's municipal boundaries the tower and the hut lie in the municipality of Oneta, a few hundred metres from those of Oltre il Colle and Cornalba. #### Rock, aspect and when to climb There are two faces: the east, with the hut at its foot and most of the classic lines, and the north. The via dei Cioch, on the gully side, faces south-east. Lo Scarpone places the tower at around 2,000 metres, Sass Balòss gives the top at about 1,800: either way it is a crag at altitude, which both the CAI magazine and Sass Balòss recommend for hot summer and autumn days. There is no water on site (Sass Balòss): bring everything from the Colle di Zambla, where there is a fountain. The approach path is obvious and well marked; you come down from the routes by abseil. #### The routes: how many and what grades Climbook counts 26 entries on the east face and 19 on the north, because each pitch of the longer routes is listed separately. Grouped together they make 15 lines on the east face, from the 3a of the last pitch of the via dei Cioch to the 7a+ of Karakorum, and 6 on the north face, where the Bombata tm reaches 7b on its second pitch. The short routes and single pitches, as Lo Scarpone writes, lend themselves to link-ups. Grades do not always match between sources: for the first pitch of the Bonatti, Climbook and Sass Balòss give 6b, Gulliver 6b+, and the two reports also give the alternative of 5c with aid moves (A0). Before setting off it is worth comparing at least two descriptions. #### The Bonatti route and the history of the faces On 5 November 1950 Walter Bonatti and Camillo Barzaghi opened a three-pitch route on the east face in three hours of climbing, graded IV and V at the time and climbed partly on aid in its first section (Lo Scarpone). Today the route has 12 bolts and several original pegs on the 30-metre first pitch, 9 bolts on the second and an easier final pitch to the top (Sass Balòss, Gulliver). Bonatti was attached to the Alben from childhood, when he spent his holidays with his uncles in Val Seriana: in his book «In terre lontane» he recalls imagining that summit as the roof of the world. Many Bergamo climbers trained on these faces, Lo Scarpone notes, and the Baita Nembrini at their foot bears the name of Carlo Nembrini, an expedition leader who died in the Bolivian Andes in 1973 (VisitBrembo, Wikipedia). #### The 2011 re-bolting and the state of the protection In 2011 the Fancy Mountain association, chaired by Marco Astori, and mountain guide Mattia Cavagna, with the help of the Bergamo mountain guides, re-bolted about twenty pitches on the Torrione and the point beside it, equipped four pitches on the Bottiglione with a cable for crossing it and coming down, and fitted out the main boulder of the Corni dell'acqua with a small map of the other rocks. The Province of Bergamo covered 80 per cent of this work with 15,000 euros, out of 90,000 planned for the whole programme (L'Eco di Bergamo, 7 October 2011). On the classic routes, such as the Bonatti, the Perolari and the Bianchetti, the old pegs were left beside the new anchors (Sass Balòss). Fifteen years have passed since the work: check belays and abseil rings before trusting them. #### The Bottiglione, the Coregn de l'Acqua boulders and the Corna Bianca The Bottiglione is a monolith not far away on the slopes of the Alben: Climbook lists four routes on its south-south-west face, between 5a and 6a, and two on the north face, at 6a and 3c. The Coregn de l'Acqua is the group of large erratic boulders near the Conca dell'Alben, frequented mostly by boulderers, where the main boulder was equipped in 2011; Climbook records six lines there, from the 3a of the via scuola to the 7a+ of the via delle tre Marie. The big Corna Bianca crag, on the south side of the Alben above Cornalba, is a different place: more than a hundred routes from grade 5 to 9a+ (Wikipedia), with a different approach, from the Cornalba side. #### The Maurizio via ferrata to the Cima della Croce On the north side of the Cima della Croce, the second summit of the Alben group, climbs the Maurizio via ferrata, dedicated to Oltre il Colle mountaineer Pierangelo Maurizio, who died on Everest in 2007, and opened in May 2013 (ferrate365). The municipality of Oltre il Colle lists it among its routes and refers to the same description. It starts from the car park of the Conca dell'Alben ski lifts, reached from Oltre il Colle; the start of the protected route is 20 minutes away. Ferrate365 grades it difficult: 2 hours of via ferrata, 400 metres of protected ascent, 600 for the whole round, 3.8 kilometres, about 4 hours in all and a high point of 1,900 metres. VieFerrate.it judges it moderately difficult with some difficult passages because of steepness and exposure. The first part is a protected path on loose ground, then come two vertical walls; early in the season, until June, an unprotected gully can be full of snow and call for crampons and a rope. The descent returns via the Passo della Forca and trail 501. If you have no gear, Edo Sport in Zambla Alta rents via ferrata kits as part of its summer hire. - Bring all your water from the Colle di Zambla: there is none at the tower or the hut. - Ask for the keys of the Baita Nembrini from the CAI Valserina subsection in Serina. - The re-bolting dates from 2011: check belays and abseil rings before hanging on them. - Compare two descriptions before climbing: grades for the same route differ from one source to another. - For the Maurizio via ferrata early in the season, ask about snow in the unprotected gully. - D: How many routes are there on the Torrione Brassamonti? R: The Climbook catalogue records 26 pitches on the east face and 19 on the north: grouped, that is 15 lines on the east face, from 3a to 7a+, and 6 on the north, up to the 7b of the Bombata tm. The routes are short, one to five pitches, and can be linked. - D: How do you get to the Torrione Brassamonti? R: From the Colle di Zambla follow the dirt road towards the Alben and then CAI trail 501 to the Col dei Brassamonti (1,755 m); after five minutes a detour to the left leads to the Baita Nembrini, at the foot of the east face. It takes about an hour and a half and 460-500 metres of ascent. - D: Who opened the Bonatti route on the Torrione Brassamonti? R: Walter Bonatti and Camillo Barzaghi, on 5 November 1950, in three hours of climbing: three short pitches on the east face, graded IV and V at the time, with the first part on aid. Today the route is graded 6b, or 5c and A0, on the first pitch. - D: Are the Torrione routes bolted? R: Yes. In 2011 mountain guide Mattia Cavagna and the Fancy Mountain association re-bolted about twenty pitches with bolts and resin anchors, leaving the historic pegs on the classics. Fifteen years have passed: belays and rings should be checked. - D: How do you get down from the Torrione Brassamonti? R: By abseil. Sass Balòss describes a 60-metre abseil from the two cemented rings in the north-west chimney, back to the foot of the face; for the Bonatti, Gulliver also describes two abseils of 20 and 55 metres down the Ultimo Calice route, to the base behind the hut. - D: Can you sleep at the Baita Nembrini? R: Yes, but it is not an open bivouac: it is a stone hut of the CAI Valserina subsection with ten beds, kept locked. Ask the subsection in Serina for the keys (Escursionismo.it, Luca Gherardi); reports from 2011 and 2012 also named the Centro Sportivo Valle at the Passo di Zambla. - D: How difficult is the Maurizio via ferrata on the Alben? R: Ferrate365 grades it difficult: 2 hours of via ferrata, 400 protected metres, about 4 hours for the whole round from the Conca dell'Alben car park. VieFerrate.it considers it moderately difficult with difficult passages because of steepness and exposure. Early in the season an unprotected gully can be snow-filled. - D: Are the Alben crags at Cornalba the same as the Torrione? R: No. The Corna Bianca at Cornalba, with more than a hundred routes up to 9a+, is on the south side of the Alben, above Cornalba, with a different approach. The Torrione Brassamonti, the Bottiglione and the Coregn de l'Acqua are on the north side, above the Zambla basin. Sources: https://climbook.com/falesie/915/torrione-brassamonti-parete-est, https://climbook.com/falesie/916/torrione-brassamonti-parete-nord, https://climbook.com/falesie/914/il-bottiglione-parete-s-sw, https://climbook.com/falesie/913/il-bottiglione-parete-nord, https://climbook.com/falesie/911/coregn-de-lacqua, https://www.loscarpone.cai.it/dettaglio/storie-di-vie-la-via-bonatti-al-torrione-brassamonti-nel-gruppo-dell-alben/, https://www.sassbaloss.com/pagine/uscite/alben1/alben1.htm, https://www.sassbaloss.com/pagine/uscite/alben/alben.htm, https://www.sassbaloss.com/pagine/uscite/alben2/alben2.htm, https://gulliver.it/itinerario/63426, http://valserina.blogspot.com/2011/10/sullalben-richiodato-arrampicata-per.html, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/rifugi-bivacchi/baita-nembrini, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/501, https://www.visitbrembo.it/it/poi/baita-nembrini, https://www.valseriana.eu/sport-e-divertimento/alben/, https://www.ferrate365.it/vie-ferrate/ferrata-maurizio-alben-croce/, https://www.vieferrate.it/pag-relazioni/lombardia/52-alpi-orobie/339-anticima-alben.html, https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/zf/index.php/itinerari/index/dettaglio-itinerario/itinerario/1, https://edosport.it/pages/noleggio, https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monte_Alben, https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlo_Nembrini, https://www.openstreetmap.org/node/2918718827, https://www.escursionismo.it/rifugi-bivacchi/nembrini-carlo-14501, https://lucagherardi.com/baita-nembrini/, https://www.diska.it/rifnembrini.asp ### Val Parina: the traverse from Zorzone to Scalvino on CAI trail 259 — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/things-to-do/val-parina-da-zorzone Hike, Zorzone. Val Parina, Zorzone to Scalvino on CAI trail 259: 12 km and 450 m of descent through gorges, chained ledges and the rails of an old timber and marble line. Figures: CAI grade E, 450 m, Highest point 990 m, 12 km, 4 h 30-5 h, one way, Waymarks CAI 259. Best period: All year according to the CAI; best on dry ground. GPS tracks: Sentiero CAI 259: Valparina – Scalvino (Lenna) — https://www.caibergamo.it/sites/default/files/cai/GPX/Sentiero259.gpx (CAI Bergamo, geoportale, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/259, 12 km) The Val Parina runs for about 15 kilometres from the Orobie down to the Brembo, south of the Cima di Menna; its upper part lies in the municipality of Oltre il Colle, while the lower and middle valley are uninhabited and can only be crossed on foot (Wikipedia). CAI trail 259 starts just before Zorzone and ends at Scalvino di Lenna: about 12 kilometres, 450 metres of descent, a high point of around 990 metres, 4 hours 30 minutes out and 5 hours back according to CAI Bergamo. The CAI Valserina subsection, which walked it as a group in April 2024, reckons 5 hours excluding stops. The grade is E, but it is no stroll: after the Cappelletta di Petta and an hour of ups and downs in the woods to the meadows of Prà Parina, the path cuts across an overhanging slope with exposed sections protected by chains, then drops to the valley floor and follows the bed of an old narrow-gauge railway to the confluence with the Brembo. The valley is a Special Area of Conservation of the Orobie Bergamasche Park, chosen for its gorge habitats and for its low human impact: no roads, no inhabited houses, no hut along the route. #### The route step by step The path leaves the road on the left before you reach Zorzone, at about 850 metres, near the Serbaplast firm, and for the whole first part keeps to the orographic right side of the valley (CAI Bergamo). Soon you reach the Cappelletta di Petta, a white chapel on a rocky spur with a view over the upper valley; then you go up and down through the woods for about an hour to the meadows and farm buildings of Prà Parina, at 826 metres according to Percorsi MTB Val Brembana. Further on the path narrows and cuts across a slope that drops sheer into the valley, crossing gravel gullies protected with chains: it is the most delicate stretch, which even the mountain-bike description advises doing on foot. You then drop to the valley floor, where the water has carved potholes and walls that almost touch. The last stretch is almost level on the bed of the old railway, with bridges and two tunnels and a surface cluttered with stones and old rails. You reach the Bocca di Parina, the confluence with the Brembo at the place the CAI calls La Goggia, and on level ground you come to the Agriturismo Ferdy near Scalvino, a hamlet of Lenna, at about 460 metres. In front of the farm an iron bridge leads onto the Valle Brembana cycle path (Percorsi MTB Val Brembana, OpenStreetMap). #### How to organise the return The traverse does not return to its starting point. The simplest solution is to leave a second car at Scalvino; in April 2024 the CAI Valserina subsection organised the return with a private coach. Anyone wanting to walk back must allow another 5 hours of climbing on the same path, according to the CAI. Arriving on the Valle Brembana cycle path, built largely on the bed of the Zogno-Piazza Brembana railway that closed in 1966 (Wikipedia), opens other options too: Percorsi MTB Val Brembana, for instance, rides back to San Pellegrino Terme in 11.5 kilometres. From Scalvino you can also close a loop on foot by climbing to the Passo dell'Ortighera along the old cattle track of Dossena and coming down to Lenna (Il Blog della Valserina). #### The gorges: why the Val Parina is so wild The shape of the valley depends on its rocks. The upper part, where the meadows and the hamlets of Oltre il Colle lie, is made of soft rocks of lagoon and delta origin, marly limestones, marls and siltstones, which erode easily and give gentle slopes; on top of them rest the harder dolomites of the Dolomia Principale, which form the spires and towers between the Menna, the Arera and the Alben. Just downstream of the bridge on the road between Oltre il Colle and Zorzone the rock changes abruptly: you enter the very hard Esino limestone, the remains of an ancient carbonate platform, into which the Parina stream has cut the orridi, deep gorges with unusual erosion forms (Il Blog della Valserina). The gorge is also used for canyoning descents, which require specific skills and a guide. #### The timber road and the narrow-gauge railway The rails you meet at the bottom of the valley belong to a narrow-gauge service line, different from the Valle Brembana railway, which was standard gauge (Wikipedia). At the end of the First World War the forests of the Brembana valley had been depleted by the demand for firewood and for fuel for furnaces, including those of the mines, and what remained to be exploited was the great beech and hornbeam forest of the Val Parina. To bring the timber out, a road of about three kilometres was dug by hand from the confluence with the Brembo, with tunnels, bridges and retaining walls to keep the gradient constant for the wagons on the rails. From the felling areas the wood came down on overhead cables to the terminus, travelled on the rails to the Brembo, crossed it again hanging from a cable and from there left on horse-drawn carts for Milan and the river ports of the plain. Some twenty woodcutters worked there permanently, joined by dozens of seasonal workers; around the 1940s up to 300 men worked in the valley. With the marble quarries the road was completed with a bridge over the Brembo and the mules were replaced by a Decauville locomotive; timber and quarrying stopped between the late 1950s and the early 1960s, and a violent cloudburst later destroyed part of the works, including the bridge, of which only the pier bases remain (Il Blog della Valserina). The Valle Brembana railway, for its part, counted the marbles of the Val Parina among the goods it carried (Wikipedia). #### The Valle Parina SAC: environment and rules Special Area of Conservation IT2060008 Valle Parina covers 2,225 hectares between 470 and 2,299 metres, in the municipalities of Dossena, Lenna, Oltre il Colle, San Giovanni Bianco and Serina, from the Cima di Menna to the mouth of the Parina (Province of Bergamo). It matters for its gorge habitats, ravine woods, petrifying springs and overhanging cliffs, for the continuity of its forest and for the absence of infrastructure: human impact is among the lowest on the southern side of the Orobie. The provincial description mentions the hop-hornbeam and beech woods of the limestone slopes, the scrub with Cytisus emeriflorus, a shrub almost exclusive to the Lombard Prealps, a flora rich in rare and endemic species, black grouse and the golden eagle, which nests here. It also recalls that much of the valley, facing south between 600 and 1,500 metres, is prone to fires: so do not light fires, do not pick anything and do not leave the path. #### Hazards and what to bring The exposed chained sections are the critical point, especially with wet rock or gravel. In the valley there are no houses, huts or shelters and you usually meet nobody (Il Blog della Valserina); the mountain-bike description adds that there is no mobile signal and that vipers are not rare in summer. Go in company, tell someone your expected time and choose a day of good weather and dry ground. The CAI recommends boots and mid-mountain clothing; the CAI Valserina sheet adds poles, layered clothing and a packed lunch, because there are no huts or refreshment points along the valley. - It is not a loop: before setting off, arrange a second car or a lift at Scalvino di Lenna. - There is no mobile signal in the valley: go in company and tell someone your timing. - Take the chained sections calmly; with wet rock it is better to postpone. - Poles and a packed lunch: there are no refreshment points before the farm at the end. - You are in an SAC of the Orobie Park: no fires, no picking, no shortcuts off the path. - D: How long is the Val Parina traverse from Zorzone? R: About 12 kilometres from Zorzone to Scalvino di Lenna, with 450 metres of descent and a high point of around 990 metres. CAI Bergamo gives 4 hours 30 minutes out and 5 hours back; the CAI Valserina subsection reckons 5 hours excluding stops. The grade is E. - D: Where does trail 259 to the Val Parina start? R: On the left of the road just before you reach Zorzone, a hamlet of Oltre il Colle, at about 850 metres, near the Serbaplast firm. CAI Bergamo recommends parking in Zorzone in via Scolari. - D: How do you get back to Zorzone after the Val Parina? R: The traverse ends at Scalvino di Lenna, so you need a second car or a lift; walking back on the same path takes another 5 hours according to the CAI. At the end, at the Agriturismo Ferdy, you are on the Valle Brembana cycle path. - D: Is the Val Parina dangerous? R: It is not technical, but it has exposed sections protected by chains on an overhanging slope, and it is long and isolated: no houses or huts, and according to Percorsi MTB Val Brembana no mobile signal. You need a sure foot, a dry day and someone who knows where you are. - D: What are the rails at the bottom of the Val Parina? R: They are the remains of the narrow-gauge railway built to carry the valley's timber and, later, marble from the quarries to the Brembo, first with mules and then with a Decauville locomotive. The work ended in the early 1960s. It is not the Valle Brembana railway, which was standard gauge. - D: Is the Val Parina a protected area? R: Yes: it is Special Area of Conservation IT2060008 Valle Parina, managed by the Orobie Bergamasche Park, 2,225 hectares between Dossena, Lenna, Oltre il Colle, San Giovanni Bianco and Serina, important for its gorge habitats and very low human impact. - D: Can you ride the Val Parina on a mountain bike? R: Percorsi MTB Val Brembana offers it as a demanding ride from San Pellegrino Terme, 48.4 kilometres and 1,180 metres of ascent, with about 70 per cent of the path rideable. The chained sections must be done on foot, and the description stresses going in a group, with spares and on dry ground. - D: When is the best time for the Val Parina? R: The CAI considers it passable all year, but the ground must be dry for the exposed sections. The CAI Valserina subsection walked it in April; in summer, on the south-facing slope, watch out for the vipers mentioned by Percorsi MTB Val Brembana. Sources: https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/259, https://www.caibergamo.it/sites/default/files/2024-03/Val%20Parina%202024.pdf, https://www.provincia.bergamo.it/cnvpbgrm/zf/index.php/servizi-aggiuntivi/index/index/idtesto/1417, https://www.parcorobie.it/rete-natura-2000/, https://valserina.blogspot.com/p/itinerari-delle-valli.html, https://www.percorsimtbvalbrembana.it/la-selvaggia-val-parina.html, https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Val_Parina, https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferrovia_della_Valle_Brembana, https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=45.90641&mlon=9.72557#map=13/45.90600/9.71800 ### Passo Branchino from Zambla Alta via the Capanna 2000 — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/things-to-do/passo-branchino-da-zambla Hike, Zambla Alta. Passo Branchino (1,821 m) from Zambla Alta: CAI trail 221 to the Capanna 2000, then the 222 traverse below the Arera, with the lake just below the pass. Figures: CAI grade E, Highest point 1960 m, Waymarks CAI 221 and 222 from Zambla Alta; CAI 231 from Zorzone. Best period: April to October according to the CAI; trail 222 runs on a north-facing slope. GPS tracks: Sentiero CAI 221: Zambla – Rifugio Capanna 2000 — https://www.caibergamo.it/sites/default/files/cai/GPX/Sentiero221.gpx (CAI Bergamo, geoportale, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/221, 3.6 km, 900 m D+) GPS tracks: Sentiero CAI 222: Rifugio Capanna 2000 – Passo Branchino — https://www.caibergamo.it/sites/default/files/cai/GPX/Sentiero222.gpx (CAI Bergamo, geoportale, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/222, 3.8 km, 100 m D+) GPS tracks: Sentiero CAI 231: Zorzone – Passo Branchino — https://www.caibergamo.it/sites/default/files/cai/GPX/Sentiero231.gpx (CAI Bergamo, geoportale, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/231, 7.6 km, 850 m D+) GPS tracks: Sentiero CAI 218: Rifugio Alpe Corte – Lago Branchino – Baita GAN — https://www.caibergamo.it/sites/default/files/cai/GPX/Sentiero218.gpx (CAI Bergamo, geoportale, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/218, 8 km, 750 m D+) The Passo Branchino, at 1,821 metres, is the broad saddle where the trails from the Capanna 2000, from the Val Vedra above Zorzone, from the Valcanale and from the Baite di Mezzeno meet; the lake lies just below, in a hollow between the Corno Branchino and the Corna Piana, on the boundary between Ardesio and Oltre il Colle (Wikipedia). It is one of the few lakes of the Orobie in an area of karstic limestone. From Oltre il Colle there are two ways up. The busiest climbs from Zambla Alta to the Capanna 2000 on CAI trail 221 and continues on trail 222, which traverses below the Arera to the pass: in summer you can shorten it by driving up to the Alpe Arera car park, at about 1,600 metres. The other starts from Zorzone and climbs the whole Val Vedra on trail 231: 7.6 kilometres and 850 metres of ascent, 3 hours out. At the pass you also meet trail 218, which drops to the Rifugio Lago Branchino and the Alpe Corte or climbs to the Corna Piana and the Mandrone along the Sentiero dei Fiori, and trail 219 to the Baite di Mezzeno, on the Roncobello side. #### From Zambla Alta via the Capanna 2000: the route Trail 221 starts at Zambla Alta, at about 1,150 metres, and in winter follows the road that in about 4 kilometres reaches the start of the old ski lifts; from there it climbs north-west on the ridge overlooking the Val Vedra to the forest road, which soon leads to the Capanna 2000, at 1,960 metres (CAI Bergamo). The CAI gives 3.6 kilometres, about 900 metres of ascent and 1 hour 10 minutes; the Rifugi Lombardia portal estimates 1 hour 50 minutes from Zambla Alta instead. In summer you can drive from Plassa up to the car park at 1,600 metres, below the old lifts (CAI Bergamo). Parking there is paid: 4 euros for any vehicle, with a ticket bought before driving up, in partner shops or at the Plassa parking meters opposite the apartment blocks, and left on display; the municipality also sells a 30-euro season pass. In winter the road is closed: in 2026 it reopened to traffic on 22 April (Comune di Oltre il Colle). Lower down, near the Camping Arera, at around 1,200 metres, there are free car parks (CAI Bergamo, Luca Gherardi). From the upper car park Rifugi Lombardia reckons an hour and 400 metres to the hut. From the Capanna 2000, trail 222 drops briefly on 221 to the signpost at about 1,935 metres, then turns north, crosses the Val d'Arera and traverses towards the head of the Val Vedra with constant ups and downs. It comes out on the pastures of the Baita Branchino (1,836 m), where trail 231 arrives from Zorzone, and with a short descent and a short climb reaches the pass: 3.8 kilometres, 1 hour 15 minutes out and 1 hour 30 back, with about 100 metres of ascent and 200 of descent (CAI Bergamo). #### From Zorzone up the Val Vedra: trail 231 From Zorzone, at 1,019 metres, a mule track heads east across the slope into the Val Vedra, which you climb at a moderate gradient to Pian Bracca (1,111 m), now the most common starting point because it can be reached by car from Zorzone. Keeping close to the valley floor you pass the Baita Pessel (1,209 m) and the pastures of the Casera di Vedro (1,672 m); with a last climb north you reach the Passo di Val Vedra (1,848 m) and straight after it the Passo Branchino (CAI Bergamo). Trail 231 is 7.6 kilometres long, with 850 metres of ascent and 50 of descent: 3 hours out and 2 hours 10 back, grade E, season April to October. The CAI suggests parking in Zorzone in via Giorgi. It is also the descent of the Arera mountain-bike loop: in the Val Vedra you may meet cyclists (Percorsi MTB Val Brembana). #### Lake Branchino and its hut The lake lies at about 1,787 metres (OpenStreetMap), below the pass on the Valcanale side. The Rifugio Lago Branchino, the former Baita di Neel alta, stands north-east of the lake (CAI Bergamo) and is run by the A.R.D.E.S. association; for the 2026 season its blog announces opening on Saturdays and Sundays in September and October. On the other side, the Capanna 2000 is the base for the climb from Zambla: Rifugi Lombardia points out that its opening dates are indicative and advises phoning at the start and end of the season. The number, 0345 95096, is also given by Percorsi MTB Val Brembana. #### From the pass: Sentiero dei Fiori, Valcanale and Mezzeno The Passo Branchino is a crossroads of trails and a stage of the most famous round in the area, the Sentiero dei Fiori: CAI Bergamo builds it from trail 222, the stretch of 218 from the pass to the Mandrone and part of 244 along the slopes of the Arera, grades it E and marks it with panels on the area's natural features; according to the Orobie Park the loop stays between 1,821 and 2,078 metres. - CAI 218 southwards: up a scree slope to the Bocchetta di Corna Piana (2,078 m) and the Passo di Corna Piana (2,133 m), and from the Mandrone junction on trail 244 to the Passo Gabbia and the Capanna 2000: this is the Sentiero dei Fiori walked the other way round. The full circuit of the Arera, which stays on 244 and crosses the Forcola di Valmora, is a different matter: it is graded EE, and since 31 May 2026 the CAI has reported some chain anchors detached below the col. - CAI 218 northwards: to the Rifugio Lago Branchino, the huts of the Alpe di Neel and the Rifugio Alpe Corte (1,415 m), down to Valcanale, where parking is paid. - CAI 219, the Sentiero delle Farfalle: 2.6 km and 240 m of ascent to the Baite di Mezzeno (50 min up, 40 min down). The Capovalle-Mezzeno municipal road in Roncobello is a toll road, with April 2025 rates of 3 euros a day and a parking meter that gives no change (CAI Bergamo). #### When to go and what to know For all these trails the CAI recommends April to October, with boots and high-mountain clothing. Trail 222 faces north: after snowy winters or late in autumn the traverse below the Arera is the stretch to assess most carefully. Water and food are available at the huts, the Capanna 2000 and the Lago Branchino, during their opening periods: the massif is limestone and karstic (Wikipedia) and the descriptions mention no springs along trail 222. - Driving up to the upper Alpe Arera car park saves about 400 metres: buy the ticket before driving up, at the Plassa parking meters or in partner shops. - The 222 traverse faces north: after snowy winters ask at the Capanna 2000 before setting off. - Fill your bottles at the huts: the descriptions mention no springs along trail 222. - If you descend to Valcanale or Mezzeno, arrange to collect your car from the other side. - Trail 231 in the Val Vedra is also ridden by mountain bikers: give way to riders coming down. - D: Can you reach Lake Branchino starting from Zambla? R: Yes, via the Capanna 2000. CAI trail 221 climbs from Zambla Alta (1,150 m) to the hut in 3.6 kilometres and about 900 metres of ascent, then trail 222 traverses the Val d'Arera to the Passo Branchino (1,821 m) in 3.8 kilometres and 1 hour 15 minutes, past the Baita Branchino; the lake is just below the pass. - D: How long does it take from the Capanna 2000 to the Passo Branchino? R: CAI Bergamo gives 1 hour 15 minutes out and 1 hour 30 back on trail 222, with about 100 metres of ascent and 200 of descent: the route stays almost level between 1,821 and 1,960 metres. The grade is E. - D: Is there a trail to the Passo Branchino from Zorzone? R: Yes, CAI 231 climbs the whole Val Vedra: 7.6 kilometres, 850 metres of ascent, 3 hours out and 2 hours 10 back, past Pian Bracca, the Baita Pessel and the Casera di Vedro. Pian Bracca can also be reached by car from Zorzone. - D: Is the road to the Alpe Arera a toll road? R: The car park at 1,600 metres, at the top of the road from Plassa, is paid: 4 euros for any vehicle, with a ticket bought before driving up at the Plassa parking meters or in partner shops, or a 30-euro season pass (Comune di Oltre il Colle, April 2026). In winter the road is closed; lower down, near the Camping Arera, there are free car parks. - D: Is the Rifugio Lago Branchino open? R: For the 2026 season the hut's blog announces opening on Saturdays and Sundays in September and October. The hut, the former Baita di Neel alta, stands north-east of the lake at 1,787 metres according to the CAI and is run by the A.R.D.E.S. association. - D: Can you do the Sentiero dei Fiori round via the Branchino? R: Yes: CAI Bergamo's Sentiero dei Fiori links trail 222 from the Capanna 2000 to the Passo Branchino, trail 218 from the pass to the Mandrone via the Bocchetta di Corna Piana and part of trail 244 back to the hut over the Passo Gabbia. The CAI grades it E, the Orobie Park places it between 1,821 and 2,078 metres and the hut's page on the regional portal reckons about 3 hours. Only the full circuit on trail 244 is EE. - D: Is Lake Branchino in the municipality of Oltre il Colle? R: It lies on the administrative boundary between Ardesio and Oltre il Colle, in a hollow between the Corno Branchino and the Corna Piana (Wikipedia). One of the two trails up to it, trail 231, starts from Zorzone in Oltre il Colle. - D: Can you go down from the Passo Branchino to the Baite di Mezzeno? R: Yes, on CAI trail 219, the Sentiero delle Farfalle: 2.6 kilometres and 240 metres of height difference, 40 minutes down and 50 up. The Baite di Mezzeno are on the Roncobello side, and the Capovalle-Mezzeno municipal road is a toll road. Sources: https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/mc/mc_p_dettaglio.php?id_pubbl=4696, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/221, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/222, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/231, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/218, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/219, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/244, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/itinerari/sentiero-fiori, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/rifugi-bivacchi/rifugio-branchino, https://www.rifugi.lombardia.it/en/bergamo/oltre-il-colle/hut-capanna-2000.html, https://rifugiobranchino.blogspot.com/, https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lago_Branchino, https://lucagherardi.com/pizzo-arera-da-zambla/, https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/po/mostra_news.php?id=326&area=H, https://www.rifugi.lombardia.it/bergamo/oltre-il-colle/rifugio-capanna-2000.html, https://www.parks.it/parco.orobie.bergamasche/iti_dettaglio.php?id_iti=6562, https://www.openstreetmap.org/node/429192694, https://www.percorsimtbvalbrembana.it/oltre-il-colle---capanna-2000---sentiero-dei-fiori---val-vedra.html, https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=45.94917&mlon=9.80020#map=14/45.93400/9.79800 ### Bivouacs and shelters on the Grem, the Alben and the Menna — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/things-to-do/bivacchi-arera-alben-grem Mountain hut, Oltre il Colle. Bivouacs around Oltre il Colle: Mistri and Telini on the Grem, Baita Nembrini and Gioan on the Alben, MAGA below the Menna. Who runs them, beds, what's open. GPS tracks: Sentiero CAI 234: Zorzone – Bivacco MAGA – Monte Menna — https://www.caibergamo.it/sites/default/files/cai/GPX/Sentiero234.gpx (CAI Bergamo, geoportale, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/234, 4.8 km, 1250 m D+) GPS tracks: Sentiero CAI 263: Alpe Grina – Bivacco Telini – Cima di Grem — https://www.caibergamo.it/sites/default/files/cai/GPX/Sentiero263.gpx (CAI Bergamo, geoportale, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/263, 4.9 km, 950 m D+) Around Oltre il Colle there are few staffed huts, and on the trails of the Grem, the Alben and the Menna the network of bivouacs matters a great deal: small buildings, almost all looked after by volunteer groups, with a winter room left open even when the rest is closed. They are not all the same, and the difference is practical: some have beds and a stove, others only a table and a bench, and the Baita Nembrini is kept locked. On the Grem there are the Mistri and Telini bivouacs, run by associations from Gorno; on the Alben, the Baita Nembrini of the CAI Valserina subsection, at the foot of the Torrione Brassamonti, and the small Gioan shelter at the Passo della Forca; below the Cima di Menna, the MAGA bivouac, or Rifugio Gerolamo Palazzi, of the M.A.G.A. group of Zorzone. On the Arera, by contrast, there are no bivouacs: there are the Capanna 2000, open to everyone, and the Cà d'Arera, reserved for members. For each of them this page gives who runs it, how many places it has, what stays open and which trail leads there, with the sources of the data. #### Bivouac, winter room, hut: what you actually find When a source says «always open» it almost always means the winter room, a room left open as an emergency shelter, while the rest of the building, with the beds, opens only on certain days or on request. At the Telini bivouac, for example, Diska.it describes a winter room with a picture window, a fireplace, a table, two benches and a stove, and a locked door separating the dormitory; at the MAGA the always-open room has beds and a fireplace (CAI Bergamo). None of these rooms can be booked and none guarantees water or food: even where there is a refreshment service, as at the Telini on summer Sundays, the Val del Riso portal points out that only drinks and simple refreshments are served and that walkers must bring their own food. #### The Mistri bivouac, below the Cima di Grem It stands in the Valle dell'Orso, on the south side of the Grem in the municipality of Gorno, at between 1,780 and 1,800 metres depending on the source. The owner is the municipality of Gorno, the manager the Gruppo Camós: ten beds, cold water, solar-panel electricity, a wood stove, staffed on Wednesdays and Sundays, winter room always open (valdelriso.it). The bivouac festival falls on the last Sunday of July (CAI Bergamo). You reach it from the Colle di Zambla on CAI trail 223, in about half an hour from the Baita Alta di Grem, or from Gorno on trail 263 from the Alpe Grina. In 1908 a miners' hut on this spot became a small CAI Bergamo refuge, destroyed in the First World War; the Gruppo Camós built the present bivouac in memory of Giovanni Mistri, inaugurated on 30 August 1992 (Ecomuseo Miniere di Gorno), while Wikipedia dates the rebuilding to the early 1980s. #### The Telini bivouac, on the Preda Balaranda The bivouac dedicated to Enrico Telini stands on top of the Preda Balaranda, at 1,647 metres, on the ridge between the Grem and Monte Golla, in the municipality of Premolo. The Gorno Alpini group built it between 1989 and 29 August 1993, the day of its inauguration; beside it is the Madonna degli Alpini, placed in 1985 in memory of Alpini who died in war and in peace (Ecomuseo Miniere di Gorno). It has ten beds, cold water, solar electricity and a wood stove; it is open every Sunday from May to September and the winter room is always open (valdelriso.it). The bivouac festival is on the fourth Sunday of August (CAI Bergamo). You climb from Gorno on trail 263; from the Zambla side, from the col after the Preda Balaranda a track leads in about 20 minutes to the Baita Alta di Grem and trail 223 (CAI Bergamo). #### Baita Nembrini and the Gioan bivouac, on the Alben The Baita Carlo Nembrini, at 1,730 metres, stands on the north side of the Alben at the foot of the Torrione Brassamonti face and belongs to the CAI Valserina subsection (CAI Bergamo). It is not an open bivouac: it is a stone hut with ten beds, kept locked. Escursionismo.it lists it as closed, with the keys held by the CAI Valserina subsection in Serina, and Luca Gherardi says the same; the reports by Sass Balòss (2011) and Diska.it (2012) also named the Centro Sportivo Valle at the Passo di Zambla. The CAI Bergamo page gives its owner, not its opening times. It is dedicated to Carlo Nembrini, a mountain guide who died on the Illimani, in Bolivia, in 1973 while searching for the body of a French climber (VisitBrembo, Wikipedia). It is reached from the Colle di Zambla on trail 501 and a short detour after the Col dei Brassamonti, in about an hour and a half (VisitBrembo). A quarter of an hour higher, at the Passo della Forca, at 1,847 metres, is the Gioan bivouac, a shelter built under a large boulder (CAI Bergamo, OpenStreetMap): useful in an emergency, not for spending the night. #### The MAGA bivouac below the Cima di Menna The MAGA bivouac, which the CAI also calls the Bivacco Gerolamo Palazzi, stands at the head of the Val Carnera, below the Cima di Menna: the CAI and Diska.it place it in the municipality of Oltre il Colle, while on OpenStreetMap's municipal boundaries the point falls just across the line, in the municipality of Serina. It is run by the M.A.G.A. group of Zorzone, an acronym of Menna, Arera, Grem, Alben according to Diska.it; the building is private and the refuge opens at members' request, while the winter room is always open, with beds and a fireplace. The Monte Menna festival is held on the first Sunday of August (CAI Bergamo). Its altitude is 2,005 metres on the trail 234 page and in OpenStreetMap, 2,095 on the bivouac's page on the CAI geoportal. From Zorzone (1,019 m) trail 234 climbs through the woods of the Val Carnera, passes the Cascina Mattuida (1,470 m) and with a last steep ramp reaches the bivouac; from there a spur and a stretch of ridge lead to the summit (2,299 m). In all 4.8 kilometres, 1,250 metres of ascent, 4 hours up and 2 hours 15 down, grade E (CAI Bergamo). #### And on the Arera? Huts, not bivouacs On the Arera the reference is the Capanna 2000, at about 1,960 metres on the south side, a staffed hut with beds and a kitchen; Rifugi Lombardia warns that its opening dates are indicative and advises phoning at the start and end of the season. The Rifugio Cà d'Arera of the Società Alpinistica Bergamo Alta, halfway up from Plassa, is private and reserved for members, as the sign on the door says (Diska.it). The Rifugio Lago Branchino, below the Passo Branchino, opens on Saturdays and Sundays in September and October in 2026. On the Gorno side, finally, the Baita Golla of CAI Leffe, at 1,756 metres on trail 260, has an always-open winter room and a closing festival on the fourth Sunday of September (CAI Bergamo). - A bivouac is not a hut: bring food, water and a sleeping bag or a thermal blanket. - Leave it as you found it, carry your rubbish down and close the door: it serves whoever arrives after you in bad weather. - For the Baita Nembrini ask for the keys before setting off: without them you will find it locked. - The bivouac festivals are a good time to go up: Mistri on the last Sunday of July, Telini on the fourth Sunday of August, MAGA on the first Sunday of August. - The Gioan bivouac at the Passo della Forca is an emergency shelter under a boulder, not a place to sleep. - D: Are there open bivouacs around Oltre il Colle? R: Yes. The Mistri and Telini bivouacs on the Grem and the MAGA bivouac below the Cima di Menna have an always-open winter room; at the Passo della Forca, on the Alben, there is the small Gioan shelter. The Baita Nembrini, at the foot of the Torrione Brassamonti, is kept locked instead. - D: Is the Mistri bivouac always open? R: The winter room is. The bivouac proper, with ten beds, a stove and solar electricity, is staffed by the Gruppo Camós on Wednesdays and Sundays (valdelriso.it). You reach it from the Colle di Zambla on trail 223 or from Gorno on trail 263. - D: Can you sleep at the Baita Nembrini on the Alben? R: Yes, but you need the keys: it is a hut of the CAI Valserina subsection with ten beds, kept locked. Ask the subsection in Serina for the keys, mobile 340 7345673 (Escursionismo.it); reports from 2011 and 2012 also named the Centro Sportivo Valle at the Passo di Zambla. - D: Where is the MAGA bivouac and what does MAGA mean? R: Below the Cima di Menna, at the head of the Val Carnera, on CAI trail 234 from Zorzone: 4 hours up and 1,250 metres of ascent to the summit. According to Diska.it the acronym stands for Menna, Arera, Grem, Alben; the CAI also calls it the Bivacco Gerolamo Palazzi. - D: How many beds does the Telini bivouac have and when is it open? R: Ten beds. It is open on Sundays from May to September, when only drinks and simple refreshments are served, while the winter room is always open (valdelriso.it). It is run by the Gorno Alpini. - D: Do you need to book the bivouacs? R: Not the winter rooms, which are emergency shelters with no booking. For the Baita Nembrini you need to get the keys, and for the beds at the Mistri bivouac the contact is the Gruppo Camós (bivouac number 329 0144370). - D: Which festivals are held at the bivouacs around Oltre il Colle? R: CAI Bergamo lists the Mistri bivouac festival on the last Sunday of July, the Telini festival on the fourth Sunday of August, the Monte Menna festival at the MAGA bivouac on the first Sunday of August and the closing festival of the Baita Golla on the fourth Sunday of September. - D: Can you sleep at the Rifugio Cà d'Arera? R: Not unless you are a member: the hut of the Società Alpinistica Bergamo Alta is private and reserved for members, as the sign on the door says. To sleep on the Arera, the reference is the Capanna 2000. Sources: https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/223, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/263, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/234, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/501, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/260, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/rifugi-bivacchi/bivacco-maga, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/rifugi-bivacchi/rifugio-mistri, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/rifugi-bivacchi/baita-nembrini, https://www.valdelriso.it/site/rifugi-e-bivacchi, https://www.ecomuseominieredigorno.it/approfondimenti/contrade-baite-e-bivacchi/, https://www.escursionismo.it/rifugi-bivacchi/nembrini-carlo-14501, https://www.visitbrembo.it/it/poi/baita-nembrini, https://www.sassbaloss.com/pagine/uscite/alben/alben.htm, https://www.diska.it/rifpalazzi.asp, https://www.diska.it/riftelini.asp, https://www.diska.it/rifcadarera.asp, https://www.rifugi.lombardia.it/en/bergamo/oltre-il-colle/hut-capanna-2000.html, https://rifugiobranchino.blogspot.com/, https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monte_Grem, https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlo_Nembrini, https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=45.92402&mlon=9.75614#map=12/45.89500/9.79000, https://lucagherardi.com/baita-nembrini/, https://www.diska.it/rifnembrini.asp ### The endemic flora of the Arera and the Alben — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/things-to-do/flora-arera-parco-orobie Nature, Zambla Alta. Endemic flowers of Arera and Alben: Linaria tonzigii, Primula albenensis, Galium montis-arerae. When they bloom, where to see them, why they are not picked. Best period: From April (Primula albenensis low on the Alben) to August (Campanula raineri); Linaria tonzigii from late June to mid-July. The mountains around the Oltre il Colle basin have a flora found nowhere else. The Orobie Bergamasche Park counts about fifty endemic species in its territory and around ten species on the Italian Red List, six of them exclusive to the Orobie; two carry the names of the local mountains: Galium montis-arerae, the Pizzo Arera bedstraw, and Primula albenensis, the Monte Alben primrose. On the Arera the emblematic species is Linaria tonzigii, a small yellow toadflax of limestone scree: in the Val Nossana – Cima di Grem Special Area of Conservation, between the Valle d'Arera and the Mandrone cirque, live 40 to 50 per cent of all the individuals in existence today (Province of Bergamo). On the Alben the rarity is the primrose described in 1993, which grows in cracks in the dolomite cliffs. The way to see them is to walk the right trails at the right time, without leaving the path and without picking anything: in Lombardy all the species mentioned on this page are strictly protected by regional law 10 of 2008. #### Why the Arera and the Alben are a botanical special case The Park explains the richness of the flora with the variety of habitats and with the glaciations, which isolated plant populations and favoured the formation of new species. The Club Aquile Rampanti, which has documented the species along the normal route up the Arera, adds the most quoted hypothesis: some Prealpine areas, including the Pizzo Arera, were not covered by ice and acted as refuges for species that vanished elsewhere, on a limestone-dolomite substrate and with a wetter climate than the main Alpine ridge. The result is a mosaic of scree, ledges, cliffs and stony pastures in which different species occupy very narrow niches. According to the Club Aquile Rampanti, Primula albenensis and Linaria tonzigii are the only two strict endemics of the province of Bergamo; the Park notes that the Linaria is known from very few sites between the Arera and the Presolana. #### The species to recognise Linaria tonzigii, the Bergamo toadflax, was described by Fausto Lona in 1949 and dedicated to the Milanese botanist Sergio Tonzig (Acta Plantarum). It is a plant 6-10 centimetres tall, with stems woody at the base that creep among the stones, leaves in threes and yellow flowers 21-25 millimetres long with a 10-11 millimetre spur; it flowers from late June to mid-July and ripens its seeds between July and August, but spreads mainly by lengthening its stems through the debris. It grows only on unstable carbonate scree between 1,600 and 2,400 metres, in four groups: Monte Cavallo-Pegherolo, Cima di Menna, Pizzo Arera and Monte Ferrante (Lombardy Region). Galium montis-arerae, the Pizzo Arera bedstraw, was described in 1957 by Merxmüller and Ehrendorfer and has the Arera as its type locality (Acta Plantarum, Wikipedia). It has square stems, fleshy leaves in whorls of six to eight and a panicle of yellow flowers; it lives only between Monte Pegherolo and the Concarena. Along the Sentiero dei Fiori the Club Aquile Rampanti reports it on the scree of the first stretch, a short distance from the Capanna 2000. Primula albenensis was noticed in 1988 by Enrico Banfi and Renato Ferlinghetti on the slopes of Monte Alben and described as a new species in 1993 in the journal Webbia. It is a low, entirely mealy plant, with flowers from purplish pink to violet; it grows in cracks in limestone-dolomite cliffs, usually shaded and facing north, between 670 and 2,000 metres, and flowers from April to June: on the Alben its sites lie above 1,150 metres and flower later (Club Aquile Rampanti). Besides the Alben it grows in the Aralalta group and the Val d'Ancogno; in 2023 Banfi and Ferlinghetti described Primula × chignolensis, a hybrid with Primula auricula found above Chignolo d'Oneta and on the Alben ridge. Other species the Club Aquile Rampanti observed in late July between the Capanna 2000, the summit and the Mandrone include Campanula raineri, the archduke's bellflower, in rock cracks; Primula glaucescens, the Lombardy primrose, which flowers as soon as the snow melts; Silene elisabethae in the dry meadows above the hut; Allium insubricum, abundant between the hut and the Passo Gabbia; Minuartia grignensis on the overhanging walls before the Mandrone; and Saxifraga vandellii, which flowers in June. #### Where to see them without harming them The reference route is the Sentiero dei Fiori, the loop CAI Bergamo builds from a stretch of trail 244, trail 218 from the Mandrone to the Passo Branchino and trail 222 for the return, graded E and marked with panels on the area's natural features: according to the Orobie Park it stays between 1,821 and 2,078 metres, and the hut's page on the regional portal reckons about 3 hours. The Club Aquile Rampanti advises going at least as far as the Mandrone scree, about three quarters of an hour from the Capanna 2000: the first stretch crosses dry meadows with Allium insubricum and Campanula raineri, goes over the Passo Gabbia and drops below a line of overhangs to the debris where Linaria tonzigii grows. The full circuit of the Arera is a different matter: it stays on trail 244 and crosses the Forcola di Valmora, is graded EE, and since 31 May 2026 the CAI has reported some chain anchors detached below the col. To walk up to the Capanna 2000, Flora Alpina Bergamasca suggests trail 221 from Zambla instead of the road: it is the Sentiero FAB dell'Arera, described in a 2015 booklet produced with the municipality of Oltre il Colle and later merged into the book «I sentieri dei fiori dell'Arera» (EQUA, 2018, 144 pages). Primula albenensis, on the other hand, is to be looked for on the cliffs of the Alben, from April to June. Scree and ledges are the very habitat of these plants: look at them from the path. The Region observes that walking on scree is not in itself the main threat to the Linaria, which likes mobile debris, but lists picking in the most accessible spots among the risks; the provincial description of the SAC calls for regulating the growing flow of visitors, botanists included, on the Sentiero dei Fiori. #### The rules: what you may not pick In Lombardy regional law 10 of 2008 divides protected flora into two lists, 663 species in all: on list C1 picking is forbidden, on list C2 you may pick at most six specimens, branches or fronds per person per day; for woodland fruits such as bilberries, strawberries and raspberries the limit is one kilogram per person per day (Flora Alpina Bergamasca). List C1, approved by regional resolution 8/11102 of 2010, includes all species of primrose, saxifrage, rock-jasmine and gentian, except the spotted gentian, which is on list C2, and also Linaria tonzigii, Galium montis-arerae, Campanula raineri, Physoplexis comosa, Allium insubricum, Silene elisabethae, Minuartia grignensis, Viola comollia and edelweiss. Linaria tonzigii is also listed in Annex II of the European Habitats Directive. The practical rule given by Flora Alpina Bergamasca is the simplest: do not pick any flower. #### The Orobie Park and the protected areas around Oltre il Colle The Orobie Bergamasche Regional Park was established by regional law 56 of 15 September 1989 and Oltre il Colle is one of its municipalities (Parks.it). Around the village there are two Special Areas of Conservation managed by the Park: IT2060009 Val Nossana – Cima di Grem, 3,369 hectares from the slopes of the Pizzo Arera to the Cime di Belloro, and IT2060008 Valle Parina, 2,225 hectares from the Cima di Menna to the mouth of the Parina (Province of Bergamo). Viola comollia, often listed among the rarest flowers of the Orobie, is not one to look for here: it grows on siliceous scree and rubble (Acta Plantarum), while the Arera and the Alben are limestone. - For Linaria tonzigii go between late June and mid-July; for Primula albenensis on the Alben between April and June. - Do not pick anything: all the species on this page are on list C1 of the regional law, the one where picking is forbidden. - Stay on the path: scree and ledges are the habitat of the plants you have come to see. - Bring a macro lens or a short zoom: almost all these species are small and grow in cracks. - Before tackling the full circuit of the Arera, check the CAI notices for trail 244. - D: Which endemic flowers can you see on the Pizzo Arera? R: The most famous is Linaria tonzigii, which lives only on a few limestone scree slopes of the Bergamo Orobie, including the Valle d'Arera and the Mandrone. Along the Sentiero dei Fiori you also find Galium montis-arerae, Campanula raineri, Allium insubricum, Silene elisabethae, Minuartia grignensis and Primula glaucescens. - D: What is Primula albenensis and where does it grow? R: It is a mealy primrose with flowers from purplish pink to violet, noticed in 1988 on Monte Alben and described in 1993 by Banfi and Ferlinghetti. It grows in cracks in limestone-dolomite cliffs, on the Alben above 1,150 metres, in the Aralalta group and the Val d'Ancogno, and flowers from April to June. - D: When does Linaria tonzigii flower? R: From late June to mid-July, with seeds ripening between July and August (Lombardy Region). It grows only on unstable carbonate scree between 1,600 and 2,400 metres, in four groups: Pegherolo, Cima di Menna, Pizzo Arera and Monte Ferrante. - D: What is the best time to see the flowers of the Arera and the Alben? R: It depends on the species: April to June for Primula albenensis on the cliffs of the Alben, right after the snow melts for Primula glaucescens, late June to mid-July for Linaria tonzigii, late July to late August for Campanula raineri. - D: Can you pick flowers on the Arera? R: No. In Lombardy regional law 10 of 2008 forbids picking the species on list C1, which includes all primroses, saxifrages, rock-jasmines and almost all gentians, as well as Linaria tonzigii, Galium montis-arerae, Campanula raineri and edelweiss. - D: Is Viola comollia found on the Arera? R: Not according to the sources: Viola comollia is an Orobie endemic that grows on siliceous scree and rubble (Acta Plantarum), while the Arera and the Alben are limestone mountains. - D: Is Oltre il Colle part of the Orobie Bergamasche Park? R: Yes, the municipality is one of those of the Orobie Bergamasche Regional Park, established in 1989. Its territory also includes two Special Areas of Conservation managed by the Park: Val Nossana – Cima di Grem and Valle Parina. - D: Are there guides for identifying the flowers of the Arera? R: Yes: in 2015 Flora Alpina Bergamasca published, with the municipality of Oltre il Colle, the booklet «Il Sentiero FAB dell'Arera», and in 2018 the book «I sentieri dei fiori dell'Arera» (EQUA, 144 pages), which combines the guide to the Brissoni trail and the one to the FAB trail. Sources: https://www.parcorobie.it/flora/, https://www.provincia.bergamo.it/cnvpbgrm/zf/index.php/servizi-aggiuntivi/index/index/idtesto/1428, https://www.provincia.bergamo.it/cnvpbgrm/zf/index.php/servizi-aggiuntivi/index/index/idtesto/1417, https://www.biodiversita.lombardia.it/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=333:c01-linaria&catid=89:flora, https://www.actaplantarum.org/flora/flora_info.php?id=4751, https://www.actaplantarum.org/flora/flora_info.php?id=3386, https://www.actaplantarum.org/flora/flora_info.php?id=503765, https://www.actaplantarum.org/flora/flora_info.php?id=8306, https://dryades.units.it/floritaly/index.php?procedure=taxon_page&tipo=all&id=4810, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galium_montis-arerae, https://sisn.pagepress.org/index.php/nhs/article/view/705, https://www.clubaquilerampanti.it/pizzo%20arera.htm, https://www.clubaquilerampanti.it/Primula%20del%20Monte%20Alben.HTM, https://www.floralpinabergamasca.net/flora-protetta/, https://www.floralpinabergamasca.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Elenchi-flora-protetta-della-nuova-legge-regionale-n.10.pdf, https://www.floralpinabergamasca.net/?s=Arera, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/itinerari/sentiero-fiori, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/244, https://www.parks.it/parco.orobie.bergamasche/iti_dettaglio.php?id_iti=6562, https://www.rifugi.lombardia.it/bergamo/oltre-il-colle/rifugio-capanna-2000.html, https://www.parks.it/parco.orobie.bergamasche/par.php, https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monte_Alben, https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=45.93378&mlon=9.80300#map=15/45.93378/9.80300 ### Mountain biking in Oltre il Colle — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/things-to-do/mountain-bike-oltre-il-colle By bike, Oltre il Colle. Mountain biking in Oltre il Colle: the 29.4 km loop via the Capanna 2000 and the Val Vedra, the Val Parina, the Val del Riso, the Arera Tour and e-bike hire. Figures: 1363 m, Highest point 1954 m, 29.4 km, 4 h 05 actual riding for the loop. Best period: Late spring to autumn; loop description revised on 8 August 2026. GPS tracks: Rif. Capanna 2000 – Sentiero dei fiori – Val Vedra (archivio ZIP) — https://www.percorsimtbvalbrembana.it/uploads/4/3/4/5/43452563/rif._capanna_2000_-_sentiero_dei_fiori_-_val_vedra.zip (Percorsi MTB Val Brembana, https://www.percorsimtbvalbrembana.it/oltre-il-colle---capanna-2000---sentiero-dei-fiori---val-vedra.html, 29.4 km, 1363 m D+) GPS tracks: La selvaggia Val Parina (archivio ZIP) — https://www.percorsimtbvalbrembana.it/uploads/4/3/4/5/43452563/la_selvaggia_val_parina.zip (Percorsi MTB Val Brembana, https://www.percorsimtbvalbrembana.it/la-selvaggia-val-parina.html, 48.4 km, 1180 m D+) GPS tracks: Su e giù per la Valle del Riso (archivio ZIP) — https://www.percorsimtbvalbrembana.it/uploads/4/3/4/5/43452563/su_e_gi_per_la_valle_del_riso.zip (Percorsi MTB Val Brembana, https://www.percorsimtbvalbrembana.it/su-e-giugrave-per-la-valle-del-riso.html, 44.3 km, 1339 m D+) GPS tracks: Arera Tour: Sentiero dei Fiori, Passo Branchino, Alpe Corte — https://www.valleserianabike.it/percorsi/arera-tour/arera-tour.gpx (Valle Seriana Bike, https://www.valleserianabike.it/percorsi/arera-tour/arera-tour.html, 53 km, 1900 m D+) On a mountain bike Oltre il Colle is no place for beginners. The four routes documented by specialist portals are graded from moderately demanding to very demanding and almost all require pushing or carrying the bike for some stretches; in return they cross landscapes few rides in the Bergamo area can offer, from the high pastures below the Arera to the gorges of the Val Parina. The reference loop starts and ends in the village: «Oltre il Colle – Capanna 2000 – Sentiero dei Fiori – Val Vedra» by Percorsi MTB Val Brembana, 29.4 kilometres and 1,363 metres of ascent in 4 hours 5 minutes of actual riding, very demanding, revised on 8 August 2026. The others are the Val Parina traverse from San Pellegrino Terme, the Val del Riso round from Valpiana and Valle Seriana Bike's Arera Tour from Ponte Nossa. If you prefer an e-bike you can hire one in Zambla Alta, with one clear limit: hired bikes may not go up the Arera. #### The Arera loop: Capanna 2000, Sentiero dei Fiori and Val Vedra Park in Oltre il Colle in the large square with the fountain, just before the church. Warm up to Zambla Bassa, climb to Zambla Alta (1,197 m, 4.4 km) and turn left towards the Arera; after Plassa a sign announces 12 per cent, but the description records ramps of up to 22 per cent that rarely drop below 13. At the fourth hairpin is the detour to the Cattedrale vegetale, largely destroyed by storm Vaia in 2018 (Valle Seriana Bike); you pass the SABA hut and reach the end of the asphalt (13.3 km, 1 hour 10 minutes). Just before the car park take a very steep track on the left, concrete and stony, with peaks of 25 per cent beside the old lift station: with good fitness you can ride almost all of it, except two or three stretches. You reach the Capanna 2000, at 1,954 metres according to the description (14.5 km, 1 hour 50 minutes). From here CAI trail 222, the lower Sentiero dei Fiori, is for experienced mountain bikers only: big stones, changes of gradient and frequent stretches with the bike at your side up to the Passo di Val Vedra (1,854 m, 17.8 km). From the pass you walk up the grassy ridge and descend to a pond, where you pick up trail 231: the long, technical descent of the Val Vedra passes the Casera di Vedro and the Baite Zuccone, then tight turns worn into the meadow, the Cascina Bianca and a narrow path down to Pian Bracca (24.1 km). You carry on via Piazzole and the Cappelletta della Forcella and finish with 2 kilometres and 130 metres of climbing on asphalt back to Oltre il Colle. Percorsi MTB Val Brembana considers a full-suspension bike and the GPS track essential, and offers an extreme variant up Monte Vindiolo, at 2,056 metres. #### The Val Parina by mountain bike The «La selvaggia Val Parina» traverse, revised on 2 May 2026 by Cesare Adobati, starts from San Pellegrino Terme: 48.4 kilometres, 1,180 metres of ascent, 5 hours 30 minutes actual, demanding, with 70 per cent of the trail rideable. You follow the Valle Brembana cycle path to Ambria, then the SP27 through Serina, Valpiana and Oltre il Colle; from there you drop towards Zorzone and join CAI trail 259. The description is explicit about the risks: there are no escape routes, no mobile signal and nobody around. Go in a group, with spares, in good weather and on dry ground. The exposed chained passages, which cut across gravel gullies above the valley, are done on foot; in summer watch out for vipers. On the valley floor the old timber-railway bed is level but cluttered with stones and rails, and in several places it cannot be ridden. From the Agriturismo Ferdy an iron bridge leads onto the Valle Brembana cycle path, which takes you back to San Pellegrino in 11.5 kilometres. #### The Val del Riso and the Arera Tour «Su e giù per la Valle del Riso», revised on 25 June 2023, starts from Valpiana di Serina: 44.3 kilometres, 1,339 metres, 4 hours 45 minutes, moderately demanding. It climbs to the Passo di Zambla, takes the dirt road to the Conca dell'Alben and at the Passo della Crocetta drops on CAI trail 526B to the Madonna del Frassino and Chignolo d'Oneta, down to Riso; then it climbs via Gorno to the Grem pastures and the Baita Alpe Grem, and returns to the pass on trail 223, about 70 per cent rideable and slippery when the rocks are wet. The way back to Valpiana uses the cross-country ski tracks and the Pian della Palla. Valle Seriana Bike's Arera Tour, from Ponte Nossa, is the longest ride: 53 kilometres, 1,900 metres, six hours, very demanding, 90 per cent rideable with about an hour of pushing or carrying, descents of technical grade S2, rideable from May to October. It climbs through the Val del Riso to the Passo di Zambla and the Capanna 2000, rides the whole of trail 222 to the Passo Branchino and descends on 218 to Lake Branchino, the Alpe Corte and Valcanale. It also suits e-bikes, but the description recommends a second battery. #### E-bike hire: where, how much and with what limits Edo Sport, at via Prealpina 892 in Zambla Alta, hires Rossignol e-bikes: the E-Track Trail 2, full suspension for demanding trails, and the E-Track 29, hardtail, for easier routes, both with a Shimano E7000 motor, a 500 Wh battery and a stated range of up to 100 kilometres. The published rates are 35 euros for half a day, morning from 9 to 12 or afternoon from 15 to 18, and 55 euros for a full day from 9 to 18; helmet and lock on request, booking required on 0345 95285. For safety reasons the hire rules forbid riding the hired e-bikes up Monte Arera: for the Capanna 2000 loop you need your own bike. To recharge there are two e-bike charging stations, free according to OpenStreetMap: one in the centre of Oltre il Colle and one at the Passo di Zambla, with schuko sockets. #### Rules and sharing the trails with walkers In Lombardy the trails of the regional hiking network may be used on foot, by bicycle, including e-bikes, on horseback and with non-motorised means, unless stricter limits apply for safety or because of the nature of the place; motor vehicles are banned, with fines of 105.57 to 316.71 euros (regional law 5 of 2017). The CAI's self-regulation code for mountain biking asks riders always to give way to walkers, warning them from a distance by voice or with a bell, always to wear a fastened helmet, not to skid and not to leave the track. On the Sentiero dei Fiori the loop description itself urges the utmost respect for flowers of great botanical value; the Val Parina and the slopes of the Grem are Special Areas of Conservation of the Orobie Park. #### Water, support points and safety On the Arera loop the only water mentioned is in Oltre il Colle, and the support point is the Capanna 2000 (0345 95096). On the Val Parina ride the fountains given are at Galleria, Serina and Valpiana; on the Val del Riso round at Oltre il Colle, the Passo di Zambla, the sanctuary and Riso, with the private Baita Alpe Grem as a support point. The reference map for all of them is Kompass 104 Foppolo / Valle Seriana. - On all these rides you push or carry the bike for some stretches: allow more time than for an ordinary ride. - On the Sentiero dei Fiori walkers always have priority: warn them from a distance and pass at walking pace. - The hire e-bikes from Zambla may not go up the Arera: for the Capanna 2000 you need your own bike. - There is no mobile signal in the Val Parina: never alone, with spares and on dry ground. - On the Arera loop fill your bottles in Oltre il Colle: the description gives no other water. - D: Are there mountain-bike routes in Oltre il Colle? R: Yes, four documented by specialist portals. The main one is the Oltre il Colle – Capanna 2000 – Sentiero dei Fiori – Val Vedra loop: 29.4 kilometres, 1,363 metres and 4 hours 5 minutes actual, very demanding. There are also the Val Parina traverse from San Pellegrino, the Val del Riso round from Valpiana and the Arera Tour from Ponte Nossa. - D: Can you ride the Sentiero dei Fiori on a mountain bike? R: The lower stretch, CAI trail 222 between the Capanna 2000 and the Passo di Val Vedra, is part of the Arera loop with rideability of around 50 per cent: it is for experienced riders, with many stretches on foot. It is very popular with hikers, who always have priority. - D: Can you hire e-bikes in Oltre il Colle? R: Yes, from Edo Sport at via Prealpina 892 in Zambla Alta: Rossignol full-suspension or hardtail e-bikes, 35 euros for half a day and 55 for a full day, with booking required on 0345 95285. - D: Can you ride a hired e-bike up to the Capanna 2000 and the Arera? R: No: for safety reasons Edo Sport's rules forbid riding hired e-bikes up Monte Arera. With your own bike, Valle Seriana Bike's Arera Tour also suits e-bikes, with a second battery recommended. - D: Are bikes allowed on trails in Lombardy? R: Yes: regional law 5 of 2017 allows the trails of the hiking network to be used by bicycle and e-bike as well, unless local bans apply for safety or environmental protection. Motor vehicles are banned. The CAI code asks riders to give way to walkers. - D: Can you ride the Val Parina on a mountain bike? R: Yes, but it is a serious ride: 48.4 kilometres and 1,180 metres from San Pellegrino Terme, demanding, with no escape routes and no mobile signal in the valley. The chained sections are done on foot and the valley floor on the old rails cannot be ridden in several places. - D: Where can you find water on the Arera MTB loop? R: The description mentions only the fountain in Oltre il Colle, in the starting square. The only support point along the way is the Rifugio Capanna 2000, telephone 0345 95096, during its opening periods. - D: What bike do you need for the Capanna 2000 loop? R: Percorsi MTB Val Brembana considers a full-suspension mountain bike and the GPS track essential: the climb to the hut reaches 25 per cent on concrete and stones, the Sentiero dei Fiori is technical and the Val Vedra descent requires good skills. Sources: https://www.percorsimtbvalbrembana.it/oltre-il-colle---capanna-2000---sentiero-dei-fiori---val-vedra.html, https://www.percorsimtbvalbrembana.it/la-selvaggia-val-parina.html, https://www.percorsimtbvalbrembana.it/su-e-giugrave-per-la-valle-del-riso.html, https://www.valleserianabike.it/percorsi/arera-tour/arera-tour.html, https://edosport.it/pages/noleggio, https://www.openstreetmap.org/node/12848367660, https://www.openstreetmap.org/node/14087903393, https://normelombardia.consiglio.regione.lombardia.it/NormeLombardia/Accessibile/main.aspx?iddoc=lr002017022700005&view=showdoc&selnode=0, https://www.caiescursionismolombardo.it/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/CAI-Codice-autoregolamentazione-CicloEscursionismo-.pdf, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/222, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/231, https://www.parcorobie.it/rete-natura-2000/ ### Colle di Zambla by bike: the climbs from Ponte Nossa and from Ambria — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/things-to-do/colle-di-zambla-in-bici By bike, Zambla Alta. Colle di Zambla by bike: 13.7-14.1 km and about 800 m from Ponte Nossa, 23 steadier km from Ambria, the gradients section by section, the Giro and Il Lombardia. Figures: 793 m, Highest point 1264 m, 13.7 km. GPS tracks: La Val Seriana, il Colle di Zambla, Trafficanti e Selvino — https://turbolento.net/prodotto/la-val-seriana-il-colle-di-zambla-trafficanti-e-selvino/ (Turbolento Thinkbike, account required, 72 km, 1350 m D+) GPS tracks: Grand Tour delle Orobie (passa da Oltre il Colle e dal Colle di Zambla) — https://turbolento.net/prodotto/grand-tour-delle-orobie/ (Turbolento Thinkbike, account required, 108 km, 2400 m D+) GPS tracks: San Pellegrino Terme: Passo Zambla — https://www.piste-ciclabili.com/itinerari/5079-passo-zambla (piste-ciclabili.com, account required, 37.8 km) The Colle di Zambla is the only pass between Val Seriana and the Brembana valley crossed by an asphalt road; little used by cars, it is popular with motorcyclists and cyclists, especially at weekends (Wikipedia). For cyclists it is a climb with two sides of opposite character: short and steady from Ponte Nossa through the Val del Riso, long and broken by false flats from Ambria through Val Serina, with Oltre il Colle and Zambla on the Brembana side just below the pass. On the Seriana side the portals give close but not identical figures, because they measure from different points: 13.7 kilometres and 793 metres for myCols, 14.0 and 806 for CyclingCols, 14.1 and 811 for climbfinder, 14.1 and 816 for salite.ch, with average gradients of 5.7 to 5.8 per cent. From Ambria it is 22.9-23.5 kilometres and 918-961 metres, at 3.9-4.2 per cent on average. The pass featured in the Giro d'Italia in 1976 and 1977 and, with the climb to Zambla Alta, in the 2023 and 2025 editions of Il Lombardia. #### The Val Seriana side: from Ponte Nossa through the Val del Riso You leave Val Seriana at Ponte Nossa and climb the SP46 via Erdeno, Oneta and the Cantoni d'Oneta. The salite.ch profile shows a climb in steps: the first 2 kilometres are almost flat, then up to kilometre 4.5 the gradient stays between 7 and 8 per cent; two false flats follow, at 2 and 3 per cent, around Oneta, and from kilometre 9.5 a long ramp between 7.5 and 8 per cent broken only by half a kilometre at 6. Maximum gradients depend on how they are measured: climbfinder finds 12.2 per cent over the steepest hundred metres, CyclingCols gives 10, myCols 8.5, and salite.ch never goes above 8 on sections of half a kilometre or more. Wikipedia describes it as winding and, in its last part, without shade. Valle Seriana Bike's Arera Tour avoids the first stretch of main road with the Val del Riso cycle path, which runs on its own track from Ponte Nossa to Riso, and then climbs the SP46 for the last 10 kilometres. #### The Brembana side: from Ambria through Val Serina From the Brembana valley main road you turn off at Ambria di Zogno onto the SP27 and climb through the gorges of Val Serina, the hamlet of Galleria, Algua and Serina. According to salite.ch the first 5 kilometres stay between 2 and 3 per cent; from the sixth kilometre the road climbs steadily between 4 and 6.6 per cent to Serina, at 830 metres, and carries on like this to the hardest kilometre before Valpiana, at 7.3 per cent. The Percorsi MTB Val Brembana description calls this stretch steady and easy to ride. From Valpiana to the twentieth kilometre the road hardly climbs at all: six kilometres of false flats and short descents, with Oltre il Colle halfway. The last three kilometres after Oltre il Colle climb again, at 7.4 and 6.1 per cent, before the final 3.1. Wikipedia counts 23 kilometres from Zogno with steep sections that do not exceed 11 per cent, the same maximum as CyclingCols; climbfinder finds 9.6 per cent over the steepest hundred metres. #### The Colle di Zambla in the Giro d'Italia and Il Lombardia On 11 June 1976 stage 21 of the Giro, from Terme di Comano to Bergamo, 238 kilometres, crossed the Croce Domini, the Colle Gallo, Zambla and Selvino (BikeRaceInfo). Gianbattista Baronchelli was first over the Colle di Zambla (CyclingCols); on the descent the leader Johan De Muynck crashed, the bunch waited for him and then the racing started again (OA Sport). The stage was won in Bergamo by Felice Gimondi, who the next day, in the Arcore time trial, also won the Giro (OA Sport). On 9 June 1977 stage 19, from Pinzolo to San Pellegrino Terme, 205 kilometres, crossed the Tonale, the Presolana and Zambla: Renato Laghi went over first and won alone after a long breakaway, 1 minute 32 seconds ahead of Baronchelli; it was his only professional win (CyclingCols, BikeRaceInfo, Wikipedia). Il Lombardia came back to the area in its 2023 and 2025 editions, both from Como to Bergamo over 238 kilometres, with the sequence Roncola, Berbenno, Passo della Crocetta, Zambla Alta and Passo di Ganda (RCS Sport): in 2023 Tadej Pogačar won, attacking on the descent of the Ganda. The 10 October 2026 edition, from Bergamo to Como, does not pass through Zambla. #### Sportives: BERGHEM#molamia The Colle di Zambla is one of the key passages of BERGHEM#molamia, the sportive organised by SC Gazzanighese starting and finishing in Gazzaniga: in its seventh edition, on 14 June 2026, all three routes, of 73, 120 and 185 kilometres, included the feed station at the Passo di Zambla and a timed section from via Costa in Oltre il Colle up to the pass. #### Road, traffic and safety The Brembana side depends on the SP27, which this year was closed for more than a month: from 28 August 2026, after a large boulder fell at Rosolo di Algua, with traffic and line B buses diverted via Costa Serina, until it reopened on the afternoon of 1 October 2026 (Valbrembanaweb, Arriva). Before setting off, check the Province's road news. At the pass there are bars, restaurants and a fountain, useful before descending the other side (Wikipedia, L'Eco di Bergamo). The fountains along Val Serina are at Galleria, Serina and Valpiana (Percorsi MTB Val Brembana). - From Ponte Nossa the gradient stays between 7 and 8 per cent for most of the last 5 kilometres: keep an easy gear in reserve. - From Ambria the climb is long but gives about six kilometres of respite between Valpiana and the far side of Oltre il Colle. - Fill your bottles at the fountains in Galleria, Serina and Valpiana or at the pass. - Before setting off check the state of the SP27: this year it was closed from 28 August to 1 October. - The three GPX tracks listed here are reserved for registered users of the portals, but their length and ascent are public. - D: How long is the climb to the Colle di Zambla from Ponte Nossa? R: Between 13.7 and 14.1 kilometres, with about 800 metres of ascent and an average gradient of 5.7-5.8 per cent: 13.7 km and 793 m for myCols, 14.0 km and 806 m for CyclingCols, 14.1 km and 811 m for climbfinder, 14.1 km and 816 m for salite.ch. - D: Which is the easier side of the Colle di Zambla? R: The Brembana valley side, from Ambria di Zogno: about 23 kilometres for 918-961 metres of ascent, with an average gradient of around 4 per cent and about six almost flat kilometres between Valpiana and the far side of Oltre il Colle. From Ponte Nossa you climb almost the same height in 14 kilometres. - D: Which is the hardest section from Ponte Nossa? R: According to the salite.ch profile, the last three and a half kilometres, from the Cantoni d'Oneta to the pass, almost all at 8 per cent, plus the 8 per cent sections around Erdeno and before Oneta. Climbfinder measures 12.2 per cent over the steepest hundred metres, CyclingCols gives a maximum of 10. - D: Has the Giro d'Italia crossed the Colle di Zambla? R: Yes, twice. On 11 June 1976 on the Terme di Comano–Bergamo stage, with Gianbattista Baronchelli first at the top and Felice Gimondi winning the stage; on 9 June 1977 on the Pinzolo–San Pellegrino Terme stage, with Renato Laghi first over the pass and winner after a long breakaway. - D: Does Il Lombardia pass through Zambla? R: The 2023 and 2025 editions, from Como to Bergamo, included the climb to Zambla Alta, after Berbenno and the Passo della Crocetta and before the Passo di Ganda. The 10 October 2026 edition, from Bergamo to Como, does not pass through Zambla. - D: How high is the Colle di Zambla? R: 1,264 metres according to Wikipedia, myCols and the map used by OpenStreetMap; climbfinder gives 1,262 metres and CyclingCols 1,258. The salite.ch profile stops at 1,238 metres. - D: Is the Val Serina road to the Colle di Zambla open? R: Yes: the SP27, closed from 28 August 2026 after a landslide at Rosolo di Algua, reopened on the afternoon of 1 October 2026 (Valbrembanaweb). During the closure traffic was diverted via Costa Serina. - D: Where can you find water on the way up to the Colle di Zambla? R: On the Brembana side there are fountains at Galleria, Serina and Valpiana; at the Passo di Zambla there is a fountain near the car park. There are also bars and restaurants at the pass. Sources: https://climbfinder.com/it/salite/passo-di-zambla-ponte-nossa, https://climbfinder.com/it/salite/passo-di-zambla-ambria, https://www.cyclingcols.com/col/Zambla, https://mycols.app/it/salita/colle-di-zambla-ponte-nossa, https://www.salite.ch/struttura/salite.asp?stato=Italia&criterio=®ione=&provincia=Bergamo&page=2, http://www.salite.ch/002241.asp, http://www.salite.ch/002242.asp, https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colle_di_Zambla, https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giro_d%27Italia_1976, https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renato_Laghi, https://www.bikeraceinfo.com/giro/giro1976.html, https://www.bikeraceinfo.com/giro/giro1977.html, https://www.oasport.it/2020/03/giro-ditalia-1976-la-terza-perla-di-felice-gimondi-quasi-10-anni-dopo-il-primo-trionfo/, https://www.ilombardia.it/en/news/il-lombardia-2023-238-km-from-como-to-bergamo-with-over-4400-meters-of-altitude-gain/, https://www.ilombardia.it/en/news/il-lombardia-2025-the-route-has-been-unveiled/, https://www.ilombardia.it/en/the-route/, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Il_Lombardia, https://www.berghemmolamia.eu/en/rule-book/, https://valbrembanaweb.com/val-serina-versante-in-sicurezza-riapre-dopo-un-mese-la-provinciale/, https://bergamo.arriva.it/notice/linea-b-passo-zambla-chiusura-s-p-27-modifica-percorso-5/, https://www.valleserianabike.it/percorsi/arera-tour/arera-tour.html, https://www.percorsimtbvalbrembana.it/la-selvaggia-val-parina.html, https://www.ecodibergamo.it/stories/eppen/outdoor/sul-monte-grem-dal-passo-zambla-itinerario-tutte-stagioni-o_1802708_11/, https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=45.88710&mlon=9.79774#map=15/45.88710/9.79774 ### Museum of Minerals and Mining in Zorzone — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/things-to-do/museo-dei-minerali-zorzone Museum, Zorzone. Three floors on the zinc and lead mines of Oltre il Colle in Zorzone's old school: miners' tools, a rebuilt tunnel, local minerals and a 1944 memorial. Best period: All year, mainly on Sunday and holiday afternoons; visits also by appointment. The Museum of Minerals and Mining is where the mining history of Oltre il Colle can be seen at close range. It is in Zorzone, in the former primary school on via Funivia: a square mid-twentieth-century building in stone and concrete, publicly owned, built as a school and now used entirely as a museum. Inside are the machines and tools of the tunnels under the Arera, the Grem and the Menna, a collection of minerals and fossils and, on the top floor, the memorial to an American bomber that crashed on the Menna in 1944. It is a village museum, born from the passion of people who had worked in the mines. The Ministry of Culture names as its curator Franco Palazzi, who had been a surveyor in the mines and spent years collecting minerals, fossils and testimonies, helped by many former miners of the area; in 2019 Marco Palazzi told Prima Bergamo he had been running the museum for almost twenty years. The municipal leaflet makes the same point: almost all the tools on display were really used, for years, inside the mountains around the basin. Openings are few and the sources disagree on hours and tickets, so it is worth phoning before you go. In return, in an hour you understand what more than a century of zinc mining meant for a mountain municipality, from work underground to the closure of the early 1980s. #### The history of the museum: from a mineral collection to the old school The sources do not agree on the dates. The Comunità Montana Valle Brembana writes that the mineral exhibition had existed in embryo since 1970 in private premises and was opened in the former school in 1994. The Ministry of Culture places the start of the collection in the 1970s and the move to Zorzone in 1992, when the exhibition became a museum with two sections, minerals and the mine. The municipal leaflet sums it up this way: a mineral exhibition already active at the end of the 1970s, then the new premises opened in 1994. The building is the hamlet's former primary school. The Lombardia Beni Culturali record describes it as a mid-twentieth-century construction on a square plan, with concrete and stone walls, brick-and-concrete floors and a gable roof covered in cement tiles. Since 29 August 2026 its façade has carried the mural “Memorie di luce” by the artist Frode, described below. #### What you see on the ground floor: the mining section The ground floor is devoted to work underground. The most striking piece is the life-size reconstruction of a tunnel entrance. In the middle of the room stand a large pneumatic loader on rails, the pachèra, which filled the ore wagons, and the carèl, the small wagon the workers rode in. Panels on the walls follow the story in chronological order: working methods, period photographs, means of transport and the treatment of ore outside the mine, survey plans of the Arera mines, St Barbara, patron of miners, and the crisis and closure told through newspaper cuttings. There are also dozens of photographs of the old miners, including many who died in the mines, and panels on mining songs and poems and on industrial archaeology, with pictures of the furnaces and silos. The route opens with a topography of the Arera that the museum attributes to Leonardo da Vinci, sheet 12410 of the royal collection at Windsor, and with the hypothesis that Leonardo visited the basin between 1506 and 1507. The attribution should be treated with caution: in the Royal Collection sheet 912410 is titled “The Alps seen from Milan” and dated around 1510-1512, and as early as 2012 BergamoNews wrote that the identification with the Arera was still surrounded by doubts. - Sledgehammers, hammers, points and drill steels for drilling rock by hand - Oil and acetylene lamps, helmets and dust masks - The compass and the gerletto, the small basket carried on the back - Rock drills of models from 1925 to 1960 and an old loading machine - A “marmotta”, the blasting machine, with several types of explosive - A case with letters and documents of the mining companies, pay slips, work books and accident books #### Minerals and fossils: what was mined at Oltre il Colle The first floor is the exhibition section. The figures change depending on who reports them: the Comunità Montana, the Ministry and ISPRA speak of 500 local specimens, 1,600 minerals from around the world and 450 fossils; the same Comunità Montana, describing the room, writes of more than 2,000 minerals; the municipal leaflet of about three thousand, arranged by type and origin. A separate case holds fluorescent minerals. The most interesting pieces are the local ones. Alongside galena, lead sulphide, and blende, zinc sulphide, there are minerals that form when the sulphides weather, such as smithsonite, hydrozincite, hemimorphite and aurichalcite, as well as plattnerite, bournonite, malachite and wulfenite. It is the same distinction the miners made: the Gorno Mines Ecomuseum explains that in this area the “calamines”, the oxidised zinc minerals, were mined first, and blende later, when metallurgy allowed, with smaller amounts of galena. A study published in 2020 in the journal Mineralium Deposita, based on the levels of the old Val Vedra mine, confirms the picture: sphalerite and galena as primary minerals, with a little pyrite and chalcopyrite, and smithsonite, hydrozincite, hemimorphite and cerussite as secondary minerals formed by the weathering of the sulphides. The fossils, found mostly in the mountains of the Brembana valley, include ammonites, gastropods, bivalves and sea urchins. #### The Lady Irene memorial: the bomber that crashed on the Menna On the top floor, next to the meeting room, is the memorial to the Lady Irene. She was an American four-engined B-24 Liberator of the 885th squadron, which took off from Brindisi on 4 October 1944 on a secret mission to drop supplies to the Bergamo partisans. That night she crashed just below the crest of Monte Menna, at the place called Pezzadello, at about 2,250 metres. There were thirteen people on board, ten American airmen and three Italians: La Voce delle Valli describes them as agents of the American secret service, the OSS, and only one of them is known by name. The sources also differ on the drop zone, near Lake Endine according to La Voce delle Valli, on the hills of San Fermo towards Lake Iseo according to the research quoted by L'Italo-Americano. The bodies were buried on the spot and later moved to Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis, in the United States; at the crash site stands a wooden cross made by the Trappist monks of New Melleray, in Iowa. The memorial was opened in 2016 thanks to the research of Massimo Maurizio, a local history enthusiast from Oltre il Colle. It displays objects linked to the crash and some remains of the aircraft, including the kitchen utensils that villagers made at the time from its metal sheets. #### Opening hours, tickets and booking The museum opens rarely, mainly on Sunday and holiday afternoons. The municipal leaflet gives Sundays and holidays, 15.00 to 17.00 from November to March and 15.00 to 18.00 from April to October, and every day from 1 August to the third Sunday of August, with openings by appointment for schools and groups. The Ministry of Culture, in its page updated in 2022, lists it instead as open on request with compulsory booking and a full ticket of €2.50, while the Comunità Montana still gives €1.50. The table below compares the sources: none is recent, and the safest thing is to phone 0345 95313, the number of the Associazione Amici del Museo. #### Can you visit the mines? The Riservetta and the outdoor structures The real mines have no visitor route open to the public: after the closure of the early 1980s the concessions passed to companies that carry out mineral exploration there. The 2014 municipal leaflet, however, listed two options linked to the museum: the “Riservetta”, a tunnel once used as an explosives store at Cà Pasì, open by appointment only, and a guided visit, also by appointment, to some industrial structures for processing the ore and to tunnels still in good condition. We found no recent confirmation that these visits are still offered: ask the museum. To go into a mine on an equipped route you need to go to the Val del Riso, to the Gorno Mines Ecomuseum, whose official page lists guided visits on the second Sunday of every month at 15.00, booking required, lasting about three hours, with a temperature underground of about 10 degrees in every season. #### The “Memorie di luce” mural on the façade Since the end of August 2026 the museum can be recognised from a distance. During ValParinART, the art day of 29 August, the Milanese artist Domenico Melillo, known as Frode, a lawyer and graffiti writer, painted a large mural on the façade with funding from the BIM. It is called “Memorie di luce”, memories of light: the word MUSEO is broken up into lines, arches and mountain profiles, and the large M that holds the composition together stands at once for museum, mountain, Menna and mine. The mural also shows a little girl with a lantern, a reminder of the children exploited in the work of the past. On the same day seven new frescoes were painted on the houses of Zorzone, which now has 23. - Phone 0345 95313 first: the sources disagree on opening hours and the museum opens mainly on Sunday and holiday afternoons. - Allow an hour; with children the ground floor works best, with the tunnel entrance and the wagons. - The Santissima Trinità church, the mural and the frescoes on the houses are a few hundred metres from the museum: you can see them on the same walk. - The old tunnels around the village are not a visitor route: to go into a mine with a guide there is the Gorno Ecomuseum, by appointment. - If the Lady Irene story interests you, ask to see the memorial on the top floor: the crash site is on the Menna, the mountain above Zorzone. - D: When is the Zorzone Museum of Minerals open? R: According to the municipal leaflet on Sundays and holidays, from 15.00 to 17.00 from November to March and from 15.00 to 18.00 from April to October, and every day from 1 August to the third Sunday of August. The Ministry of Culture lists it instead as open on request with compulsory booking. The sources are not recent: phone 0345 95313. - D: How much does a ticket for the Zorzone museum cost? R: The Ministry of Culture page, updated in 2022, gives €2.50 full price and no reductions. The Comunità Montana Valle Brembana page still gives €1.50 for adults and young people from 13, €1 each for groups of at least five and free entry up to 12. - D: Where is the Museum of Minerals and where do you park? R: In the former primary school of Zorzone, at via Funivia 101, a hamlet of Oltre il Colle. You leave the car in the hamlet's public car parks, a short walk from the museum and from the Santissima Trinità church. - D: What can you see in the Zorzone mineral museum? R: Three floors: on the ground floor the mining section, with a rebuilt tunnel entrance, wagons, rock drills and miners' documents; on the first floor local minerals and minerals from around the world and 450 fossils; on the top floor a multimedia room and the memorial to the Lady Irene bomber, which crashed on the Menna in 1944. - D: Can you visit the Oltre il Colle mines? R: There is no visitor route open in the tunnels. The 2014 municipal leaflet listed, by appointment only, the Riservetta, a former explosives store at Cà Pasì, and some outdoor mining structures: check with the museum. To go into a mine with a guide there is the Gorno Mines Ecomuseum, in the Val del Riso. - D: What is the Lady Irene memorial? R: It is the museum room devoted to the American B-24 bomber Lady Irene, which on the night of 4 October 1944 crashed below the crest of Monte Menna during a supply mission to the partisans: ten American airmen and three Italians died. The memorial opened in 2016 and displays objects and remains of the aircraft. - D: Which minerals were mined at Oltre il Colle? R: Mainly zinc and lead minerals: the calamines, that is oxidised zinc minerals such as smithsonite and hemimorphite, blende (zinc sulphide) and galena (lead sulphide), which also contained a little silver. The museum also displays local hydrozincite, aurichalcite, plattnerite, bournonite, malachite and wulfenite. - D: When did the Oltre il Colle mines close? R: In the early 1980s. The mines' archive and SAMIM, the last company holding the concession, give 1982, and the Gorno Ecomuseum dates the closure to 12 January 1982; the Zorzone museum material says 1980, while a 2020 geological study places the last underground work up to 1985. Sources: https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/images/depliant%20per%20invii_Layout%201.pdf, https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/zf/index.php/servizi-aggiuntivi/index/index/idtesto/41, https://www.vallebrembana.bg.it/turismo/musei/museo-dei-minerali-a-zorzone-a-oltre-il-colle/, https://cultura.gov.it/luogo/museo-dei-minerali-e-della-miniera, https://www.isprambiente.gov.it/it/attivita/museo/regioni/musei/museo-dei-minerali-della-miniera-a-zorzone-oltre-il-colle, https://www.touringclub.it/destinazione/localita/museo/210752/museo-dei-minerali-e-della-miniera-oltre-il-colle, https://www.lombardiabeniculturali.it/architetture/schede/BG080-00015/, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q55375794, https://primabergamo.it/rubriche/viva-berghem/storie-leggende-delle-nostre-valli-le-miniere-zorzone/, https://www.lavocedellevalli.it/rubriche/i-tesori-nascosti-la-tragica-vicenda-dellaereo-lady-irene-ed-il-suo-schianto-sul-monte-menna/, https://italoamericano.org/oltre-il-colle-ww2/, https://valbrembanaweb.com/zorzone-borgo-degli-affreschi-23-opere-sui-muri-delle-case-e-il-grande-murale-di-frode/, https://www.lavocedellevalli.it/a-zorzone-spunta-il-mega-murale-sulla-facciata-del-museo-altri-sette-affreschi-dalle-studentesse-del-manzu, https://www.ecomuseominieredigorno.it/visite-guidate/, https://www.ecomuseominieredigorno.it/approfondimenti/le-miniere-di-zinco-e-piombo/, https://www.ecomuseominieredigorno.it/miniere-e-minatori/, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00126-019-00912-5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Leonardo_da_Vinci_-_RCIN_912410,_The_Alps_seen_from_Milan_c.1510-12.jpg, https://www.bergamonews.it/2012/06/04/il-monte-areradisegnato-da-da-vinciin-valle-brembana/161125/, https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=18/45.90347/9.76993 ### Parish church of San Bartolomeo — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/things-to-do/chiesa-san-bartolomeo-oltre-il-colle Church, Oltre il Colle. The parish church of Oltre il Colle, a parish since 1449: Luigi Angelini's three-sided portico (1935), frescoes by Orelli, a canvas by Scuri and a Bossi organ. San Bartolomeo is the mother church of the basin: for more than a century it was the only parish in the whole area, until Zambla in 1587 and Zorzone in 1636 obtained their own. It stands above the main village, at the top of a wide flight of steps rising from the road to a stone-paved churchyard enclosed by a low wall of rough stones. The first thing you notice is the portico, which runs round three sides of the façade with large arches: it is the most visible sign of the enlargement designed in the 1930s by the Bergamo engineer and architect Luigi Angelini. The building has an eighteenth-century character, with nineteenth- and twentieth-century alterations. Inside are the vault frescoes by Vincenzo Angelo Orelli from the early nineteenth century, including a Glory of St Dominic, the Death of St Joseph painted by Enrico Scuri in 1872, paintings by Francesco Coghetti and an organ by Carlo Bossi from the first years of the nineteenth century, which the Centro Storico Culturale Valle Brembana considers among the most intact and elegant known. The chapel of Our Lady of Lourdes stands on the same churchyard; opposite the church, on the ground floor of a modern building, is the Domus Mariae chapel. Today San Bartolomeo is one of the three parishes of the municipality, all entrusted to the same parish priest, and belongs to Territorial Church Community 4, Valle Brembana, in the diocese of Bergamo. #### The history of the church of San Bartolomeo A church dedicated to the apostle Bartholomew already existed in the fifteenth century and in early times gave its name to the district. By a decree of 5 April 1449 the bishop of Bergamo, Polidoro Foscari, separated it from its mother church of San Giacomo di Lepreno and made it a parish: the deed was drawn up in Bergamo by the notary Giovanni Francesco Cavagnis of Cornalba, in the presence of the syndics and agents of the district of Grimoldo. When rural vicariates were created by the diocesan synod of 1568, the parish became part of the pieve of Dossena. Pastoral visits allow us to follow it through the centuries. On 28 September 1575 the archbishop of Milan, Charles Borromeo, counted four altars and a community of about 500 souls, with the Misericordia confraternity and the school of Corpus Domini; the church's patronage belonged to the community. During the visit of bishop Gregorio Barbarigo, in the mid-seventeenth century, there were two priests and the confraternities of the Blessed Sacrament and of the Rosary. By the visit of bishop Giovanni Paolo Dolfin, between 1778 and 1781, there were five altars, the third dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary, and the Misericordia was shared with the parishes of Zambla and Zorzone. Dolfin himself consecrated the church in 1780. In the twentieth century the parish followed the diocese's reforms: in 1971 it joined pastoral zone V and from 27 May 1979 the local vicariate of Selvino-Serina. The diocesan directory now places it in Territorial Church Community 4, Valle Brembana, with the same parish priest as the parishes of Zambla and Zorzone. #### From the 1803 restoration to Luigi Angelini's portico The diocesan survey records a restoration of the stucco decoration and capitals in 1803, the same years in which Vincenzo Angelo Orelli was painting the vaults. In 1930 the bell tower was raised. In 1935 the church was restored and enlarged to a design by Luigi Angelini: this work, which the Centro Storico Culturale Valle Brembana dates between 1935 and 1937, gave the church the three-sided portico that wraps around the façade. The last major change was the liturgical adaptation that followed the Second Vatican Council: an altar facing the congregation was placed in the middle of the presbytery, with a new ambo, both in pink marble and bronze by the sculptor Piero Cattaneo. The diocesan survey dates the work between 1975 and 1985; Wikipedia gives 1975 and names the architect Bruno Cassinelli as designer. #### What it looks like: façade, portico and interior The façade proper stands behind the portico, which is built in masonry, open in arches and covered by a timber roof with clay tiles. The doorway is in shaped stone, topped by the bishop's coat of arms; higher up a large arched window, set in a stone aedicule with pilasters and entablature, lights the nave and is crowned by a broken curved pediment. The roof has two pitches. Inside there is a single nave on a rectangular plan, divided into six bays by fluted pilasters with Corinthian capitals carrying the entablature and cornice; the vault is a barrel vault. The presbytery, raised by three steps, is covered by a shallow dome, which the survey calls a “tazza”, a cup, and ends in an apsed choir with a half-dome. Bay by bay, the layout is as follows: - First bay: two doors to the stairs leading up to the gallery - Second bay: the confessionals - Fourth bay: the altar of the Madonna on the left, the altar of the Crucifix on the right - Fifth bay: the two side entrances - Sixth bay: the door to the bell tower on the left and the door to the sacristy on the right #### The works of art: Orelli, Scuri, Coghetti and Vavassori The vaults were frescoed by Vincenzo Angelo Orelli (1751-1813), a painter born in Locarno who worked for a long time in the Bergamo area: the brightest scene, notes the Centro Storico Culturale Valle Brembana, is the Glory of St Dominic. In 1803 Orelli also painted two frescoes in the small church of Grimoldo, nearby. The best-known canvas hangs in the atrium: the Death of St Joseph painted in 1872 by Enrico Scuri (1806-1884) of Bergamo, an intense work, neoclassical in its composition but with echoes of the eighteenth century, according to the same source. The church also holds paintings by Francesco Coghetti (1802-1875), mentioned by Wikipedia and L'Eco di Bergamo without their subjects, and on the Madonna's altar a wooden statue by Angelo Virgilio Vavassori (1885-1961). The church's heritage also includes furnishings, chasubles, crosses, chalices and lace from the sixteenth to the eighteenth century, as well as twentieth-century paintings and sculptures of craft quality. The table below lists works, makers and dates with the source of each item. #### The bell tower, the bells and the Bossi organ The bells carry the marks of the wars. The diocesan survey records that the five bells blessed by bishop Pier Luigi Speranza in 1860 became eight when the bell tower was raised in 1930; after the wartime requisitions, the surviving bells were recast by the Crespi foundry into the present peal of eight bells in D major, consecrated by bishop Adriano Bernareggi on 3 March 1951. The Wikipedia entry on the municipality speaks instead of eight bells in B by the Capanni foundry: the two sources do not agree. The organ is by Carlo Bossi. The Centro Storico Culturale Valle Brembana dates it to 1804 and describes it as one of the most intact and elegant known; Wikipedia gives 1805. #### Grimoldo and the other churches of the parish Grimoldo is the oldest name in the basin: at the end of the thirteenth century it was the main community, and in 1449 it was the representatives of the Grimoldo district who attended the founding of the parish. Here, at the top of a flight of steps, stands the small church of Santa Maria Nascente, which bishop Dolfin recorded as the oratory of the Nativity of the Virgin. According to the Centro Storico Culturale Valle Brembana it was built, with later rebuilding, on a medieval chapel dedicated to the Holy Cross and the Nativity of Mary; the façade has eighteenth-century frescoes, the interior eighteenth-century stucco and two frescoes by Vincenzo Angelo Orelli dated 1803. The diocesan survey also records two paintings of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple and the Adoration of the Magi. On the parish churchyard is the chapel of Our Lady of Lourdes: three arches on stone columns lead into a single room with votive offerings on the walls and, at the back, the statues of the Virgin and Bernadette on a base of tufa. The original chapel dates from the seventeenth century and a gravestone of 1761 recalls the dead buried there. Opposite the church, on the ground floor of a reinforced-concrete building, is the Domus Mariae chapel, a simple room with a crucifix on the end wall. #### Visiting the church: contacts, mass times and the feast of St Bartholomew The directory of the diocese of Bergamo gives the parish address as via Roma 171, telephone 0345 95095, email oltreilcolle@diocesibg.it, but publishes no mass times for the churches of Oltre il Colle. There are no fixed opening hours: the church is usually visited before or after services, or by asking at the parish. St Bartholomew is the patron saint of the municipality and his feast falls on 24 August. The three parish churches of the basin, here in the main village, in Zambla Bassa and in Zorzone, can be seen in the same morning. - To see the interior, aim for service times or phone the parish (0345 95095): the diocese does not publish mass times. - Enrico Scuri's Death of St Joseph is in the atrium, by the entrance: it is the first work to look for. - Go up to Grimoldo too, to the small church of Santa Maria Nascente: its eighteenth-century painted façade can be seen even when the church is closed. - 24 August, the patron's feast, is the day the church is at its liveliest. - On the churchyard, look into the chapel of Our Lady of Lourdes, with its votive offerings on the walls. - D: Since when has San Bartolomeo been the parish of Oltre il Colle? R: Since 1449: by a decree of 5 April that year the bishop of Bergamo, Polidoro Foscari, separated it from the church of San Giacomo di Lepreno. The church was consecrated in 1780 by bishop Giovanni Paolo Dolfin and enlarged in 1935 to a design by Luigi Angelini. - D: Who designed the portico of the church in Oltre il Colle? R: The Bergamo engineer and architect Luigi Angelini, who in 1935 directed the restoration and enlargement of the church; the Centro Storico Culturale Valle Brembana dates the work between 1935 and 1937. The portico runs round three sides of the façade. - D: Which works of art are in the parish church of San Bartolomeo? R: The vault frescoes by Vincenzo Angelo Orelli from the early nineteenth century, including the Glory of St Dominic; Enrico Scuri's Death of St Joseph of 1872; paintings by Francesco Coghetti; a wooden statue of the Madonna by Angelo Virgilio Vavassori and the organ by Carlo Bossi, of 1804 or 1805 depending on the source. - D: When is the feast of St Bartholomew in Oltre il Colle? R: On 24 August. St Bartholomew the Apostle is the patron saint of the municipality of Oltre il Colle and titular saint of the main village's parish church. - D: Where can you find mass times in Oltre il Colle? R: The directory of the diocese of Bergamo does not publish them for the churches of the basin. The parish of San Bartolomeo is at via Roma 171: telephone 0345 95095, email oltreilcolle@diocesibg.it. The municipality's three parishes have the same parish priest. - D: How many bells does the church of San Bartolomeo have? R: Eight. The diocesan survey attributes them to the Crespi foundry, which after the war recast the bells that had escaped requisition into a peal in D major consecrated on 3 March 1951; the Wikipedia entry on the municipality speaks instead of a peal in B by the Capanni foundry. - D: What is the small church of Grimoldo? R: It is the church of Santa Maria Nascente, in the Grimoldo district, a chapel of ease of the parish of San Bartolomeo. Its façade was painted in the eighteenth century and inside are two frescoes by Vincenzo Angelo Orelli of 1803; according to the Centro Storico Culturale Valle Brembana it stands on a medieval chapel of the Holy Cross and the Nativity of Mary. Sources: https://www.lombardiabeniculturali.it/istituzioni/schede/1500430/, https://www.lombardiabeniculturali.it/archivi/soggetti-produttori/ente/MIDB000A27/, https://www.beweb.chiesacattolica.it/edificidiculto/edificio/31709/Chiesa+di+San+Bartolomeo, https://www.beweb.chiesacattolica.it/edificidiculto/edificio/31713/Chiesa+di+Santa+Maria+Nascente, https://www.beweb.chiesacattolica.it/edificidiculto/edificio/31705/Cappella+della+Madonna+di+Lourdes, https://www.beweb.chiesacattolica.it/edificidiculto/edificio/31706/Cappella+Domus+Mariae, https://diocesibg.it/wd-annuario-enti/cet-04-valle-brembana-15245/cet-04-fraternita-presbiterale-2-fp-2-nella-cet-04-15291/oltre-il-colle-s-bartolomeo-apostolo-3367/, https://culturabrembana.com/la-valle-brembana-il-100-schede-oltre-il-colle/, https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiesa_di_San_Bartolomeo_(Oltre_il_Colle), https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oltre_il_Colle, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q105004008, https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/216710938, http://web.archive.org/web/20250922190337/http://news.valbrembanaweb.com/index.php/oltre-il-colle/, https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincenzo_Angelo_Orelli, https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enrico_Scuri, https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francesco_Coghetti, https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angelo_Virgilio_Vavassori, https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=19/45.89137/9.76837 ### Church of Santa Maria Maddalena in Zambla Bassa — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/things-to-do/chiesa-santa-maria-maddalena-zambla-bassa Church, Zambla Bassa. The parish church of Zambla Bassa, independent since 1587 and consecrated in 1737: six altars in deep chapels, Cavagna's altarpiece and a Serassi organ of 1799. The church of Santa Maria Maddalena is the parish church of Zambla Bassa and, since 1986, of all Zambla: the parish is now called Santa Maria Maddalena e Santa Maria Immacolata and also includes the church of Zambla Alta. It stands on a knoll, with its apse facing south; the façade is plastered and a low portico runs along one side and round the apse, behind which rises the bell tower of squared stone. Zambla was the first hamlet to break away from San Bartolomeo, in 1587, and according to the 1666 summary of churches it had more parishioners than the main village and Zorzone. Today's building is the one consecrated in 1737, altered in the twentieth century with new altars and an extra bay. Inside are the altarpiece of St Mary Magdalene in Glory by the Bergamo painter Gian Paolo Cavagna, wooden altar frames of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, silver-plated copper furnishings and the organ built by Giuseppe Serassi in 1799. #### The history of the parish of Zambla A church dedicated to the Magdalene already existed in Zambla in the sixteenth century. On 17 November 1587 the bishop of Bergamo, Gerolamo Ragazzoni, made it independent of its mother church of San Bartolomeo in Oltre il Colle. In the mid-seventeenth century, at the visit of bishop Gregorio Barbarigo, the parish had one priest, an income of 397 lire, the confraternities of the Blessed Sacrament and of the Rosary and the Misericordia. The summary of churches compiled in 1666 by the curia's chancellor Giovanni Giacomo Marenzi gives it four altars and 352 parishioners, more than the 196 of San Bartolomeo and the 173 of Zorzone in the same document. The rebuilt church was consecrated on 18 July 1737 by bishop Antonio Redetti, who added the title of the Blessed Virgin Mary to the ancient dedication to the Magdalene. At the visit of bishop Giovanni Paolo Dolfin, between 1778 and 1781, there were four altars: the school of the Blessed Sacrament at the high altar, the confraternity of the Rosary at the second. The curate was elected by the villagers, who held the patronage, and was assisted by two chaplains; within the parish there was already the oratory of the Immaculate Conception in Zambla Alta. In 1861 the parish counted 403 parishioners and two dependent oratories, the Immacolata and the Addolorata. #### The twentieth century: new altars, an extra bay and a united parish Between 1921 and 1924 the church changed its look. In 1921 the bishop of Mangalore, Paolo Carlo Perini, consecrated the altars of St Anthony of Padua and St Anthony Abbot; in 1922 Giovanni Menicatti, vicar apostolic of northern Henan in China, those of St Barbara and St Mary Magdalene. In 1924 the church was lengthened by one bay and the vault was decorated with medallions of the Magdalene, St Joan of Arc and the theological virtues; on 26 May of the same year bishop Luigi Maria Marelli consecrated the high altar, placing in it relics of Saints Alexander and Pius. In the second half of the century there was further work, with frescoes by Agostino Manini recorded by Wikipedia. Meanwhile the parish map changed: in 1960 Zambla Alta became an independent parish, but on 20 November 1986 the parish of the Magdalene was succeeded by that of Santa Maria Maddalena e Santa Maria Immacolata, which also took back the benefice of Zambla Alta. Finally, between 1990 and 2000, an altar in wood and stone facing the congregation was placed in the middle of the presbytery. #### What it looks like: façade, portico and bell tower The plastered façade has two registers: below, four pilasters divide it into three sections; above, the side sections are narrower and have no outer pilasters. In the centre are the arched stone doorway and an arched window, also framed in stone; the upper register has a gable roof, the lower one two lower pitches. The ambulatory portico is the church's most recognisable feature: it runs along one side and wraps round almost the whole apse. Behind the apse rises the bell tower of squared stone, with a gently sloping four-pitched roof: the diocesan survey dates its completion to 1835, the year carved on the underside of an arch of the bell chamber. #### What to see inside: the seven bays and the altars The interior has a single nave covered by a depressed barrel vault and divided into seven bays by stuccoed pilasters. The even-numbered bays hold the six side altars, set in deep chapels; the first and last bays are trapezoidal in plan. The presbytery is narrower than the nave and rises six steps of Zandobbio marble. The high altar has a green marble top with onyx panels and steps and tabernacle stand in green and white marble; the dome over the presbytery rests on pendentives painted with the four evangelists, and the apse ends in a half-dome, with wooden choir stalls. From the entrance towards the altar you find: - First bay: in two niches closed by railings, the baptismal font and the crucifix - Second bay: the polychrome marble altar of St Anthony Abbot and the altar of Our Lady of the Rosary, in marble with a wooden frame of twisted columns - Third bay: above the side doors, plaster statues of St Joseph and the Magdalene - Fourth bay: the altar of the Relics and the marble altar of Maria Bambina - Fifth bay: the two organ lofts - Sixth bay: the altar of the Madonna and the altar of St Anthony of Padua - Seventh bay: two doors topped by plaster statues of Aaron and Moses #### Gian Paolo Cavagna's altarpiece and the other works The most important work is on the high altar: St Mary Magdalene in Glory by Gian Paolo Cavagna (1550-1627), a Bergamo painter active in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. The Centro Storico Culturale Valle Brembana describes it like this: a flight of angels lifts the saint in a strong contrast of light and shadow, with an upward movement that carries gestures and drapery, and in the lower part opens a mountain landscape. On one of the first side altars an eighteenth-century wooden frame encloses a polyptych with the Madonna and Saints Charles and Francis in the upper register; the lower panels are modern. Here the sources differ: Wikipedia attributes the panels to Cavagna himself, the Centro Storico Culturale to a workshop (“del Lavagna”, as its text has it). On the altar opposite, a nineteenth-century Rosary altarpiece sits in a rich seventeenth-century frame. The furnishings are completed by a processional cross and a chalice of the seventeenth century worked by chasing and embossing, and by eighteenth-century crosses, candlesticks, altar cards and lamps in silver-plated copper. #### The Serassi organ and the bells The organ was built in 1799 by Giuseppe Serassi, of the family of organ builders active for six generations between 1720 and 1895: the list of Serassi works published by Wikipedia records it precisely in the Magdalene church at Zambla in Oltre il Colle. The bells, too, tell of the war. The five bells consecrated by bishop Pier Luigi Speranza on 11 June 1861 were requisitioned during the conflict and replaced by the present peal of five bells in B flat, cast by the Capanni foundry and consecrated by bishop Adriano Bernareggi on 22 August 1951. #### The other churches of Zambla: the Immacolata, the Madonna di Caravaggio and Santa Lucia The church of the Immacolata in Zambla Alta was built at the wish of a few inhabitants: by a decree of 28 July 1712 the Senate of the Republic of Venice allowed them to build a chapel of ease of the parish church, blessed in 1718 by the archpriest of Dossena. It has a Greek-cross plan, a porch at the entrance and its bell tower to the left of the presbytery; in 1940 a marble baptistery and the niche of the Sacred Heart were added and in 1951 Giorgio Pruneri of Grosio cast its five bells. The Centro Storico Culturale notes the baroque marble high altar, with the Virgin carved on the frontal, and a seventeenth-century crucifix recently restored to its original colours. Between 1960 and 1986 it was an independent parish. At the place called Colle di Zambla Alta, on the road to the Arera, the small church of the Madonna di Caravaggio is an eighteenth-century chapel lengthened by one bay in the nineteenth century: on the altar, in a frescoed frame, is the canvas of the apparition of the Madonna of Caravaggio commissioned in 1937 by the Benvenuti family, who had a holiday home in Zambla Alta. Finally, a short distance from the parish church stands the small church of Santa Lucia, which in 1861 was listed as the oratory of Our Lady of Sorrows. - The municipality's three parish churches, in Zambla Bassa, in the main village and in Zorzone, have the same parish priest and can be seen in the same morning. - For the interior, aim for services or phone the parish (0345 95124): mass times are not published. - Cavagna's altarpiece is on the high altar, at the end of the raised presbytery: the mountain landscape is in the lower part of the painting. - Make a detour to Zambla Alta for the church of the Immacolata, born of a permit from the Republic of Venice in 1712. - Coming from the Colle di Zambla you pass the small church of the Madonna di Caravaggio, on the road to the Arera. - D: Since when has Zambla had its own parish? R: Since 17 November 1587, when the bishop of Bergamo, Gerolamo Ragazzoni, separated the church of Santa Maria Maddalena from the parish of San Bartolomeo in Oltre il Colle. It was the first hamlet of the municipality to have a parish of its own. - D: Who painted the high altarpiece in Zambla Bassa? R: Gian Paolo Cavagna (1550-1627), a Bergamo painter: it is a St Mary Magdalene in Glory, with angels lifting the saint and a mountain landscape in the lower part. - D: How old is the organ of the church of Zambla? R: It dates from 1799: it was built by Giuseppe Serassi, of the Serassi family of organ builders, active between 1720 and 1895. - D: When was the church of Santa Maria Maddalena consecrated? R: On 18 July 1737, by bishop Antonio Redetti, who added the title of the Blessed Virgin Mary to that of the Magdalene. In 1924 the church was lengthened by one bay and on 26 May that year the high altar was consecrated. - D: Do Zambla Alta and Zambla Bassa share the same parish? R: Yes. Zambla Alta was an independent parish from 1960, but since 20 November 1986 the two hamlets have formed the parish of Santa Maria Maddalena e Santa Maria Immacolata, based in Zambla. - D: What is the church of Zambla Bassa like? R: A single nave with a depressed barrel vault, seven bays, six side altars in deep chapels, a presbytery raised six steps of Zandobbio marble and a dome with the four evangelists on the pendentives. Outside, a portico runs along one side and round the apse. - D: How do you contact the parish of Zambla? R: Via Vidali 36, telephone 0345 95124, email zambla@diocesibg.it, according to the directory of the diocese of Bergamo, which does not publish mass times. Sources: https://www.lombardiabeniculturali.it/istituzioni/schede/1500570/, https://www.lombardiabeniculturali.it/istituzioni/schede/1500431/, https://www.lombardiabeniculturali.it/istituzioni/schede/1500569/, https://www.lombardiabeniculturali.it/istituzioni/schede/1500430/, https://www.lombardiabeniculturali.it/istituzioni/schede/1500432/, https://www.beweb.chiesacattolica.it/edificidiculto/edificio/31711/Chiesa+di+Santa+Maria+Maddalena, https://www.beweb.chiesacattolica.it/edificidiculto/edificio/31710/Chiesa+di+Santa+Maria+Immacolata, https://www.beweb.chiesacattolica.it/edificidiculto/edificio/31712/Chiesa+della+Madonna+di+Caravaggio, https://www.beweb.chiesacattolica.it/edificidiculto/edificio/90591/Chiesa+di+Santa+Lucia, https://diocesibg.it/wd-annuario-enti/cet-04-valle-brembana-15245/cet-04-fraternita-presbiterale-2-fp-2-nella-cet-04-15291/zambla-s-maria-maddalena-e-s-maria-immacolata-3375/, https://culturabrembana.com/la-valle-brembana-il-100-schede-oltre-il-colle/, https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiesa_di_Santa_Maria_Maddalena_(Oltre_il_Colle), https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gian_Paolo_Cavagna, https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serassi, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q105037771, https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/309939785 ### Church of the Santissima Trinità in Zorzone — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/things-to-do/chiesa-santissima-trinita-zorzone Church, Zorzone. Zorzone's parish church, a parish since 1636, rebuilt between 1745 and 1755 to a design by Giovan Battista Caniana: dome, stucco work and a canvas of 1628. The church of the Santissima Trinità is the centre of Zorzone, a few hundred metres from the Museum of Minerals. It stands on a churchyard set lower than the road, paved in geometric patterns of porphyry and white stone, with a small one-bay porch in front of the entrance. The Centro Storico Culturale Valle Brembana describes it as a harmonious building with a tall two-storey façade, which keeps the forms of the original design outside and in. Zorzone became a parish in 1636 and had a first church consecrated in 1644. What you see today is the rebuilding begun in 1745 to a design by Giovan Battista Caniana and completed in 1755, the year after the architect's death. Inside are the dome with the Assumption and the evangelists, the altars of Our Lady of the Rosary and of the Crucifix, the red marble baptistery and, in the sacristy, a Madonna della Cintura painted by Antonio Festi in 1628. #### The history of the parish of Zorzone On 24 September 1636 the bishop of Bergamo, Luigi Grimani, canonically erected the church of Zorzone as a parish; on 21 June 1644 it was consecrated by his suffragan bishop Giovan Battista Dovera, titular archbishop of Aleppo, with the title of the Holy Trinity. During the visit of bishop Gregorio Barbarigo, in the mid-seventeenth century, the parish belonged to the vicariate of Dossena, its patronage was held by the village community and it had a single priest. The 1666 summary of churches calls it “mercenaria”, that is served by a curate paid by the villagers, and records the school of the Cintura and 173 parishioners. At the visit of bishop Giovanni Paolo Dolfin, between 1778 and 1781, there were three altars: the school of the Blessed Sacrament at the high altar and the confraternity of the Madonna della Cintura at the second; there were 185 parishioners and a chaplain assisted the curate. In 1861 the parish counted 260 parishioners, an oratory dedicated to Santa Maria and only the parish priest. #### The eighteenth-century rebuilding to Caniana's design By the mid-eighteenth century the seventeenth-century church was no longer large enough. Rebuilding began in 1745 to a design by Giovan Battista Caniana, born in Romano di Lombardia in 1671 and died in Alzano Lombardo in 1754, and according to the diocesan survey lasted until 1755. Bishop Dolfin consecrated the new church to the Holy Trinity in 1780. The new high altar arrived in 1795, paid for by the Palazzi family of the Sotaralli district, who held the patronage of the church. It is a late eighteenth-century altar that the Centro Storico Culturale Valle Brembana describes as close to early neoclassicism, rich in coloured marbles and with a fine relief medallion on the frontal; the diocesan survey specifies that the round frontal depicts the Holy Trinity. In the choir hangs an eighteenth-century painting of the Trinity by an unknown artist. #### What it looks like: façade, porch and interior The porch in front of the entrance has a single cross-vaulted bay, carried by two pillars and open on three sides with tie-rodded arches, under a three-pitched roof. The two-pitched façade is divided into three sections by groups of pilasters ending in entablature, cornice and pediment; at the top, in the centre, a splayed window lights the nave, and below is the stone doorway. The interior has a single nave divided into three bays by groups of pilasters with shafts in stucco imitating marble and Corinthian capitals. The first and third bays have barrel vaults with lunettes that make room for the windows; the second has a dome on pendentives resting on four great arches. In the centre of the dome a medallion shows the Madonna of the Assumption, others the virtues, and the pendentives hold the four evangelists. On the inner façade, above the draught lobby, a stucco frame encloses Jesus among the Doctors: the diocesan survey describes it as a fresco, Wikipedia as a canvas. - First bay, left: the baptismal font in veined red marble under a small temple and, above it, the statue of St Roch between two cherubs - First bay, right: the confessional and the statue of St Agnes in a niche - Second bay: the chapels of Our Lady of the Rosary, with the statue of the Virgin and Child, and of the Holy Crucifix, with its painted altar frame and the statues of the Immaculate Virgin and St Barbara - Third bay: the side entrance and the doors to the sacristy and bell tower - Presbytery: raised by three steps, with a barrel vault, an apse with a half-dome and two painted wooden organ lofts with light gilding #### Antonio Festi's Madonna della Cintura The sacristy holds a Madonna della Cintura (Our Lady of the Girdle) painted by Antonio Festi in 1628, a few years before Zorzone became a parish. The Centro Storico Culturale Valle Brembana points it out for its style and lively composition: the Virgin offers the girdle to a group of saints, including Stephen, Anthony Abbot, a St Nicholas, a bishop saint and a female saint in a nun's habit. The subject is no accident. The 1666 summary records in Zorzone the school of the Cintura, which looked after the altar of the Madonna della Cintura, and a century later bishop Dolfin found the confraternity of the same name: the canvas is a trace of a devotion that has accompanied the parish from its beginnings. The sacristy also keeps silver crosses, reliquaries, altar cards, lamps and vestments from the seventeenth century onwards. #### The twentieth century: the 1911 evangelists, the bells and the new altar In 1911 the painter Umberto Marigliani worked on the dome frescoes and the interior was repainted. The diocesan survey writes that Marigliani painted two of the evangelists on the pendentives, completing the existing decoration; Wikipedia credits him with the evangelists and other frescoes. The present peal of five bells in A major was cast by the Crespi foundry of Cremona and consecrated by bishop Adriano Bernareggi on 3 March 1951, the same day as the bells of San Bartolomeo. In 1985, with the liturgical adaptation, the Comana firm made the altar facing the congregation and the ambo in grey, pink and yellow marble; on the front of the ambo is fixed a small angel's head in white marble, probably eighteenth-century. #### San Rocco and the Beata Vergine del Miracolo: the small churches of Zorzone The chapel of San Rocco stands on the old mule track from Oltre il Colle to Zorzone, just after it crosses the Parina stream, at the place called Mulino: the name recalls a mill driven by the stream's water. It was built in 1640 by the villagers in thanks for escaping the plague and completely rebuilt around the middle of the nineteenth century, when it had fallen into ruin, with a contribution from Stefano Scolari, who owned the land. On the small bell gable, with a bell dated 1898, a stone statue shows the saint; inside, a wooden statue of St Roch 80 centimetres tall shows him as a pilgrim, with hat, staff and the dog at his feet. In an alpine setting at Peta stands the small church of the Beata Vergine del Miracolo, built in the eighteenth century and completed in 1784 according to the diocesan survey: a rustic façade with a sandstone doorway, a single barrel-vaulted nave and a small apse. The Wikipedia entry on Zorzone mentions a chapel at Peta dedicated to the Madonna della Gamba. #### Visiting the church: contacts and information The parish of the Santissima Trinità is at via Santissima Trinità 20; the directory of the diocese of Bergamo gives telephone 0345 95083 and email zorzone@diocesibg.it, but no mass times. The parish priest is the same as for San Bartolomeo and Zambla. The Holy Trinity is also the patron of the hamlet. The church, the museum and the frescoes on the façades can be seen on the same walk, as they are all within a few hundred metres of each other. - Combine the church with the Museum of Minerals and the 23 frescoes on the village houses: everything is a few steps away. - For the interior, aim for services or phone the parish (0345 95083): mass times are not published. - The Madonna della Cintura is in the sacristy: ask the parish priest whether it can be seen. - For a short walk, go down to the chapel of San Rocco, on the old mule track towards Oltre il Colle, just past the Parina stream. - D: Who designed the church of Zorzone? R: Giovan Battista Caniana (1671-1754). The rebuilding to his design began in 1745 and, according to the diocesan survey, ended in 1755, the year after his death; the new church was consecrated in 1780 by bishop Giovanni Paolo Dolfin. - D: Since when has Zorzone been a parish? R: Since 24 September 1636, by decree of the bishop of Bergamo Luigi Grimani. The first church was consecrated on 21 June 1644 by the suffragan bishop Giovan Battista Dovera with the title of the Holy Trinity. - D: What is there to see inside the church of the Santissima Trinità? R: A nave of three bays with faux-marble pilasters and Corinthian capitals, the dome with the Madonna of the Assumption and the four evangelists, the red marble baptistery with the statue of St Roch, the altars of Our Lady of the Rosary and the Holy Crucifix, the high altar of 1795 and, in the sacristy, Antonio Festi's Madonna della Cintura of 1628. - D: Who painted the evangelists in the dome at Zorzone? R: Umberto Marigliani, in 1911. According to the diocesan survey he painted two of the four evangelists, completing an existing decoration; Wikipedia credits him with the evangelists and other frescoes. - D: What is the Madonna della Cintura of Zorzone? R: It is a canvas by Antonio Festi dated 1628, kept in the sacristy: the Virgin offers the girdle to a group of saints. It recalls the devotion of the school and later the confraternity of the Cintura, recorded in Zorzone in 1666 and at the end of the eighteenth century. - D: Which other churches are there in Zorzone? R: The chapel of San Rocco, built in 1640 to give thanks for the end of the plague on the mule track to Oltre il Colle, and the small church of the Beata Vergine del Miracolo at Peta, completed in 1784. - D: How do you contact the parish of Zorzone? R: Via Santissima Trinità 20, telephone 0345 95083, email zorzone@diocesibg.it, according to the directory of the diocese of Bergamo, which does not publish mass times. Sources: https://www.lombardiabeniculturali.it/istituzioni/schede/1500432/, https://www.beweb.chiesacattolica.it/edificidiculto/edificio/31708/Chiesa+della+Santissima+Trinit%C3%A0, https://www.beweb.chiesacattolica.it/edificidiculto/edificio/90545/Cappella+di+San+Rocco, https://www.beweb.chiesacattolica.it/edificidiculto/edificio/90544/Chiesa+della+Beata+Vergine+del+Miracolo, https://diocesibg.it/wd-annuario-enti/cet-04-valle-brembana-15245/cet-04-fraternita-presbiterale-2-fp-2-nella-cet-04-15291/zorzone-ss-trinita-3377/, https://culturabrembana.com/la-valle-brembana-il-100-schede-oltre-il-colle/, https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiesa_della_Santissima_Trinit%C3%A0_(Oltre_il_Colle), https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giovan_Battista_Caniana, https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zorzone, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q105043905, https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/1197053516, https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=19/45.90453/9.77311 ### Giuliano Mauri's Cattedrale Vegetale — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/things-to-do/cattedrale-vegetale Nature, Zambla Alta. Giuliano Mauri's Cattedrale Vegetale above Zambla Alta: five naves of woven poles around 42 beech trees, opened in 2010 and badly damaged by storm Vaia in 2018. The Cattedrale Vegetale is a work of environmental art built in 2010 in a clearing above Zambla Alta, on an isolated knoll beside the road that climbs from Plassa towards the Pizzo Arera, at Grumello, 1,345 metres up. It has the shape of a church with five naves but no walls or roof: its 42 columns are cages of woven poles and branches, and a beech tree was planted inside each one. The idea of the Lodi-born artist Giuliano Mauri was that the wood, as it rotted, would make way for the trees: within about twenty years the beeches would take on the shape of the naves and only the design of the man-made structure would remain. Mauri prepared the project in 2008-2009 and died before seeing it built; the work, commissioned by the Orobie Bergamasche Park with the municipalities of Oltre il Colle, Ardesio and Roncobello, is the symbol of the “Monte Arera” project devoted to the park's alpine plants. Nature arrived ahead of schedule. Storm Vaia, at the end of October 2018, destroyed about two thirds of the scaffolding and the Park chose not to rebuild it, letting the work carry on as a wood. Visitors today find a group of young beeches with a few columns still standing, not the cathedral of the 2010 photographs: it is a place to visit knowing what you are going to see. #### Who was Giuliano Mauri Giuliano Mauri was born in Lodi Vecchio on 11 January 1938 and died in Lodi on 29 May 2009. He was one of the Italian names in environmental art: with branches and trunks he built what he called “natural architectures”, works designed to decay over time and leave room for nature. He took part in the Venice Biennale in 1976. His works include the Mulini, the Scala del Paradiso, the Bosco sull'isola at the springs of the Tormo, the Osservatori estimativi at Görlitz and Zgorzelec, on the border between Germany and Poland, and the Voliera per umani, an aviary for humans, in Monza Park, from 2006. His first Cattedrale vegetale dates from 2001, at Arte Sella in Trentino. The one at Oltre il Colle was built in 2010 as the first tribute to the artist after his death. #### The story: from the 2008 project to the 2010 opening The idea of a “green cathedral” on the Arera is older than the work. In summer 2008 L'Eco di Bergamo reported the laying of the first stone, on 19 July, of a plant architecture on municipal land at Plassa, promoted by the president of the Orobie Park Franco Grassi and by the mayor Rosanna Manenti: for the time being three wooden arches with plants at their sides, the entrance to a project to be developed over time. The final project is the one Mauri drew in 2008-2009. Construction, in 2010, took almost five months: the work was entrusted to the Consorzio forestale dell'Alto Serio of Gromo, the artistic direction to Paola Tognon and the building to the artist's son, Roberto Mauri, with a team of carpenters. The Cathedral was opened on Saturday 4 September 2010, together with the project to develop the Flower and Butterfly trails, as part of the Park's events for the International Year of Biodiversity. #### How it is made: size, materials and the weaving technique The Cathedral is built with the old art of weaving, using flexible wood, stakes, nails and ropes, materials chosen to follow the natural cycle of growth and decay. Mauri had oriented it along the path of the sun and not towards the arriving visitor, the curator Paola Tognon explained at the opening, to make people enter it little by little rather than take it in at a glance. In 2019 the Park recalled that within 15-20 years the beeches were expected to reach 13 metres. The figures for the work, as reported by L'Eco di Bergamo in 2010, are these: - five naves and 42 columns - 1,800 fir poles and 600 chestnut branches - about six thousand metres of hazel branches - 42 beech trees, one inside each column - height from 5 to 21 metres, length 28.5 metres, width 24 metres - 650 square metres of surface #### Storm Vaia and the state of the Cathedral today At the end of October 2018 storm Vaia struck the Orobie with gusts of over 200 kilometres an hour. The sources give different dates, 28 October for L'Eco di Bergamo, Monday 29 for BergamoNews; either way about two thirds of the scaffolding was destroyed or badly damaged, and the ruined columns were removed for safety. The trees remained, some still with their column, others without support. In December 2019 the council of the Orobie Park decided not to spend money on rebuilding the scaffolding: the Cathedral would go on growing with what was left, maintained together with the municipality, and signs would tell visitors its story, from its conception to the storm. The Park's president, Yvan Caccia, explained that growth would be less regular than planned, because the storm had simply brought forward what time would have done anyway. In August 2023 Prima Bergamo counted 33 beeches out of 42 and quoted the mayor Ferruccio Ghilardi speaking to L'Eco di Bergamo: cleaning done, some trees already tall, the nine missing ones to be replanted in agreement with the Park. In June 2026 Valbrembanaweb wrote that, after some years of maintenance, the Cathedral has started growing again, although the soil is not very fertile for beeches, and announced a celebration organised by the municipality for Sunday 21 June, with pruning demonstrations, a concert and local products. #### How to get to the Cattedrale Vegetale and where to park From Oltre il Colle drive up to Zambla Alta and continue on the road to Plassa, the place where hikes towards the Arera and the Capanna 2000 also start. You cannot stop on the road that climbs to the Cathedral: leave the car in the Plassa car parks. Higher up parking is paid, with tickets from the machine; Lorenzo Taccioli, in the account published on his blog in 2018 and updated in 2020, described the herringbone car park before the narrow section as free. From the car park continue on foot along the tarmac road: two hairpin bends in about 500 metres, a quarter of an hour of fairly steep climbing according to the same account. After the second bend, on the left, a clearing with the Park's large sign marks the entrance, and a short path at the foot of the hillock leads in a minute to the Cathedral. Next to it are the Park's panels on the Cathedral, the Flower Trail and the Butterfly Trail. You can also walk from Zorzone: the signpost beside the Cathedral shows path H33 to the Piani di Bracca in 30 minutes and to Zorzone in 1 hour 10 minutes. #### Mauri's other plant cathedrals: Arte Sella and Lodi Mauri's first Cattedrale vegetale dates from 2001, at Arte Sella in the Val di Sella, near Malga Costa: according to the official website of the Oltre il Colle Cathedral it is made of hornbeams and measures 82 by 15 metres, 12 metres high, over 1,230 square metres. The third was built in Lodi, near the bridge over the Adda, under the artistic direction of his sons Roberto and Mauro, and opened in April 2017. Damaged by storms, it was completely dismantled in spring 2019. - Go knowing what you will see: after Vaia only a few wooden columns remain and the Cathedral is above all a group of young beeches. - Leave the car at Plassa: you cannot stop on the road that climbs, and the last stretch is a quarter of an hour on foot. - The best time is from spring to autumn, when the beeches are in leaf. - Wear walking shoes: from the clearing you enter the glade on a short earth path. - It combines well with the Flower Trail and the Capanna 2000, which start from the upper car park at 1,600 metres. - D: Where is the Cattedrale Vegetale of Oltre il Colle? R: At Grumello, above Zambla Alta, on the road that climbs from Plassa towards the Pizzo Arera, at 1,345 metres, in the municipality of Oltre il Colle. - D: Who made the Cattedrale Vegetale and when? R: It was designed by the Lodi-born artist Giuliano Mauri (1938-2009) in 2008-2009. It was built after his death, in 2010, by the Consorzio forestale dell'Alto Serio with his son Roberto Mauri and a team of carpenters, and opened on 4 September 2010. - D: How is the Cattedrale Vegetale made? R: Five naves and 42 columns of woven poles and branches: 1,800 fir poles, 600 chestnut branches and about six thousand metres of hazel branches, with a beech tree inside each column. From 5 to 21 metres high, 28.5 long and 24 wide, it covers 650 square metres. - D: Does the Cattedrale Vegetale still exist after storm Vaia? R: Partly. At the end of October 2018 Vaia destroyed about two thirds of the scaffolding and the Park chose not to rebuild it. In 2023 there were 33 beeches out of 42, with the nine missing ones to be replanted; in June 2026 the municipality celebrated the renewed growth. - D: Where do you park for the Cattedrale Vegetale? R: At the Plassa car parks, above Zambla Alta: you cannot stop on the road that climbs. From there you walk along the road for two hairpin bends, about 500 metres and a quarter of an hour, to the clearing with the Park's sign. - D: How many plant cathedrals did Giuliano Mauri make? R: Three: the first at Arte Sella, in Trentino, in 2001; the one at Oltre il Colle, built in 2010 after his death; and one in Lodi, opened in 2017 and dismantled in 2019 after storm damage. - D: When is the best time to visit the Cattedrale Vegetale? R: From spring to autumn, when the beeches are in leaf and the road to Plassa is free of snow. It is an outdoor work in a clearing: shoes suited to a short stretch of path are enough. Sources: https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/mc/mc_p_dettaglio.php?id_pubbl=4696, https://www.ecodibergamo.it/stories/cultura-e-spettacoli/151962_cattedrale/, https://www.ecodibergamo.it/stories/cronaca/152335_oltre_il_colle_la_cattedrale_vegetale/, http://web.archive.org/web/20250922190337/http://news.valbrembanaweb.com/index.php/oltre-il-colle/, https://www.bergamonews.it/2018/10/30/maltempo-rasa-al-suolo-dal-vento-la-cattedrale-vegetale-oltre-colle/294666/, https://www.ecodibergamo.it/stories/premium/Cronaca/un-anno-fa-fu-semidistrutta-dal-nubifragioma-la-cattedrale-vegetale-ricrescera_1331245_11/, https://primabergamo.it/rubriche/pensare-positivo/oggi-sembra-un-bosco-ma-la-cattedrale-vegetale-di-oltre-il-colle-sta-per-rinascere/, https://www.valbrembanaweb.com/redazionale/in-evidenza/oltre-il-colle-la-cattedrale-vegetale-torna-a-crescere-festa-tra-musica-e-degustazioni/, https://www.parcorobie.it/cattedrale-vegetale/, http://it.cattedralevegetale.info/, https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giuliano_Mauri, https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oltre_il_Colle, https://www.lorenzotaccioli.it/cattedrale-vegetale-oltre-il-colle-bergamo/, https://alpinaexcelsior.it/tour/escursione-sul-sentiero-dei-fiori-claudio-brissoni-con-laccompagnamento-del-f-a-b/, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:20221029-grem-045.jpg, https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/223433553, https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=18/45.91007/9.79405 ### Colle di Zambla (1,264 m) — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/things-to-do/colle-di-zambla Nature, Zambla Alta. A 1,264 m pass from Val Serina to Val del Riso, the only road linking Brembana and Seriana: two Giro d'Italia climbs and trails to Alben, Grem and Capanna 2000. GPS tracks: Sentiero CAI SLB06: Sentiero dei Laghi Basso, tratta 6: Serina – Passo Zambla — https://www.caibergamo.it/sites/default/files/SLB-06%20Serina%20-%20Passo%20Zambla.gpx (CAI Bergamo, geoportale, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/slb06, 9.1 km, 608 m D+) GPS tracks: Sentiero CAI SLB07: Sentiero dei Laghi Basso, tratta 7: Passo Zambla – Clusone — https://www.caibergamo.it/sites/default/files/SLB-07%20Passo%20Zambla%20-%20Clusone.gpx (CAI Bergamo, geoportale, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/slb07, 20 km) GPS tracks: Sentiero CAI 238: Colle di Zambla – La Santella – Baita Camplano — https://www.caibergamo.it/sites/default/files/cai/GPX/Sentiero238.gpx (CAI Bergamo, geoportale, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/238, 6.5 km, 600 m D+) The Colle di Zambla, or Zambla pass, is the 1,264-metre pass linking the Val Serina and the Val Parina, on the Brembana side, with the Val del Riso, which runs down into the Seriana valley. It is the only crossing between the two great Bergamo valleys used by a road suitable for cars. According to the administrative boundaries of the Lombardy Region's Topographic Database, the pass itself falls within the municipality of Oltre il Colle, less than a hundred metres from the boundary with Oneta: indeed, some businesses at the pass have an Oneta address, and the nearby Passo della Crocetta is already in Oneta. Serina does not reach the pass: its boundary runs about one and a half kilometres away as the crow flies, to the west-south-west. Even so there is little traffic, because to get from one valley to the other it is usually quicker to go down towards Bergamo; at weekends, however, the road is busy with cyclists and motorcyclists. At the pass there are bars, restaurants, an adventure park and a public car park, and several trails set off towards Monte Alben, the Grem and the Pizzo Arera; in winter the surrounding woods host cross-country ski tracks. The pass also helps to understand the history of the basin. For centuries only a mule track crossed it; below and around it, between the Val del Riso and the Val Parina, spread the zinc mining district, which from the 1920s the Belgian company Vieille Montagne divided right here into a Seriana valley group and a Brembana valley group of concessions. #### The name: is this the colle of Oltre il Colle? It is natural to think so, but the explanations differ. Wikipedia writes that the name describes a village reached from either valley by crossing a pass. The municipality of Oltre il Colle tells another story: it was the people of Serina who gave this name to the lands they saw beyond the Forcella di Valpiana and the Col d'Anì, the natural boundary between Serina and Oltre il Colle. The local historian Massimo Maurizio, quoted by the Blog della Valserina, agrees: the reference is not to the Colle di Zambla but to the Col d'Anì. A 2008 article in L'Eco di Bergamo offers a third reading, from the opposite side: those who came from the Seriana valley, drawn by the mines, found the municipal territory precisely beyond the watershed. In the oldest documents the village appears as Ultracollum, for example in the statutes of Bergamo of 1491. The Colle di Zambla does in any case give its name to the two hamlets at its foot, Zambla Alta and Zambla Bassa. #### The climbs to the Colle di Zambla: from the Val del Riso and the Val Serina On the Seriana side you start from Ponte Nossa, at 450 metres, and climb the whole Val del Riso on provincial road 46, through Gorno and the hamlets of Oneta: according to Wikipedia it is a 14.1-kilometre winding climb, with a maximum gradient of 10 per cent and no shade on the last stretch. On the Brembana side the road is provincial road 27 of the Val Serina: it starts at Ambria, a hamlet of Zogno, at 330 metres, runs through Algua, Serina and Valpiana, enters the upper Val Parina and passes Oltre il Colle and Zambla before the pass. It is a long climb, 23 kilometres, with false flats between the steeper sections, which never exceed 11 per cent. The table below gives the CyclingCols figures, which measure 14.0 kilometres from Ponte Nossa and 23.2 from Ambria. In summer 2026 the Val Serina provincial road was closed from 28 August to 1 October after a large boulder fell at Rosolo di Algua, with traffic diverted onto the Costa Serina road: it reopened on the afternoon of 1 October. #### The Colle di Zambla in the Giro d'Italia The pass has been included twice in the Giro d'Italia, in the mid-1970s. In 1976 it was tackled by the twenty-first stage, on 11 June, from Terme di Comano to Bergamo: Gianbattista Baronchelli was first over the top and the stage was won by Felice Gimondi. The following year, on 9 June 1977, it was the turn of the nineteenth stage, from Pinzolo to San Pellegrino Terme: Renato Laghi crossed the pass first and also won at the finish. For today's cyclists the Val del Riso side is the shorter and more regular, the Val Serina side the longer. CyclingCols gives 806 metres of height gain at an average 5.8 per cent for the eastern side, and 958 metres at an average 4 per cent for the western side. #### Mule tracks, mines and buses: the history of the pass Before the road there was a mule track linking the communities of the two valleys. According to research by the local historian Massimo Maurizio, reported by the Blog della Valserina, on the Seriana side it climbed steeply up the slopes of Oneta and was poorly suited to heavy loads, while links with Bergamo went through the easier Val Serina; the road that crosses the pass would only have been opened around the 1970s. In the Val del Riso, however, a carriage road already existed in 1884: the municipality of Gorno asked the English mining company Crown Spelter to pay for its upkeep, because it was being ruined by carts loaded with ore. The pass was also a mining boundary. After 1922 Vieille Montagne divided the Bergamo concessions into a Seriana valley group, east of the line between the Crocetta and the Sinelle at the Colle di Zambla, and a Brembana valley group to the west; underground, the Riso-Parina tunnel linked the Val del Riso to the Val Parina. On the Val Serina side the connection with the city ran on wheels instead: on 25 November 1944, during the round-up that ended with the Cornalba massacre, fascist militiamen stopped the scheduled Zambla-Bergamo bus just before Rosolo. #### What is at the pass: the chapel, the trails and skiing Five minutes from the car park on the pass, following CAI trail 238 northwards, you come to the small church of the Madonna di Caravaggio, at 1,251 metres. The diocesan survey describes it as an eighteenth-century chapel lengthened by one bay in the nineteenth century, with on the altar a canvas of the apparition of Caravaggio commissioned in 1937 by the Benvenuti family, who owned a holiday home in Zambla Alta: a small sign of the summer holidays that were already bringing people up to the mountains. Trail 238 continues to the Cascine Sinelli, the Baita di Monte di Zambla and the Baita Camplano, at 1,830 metres, which the CAI puts at 2 hours 15 minutes from the start, and reaches the Capanna 2000 in about three hours. Stages 6 and 7 of the CAI's Sentiero dei Laghi Basso, from Serina and towards Clusone, also pass through, and routes to Monte Alben and the Grem set off from here. In winter the pass is a starting point for cross-country skiing, while downhill skiing in the basin is now history: a lift in the Conca dell'Alben had been idle since 1988 and in October 2012, L'Eco di Bergamo reported, the municipality had its last six pylons taken down, together with the three remaining from the Arera ski lift, which had worked until the 1990s. - On fine-weather weekends the road is busy with cyclists and motorcyclists: if you are driving, take care on the hairpins. - By bike the Ponte Nossa side is shorter and more regular, the climb from Ambria long but with false flats to recover on. - CAI trail 238 starts from the car park on the pass: five minutes to the small church of the Madonna di Caravaggio, about three hours to the Capanna 2000. - In winter it is a pass at over 1,200 metres: travel with winter tyres or carry chains. - Before driving up the Val Serina check the traffic news: in summer 2026 provincial road 27 was closed for a month by a landslide at Algua. - D: Where is the Colle di Zambla and how high is it? R: It stands at 1,264 metres according to the CAI, Wikipedia and OpenStreetMap (the CyclingCols website measures 1,258) and separates the Val Serina and the Val Parina, on the Brembana side, from the Val del Riso, on the Seriana side. The pass itself is in the municipality of Oltre il Colle, less than a hundred metres from the Oneta boundary; Serina begins about one and a half kilometres away. - D: How long is the climb to the Colle di Zambla by bike? R: From Ponte Nossa 14 kilometres, with 806 metres of climbing, an average gradient of 5.8 per cent and a maximum of 10; from Ambria, in the Brembana valley, 23.2 kilometres with 958 metres of climbing, an average of 4 per cent and a maximum of 11, according to CyclingCols. - D: Has the Colle di Zambla been part of the Giro d'Italia? R: Yes, twice: on 11 June 1976, on the Terme di Comano-Bergamo stage, with Gianbattista Baronchelli first over the pass, and on 9 June 1977, on the Pinzolo-San Pellegrino Terme stage, with Renato Laghi first over the pass and stage winner. - D: Does the name Oltre il Colle come from the Colle di Zambla? R: Probably not. The municipality explains that the name was coined in Serina for the lands beyond the Forcella di Valpiana and the Col d'Anì; other sources link it to the pass to be crossed from both valleys or to the watershed seen from the Seriana valley. The hamlets of Zambla Alta and Zambla Bassa take their name from the Colle di Zambla. - D: Where do you park at the Colle di Zambla? R: There is a public car park on the pass, shown as free on OpenStreetMap; the CAI also mentions a small car park beside the road for those starting on trail 238. - D: Which trails start from the Colle di Zambla? R: CAI 238 to Baita Camplano and the Capanna 2000, in about three hours, stages 6 and 7 of the Sentiero dei Laghi Basso, from Serina and towards Clusone, and the routes to Monte Alben and the Grem. - D: Is the Val Serina road to the Colle di Zambla open? R: Yes: provincial road 27 of the Val Serina, closed from 28 August 2026 after a boulder fell at Rosolo di Algua, reopened on the afternoon of 1 October 2026. From the Seriana valley you drive up provincial road 46 of the Val del Riso instead. - D: Since when has there been a road over the Colle di Zambla? R: For centuries the pass was crossed by a mule track. According to the local historian Massimo Maurizio the road over it was opened only around the 1970s, and in 1976 the Giro d'Italia already rode it; in the Val del Riso a road for the ore carts existed from 1884. Sources: https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colle_di_Zambla, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3682816, https://www.openstreetmap.org/node/282672165, https://www.cyclingcols.com/col/Zambla, https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giro_d%27Italia_1976, https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giro_d%27Italia_1977, https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Val_del_Riso, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/238, https://www.caibergamo.it/sites/default/files/2024-05/Scheda%20riassuntiva%206.%20COMPLETA.pdf, https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/zf/index.php/storia-comune, http://web.archive.org/web/20250922190337/http://news.valbrembanaweb.com/index.php/oltre-il-colle/, https://www.lombardiabeniculturali.it/archivi/soggetti-produttori/ente/MIDB000A27/, https://valserina.blogspot.com/2014/08/quattro-passi-con-la-storia-le-contrade.html, https://lombardiarchivi.servizirl.it/groups/AdV/creators/6929, https://lombardiarchivi.servizirl.it/groups/AdV/creators/6876, https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornalba, https://www.beweb.chiesacattolica.it/edificidiculto/edificio/31712/Chiesa+della+Madonna+di+Caravaggio, https://www.ecodibergamo.it/stories/Cronaca/319810_monte_arera_addio_allo_sci_si_progetta_seggiovia_per_lestate/, https://valbrembanaweb.com/val-serina-versante-in-sicurezza-riapre-dopo-un-mese-la-provinciale/, https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=18/45.88726/9.79778, https://www.cartografia.servizirl.it/arcgis1/rest/services/territorio/limiti_amministrativi_dbt_2023/MapServer ### Zorzone, the mining village — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/things-to-do/zorzone-borgo-minerario Village, Zorzone. Zorzone, at 1,019 metres, is the hamlet of the Val Vedra zinc mines: Caniana's church, the mining museum, 23 frescoes on the houses and the trails to the Menna. Zorzone, Zùrzù in dialect, is the hamlet of Oltre il Colle most closely tied to the mines. It lies at about a thousand metres, 1,019 according to the CAI, at the foot of the Cima di Menna, across the Parina stream from the main village. Above the houses opens the Val Vedra, with the place called Pian Bracca, where zinc and lead were dug for decades; along the stream, at Cà Pasì, were adits and outside works of the mine. Today the village is explored on foot: the church of the Santissima Trinità designed by Giovan Battista Caniana, the Museum of Minerals and Mining in the former school, 23 frescoes on the house fronts and, just outside, the small churches of San Rocco and of the Beata Vergine del Miracolo. CAI trails to the Val Vedra and Monte Menna start here. The sources disagree on the number of inhabitants: Wikipedia gives about 220, a 2026 article on Valbrembanaweb speaks of just over a hundred. The mining story is not quite over: in 2015 drilling found a new orebody beneath the village and in February 2026 the ministry authorised exploration to resume. For now it is only exploration, as explained below. #### The name and the history of the village On the origin of the name, Wikipedia reports as the most widely accepted theory that it comes from the Zorzi, one of the leading local families, and considers a link with the painter Giorgione less likely. In the sixteenth century Zorzone was one of the five “colonnelli”, the districts into which the municipality was divided, according to one of the Lombardia Beni Culturali archive records; with the reform of the town council in 1779 it elected two of the ten councillors. In 1636 it became a parish and in April 1797, under the Bergamo Republic, it even made itself an independent municipality, reabsorbed by Oltre il Colle as early as March 1798. The municipal archive keeps the papers of two bequests to the people of the parish, which say a good deal about village life. The Marietti bequest came from the will of 10 November 1770 of Giovanni Antonio Palazzi, known as Marietto, who left meadows and a house to the villagers of Zorzone for charity; the Castellini bequest from the wills of Antonio Castellini (1801) and his niece Lucia (1803). In 1930, at the villagers' request, a plot belonging to the Castellini bequest was given for a nursery school, built with the help of the whole village and the parish; from 1953 the bequest's income went to the nursery, which in 1963 passed to the parish of the Santissima Trinità. #### The mines above Zorzone: Val Vedra, Pian Bracca and Cà Pasì The mines of Oltre il Colle were divided into three areas: the first above Zorzone, at Pian Bracca, where the Val Vedra mine opened; the second on the Arera, where from the nineteenth century there was also an open-cast working called “Luna”; the third along the Val Parina and on the slopes of Monte Plassa. Mainly calamine, blende and galena were extracted, yielding zinc, lead and a little silver. The mining drawings in the Gorno Mines archive preserve the names of the Val Vedra workings, Pian Bracca, Malanotte, Piazzole, Forcella, Ponente, Speranza, Bellavista and Fortuna, and record a “Vedra concession” as early as the first decades of the twentieth century. A 2020 geological study confirms that the Val Vedra mine, between the Menna and the valley, was partly worked in the 1970s, on levels between 940 and 1,070 metres; lower down ran the Riso-Parina tunnel, which linked the Val del Riso to the Val Parina. The 1970s were the last season of investment. The archive holds the drawing of the entrance of the “ribasso Zorzone” adit (April 1971), the projects for a cableway at Cà Pasì (1970-1971), the building of a mining road at Case Pasini by the Rottigni company (1975), a 1979 study on ventilation between the Riso-Parina level and the Val Vedra and, as late as March to August 1980, a plan of the new outside works planned at Cà Pasì. Less than two years later the mines closed. #### Who ran the mines and why they closed The sequence of companies, summarised in the table, can be reconstructed from the profiles in the Gorno Mines archive published by Lombardia Archivi: from 1870 the English firms Richardson and then Crown Spelter, then the Belgians of Vieille Montagne, who from the end of the nineteenth century held the concessions of Zambla, Monte Arera, Oltre il Colle and the Val Vedra and in 1922 also took over those of Crown Spelter. In 1940 the Italian government expropriated Vieille Montagne and the concessions passed to state-owned companies. From 3 January 1942 SAPEZ, Società anonima piombo e zinco, owned the sites of Gorno, Oneta and Oltre il Colle, with 350 workers on shifts covering 24 hours. During the German occupation production came under the control of the Reich, and the mines also became a refuge: according to the testimonies collected by the Blog della Valserina many men hiding in the mountains of the valley found work in the SAPEZ mines. In 1954 SAPEZ was absorbed into AMMI, which at the end of 1978 merged into SAMIM, part of the Eni group. SAMIM was the last concession holder: in 1982 it gave up the concession of the Val del Riso mines and ended extraction. The Gorno Ecomuseum dates the end to 12 January 1982, the Zorzone museum says 1980 and a 2020 geological study places the last underground work up to 1985. On the causes the sources stress prices: competition from countries able to sell zinc more cheaply, wrote Prima Bergamo in 2019, while in 2015 L'Eco di Bergamo pointed out that the mines had not closed for lack of ore. #### The return of zinc: exploration today The closed mines remained under concession. In 2014 the Australian company Energia Minerals obtained permits to resume work across Oltre il Colle, Gorno, Oneta, Premolo and Ardesio, and in 2015 it opened a site at Cà Pasì, with mining announced for the end of 2017 according to L'Eco di Bergamo. Mining never started, but the drilling found something. In 2015, writes the study published in Mineralium Deposita, a drilling campaign from the old Val Vedra workings located, a few hundred metres beneath the village, the orebody called “Zorzone”: according to the company's declared estimates, 3.3 million tonnes of sulphides grading 4.9 per cent zinc, 1.3 per cent lead and 27.2 grams of silver per tonne. In 2025 the ministry suspended exploration because of some drilling outside the approved plan, reported by the company itself; in February 2026 it approved the environmental impact assessment after the fact, with conditions including consultation with Arpa and Uniacque and environmental monitoring. The company Vedra, which has worked on the project since 2012, stated in May 2026 that it had spent about 16 million euros in fifteen years, that its mining plan was 90 per cent ready and that it could create up to 250 jobs; to get there, however, it needs a mining permit and investors. #### The village of frescoes Zorzone is also known as the village of frescoes. The idea came in 2006 from the then mayor Rosanna Manenti, who wanted to make the hamlet the “borgo degli affreschi”: between 2006 and 2009 three editions of a competition brought scenes from local history and the life of the past onto the house fronts. After about twenty years the competition returned on 29 August 2026 with ValParinART, promoted by the Oltre il Colle library. Eight students from the “Giacomo e Pio Manzù” art high school in Bergamo, led by the teacher and painter Giovanni Bonaldi, painted seven new frescoes on the theme “C'era una volta”, once upon a time: among them “La funivia”, “Bat la ranza”, “Fà la fòia” and “Ol pustì” by Arianna Cortesi, which won the competition. With these works the village's frescoes now number 23, and on the same day the artist Frode painted the mural “Memorie di luce” on the museum façade. A cable car between Oltre il Colle and Zorzone really did exist: a photograph dated 1958 in L'Eco di Bergamo's Storylab photo archive shows it, and the caption notes that it was dismantled when the hamlet could be reached by a convenient road. The museum, after all, stands on via Funivia, cable car street. #### What to see in Zorzone: a walk round the village The walk is done on foot, starting from the car parks near the church. The stops: - The church of the Santissima Trinità by Giovan Battista Caniana, with the Madonna della Cintura of 1628 in the sacristy - The Museum of Minerals and Mining, on via Funivia, with the “Memorie di luce” mural on the façade - The 23 frescoes on the houses, from the 2006-2009 editions to the seven new ones of 2026 - The chapel of San Rocco of 1640, on the old mule track to Oltre il Colle just past the Parina stream - The small church of the Beata Vergine del Miracolo at Peta, completed in 1784 - Pian Bracca, reachable by car, at the mouth of the Val Vedra, where the main mine was #### Trails from Zorzone: the Val Vedra and Monte Menna CAI trail 231 starts in Zorzone, on via Giorgi, and follows the mule track that enters the Val Vedra along the hillside; it climbs the valley to Pian Bracca, the Pessel hut and the pastures of the Vedro dairy hut, then reaches the Passo di Val Vedra, at 1,848 metres, and ends at Passo Branchino, at 1,821, where it meets the trails to the Capanna 2000, the Alpe Corte hut and the Mezzeno huts. CAI 234 starts instead from via Colombi and climbs north through the woods of the Val Carnera, passes the Mattuida farmhouse at 1,470 metres and with a final steep pull reaches the MAGA bivouac, at 2,005 metres, now the Rifugio Palazzi, then the ridge and the summit of Monte Menna, at 2,299 metres. On the Menna, just below the ridge at Pezzadello, the American bomber Lady Irene crashed on 4 October 1944; the museum's memorial recalls it. The technical data for both trails are in the table. - Zorzone is visited on foot: the church, the museum and the frescoes are a few hundred metres from each other. - The museum opens mainly on Sunday and holiday afternoons: phone 0345 95313 before you go. - The adits of the old tunnels are in mining areas under concession and cannot be visited: do not go in. - For the Val Vedra and the Menna you need boots: trails 231 and 234 are hiking trails and the CAI recommends them from April to October. - Look out for the new frescoes of 2026, such as “Ol pustì”, the winner, and “La funivia”. - D: How many people live in Zorzone? R: Estimates differ: Wikipedia gives about 220 inhabitants, while a September 2026 article on Valbrembanaweb speaks of just over a hundred residents. It is one of the three hamlets of Oltre il Colle, with Zambla Alta and Zambla Bassa. - D: Where does the name Zorzone come from? R: The most widely accepted theory, according to Wikipedia, derives it from the Zorzi, one of the leading local families; a link with the painter Giorgione is less likely. In Bergamo dialect the village is called Zùrzù. - D: What was mined in the Zorzone mines? R: Mainly calamine, blende and galena, that is zinc and lead minerals, with small amounts of silver. The main mine was the Val Vedra mine, at Pian Bracca above the village, still being worked in the 1970s. - D: When did the Zorzone mines close? R: In 1982 SAMIM, the last concession holder, gave up the concession and ended extraction; the Gorno Ecomuseum gives 12 January 1982. The Zorzone museum says 1980, while a 2020 study places the last underground work up to 1985. - D: Will the Oltre il Colle mines reopen? R: For now there is only exploration. In February 2026 the ministry authorised the company Vedra to resume it, with environmental conditions. Mining would require a further permit and funding; the company speaks of a plan 90 per cent ready and up to 250 jobs. - D: What are the frescoes of Zorzone? R: Paintings on the house fronts that grew out of a competition launched in 2006 by the mayor Rosanna Manenti, with three editions up to 2009. On 29 August 2026 seven new frescoes by students of the Manzù art high school in Bergamo brought the total to 23. - D: What to see in Zorzone in a day? R: The church of the Santissima Trinità, the Museum of Minerals and Mining with the mural on its façade, the frescoes on the houses, the chapel of San Rocco on the old mule track and, with a hike, the Val Vedra or Monte Menna. - D: Which trails start from Zorzone? R: CAI 231 to the Val Vedra and Passo Branchino, about 850 metres of climbing and 3 hours, and CAI 234 to the MAGA bivouac and Monte Menna, about 1,250 metres and 4 hours. Both are hiking trails (E). Sources: https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zorzone, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/231, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/234, https://www.lombardiabeniculturali.it/archivi/soggetti-produttori/ente/MIDB000A27/, https://www.lombardiabeniculturali.it/istituzioni/schede/1002057/, https://www.lombardiabeniculturali.it/istituzioni/schede/1003302/, https://www.lombardiabeniculturali.it/archivi/complessi-archivistici/MIBA0033A6/, https://www.lombardiabeniculturali.it/archivi/complessi-archivistici/MIBA0033A9/, https://lombardiarchivi.servizirl.it/groups/AdV/fonds/106457, https://lombardiarchivi.servizirl.it/groups/AdV/fonds/107884/units/1272233, https://lombardiarchivi.servizirl.it/groups/AdV/creators/6928, https://lombardiarchivi.servizirl.it/groups/AdV/creators/6929, https://lombardiarchivi.servizirl.it/groups/AdV/creators/6876, https://lombardiarchivi.servizirl.it/groups/AdV/creators/6940, https://lombardiarchivi.servizirl.it/groups/AdV/creators/6880, https://lombardiarchivi.servizirl.it/groups/AdV/creators/6875, https://sa-sardegna.cultura.gov.it/fileadmin/risorse/Inventari_IGEA/Inventario_fondo_miniere_Italia_REV.pdf, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00126-019-00912-5, https://primabergamo.it/rubriche/viva-berghem/storie-leggende-delle-nostre-valli-le-miniere-zorzone/, https://www.ecodibergamo.it/stories/cronaca/per-la-prima-volta-dentro-le-minierelo-zinco-si-cerca-a-oltre-il-colle_1127552_11/, https://www.valbrembanaweb.com/redazionale/in-evidenza/miniere-a-oltre-il-colle-via-libera-dal-ministero-le-ricerche-di-zinco-possono-riprendere/, https://primabergamo.it/ambiente/miniere-di-oltre-il-colle-ce-lok-per-riprendere-le-ricerche-di-zinco/, https://valbrembanaweb.com/zorzone-borgo-degli-affreschi-23-opere-sui-muri-delle-case-e-il-grande-murale-di-frode/, https://www.lavocedellevalli.it/a-zorzone-spunta-il-mega-murale-sulla-facciata-del-museo-altri-sette-affreschi-dalle-studentesse-del-manzu, https://www.storylab.it/n/foto/8118/la-funivia-oltre-il-colle-zorzone/, https://www.ecomuseominieredigorno.it/miniere-e-minatori/, https://valserina.blogspot.com/p/la-resistenza-storia-della-brigata-24.html, https://www.beweb.chiesacattolica.it/edificidiculto/edificio/90545/Cappella+di+San+Rocco, https://www.beweb.chiesacattolica.it/edificidiculto/edificio/90544/Chiesa+della+Beata+Vergine+del+Miracolo, https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oltre_il_Colle, https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=17/45.90241/9.76743 ### Monte Alben Adventure Park — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/things-to-do/parco-avventura-monte-alben With children, Zambla Alta. Monte Alben Adventure Park at the Passo di Zambla: ten tree-top attractions from age 2, 2026 hours and prices from the official website. Currently closed. Best period: 2026 season: April-September for the public (see table), October-December groups only by booking. It is the most structured children's activity in the municipality and one of the three itineraries the municipality of Oltre il Colle presents on its website among things to do in the village. The Monte Alben Adventure Park is at the Passo di Zambla, in the woods beside the pass, about a hundred metres from the car park: you get there by car without walking, and since the woods are freely accessible, anyone who comes along without going on the courses does not pay. The range of courses is its strong point for families with children of different ages: it starts from age 2 with the Elves Course, done without a harness, and goes up to the Black Course, very difficult, from age 10, through the courses for the youngest, the Green and Blue from 7 and the Red from 10. All of them have a continuous safety line, the system in which the carabiner always stays clipped to the cable. Check that it is open before going up. At the end of September 2026 the park's website announces a temporary closure for administrative updates requested by the municipality, with no reopening date, and the notice was still there when we checked on 1 October. In normal conditions the calendar runs from April to September, with daily opening only in August, and from October to December the park only works with booked groups. #### Is it open? What the situation is on 1 October 2026 The hours page of the official website, checked again on 1 October 2026, states at the top that the park is temporarily closed for administrative updates requested by the municipality of Oltre il Colle; there is no reopening date, and on the municipal notice board we found no act explaining why. The rest of the page still shows the calendar and prices for the 2026 season, and in spring the park was operating: for 31 May and 7 June 2026 it had organised two free trial days for parish youth groups, summer camps and summer centres. To find out whether and when it reopens, the reference is the park's mobile, 347 9210690, also on WhatsApp, or the address info@parcoavventuramontealben.it. Even in season, outside August the park opens only on some days: always check the calendar before setting off. #### The courses: which one to choose by age and height For the youngest there are the Elves Course, for ages 2 to 7 and without a harness, then the Fuchsia Course, the Net Cubes and the Tyrolienne for ages 3 to 7 and the Orange Course from 6. From 7 you move on to the Green, easy, and the Blue, medium; from 10 to the Red, medium, and the Black, very difficult, which Valbrembanaweb described in 2023 as reaching 18 metres in height. Then there is the Elf's Leap, added in 2022: at the end of the Red Course zip lines you can come down on the pulley or throw yourself into the void from a height of 15 metres. The reduced ticket depends not on age but on height: it applies to anyone at most 145 centimetres tall, measured to the wrist with the arm raised, and gives access to the Fuchsia and Orange courses, the Tyrolienne, the Elves Course and the Hanging Cube. Taller children pay the adult price or choose the single-run tickets on one or two of the Green, Blue, Red and Black courses. #### Tickets: who pays, who gets in free and how the discounts work The park is in freely accessible woods: the ticket is only for the equipped courses, and parents, grandparents and friends can enter the woods without paying. The 2026 prices are by time slot, morning from 10 to 14, afternoon from 14 to 18 or full day, with discounted prices from 15 to 39 euros. Anyone who buys a fixed-price ticket gets 50 per cent off a second ticket within 7 days, and every 30 euros spent earns an Elf Coin: four are worth a free children's ticket, six a free adult one. The discount rules set three conditions: promotions, coupons and free tickets cannot be combined, with several tickets the discount applies to the cheapest one, and no discount is valid on group prices. Groups of 20 people or more have dedicated offers with kitting out and a compulsory briefing with an instructor, at prices on request. #### The Enchanted Wood and activities for the youngest The Enchanted Wood is the area of the park dedicated to children aged 2 to 7. In summer 2026 the calendar had a Sunday-morning event every week from 5 July to 23 August, starting at 10:30 and lasting about two hours: La Fiaba nel Bosco, in which a fairy tells a story and takes the children among the beech trees, workshops and a treasure hunt. Three survival workshops, on fire, knots and animal tracks, were designed for children aged 6 and over. Each event costs 15 euros per child and includes a souvenir and unlimited access to the Elves Course all day; the three-event card costs 30 euros. For older children, from 8, there were three Survival Nights, evening workshops from 17:30 with mat, sleeping bag and a compulsory headlamp, by booking only. The park points out that its staff do not take responsibility for minors: children stay with an adult. #### Safety, management and history of the park The park says it installed the continuous safety line on all courses in June 2017, after ten years of activity without accidents. The Vaia storm of 29 October 2018 damaged structures and woods: the park reopened with a celebration on 30 June 2019, adding the Elves Course and having the trunks broken by the storm carved with chainsaws into the figures that now populate the woods. In the following years the bark beetle, the insect that attacks spruces, forced it to rebuild the Red Course and revise other routes. According to Valbrembanaweb, in 2023 the park was opening its fifteenth season and was run by the Paganì family of Serina. For groups it also offers hikes with a mountain guide, climbing on equipped rock or in the gym of the sports centre next to the park, and outings of several days with nights in a mountain hut. #### How to get there and where to park The park is at the Passo di Zambla, about 80 kilometres from Milan according to its website, and 100 metres from the car park. From the A4 motorway, exit at Bergamo and go up the Val Seriana to Ponte Nossa, where you turn off for the Colle di Zambla, 14 kilometres; or exit at Dalmine, go up the Val Brembana and after Zogno turn right for the Colle, 20 kilometres. At the pass there are the asphalted car park, bars and restaurants; OpenStreetMap shows toilets run by the park, and CAI Bergamo indicates an accessible toilet opposite the Al Trapper bar-restaurant. From the same car park start the barrier-free walk towards the Conca dell'Alben and Pian della Palla and the trails to Monte Alben and the Cima di Grem: adults can take turns between the park woods and an almost level walk. - Phone or send a WhatsApp message to 347 9210690 before going up: as of 1 October 2026 the park is listed as temporarily closed and, outside August, it only opens on some days. - Arrive at least an hour before closing: last entry is 45 minutes before 18:00. - Measure the children: up to 145 cm, to the wrist with the arm raised, the children's ticket with five attractions applies. - Keep the receipt: a fixed-price ticket gives 50% off a second visit within 7 days. - Companions do not pay to enter the woods: the ticket is only for the courses. - Dress children in closed shoes and comfortable clothes: the courses run over platforms, nets and suspended bridges. - D: Is the Monte Alben Adventure Park open? R: As of 1 October 2026 the official website says the park is temporarily closed for administrative updates requested by the municipality of Oltre il Colle, with no reopening date. To find out when it reopens, call or send a WhatsApp message to 347 9210690. - D: What are the opening hours of the Monte Alben Adventure Park? R: In the 2026 calendar the park is open from 10:00 to 18:00: on 6, 25 and 26 April, on Sundays and public holidays in May (plus the 1-3 May long weekend) and June, in July Monday to Friday from 14:00 to 18:00 and all day at weekends, every day in August and on Sundays in September. From October to December groups only by booking. Last entry 45 minutes before closing. - D: How much does the Monte Alben Adventure Park cost? R: The 2026 prices published by the park are: morning ticket (10-14) 26 euros for adults and 15 for children, afternoon (14-18) 30 euros for adults and 15 for children, full day 39 euros for adults and 20 for children. Single-run tickets cost 15 euros for one course and 20 for two, chosen among Green, Blue, Red and Black. - D: From what age can you go on the Monte Alben Adventure Park? R: From age 2 with the Elves Course, done without a harness. The Fuchsia Course, Net Cubes and Tyrolienne are for children aged 3 to 7, the Orange from 6, the Green and Blue from 7, the Red and Black from 10. - D: Who pays the children's ticket at the adventure park? R: Anyone at most 145 centimetres tall, measured to the wrist with the arm raised. The children's ticket includes the Fuchsia and Orange courses, the Tyrolienne, the Elves Course and the Hanging Cube; anyone taller pays the adult price. - D: Do companions have to pay to enter the adventure park? R: No. The park is in freely accessible woods and the ticket is only needed to go on the equipped courses: family and friends can enter the woods without paying. - D: Does the adventure park run activities for groups and schools? R: Yes, for groups of at least 20 people: entry with kitting out and a compulsory briefing with an instructor, La Fiaba nel Bosco with children dressed as elves and a workshop with the fairies, and on request hikes with a mountain guide, climbing and outings with nights in a hut. Prices on request. - D: Where exactly is the adventure park and where do you park? R: At the Passo di Zambla, in the municipality of Oltre il Colle, in the woods about 100 metres from the car park at the pass, by the Centro Sportivo Valle restaurant. From Bergamo you go up the Val Seriana turning off at Ponte Nossa or the Val Brembana turning off after Zogno. Sources: https://www.parcoavventuramontealben.it/orari-e-giorni-di-apertura/, https://www.parcoavventuramontealben.it/, https://www.parcoavventuramontealben.it/la-fiaba-nel-bosco/, https://www.parcoavventuramontealben.it/offerte-scuole-e-gruppi/, https://www.parcoavventuramontealben.it/regolamento-sconti-omaggi/, https://www.parcoavventuramontealben.it/giornata-aperta-2026/, https://www.parcoavventuramontealben.it/30-giugno-la-festa-della-rinascita/, https://www.parcoavventuramontealben.it/novita-2021-il-tuffo-delleroe/, https://www.parcoavventuramontealben.it/dove-siamo/, https://valbrembanaweb.com/oltre-il-colle-parco-avventura-attaccato-dal-bostrico-ma-fatine-ed-elfi-ripartono-video/, https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/zf/index.php/itinerari, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/senzabarriere/104, https://www.openstreetmap.org/node/1328496049 ### The barrier-free walk from the Colle di Zambla to the Conca dell'Alben — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/things-to-do/passeggiata-accessibile-colle-di-zambla With children, Zambla Alta. CAI 104 barrier-free walk from the Colle di Zambla to the Conca dell'Alben: 5.6 km there and back, maximum gradient 10%, suitable for all-terrain pushchairs. Figures: CAI grade T, 30 m, 5.6 km, 45 minutes each way according to the CAI web page; 1 h 30 there and back according to the printable sheet, Waymarks CAI barrier-free route 104, grade AT (accessible to tourists). Best period: All year according to the CAI web page, April to October according to the printable sheet; in winter the route is a cross-country track. GPS tracks: Percorso senza barriere 104: dal Passo di Zambla alla Conca dell'Alben — https://www.caibergamo.it/sites/default/files/2025-12/104%20Passo%20di%20Zambla%20Conca%20dell%27Alben.gpx (CAI Bergamo, geoportale, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/senzabarriere/104, 5.6 km, 30 m D+) GPS tracks: Percorso senza barriere 105: dal Passo di Zambla alla Baita Grem — https://www.caibergamo.it/sites/default/files/2025-12/105%20Baita%20Grem%20dal%20Passo%20di%20Zambla.gpx (CAI Bergamo, geoportale, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/senzabarriere/105, 8.6 km, 137 m D+) If there is one walk to do with a pushchair or with children who have only just started walking, this is it. CAI Bergamo lists it among its barrier-free routes as number 104 and publishes the measured data: 5.6 kilometres there and back, 45 minutes each way, 30 metres of ascent and as many of descent, maximum gradient 10 per cent, average width 3 metres and minimum 2, no steps, no hairpin bends and no points with a risk of falling. The route is the farm and forestry road that from the Colle di Zambla enters the woods below the north face of Monte Alben, passes the Passo della Crocetta, reaches the Conca dell'Alben and ends at Pian della Palla. The CAI declares it suitable for people with non-motor disabilities, for people with motor disabilities with the help of a Joëlette and for blind people with a companion; the surface changes along the way between asphalt, concrete, packed earth, grass and stones, so with a pushchair you need an all-terrain model. The whole slope faces north: you walk in the shade even on hot days, and the CAI rates the sun protection as good. In winter the same corridor becomes a cross-country track, closed to traffic by an ordinance since 20 November 2025, and stops being a route for wheelchairs and pushchairs. #### The route step by step You park at the Colle di Zambla near the Centro Sportivo Valle restaurant. At the end of a short climb you turn left, cross the playground square and pass the barrier closing the road towards the Conca dell'Alben. On the left you leave the temporary barrier that protects the cross-country track; at its end there are the CAI signposts, and from there the surface is fairly fine cobbles all the way. After a short climb the road continues through the woods: on the right you meet a small rest area with benches and tables, at the fork you keep right on the main branch, you walk past stone retaining walls and pass a small house and then a large, well-kept one. You thus reach the Conca dell'Alben; carrying on, in ten minutes you arrive at Pian della Palla, where the CAI GPS track ends, about 2.8 kilometres from the start. - Colle di Zambla, 1,278 m: car park, accessible toilet, refreshments - Playground square and barrier: start of the dirt road - Passo della Crocetta, after about 1 km: junction with trail 501 for Monte Alben and drinking-water spring - Small rest area with benches and tables, on the right - Fork: keep right on the main branch - Conca dell'Alben, ski-lift area - Pian della Palla, about 2.8 km: end of the CAI track and return along the same road #### Accessibility: gradients, surface and widths measured by the CAI The data come from CAI Bergamo's barrier-free route sheets, which publish measurements and level of accessibility for each itinerary. Route 104 is graded AT, accessible to tourists: maximum longitudinal gradient 10 per cent, average width 3 metres and minimum 2, no steps, hairpins or exposed points, signage present, water along the route, refreshment points and an accessible toilet. The sheet counts no equipped rest areas, but its description mentions the small area with benches and tables along the road. The printable sheet for the same route gives slightly different figures: 1 hour 30 there and back, 50 metres of ascent, water only at the start and a recommended period from April to October, while the web page says all year. As contacts it gives the Centro Sportivo Valle restaurant (035 708988) for refreshments and the municipality of Oneta (035 707117) for information. For anyone planning an outing with a wheelchair user, the important thing is the Joëlette: for motor disabilities the sheet indicates the route only with that aid, not for independent wheelchair use. #### With children and a pushchair: stops, water and toilets For stops there are three options: the small area with benches and tables along the road, the barbecue areas with grills and small tables at Pian della Palla and in the Conca dell'Alben reported by the B&B Sotto l'Alben, and at the Colle di Zambla the area the municipality calls Parco del Colle, where in 2023 it had a stone fountain and barbecue built. Drinking water can also be found at the Crocetta spring, on the stretch between the pass and Pian della Palla. The accessible toilet is at the Colle di Zambla, opposite the Al Trapper bar-restaurant according to the CAI, and the Centro Sportivo Valle restaurant serves as the refreshment point. With small children the right goal is the Conca dell'Alben or Pian della Palla, about 2.8 kilometres away: the return is along the same road and you can turn back at any point. The B&B Sotto l'Alben notes that the route suits families with small children provided they have an all-terrain pushchair. #### For those who want more: the Conca loop and route 105 to the Alpe Grem From Pian della Palla the Pro Loco of Serina publishes the H21 loop on the cross-country track: 5.6 kilometres between 1,263 and 1,386 metres, with about 236 metres of total ascent. As far as the clearing of Pian della Mussa it stays almost flat and, according to the B&B Sotto l'Alben, suitable for all-terrain pushchairs; the upper part towards the Conca is more demanding. With the way there and back from the Colle the full circuit comes to about 11 kilometres. From the same car park starts a second CAI route, number 105, towards the Baita Grem, the Alpe Grem hut run by the Camos ski-mountaineering group of Gorno: 8.6 kilometres there and back, 1 hour 20 each way, 137 metres of ascent, maximum gradient 15 per cent, minimum width one metre and some points with a risk of falling. The CAI grades it AE, accessible to hikers, recommended in summer, suitable for people with non-motor disabilities with some difficulty and for blind people with a companion: it is not a route for wheelchairs or pushchairs. #### In winter: when the walk becomes a cross-country track Since 20 November 2025, with an ordinance valid until revoked, the mayor has closed to traffic the stretch of dirt road between the Colle di Zambla and Pian della Palla to establish the Nordic ski track there, entrusted to the Sci Club Valserina, which places the barriers marking the route. The agreement between the municipalities and the ski club also provides for closing the road to cars at the Crocetta from the beginning of December. The reopening comes in spring with another ordinance: in 2025 it was signed on 17 April. With snow the route is no longer accessible to wheelchairs and pushchairs, and walkers must stay beside the groomed cross-country tracks. For winter outings, the page on snowshoe walks at the Colle di Zambla explains how to move on the track without damaging it. - You need an all-terrain pushchair to get to the end: the surface goes from asphalt and concrete to earth, grass and stones. - With small children stop at the Conca dell'Alben or Pian della Palla, about 2.8 km away: you come back along the same road. - For a wheelchair user the CAI indicates the Joëlette: organise the aid and someone who knows how to steer it. - Water at the Crocetta spring and at the Parco del Colle fountain; the accessible toilet is at the pass, in front of the Al Trapper bar. - In winter the route is a cross-country track closed to cars: no wheelchairs or pushchairs, and on snowshoes you walk alongside. - D: Is there an easy walk for children in Oltre il Colle? R: Yes, CAI Bergamo's barrier-free route 104 from the Colle di Zambla towards the Conca dell'Alben and Pian della Palla: 5.6 kilometres there and back, 45 minutes each way, 30 metres of ascent and a maximum gradient of 10 per cent, with no steps or exposed sections. - D: Can you do it with a pushchair or a wheelchair? R: With a pushchair yes, as long as it is an all-terrain model, because the surface goes from asphalt to packed earth, grass and stones. For wheelchairs CAI Bergamo declares the route suitable for people with motor disabilities with the help of a Joëlette; it is also indicated for non-motor disabilities and for blind people with a companion. - D: How long does the walk from the Colle di Zambla to the Conca dell'Alben take? R: The CAI Bergamo page gives 45 minutes each way, the printable sheet 1 hour 30 there and back. The CAI track reaches Pian della Palla after about 2.8 kilometres. - D: Where do you park and where are the toilets? R: You park at the Colle di Zambla, in the asphalted area by the Centro Sportivo Valle restaurant. The accessible toilet reported by the CAI is opposite the Al Trapper bar-restaurant, also at the pass. - D: Where can you have a picnic along the route? R: Along the road there is a small area with benches and tables; at Pian della Palla and in the Conca dell'Alben there are barbecue areas with grills and small tables; at the Colle di Zambla the municipality built a stone fountain and barbecue in 2023 in the Parco del Colle area. - D: Can the barrier-free walk be done in winter? R: Not with a wheelchair or pushchair: since 20 November 2025 the stretch between the Colle di Zambla and Pian della Palla has been closed to traffic and becomes a Nordic ski track run by the Sci Club Valserina. On snowshoes you walk beside the tracks. - D: Is the route suitable for blind people? R: Yes, with a companion: CAI Bergamo's sheet lists it among the accessibility levels of route 104, together with non-motor disabilities and motor disabilities with the Joëlette. Sources: https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/senzabarriere/104, https://www.caibergamo.it/sites/default/files/2025-12/104%20Alben%20A.pdf, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/senzabarriere/105, https://www.bbsottolalben.it/l/passeggiata-ad-anello-sulla-pista-di-sci-nordico/, https://www.prolocoserina.it/it/sentieri-e-percorsi/40-h21-sentiero-anello-pista-conca-dell-alben, https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/mc/mc_p_dettaglio.php?id_pubbl=4125, https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/mc/mc_p_dettaglio.php?id_pubbl=3702, https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/mc/mc_p_dettaglio.php?id_pubbl=3387, https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/mc/mc_p_dettaglio.php?id_pubbl=2470, https://www.openstreetmap.org/node/12067546844 ### Playgrounds and picnic areas in Oltre il Colle — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/things-to-do/parco-giochi-e-aree-picnic-oltre-il-colle With children, Oltre il Colle. Playgrounds and picnic areas in Oltre il Colle: the via Roma municipal park, the inclusive park at Zambla Alta, and the grills at the Colle di Zambla and the Conca. Best period: From spring to autumn; in winter the higher areas are under snow. For a day with children without walking, Oltre il Colle has two municipal playgrounds, one in the main village and one at Zambla Alta, and a series of areas with grills and tables along the Conca dell'Alben road. None is a large equipped park: they are village spaces, looked after by the municipality, that work for an afternoon or an outdoor lunch. The municipal playground on via Roma, in the main village, is the most central, and the municipality is enlarging it: in 2025 it decided to buy 930 square metres of adjoining land. The inclusive park on via Fezzoli, at Zambla Alta, is the newest: built in 2023 with a contribution from Regione Lombardia, it has play equipment with impact-absorbing surfaces, a rest area for people with disabilities and a barrier-free path. For barbecues the right places are higher up. At the Colle di Zambla, in the area the municipality calls Parco del Colle, there has been a stone barbecue with a fountain since 2023; along the walk towards Pian della Palla and the Conca dell'Alben there are barbecue areas with grills and small tables. In all cases it is best to bring food and charcoal from home. #### The municipal playground on via Roma, in the main village The municipality calls it the playground of the main village and has worked on it several times in the last two years: in May 2025 it commissioned making some structures safe, in June 2026 the laying of a metal boundary fence on the municipal land next to the park and the supply of wooden boards to maintain a piece of play equipment. In April 2025 the town council decided to buy another 430 square metres of meadow on via Roma, after the 500 acquired shortly before, to enlarge and complete the park: 930 square metres in all, to create the link with the municipal road via a staircase already foreseen in the 2013 land-use plan. The acts do not describe the full set of play equipment and the municipality does not publish opening hours. OpenStreetMap shows two play areas and a freely accessible drinking fountain in the park. The park is in the main village, along via Roma, the provincial road that runs through the village. #### The inclusive park at Zambla Alta, on via Fezzoli In 2023 the municipality entered the regional call for inclusive playgrounds with the green area on via Fezzoli, at Zambla Alta, which the town council executive describes as an area already used as an equipped public park, with paths, connected to the nearby car parks and to parking spaces reserved for people with disabilities. The 33,600-euro project, funded by Regione Lombardia with 29,965 euros, provided for supplying and installing play equipment with impact-absorbing surfaces, a rest area for people with disabilities, the access and a path to overcome architectural barriers, and signage. The works, carried out by the company Proludic, were completed with the certificate of proper execution submitted on 11 December 2023; in February 2024 the executive tied the area to use as an inclusive playground, and in July 2025 the town council completed the acquisition of the via Fezzoli area used as a car park and public park. The type of play equipment installed is not described in the acts: for a child in a wheelchair it is nonetheless the most suitable park in the municipality, because it was built for that. #### Picnics and barbecues: Colle di Zambla, Pian della Palla and Conca dell'Alben At the Colle di Zambla the municipality has equipped the area it calls Parco del Colle: in May 2023 it bought the stones to build a fountain and a barbecue there, and in August of the same year it commissioned the supply and installation of the iron grill. CAI barrier-free route 104 starts by crossing the playground square at the pass. Next to the Al Trapper bar-restaurant there is also an equipped area, which OpenStreetMap marks as private to the restaurant. Further on, along the almost level road towards the Conca dell'Alben, the CAI reports a small rest area with benches and tables, and the B&B Sotto l'Alben points out barbecue areas with grills and small tables at Pian della Palla and in the Conca dell'Alben, as well as a drinking-water spring at the Crocetta. Pian della Palla can be reached on foot from the Colle in about 2.8 kilometres or by car from Oltre il Colle along via Drago, about 3 kilometres. #### Other spaces for children: Zorzone, the campsite and the adventure park In Zorzone OpenStreetMap shows a small freely accessible playground next to the church of the Santissima Trinità, with a drinking fountain and a bike rack: it is handy for anyone visiting the hamlet's mineral museum. The Camping Zambla, on via Santella, lists among its facilities a playground, table tennis, volleyball and common rooms; it is not a public area, so non-guests should ask first. For a more structured activity there is the Monte Alben Adventure Park at the Passo di Zambla, with tree-top courses from age 2, which as of 1 October 2026, however, is listed as temporarily closed. #### Toilets, water and accessibility: what we know and what we don't The documented accessible public toilet is at the Colle di Zambla, opposite the Al Trapper bar-restaurant, as CAI Bergamo indicates. For the via Roma park and the via Fezzoli park the municipal acts do not mention toilets. Drinking water can be found at the via Roma park fountain shown on OpenStreetMap, at the Parco del Colle fountain and at the Crocetta spring, which may freeze in winter. For wheelchair users there are two documented options: the inclusive park at Zambla Alta, designed with a barrier-free path and rest area and close to reserved parking spaces, and CAI barrier-free route 104 from the Colle di Zambla towards the Conca dell'Alben, which can be done with the help of a Joëlette. - For a child in a wheelchair choose the inclusive park on via Fezzoli at Zambla Alta, designed with a barrier-free path and rest area. - For a barbecue bring charcoal and food: the sources mention grills and tables, not who supplies them. - Drinking water is available at the via Roma park fountain, at the Colle di Zambla fountain and at the Crocetta spring. - Combine picnic and walk: from the Colle di Zambla to Pian della Palla it is about 2.8 km almost on the level. - In winter the higher areas are under snow and the Conca corridor is a cross-country track: the village playgrounds remain. - D: Is there a playground in Oltre il Colle? R: Yes, two municipal ones: the main village playground on via Roma, which the municipality is enlarging with 930 square metres bought in 2025, and the inclusive park on via Fezzoli at Zambla Alta, built in 2023. In Zorzone OpenStreetMap shows a small playground next to the church. - D: Is there a playground accessible to children in wheelchairs? R: Yes, the inclusive park on via Fezzoli at Zambla Alta, funded by Regione Lombardia under the call for inclusive playgrounds: it has equipment with impact-absorbing surfaces, a rest area for people with disabilities and a barrier-free path, near reserved parking spaces. - D: Where can you have a picnic or a barbecue in Oltre il Colle? R: At the Colle di Zambla, in the Parco del Colle area where the municipality built a stone barbecue with a fountain in 2023, and along the Conca dell'Alben road, with barbecue areas with grills and small tables at Pian della Palla and in the Conca. Bring charcoal and food. - D: Are there public toilets near the playgrounds? R: The documented accessible toilet is at the Colle di Zambla, opposite the Al Trapper bar-restaurant. For the via Roma and via Fezzoli parks the municipal acts do not mention toilets. - D: Where can you find drinking water for children? R: At the via Roma playground fountain shown on OpenStreetMap, at the Parco del Colle fountain at the Colle di Zambla and at the Crocetta spring along the road towards Pian della Palla, which may freeze in winter. - D: Is there a playground in Zorzone? R: OpenStreetMap shows a small freely accessible playground next to the church of the Santissima Trinità in Zorzone, with a drinking fountain: it is close to the mineral museum. - D: Does the Camping Zambla have a playground? R: Yes, the campsite's facilities include a playground, table tennis, volleyball and common rooms. It is not a public area: anyone not staying at the campsite should ask first. Sources: https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/mc/mc_p_dettaglio.php?id_pubbl=4596, https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/mc/mc_p_dettaglio.php?id_pubbl=4532, https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/mc/mc_p_dettaglio.php?id_pubbl=3874, https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/mc/mc_p_dettaglio.php?id_pubbl=3738, https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/mc/mc_p_dettaglio.php?id_pubbl=2551, https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/mc/mc_p_dettaglio.php?id_pubbl=2929, https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/mc/mc_p_dettaglio.php?id_pubbl=2925, https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/mc/mc_p_dettaglio.php?id_pubbl=3952, https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/mc/mc_p_dettaglio.php?id_pubbl=2470, https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/mc/mc_p_dettaglio.php?id_pubbl=2632, https://www.bbsottolalben.it/l/passeggiata-ad-anello-sulla-pista-di-sci-nordico/, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/senzabarriere/104, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/senzabarriere/105, https://www.campingzambla.com/campeggio.html, https://www.openstreetmap.org/node/12119884497, https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/1556554024 ### Rifugio Cà d'Arera: the short goal above Plassa — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/things-to-do/rifugio-ca-d-arera With children, Zambla Alta. Rifugio Cà d'Arera above Plassa: the SABA's private hut at about 1,550 m, five minutes from the Alpe Arera car park or an hour on foot from Zambla Alta. Figures: CAI grade E, 360 m, Highest point 1560 m, 5 minutes gently downhill from the Alpe Arera car park; about 1 hour from Plassa, Waymarks CAI 221 from Plassa; trails 222 and 237 pass next to the hut. Best period: From the spring reopening of the road (22 April in 2026) to autumn; the hut is reserved for SABA members. GPS tracks: Sentiero CAI 221: Zambla – Rifugio Capanna 2000 — https://www.caibergamo.it/sites/default/files/cai/GPX/Sentiero221.gpx (CAI Bergamo, geoportale, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/221, 3.6 km, 900 m D+) GPS tracks: Sentiero CAI 237: Rifugio SABA – Cima di Grem — https://www.caibergamo.it/sites/default/files/cai/GPX/Sentiero237.gpx (CAI Bergamo, geoportale, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/237, 5.6 km, 450 m D+) On the south face of the Pizzo Arera, halfway between Plassa and the Capanna 2000, there is a second hut that helps anyone wanting to take children up high without tackling 750 metres of ascent: the Cà d'Arera of the SABA, the Società Alpinistica Bergamo Alta. It stands at around 1,550 metres, just below the Alpe Arera car park, and when the road is open you reach it in five minutes on a gently descending path. It should be said straight away what it is not: it is not a refreshment point open to the public. It is a private hut reserved for members; the sign above the door, transcribed by Diska, warns that the SABA has no obligation to open or to receive hikers, and Prima Bergamo has described a porch that gives shelter in bad weather. Anyone going up with children brings lunch and water; for eating in a hut the reference is the Capanna 2000, about 45 minutes higher up, to be checked because of the renovation works awarded in 2026. The place is still worth the outing: you are already below the limestone walls of the Arera, with the Grem and the Alben opposite, and from here start the climb to the Capanna 2000, trail 237 to the Cima di Grem and the links to the Sentiero dei Fiori. For a family with small children the simplest plan is to drive up to the Alpe Arera, walk down to the Cà d'Arera and, if legs allow, carry on towards the Capanna 2000. #### What the Cà d'Arera is and who runs it The hut belongs to the S.A.B.A., Società Alpinistica Bergamo Alta: this is what the sign above the entrance transcribed by Diska, the Eco di Bergamo listing, Prima Bergamo and Luca Gherardi's report say, while one online directory, escursionismo.it, writes Bergamo Bassa. CAI Bergamo, in the photos of trail 221, labels it as the private SABA hut. The sources agree on 24 beds; Diska describes the opening as reserved for members, escursionismo.it gives an opening period from mid-July to mid-September and facilities such as heating, hot water and electric light. On the altitude the sources differ by a few tens of metres: 1,540 metres for Prima Bergamo, 1,560 for Diska and the Eco di Bergamo listing, 1,600 for escursionismo.it. We have not found an up-to-date official contact: the rifugiosaba.it domain, given as a contact by a 2005 page by Piero Gritti, does not respond on 1 October 2026. #### How to get there: from the Alpe Arera car park or on foot from Plassa By car you go up to Zambla Alta and, according to Diska, at kilometre 42 of provincial road 27 you turn left into via Plassa; after about 4 kilometres, at the fork before the large Plassa residence, you keep right uphill and, when the road is open, carry on along the asphalt to the Alpe Arera car park, where the asphalt ends, at around 1,590 metres. From the car park a path to the right of the entrance goes down past two ponds, only one of them fenced, leaves the road's guard-rail on the right, passes a small chapel with an inverted-V roof and reaches the hut in five minutes, for about 40 metres of descent. The car park has a municipal parking meter: 4 euros according to the Rifugi di Lombardia portal. The road from Plassa to 1,600 metres is open only in the fine season and with precise rules: in 2026 the reopening ordinance from 22 April sets a 30 km/h limit, bans vehicles over 3.5 tonnes and those towing a trailer with other vehicles, and bans parking along the road outside the marked spaces. In winter it is closed to all vehicles, in 2025-26 from 18 November. On foot from Plassa, from the car park near the Camping Arera, you climb in about an hour for 350-360 metres of ascent, following the trail 221 waymarks that cut the hairpins of the road. #### With children: what to expect and what to bring From the car park the walk is very short and gently downhill, so even a small child gets there without effort; the way back is uphill, but only for a few minutes. The two ponds along the path, only one of them fenced, are the place to keep an eye on the youngest. At the hut, being private, there are no guaranteed services: water, snacks and a jacket should be brought from home. Children who walk well can carry on to the Capanna 2000: Diska counts about 45 minutes from the Cà d'Arera, and the Rifugi di Lombardia portal, from the Alpe Arera car park, less than an hour on trail 221 or a wider, gentler loop on the vehicle track. The Capanna 2000 has 80 seats and serves lunch, but for 2026-27 its opening must be checked because of the renovation works. #### From here on: Capanna 2000, Cima di Grem and Sentiero dei Fiori From the Cà d'Arera Diska gives the Capanna 2000 at 45 minutes, the Santamaria in Leten hut at 2 hours 20 and the summit of the Pizzo Arera at 3 hours, the latter on EE terrain. CAI trail 237 to the Cima di Grem also starts from the hut: 5.6 kilometres, about 450 metres of ascent, 1 hour 50 up and 1 hour 20 back, grade E. Trail 237 leaves trail 221 on the left and follows a dirt road to a hairpin at 1,809 metres, traverses to the Baita Zuccone, continues across the south side of the Arera to the junction with trail 238 coming up from the Colle di Zambla, touches the Baita Camplano at 1,831 metres and reaches the Bocchetta di Grem, at 1,976 metres, and then the summit, at 2,049. For the Sentiero dei Fiori you climb to the Capanna 2000 and take trail 222 towards the Passo Branchino. #### The history of the place: the old lift station The hut stands where the intermediate station of the Alpe Arera lifts used to be, according to escursionismo.it; at 1,600 metres, where the car park is today, the first chairlift arrived and the old upper lifts started, as L'Eco di Bergamo and CAI Bergamo recall. In 2012, when the municipality removed the last pylons, the then mayor floated the idea of turning that station into a hut and building a summer chairlift towards the Capanna 2000, a project that does not appear to have been carried out. On the way up, in 2018 Prima Bergamo could still see the frames of the old chairlift. Along the road from Plassa, at a hairpin around 1,350 metres, the signs of the Orobie park point to Giuliano Mauri's Cattedrale Vegetale, designed in 2008-09: Diska recalls that the storm of 28 October 2018 destroyed almost all of it. - Drive up to the Alpe Arera car park (parking meter, 4 euros) and walk down to the hut in five minutes: it is the shortest way to be up high below the Arera. - Bring lunch, water and a jacket: the Cà d'Arera is a private hut for SABA members and guarantees no services. - Keep an eye on the children near the two ponds along the path from the car park. - If legs allow, carry on towards the Capanna 2000, about 45 minutes away, after checking that it is open. - Respect the rules on the Alpe Arera road: 30 km/h and no parking along the road outside the marked spaces. - In winter the road is closed and the goal stops being short: you start from Plassa and climb for about an hour on snow. - D: How long does it take to get to the Rifugio Cà d'Arera? R: Five minutes gently downhill from the Alpe Arera car park, at about 1,590 metres, when the road is open. On foot from Plassa di Zambla Alta it takes about an hour for 350-360 metres of ascent on CAI trail 221. - D: Is the Cà d'Arera open to everyone? R: No. It is the private hut of the SABA, Società Alpinistica Bergamo Alta, reserved for members: the sign on the door warns that there is no obligation to open or to receive hikers. The sources give 24 beds and opening for members from mid-July to mid-September. - D: Can you eat at the Cà d'Arera? R: Don't count on it: it is not a public refreshment point. For lunch in a hut the reference is the Capanna 2000, about 45 minutes away, with 80 seats, to be checked because of the renovation works awarded by the municipality in 2026. - D: How much does the Alpe Arera car park cost? R: The car park at 1,600 metres has a municipal parking meter: the Rifugi di Lombardia portal gives 4 euros. The road is open only in the fine season, from 22 April in 2026, with a 30 km/h limit and no parking along the road. - D: Can you reach the Cà d'Arera in winter? R: Only on foot: the road from Plassa to 1,600 metres is closed to all vehicles by ordinance, in 2025-26 from 18 November to 22 April. From the car park near the Camping Arera you climb in about an hour; it is the first part of the snowshoe walk to the Capanna 2000. - D: How far is the Capanna 2000 from the Cà d'Arera? R: About 45 minutes' walk on the same south face of the Pizzo Arera. CAI trail 237 to the Cima di Grem, 1 hour 50, and the links to the Sentiero dei Fiori also start from the hut. - D: What does SABA stand for? R: Società Alpinistica Bergamo Alta, the association that owns the hut, according to the sign above the entrance, the Eco di Bergamo listing and Prima Bergamo. The hut is also known as rifugio SABA or Cà Arera. Sources: https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/mc/mc_p_dettaglio.php?id_pubbl=4696, https://www.diska.it/rifcadarera.asp, https://www.ecodibergamo.it/eventi/eppen/luogo/rifugio-ca-darera-saba_6145_75/, https://primabergamo.it/rubriche/viva-berghem/al-rifugio-capanna-tante-gemme-sul-cammino/, https://lucagherardi.com/rifugio-capanna-2000-plassa/, https://www.escursionismo.it/rifugi-bivacchi/c%C3%A0-d'arera-14493, https://www.pieroweb.com/fotobrembane/sentierofiori/daplassa/rifcadarera/rifugiocadarera.htm, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/221, https://www.caibergamo.it/geoportale/sentieri/237, https://www.rifugi.lombardia.it/capanna-2000/, https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/mc/mc_p_dettaglio.php?id_pubbl=4436, https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/mc/mc_p_dettaglio.php?id_pubbl=4110, https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/mc/mc_p_dettaglio.php?id_pubbl=4244, https://www.ecodibergamo.it/stories/Cronaca/319810_monte_arera_addio_allo_sci_si_progetta_seggiovia_per_lestate/, https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/39467168 ## Itineraries https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/itineraries ### A day on the Arera: Capanna 2000 and the Sentiero dei Fiori — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/itineraries/un-giorno-arera-sentiero-dei-fiori One day. 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. Who it suits: Hikers used to 4-5 hours on foot including stops: the classic Sentiero dei Fiori loop is graded E, with no fixed-equipment sections. 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. 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. 2. Mid-morning — At the Capanna 2000 hut (https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/things-to-do/capanna-2000): 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. 3. Until early afternoon — The Sentiero dei Fiori loop (https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/things-to-do/sentiero-dei-fiori-claudio-brissoni): 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. 4. Along the way — Recognising the flowers without picking them (https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/things-to-do/flora-arera-parco-orobie): 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. 5. Afternoon, on the way down — A stop at the Cattedrale Vegetale (https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/things-to-do/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. 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. - D: How long do Capanna 2000 and the Sentiero dei Fiori take? R: 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. - D: When is the best time to see the flowers of the Arera? R: 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. - D: Is the Sentiero dei Fiori difficult? R: 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. ### A summer weekend between the Alben and the Arera — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/itineraries/weekend-estate-alben-arera Two days. 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. Who it suits: Experienced, fit hikers: both climbs end with EE sections, the rocky ridge of the Alben and the fixed-equipment gully of the Arera. The two mountains that close the Oltre il Colle basin can be climbed in two days without moving the car far. Monte Alben, 2,019 metres, starts from the Colle di Zambla on CAI trail 501; the Pizzo Arera, 2,512 metres, from the Alpe Arera car park above Plassa. In between there is a night in one of the hamlets. These are climbs for snow-free conditions, usually between June and October. Times, elevation gains and difficult sections are those of the linked pages, which you should read in full before setting off. 1. Saturday morning — Monte Alben from the Colle di Zambla (https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/things-to-do/monte-alben): About 750 metres of ascent and two and a quarter hours of climbing via the Col dei Brassamonti and the Passo della Forca, with a final ridge graded EE. You start from the car park on the pass, where there is also a drinking fountain. 2. Saturday, lunchtime — Lunch at the Passo di Zambla: Back at the pass, the Al Trapper restaurant at the Passo di Zambla serves Bergamo cooking; the La Baita bar is close by. It is worth phoning to check opening days and hours. 3. Saturday evening — A night at the Passo di Zambla (https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/where-to-stay/b-b-il-nido): The Il Nido B&B stands right on the pass, where the trails up Monte Alben begin. The other places to stay in the municipality, from the B&Bs of Zambla Alta to the Plassa campsite on the road to the Arera, are on the Where to stay page. 4. Sunday morning — Pizzo Arera by the south normal route (https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/things-to-do/pizzo-arera): From the Alpe Arera car park it is about 922 metres of ascent and two and a half hours of climbing, passing the Capanna 2000. Below the summit there is a fixed-equipment gully: that is the section that makes this an EE climb. 5. Sunday, on the way down — A stop at the Capanna 2000 (https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/things-to-do/capanna-2000): The municipal hut is on the way back. Opening times change from year to year and in 2026 its renovation was put out to tender: phone ahead to find out whether it is open. - D: Which summits can you climb in a weekend in Oltre il Colle? R: The two best known are Monte Alben (2,019 m) from the Colle di Zambla and the Pizzo Arera (2,512 m) from the Alpe Arera: both end with EE sections. For a quieter summit there is the Cima di Menna from Zorzone, which however takes 4 hours of climbing. - D: Where can you stay near the Alben trails? R: The Il Nido B&B is at the Passo di Zambla, where CAI trail 501 to the Alben begins; in Zambla Alta, just below, there are other B&Bs, the Albergo Neve and the Camping Zambla, open all year. ### Oltre il Colle with children — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/itineraries/con-i-bambini One day. 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. Who it suits: Families with small children, including with an all-terrain pushchair: the route is almost flat and barrier-free. With children the easiest part of the municipality is the Colle di Zambla: from there CAI's barrier-free route runs 5.6 kilometres there and back, with a maximum gradient of 10 per cent, to the Conca dell'Alben, where there are tables and barbecues. In the afternoon you go down to the main village for the playground and the ice-cream shop. The Adventure Park at the Passo di Zambla, the place families look for most, is listed as temporarily closed on its website as of 1 October 2026: its page explains what we know and how to find out more. 1. Morning — The barrier-free walk to the Conca dell'Alben (https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/things-to-do/passeggiata-accessibile-colle-di-zambla): From the Colle di Zambla car park CAI trail 104 runs almost flat below the face of the Alben: about 45 minutes each way according to CAI, suitable for all-terrain pushchairs too. In winter the same route becomes a cross-country ski track. 2. Lunch — A picnic at Pian della Palla or at the Conca (https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/things-to-do/parco-giochi-e-aree-picnic-oltre-il-colle): Along the Pian della Palla road and at the Conca dell'Alben there are tables and barbecues; the page on playgrounds and picnic areas says what each has. At the Passo della Crocetta, on the same road, there is a drinking-water spring. 3. Early afternoon — The Monte Alben Adventure Park, if it reopens (https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/things-to-do/parco-avventura-monte-alben): Tree-top courses from age 2, with a continuous safety line on every course: but the official website, checked again on 1 October 2026, lists it as temporarily closed, with no reopening date. Before going, phone or send a WhatsApp message to the park's number. 4. Afternoon — A playground in the village and an ice-cream shop: The main village has the municipal playground in via Roma; Zambla Alta has the inclusive playground. On the same via Roma is La Fonte, the only ice-cream shop in the municipality, which also sells pizza by the slice. - D: Can you do the Colle di Zambla walk with a pushchair? R: Yes, with an all-terrain pushchair: CAI route 104 is 5.6 kilometres there and back, with a maximum gradient of 10 per cent, from the Colle di Zambla to the Conca dell'Alben. - D: Is the Monte Alben Adventure Park open? R: As of 1 October 2026 the official website lists it as temporarily closed for administrative updates requested by the municipality, with no reopening date: phone or send a WhatsApp message to the park before going. ### A snow weekend in Zambla — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/itineraries/weekend-sulla-neve Two days. 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. Who it suits: Cross-country skiers, snowshoers and families with children; the Capanna 2000 snowshoe climb only with a favourable avalanche bulletin and experience of snow. In winter life in the basin moves between the Colle di Zambla and the Conca dell'Alben: that is where you find the 16 kilometres of cross-country tracks, the easy snowshoe route alongside the track and the small beginners' area with a drag lift and a magic carpet. If you want a real climb, go up from Plassa to the Capanna 2000. Everything depends on the snow. The tracks are run by the Sci Club Valserina, and as of 1 October 2026 the agreement with the municipalities for the 2026-27 season had not yet been renewed: dates, prices and openings need checking once the season has started. 1. Saturday morning — Cross-country skiing at the Colle di Zambla (https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/things-to-do/sci-di-fondo-zambla): About 16 kilometres of tracks below the north face of the Alben, between 1,290 and 1,420 metres, for classic and skating, with a floodlit section. You start a few steps from the pass, at the Centro Sportivo Valle, or from Pian della Palla. 2. Saturday, if you need skis or lessons — Hire and ski school (https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/things-to-do/scuola-sci-noleggio-zambla): Hire is at Edo Sport in Zambla Alta; the cross-country and downhill instructors are those of the Scuola Sci Oltre il Colle, which as of 1 October 2026 had not yet published its courses for the new season. 3. Saturday afternoon — Snowshoes to the Conca dell'Alben (https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/things-to-do/ciaspolate-conca-alben): From the Colle di Zambla to Pian della Palla and the Conca dell'Alben: 5.6 almost flat kilometres alongside the cross-country track, graded T, fine even for first-time snowshoers. 4. Saturday evening — A night in Zambla Alta (https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/where-to-stay/albergo-neve): The Albergo Neve, above the restaurant run by the same family, is in Zambla Alta, below the Colle; the Camping Zambla is open all year. The other places to stay are on the Where to stay page. 5. Sunday, with children — The beginners' area at the Conca dell'Alben (https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/things-to-do/impianti-risalita-zambla): At the Conca there are the Gambacotta–Fornace drag lift and the magic carpet bought in 2025, with snowmaking. In recent seasons they opened between late November and December, but the management agreement expired on 30 August 2026: check first. 6. Sunday, as an alternative — The Capanna 2000 snowshoe climb from Plassa (https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/things-to-do/ciaspolata-capanna-2000): For the fit: about 750 metres of ascent and 10 kilometres there and back, because in winter the Alpe Arera road is closed and you start from Plassa. Go only with a favourable avalanche bulletin; in 2026-27 the hut may stay closed for the works. - D: Are the cross-country tracks in Zambla open? R: It depends on the snow: the tracks at the Colle di Zambla and Pian della Palla open when they are snow-covered and groomed by the Sci Club Valserina. For the 2026-27 season the agreement with the municipalities had not yet been renewed as of 1 October 2026: check the dates once the season has started. - D: Do you need chains to drive up to Zambla in winter? R: From 15 November to 15 April the Province of Bergamo order requires winter tyres or chains on board on provincial roads; with snow or ice on the road, drivers without winter tyres must fit chains. - D: Can you go snowshoeing in Zambla without experience? R: Yes: the route from the Colle di Zambla to Pian della Palla and the Conca dell'Alben is almost flat, 5.6 kilometres alongside the cross-country track, graded T. The Capanna 2000 snowshoe climb, on the other hand, is a real ascent, only to be done with a favourable avalanche bulletin. ### Mines and history: a day between Zorzone and the main village — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/itineraries/miniere-e-storia-zorzone Half a day or a day. The mineral and mining museum, the frescoes on Zorzone's houses, Caniana's church and the parish church of San Bartolomeo: the history of Oltre il Colle. Who it suits: Anyone who enjoys history and villages: there is little walking, almost all on village streets, and it works in winter too. Oltre il Colle was a zinc and lead mining village, and Zorzone, the hamlet above the Val Vedra, is the one that still shows it: the museum in the old school, the houses with frescoes, the church rebuilt in the mid-18th century to a design by Giovan Battista Caniana. In the main village, on the other side of the Parina valley, stands the parish church of San Bartolomeo. The museum opens mainly on public-holiday afternoons and the sources on its hours do not agree: it is the stop to fix first, with a phone call. 1. Holiday afternoon, or by appointment — The Museum of Minerals and the Mine (https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/things-to-do/museo-dei-minerali-zorzone): Three floors in Zorzone's former primary school: miners' tools, a reconstructed tunnel, minerals and, since 2016, the memorial to the B-24 Lady Irene that crashed on the Cima di Menna in 1944. The hours and ticket prices published by the municipality, the Mountain Community and the Ministry do not agree: phone first. 2. After the museum — The village and the frescoes on the houses (https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/things-to-do/zorzone-borgo-minerario): On foot through the streets of Zorzone, at 1,019 metres: 23 frescoes on the façades and the chapels of San Rocco and of the Beata Vergine del Miracolo. The CAI trails to the Val Vedra and Monte Menna also start here. 3. A few hundred metres away — The church of the Santissima Trinità (https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/things-to-do/chiesa-santissima-trinita-zorzone): A parish since 1636, rebuilt between 1745 and 1755 to a design by Giovan Battista Caniana, with its dome, stuccoes and a canvas dated 1628. Mass times are not published: to visit, it is best to ask at the parish. 4. Later, in the main village — The parish church of San Bartolomeo (https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/things-to-do/chiesa-san-bartolomeo-oltre-il-colle): A parish since 1449, with the portico on three sides designed by Luigi Angelini in 1935, frescoes by Orelli, a canvas by Scuri and the Bossi organ. The patron saint's feast is on 24 August. - D: When is the Zorzone museum open? R: According to the municipality on Sundays and public holidays from 15.00 to 17.00 from November to March and from 15.00 to 18.00 from April to October, and every day from 1 August to the third Sunday of August; the other sources do not agree and none is recent, so it is best to phone 0345 95313. - D: What is there to see in Zorzone? R: The Museum of Minerals and the Mine in the former school, the church of the Santissima Trinità rebuilt to a design by Giovan Battista Caniana, 23 frescoes on the house fronts and the chapels of San Rocco and of the Beata Vergine del Miracolo. ## Services and businesses 61 businesses listed. Every entry carries its source and the date it was checked. https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services ### Pharmacies — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/farmacia There is only one pharmacy in Oltre il Colle, Farmacia Viganò at via Roma 272, in the main village: there are none in the hamlets. It opens on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, morning and afternoon; on Thursday and Sunday it is closed, except during duty weeks and the special openings set by the ATS Bergamo calendar. At night and on public holidays the service is organised for the whole of Valle Brembana: every week two pharmacies in the valley are on duty 24 hours a day, and the one in Oltre il Colle takes its turn one week in seven. Dates, contacts and the hours of nearby pharmacies are on the pharmacy's page; below is how to find the one on duty. #### How to find the duty pharmacy Every year ATS Bergamo, the provincial health agency, approves the duty calendar for all pharmacies in the province: the current one runs from 1 June 2026 to 31 May 2027, but it does not include changes notified during the year. The up-to-date calendar is on the Federfarma Bergamo website, on the duty page, by choosing the municipality and the month, or in the Farmacia Aperta app recommended by ATS. Open pharmacies and those on duty keep their illuminated green cross switched on. Outside opening hours, and at night with the doors closed, the pharmacist on duty does not have to stay in the shop but must be available within twenty minutes of being called. From 20.00 to 8.00 an additional call-out fee is charged on medicines, 7.50 or 10 euros depending on the type of pharmacy according to Federfarma Bergamo; it is not charged on National Health Service prescriptions on which the doctor has marked the urgency. #### The nearest pharmacies outside the municipality When the pharmacy in Oltre il Colle is closed, these are the most convenient alternatives; their hours from the ATS calendar are on the pharmacy's page. The dispensary in Dossena is run by the same Farmacia Viganò and also opens on Thursday afternoons. - Serina: Farmacia Valserina, via Palma il Vecchio 53 - Dossena: pharmaceutical dispensary of the Oltre il Colle pharmacy - Gorno, in Val Seriana: pharmacy at piazza Erdeno 1 - Ponte Nossa, in Val Seriana: pharmacy at via Europa 117/A #### Pharmacy, doctor or 112? The duty pharmacy is where you get medicines, including with an urgent prescription. To see a doctor or get a prescription when your family doctor is closed, call 116117, the out-of-hours medical service; for an emergency call 112. - Farmacia Viganò — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/farmacia/farmacia-vigano-oltre-il-colle, Via Roma 272, 24013 Oltre il Colle, tel. 0345 95093, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 9.00-12.30 and 14.30-19.00; Closed on Thursday and Sunday, except during duty weeks and special openings; ATS Bergamo calendar valid until 31 May 2027 [checked on 2026-10-01]. Farmacia Viganò at via Roma 272, the only pharmacy in Oltre il Colle: opening hours, night and holiday duty weeks to May 2027 and the nearest alternatives. It is the only pharmacy in the municipality and it stands in the main village, at via Roma 272, on the provincial road that runs through Oltre il Colle: there are none in the hamlets, so people from Zambla Alta, Zambla Bassa and Zorzone come down here. According to the Ministry of Health's list of pharmacies, since 1 May 2026 it has belonged to the partnership of the pharmacists Francesca Passera and Tommaso Francesco Viganò; from 2011 to April 2026 it was registered to Dr Passera alone. The hours are those of the annual calendar that ATS Bergamo, the provincial health agency, approves for every pharmacy in the province, in force from 1 June 2026 to 31 May 2027: open on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 9.00 to 12.30 and from 14.30 to 19.00, closed on Thursday and Sunday. In summer 2026, from 7 July to 23 August, it also opened on Thursdays and on Sunday mornings. At night and on public holidays the pharmacy takes part in the Valle Brembana rota: one week in seven it is on duty 24 hours a day. The same pharmacy also runs the dispensary in Dossena, which opens on Thursday afternoons, exactly when Oltre il Colle is closed. #### Opening hours and special openings The 2026-2027 calendar of ATS Bergamo, approved by resolution no. 299 of 21 May 2026, gives the pharmacy five opening days: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, from 9.00 to 12.30 and from 14.30 to 19.00. On Thursday and Sunday it is closed, except during duty weeks and special openings. These hours apply from 24 August 2026 to 31 May 2027, after the summer period when the pharmacy opened every day. On some public holidays the calendar provides a special morning opening, from 9.00 to 12.30. ATS warns that the calendar does not include changes notified during the year: if you really need a medicine, ring 0345 95093 first. #### At night and on public holidays: the duty rota In Valle Brembana the night and holiday service is organised by weeks: every week two pharmacies in the valley are on duty 24 hours a day, and the one in Oltre il Colle takes its turn one week in seven. According to the Federfarma Bergamo calendar, the October duty runs from 8.30 on Friday 2 to 8.30 on Friday 9; that week the other duty pharmacy in the valley is the one in San Pellegrino Terme. Open pharmacies and those on duty keep their illuminated green cross switched on. Outside opening hours, and at night with the doors closed, the pharmacist on duty does not have to stay in the shop but must be available within twenty minutes of being called, as ATS points out. At night, from 20.00 to 8.00, an additional call-out fee set by decree is charged on medicines: 7.50 or 10 euros depending on the type of pharmacy, according to Federfarma Bergamo. It is not charged on National Health Service prescriptions on which the doctor has marked the urgency. The up-to-date calendar, with changes, is on the Federfarma Bergamo website, by choosing the municipality, or in the Farmacia Aperta app recommended by ATS. #### If it is closed: the nearest pharmacies In Val Serina the nearest is the Farmacia Valserina in Serina, at via Palma il Vecchio 53: according to the ATS calendar it opens on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 9.00 to 13.00 and from 16.00 to 20.00, on Wednesday mornings only, and it is closed on Sunday. Then there is the pharmaceutical dispensary in Dossena, run by the same Farmacia Viganò: it opens on Thursday from 16.00 to 18.30 and on the other days from Monday to Saturday from 9.30 to 12.00. On the Val Seriana side, beyond the Passo di Zambla, there are the pharmacy in Gorno, at piazza Erdeno 1, open Monday to Friday from 8.30 to 12.30 and from 15.00 to 19.00 and on Saturday mornings, and the one in Ponte Nossa, at via Europa 117/A, open Monday to Saturday from 8.30 to 12.30 and from 15.00 to 19.15. When a pharmacy closes for holidays it shows the nearest open pharmacies and their hours, ATS reminds. #### Accessibility and how to get there The pharmacy is on the main street of the village, about 110 metres as the crow flies from the post office and 250 from the town hall. In December 2024 the municipal council granted, for five renewable years, the use of the public pavement for a removable access ramp to the pharmacy for people with disabilities: according to the resolution it will allow people with reduced mobility to enter on their own. The resolution does not say when it was to be installed. In summer 2026, from 4 July to 6 September, a mayor's order introduced the parking disc in the car parks along via Roma: in the stretch between numbers 201 and 296, where the pharmacy is, the maximum stay was one hour, from 8.00 to 20.00. On the outside wall of a building next to the pharmacy, OpenStreetMap shows a defibrillator accessible 24 hours a day. - D: What are the opening hours of the pharmacy in Oltre il Colle? R: According to the ATS 2026-2027 calendar, Farmacia Viganò at via Roma 272 opens on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 9.00 to 12.30 and from 14.30 to 19.00; it is closed on Thursday and Sunday, except during duty weeks and special openings. The phone number is 0345 95093. - D: Is the pharmacy in Oltre il Colle open on Thursday? R: Normally not: Thursday is its closing day, except in the weeks when the pharmacy is on 24-hour duty. In summer 2026, from 7 July to 23 August, it was also open on Thursdays. On Thursday afternoons, from 16.00 to 18.30, the dispensary in Dossena, run by the same pharmacy, is open. - D: Which pharmacy is on night duty near Oltre il Colle? R: In Valle Brembana two pharmacies are on 24-hour duty every week. Oltre il Colle's turn is from 2 to 8 October and from 20 to 26 November 2026, from 8 to 14 January, from 26 February to 4 March and from 16 to 22 April 2027; Serina's from 23 to 29 October and from 11 to 17 December 2026. For other days the up-to-date calendar is on federfarma.bergamo.it/turni or in the Farmacia Aperta app. - D: Do you pay extra at the pharmacy at night? R: Yes, for medicines dispensed with the doors closed, from 20.00 to 8.00: the additional call-out fee is 7.50 or 10 euros depending on the type of pharmacy, according to Federfarma Bergamo. It is not charged on National Health Service prescriptions on which the doctor has marked the urgency. - D: Where can I find a pharmacy open on Sunday near Oltre il Colle? R: In the ATS calendar the pharmacies of Oltre il Colle, Serina, Gorno and Ponte Nossa are closed on Sunday: what remains are the duty pharmacies, listed on the Federfarma Bergamo website or in the Farmacia Aperta app. The pharmacy in Oltre il Colle opens on the morning of some public holidays, for example 3 January, 28 March and 25 April 2027. - D: I feel ill at night: should I call the pharmacy? R: The duty pharmacy is for medicines. To see a doctor or get an urgent prescription when your family doctor is closed, call 116117, the out-of-hours medical service; for an emergency call 112. - D: Who owns the pharmacy in Oltre il Colle? R: According to the Ministry of Health's list of pharmacies, since 1 May 2026 the pharmacy at via Roma 272 has been registered to the partnership «Farmacia Viganò dei dottori Passera Francesca e Viganò Tommaso Francesco & C.»; from 2011 to April 2026 it was registered to Dr Francesca Passera. ### Groceries — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/alimentari In Oltre il Colle the grocery shops are small and almost all in the main village, along via Roma and the nearby streets: the A&M Market, Da Parabèl, the Alimentari Tiraboschi in via Perletti, Il Mercatino della Frutta for fruit and vegetables and Il Bere in via Foppa. In the hamlets there is one per village: in Zambla Alta the Alimentari Tiraboschi in via Fezzoli, in Zambla Bassa Da Sofia, in Zorzone the grocery with a tobacco counter where the Baci di Zorzone biscuits are made, which this guide lists under tobacconists. The sources do not always say the same thing. The council's list of shops is the widest but is not up to date, so much so that it still records the Monymarket sign where the A&M Market is today; the Pro Loco's 2026 page has more recent names and phone numbers; only a few shops publish their opening hours. On every page we say where each piece of information comes from, and when something is missing we say so. For meat there is the Macelleria Raieri at via Roma 33, which also sells groceries and on Tuesdays takes orders for fresh fish; the only bakery on the council's list is in Zambla Alta, in via Fezzoli, next to the hamlet's grocery. #### Who is open on Sundays and who delivers Among the grocery shops that publish their hours, the A&M Market on via Roma opens on Sunday morning, from 8 to 12.30. The Zorzone grocery is closed on Sundays, and for the Mercatino della Frutta OpenStreetMap shows no Sunday opening; the other shops publish no hours, so it is best to phone before setting out. In 2026 Da Parabèl and the Macelleria Raieri offer home delivery, in their advertisements in the Pro Loco's summer booklet. In March 2020, during the first lockdown, the CompraVicino list of Ascom Confcommercio Bergamo counted six shops in Oltre il Colle, groceries, a butcher's and a greengrocer, that delivered groceries free of charge to anyone who ordered by phone. #### The Friday market and the summer markets In the Pro Loco's 2026 summer programme the market was held every Friday from 3 July to 28 August, from 9 to 13 in piazza Mons. Belotti, in front of the town hall. In piazza Carrara, from 10 to 18, there were market stalls, including three Sundays with Coldiretti, the farmers' association, on 12 July and on 2 and 16 August, and four Saturdays with the Cascinale Lombardo, on 4 and 25 July and on 8 and 22 August. For the other months the sources give no dates. #### The Alpe Arera parking ticket is sold in the shops If you drive up to the car park at 1,600 metres on the Alpe Arera, above Plassa, you need a ticket before the climb: 4 euros a day for any vehicle, to be left on display. The council says it is sold in the affiliated shops or at the Plassa parking meters, in front of the apartment blocks, but does not publish the list of shops: ask when you do your shopping. The council also sells a 30-euro season pass, valid until the road closes. - A&M Market — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/alimentari/alimentari-am-market-oltre-il-colle, Via Roma 316/320, 24013 Oltre il Colle, tel. 0345 247908, Monday to Saturday 7.30-12.30 and 16.00-19.30; Sunday 8.00-12.30 [checked on 2026-10-01]. A&M Market, the minimarket on via Roma in Oltre il Colle below the Appartamenti Manenti: daily groceries, local cheese, sandwiches for hikes and opening hours. A&M Market is the minimarket at via Roma 316/320, in the centre of the main village, on the provincial road that runs through it. It belongs to what the Manenti family, on its own website, calls «the Manenti world»: it is on the ground floor of the Appartamenti Manenti building, next to the Bar Pasticceria Manenti, and the page the family devotes to it presents it as the go-to shop both for guests and for people who live in the area. According to the same page, the shelves hold the best-known brands alongside a choice of local and artisan products, with particular attention to the typical cheeses of the area; there is also ready-made food and sandwiches meant for people setting off on a hike. It is the place for everyday shopping, from breakfast to dinner, and one of the few shops in the municipality that also open on Sunday morning. On the website the family tells a story that began in 1967 with a hotel and restaurant in a central position, turned over time into today's apartments, pastry café and minimarket. At the same house number the council's list of shops still records the Monymarket sign, the grocery that a young woman from Serina had opened in 2016, as Prima Bergamo recalled in 2022: the sources we read do not explain how one sign became the other. #### What you can buy: everyday groceries, local cheese and sandwiches The shop's page on the Manenti website lists four things: food and basic necessities for the whole day, the main brands, a selection of local specialities centred on the cheeses of the Orobie, and ready-made food with sandwiches to take on an outing. It does not publish a price list or the names of the producers: for a particular cheese or product, ask at the counter or call 0345 247908. Anyone looking for cheese bought directly from the people who make it will also find direct sales by farms and mountain dairies in the municipality, gathered on this guide's page on local produce. #### Opening hours and closing days The hours below are those published on the shop's page, updated by the Manenti family in July 2026. The same page warns that they may change with the season, with the number of visitors and on public holidays, and suggests checking them first or asking in the shop. Among the shops in the municipality whose hours we found published, only this one and the newsagent at via Roma 268 are open on Sunday morning; the Mercatino della Frutta and the Zorzone grocery do not appear to open on Sundays. #### How to get there and where to park The shop is on the SP27, which in the main village is called via Roma, in the central stretch between the church of San Bartolomeo and the Banco BPM branch. If you come by bus, get off at the Oltre il Colle piazza Tiraboschi stop of the Arriva–Bergamo Trasporti line B, about 70 metres away as the crow flies; the line does not run on Sundays and public holidays. By car, OpenStreetMap shows roadside spaces about 45 metres from the shop and a free car park above via Roma, towards the Piazzale degli Alpini, about 135 metres away as the crow flies. #### Nearby: bank, pharmacy, post office and newsagent Around the shop you will find almost everything you need for a few days in the village. Distances are as the crow flies, calculated on the coordinates published in this guide. - Bar Pasticceria Manenti: in the same building - Banco BPM, via Roma 377, with cash machine: about 40 metres - Pro Loco, via Roma 201: about 75 metres - Newsagent and Punto Poste, via Roma 268: about 80 metres - Farmacia Viganò, via Roma 272: about 80 metres - Post office with the Postamat, via Roma 189: about 105 metres - Parish church of San Bartolomeo: about 110 metres #### The other grocery shops in the main village A&M Market is not the only option. On via Roma there are Da Parabèl, opened in 2022, the Macelleria Raieri, which according to its advertisement also sells groceries, and Il Mercatino della Frutta for fruit and vegetables, both about 200 metres away as the crow flies towards the Piazzale degli Alpini. In via Perletti, near the town hall, the council lists the Alimentari Tiraboschi; on the provincial road leaving towards Zambla, at via Foppa 120, there is Il Bere. The only bakery on the council's list is in Zambla Alta. - D: Is the A&M Market in Oltre il Colle open on Sundays? R: Yes, in the morning: the shop's page gives Sunday from 8 to 12.30. From Monday to Saturday it opens from 7.30 to 12.30 and from 16 to 19.30; the hours may change with the season. - D: Where is the A&M Market? R: At via Roma 316/320, in the centre of Oltre il Colle, on the ground floor of the Appartamenti Manenti and next to the Bar Pasticceria Manenti. The piazza Tiraboschi bus stop is about 70 metres away as the crow flies. - D: Does the A&M Market sell local cheese? R: Yes. The shop states that it has a selection of local and artisan products alongside the common brands, with particular attention to the typical cheeses of the area. - D: Can I buy sandwiches for a hike? R: The shop's page mentions ready-made food and sandwiches meant for hikes and walks. If you need them for a group or early in the morning, call 0345 247908 first. - D: What is the A&M Market's phone number? R: 0345 247908, the number published by the Pro Loco and on OpenStreetMap. At the same address the council still gives the old Monymarket number, 0345 95163. - D: Is there a cash machine near the A&M Market? R: Yes: the Banco BPM branch at via Roma 377, which has a cash machine, is about 40 metres away as the crow flies. A second one, the Postamat open 24 hours a day, is at the post office at via Roma 189. - Da Sofia – Alimentari Tiraboschi — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/alimentari/alimentari-da-sofia-tiraboschi-oltre-il-colle (Zambla Bassa), Via Vidali 403, Zambla Bassa, tel. 0345 95248 [checked on 2026-10-01]. Da Sofia, the grocery of Zambla Bassa at via Vidali 403: the hamlet's only shop, phone number, how to get there by car or bus and the nearest other shops. Zambla Bassa has a single shop, and this is it: the grocery at via Vidali 403, the street that runs through the hamlet. The Pro Loco, on its page about the shops of the area, calls it Da Sofia – Alimentari Tiraboschi; the council's list of shops records it as Alimentari Tiraboschi Pierina. The phone number, 0345 95248, is the same in both sources, which is what tells us it is the same shop. Public sources say little more: we found no website, no official social media pages, no advertisement in the Pro Loco's summer booklet and no published opening hours, and the shop is not mapped on OpenStreetMap. It is the typical hamlet grocery that residents rely on; for people on holiday in the houses of Zambla Bassa it is the nearest shop, and before counting on it for your shopping it is worth a phone call. The village is small and compact: the shop is about 200 metres as the crow flies from the parish church of Santa Maria Maddalena. For everything else you have to move: Zambla Alta, with the bakery and another grocery, is about 700 metres away as the crow flies, the centre of the main village about 1.3 kilometres. #### One shop, two names: Da Sofia and Alimentari Tiraboschi Pierina You may find the shop under two names. The Pro Loco calls it Da Sofia and adds Alimentari Tiraboschi; the council, in its list of shops, records it under Alimentari Tiraboschi Pierina, at via Vidali 403. The council's list is not up to date in all its entries: the phone number shared by the two sources is the most reliable piece of information. The surname should not mislead you: in the municipality there are two other groceries with the name Tiraboschi on the sign, one in via Perletti in the main village and one in via Fezzoli in Zambla Alta, as well as the Panificio Tiraboschi Andrea, also in Zambla Alta. They are different shops with different phone numbers. #### Opening hours and phone Neither the council nor the Pro Loco publishes opening hours, and no other source we read gives them. The number to call is 0345 95248, given by both. Use it before relying on the shop for something specific: there are no other shops in the hamlet. #### How to get there and where to stop Zambla Bassa is reached from the SP27 provincial road, at the junction between the main village and Zambla Alta: via Vidali is the local road that leads from the junction into the hamlet and runs through it. Bus travellers have the Arriva–Bergamo Trasporti line B, but the timetable only gives times for piazza Tiraboschi in the main village, the Albergo Miramonti in Zambla Alta and the Passo Zambla: OpenStreetMap shows a stop on the provincial road at the Zambla Bassa junction, about 220 metres from the shop as the crow flies, without a timetable of its own. The line does not run on Sundays and public holidays. In an emergency it helps to know that the nearest public defibrillator is on the outside wall of the parish centre on via Vidali, about 225 metres away as the crow flies, recorded by AREU as available every day at any time; in case of cardiac arrest, call 112 immediately. #### The nearest shops and the services in the main village Distances are as the crow flies, on the coordinates published in this guide. By car the way is longer, because you go round by the provincial road. - Alimentari Tiraboschi and Panificio Tiraboschi Andrea, via Fezzoli in Zambla Alta: about 700 metres - Line B stop Zambla Alta Albergo Miramonti: about 700 metres - A&M Market and the shops on via Roma in the main village: about 1.3 kilometres - Farmacia Viganò, newsagent and Punto Poste, via Roma 268-272: about 1.4 kilometres - D: Is there a shop in Zambla Bassa? R: Yes, one: the Da Sofia – Alimentari Tiraboschi grocery at via Vidali 403, phone 0345 95248. The Pro Loco lists no other businesses in the hamlet. - D: What are the opening hours of the Zambla Bassa grocery? R: They are not published by the council, the Pro Loco or any other source we found. It is best to call 0345 95248 before going. - D: Are Da Sofia and Alimentari Tiraboschi Pierina the same shop? R: Yes: the Pro Loco uses the name Da Sofia, the council Alimentari Tiraboschi Pierina, but the hamlet address and the phone number, 0345 95248, are the same. - D: Can you get to Zambla Bassa by bus? R: Arriva–Bergamo Trasporti line B runs along the provincial road and OpenStreetMap shows a stop at the Zambla Bassa junction, about 220 metres from the shop as the crow flies, but the timetable gives no times for that stop. The bus does not run on Sundays and public holidays. - D: Where are the nearest bakery and pharmacy to Zambla Bassa? R: The bakery is in Zambla Alta, in via Fezzoli, about 700 metres away as the crow flies; the Farmacia Viganò is in the main village, at via Roma 272, about 1.4 kilometres away as the crow flies. - Alimentari Tiraboschi — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/alimentari/alimentari-tiraboschi-zambla-alta-oltre-il-colle (Zambla Alta), Via Fezzoli 112, Zambla Alta, tel. 0345 95043 [checked on 2026-10-01]. Alimentari Tiraboschi in Zambla Alta, at via Fezzoli 112 next to the bakery: phone, the Mini market in the 2026 booklet, bus, parking and what is nearby. Zambla Alta, the hamlet with the most hotels, restaurants and campsites, has a grocery at via Fezzoli 112, the street that leads from the provincial road into the centre of the village. The council records it in its list of shops as Alimentari Tiraboschi Valerio, with the landline 0345 95043; the Pro Loco lists it as Alimentari Tiraboschi, without a phone number, and it is the only grocery the Pro Loco gives for Zambla Alta. The shop is about ten metres as the crow flies from the Panificio Tiraboschi Andrea: if you are staying in Zambla Alta you find bread and groceries practically in the same spot, about a hundred metres from the Albergo Miramonti bus stop. In March 2020, during the first lockdown, the Alimentari Tiraboschi Valerio of Zambla Alta appeared in the CompraVicino list of Ascom Confcommercio Bergamo, among the shops that delivered groceries free of charge to anyone who ordered by phone. One point needs clarifying. The Pro Loco's summer 2026 booklet carries an advertisement for a «Mini market Zambla Alta» in via Fezzoli, with the mobile number 379 1808661. None of the sources we read says whether this is the same shop under a new sign or a different business: if you call either number you can ask, and we will update this page as soon as we have written confirmation. #### The Mini market Zambla Alta in the 2026 booklet The advertisement is on page 14 of the PDF of the Pro Loco's summer booklet: a box with the words «Mini market Zambla Alta», the street name, via Fezzoli, and the mobile number 379 1808661, with no house number and no opening hours. On the Pro Loco's page about the shops of the area, on the other hand, Zambla Alta has a single grocery, the Tiraboschi, and the council's list has the Alimentari Tiraboschi Valerio at number 112 of the same street. The two may or may not be the same: the sources do not say, and we found no news of openings or changes of management in Zambla Alta. That is why we give the minimarket's number here, as the advertisement publishes it, but do not list it among the shop's official contacts. #### Opening hours and phone Opening hours are not published: the council, the Pro Loco and OpenStreetMap, where the shop is not mapped, do not give them. The number in the council's list and in the 2020 Ascom list is 0345 95043; the Pro Loco gives none. Before making a special trip it is worth calling, especially out of season. #### How to get there and where to park Via Fezzoli is a local road that leaves the SP27 provincial road, here called via Prealpina, and runs through the centre of Zambla Alta. With Arriva–Bergamo Trasporti line B, get off at the Zambla Alta Albergo Miramonti stop, about 100 metres away as the crow flies; the bus does not run on Sundays and public holidays. OpenStreetMap shows three small car parks in the centre of the hamlet, between 105 and 130 metres from the shop as the crow flies. #### Nearby: bread, tobacco, restaurants and rentals Distances are as the crow flies, calculated on the coordinates published in this guide. - Panificio Tiraboschi Andrea, with the public defibrillator on its outside wall: about 10 metres - Line B stop Zambla Alta Albergo Miramonti: about 100 metres - Ristorante Miramonti: about 105 metres - Church of Santa Maria Immacolata: about 115 metres - Tobacco shop no. 4, via Fezzoli 103, the same house number as the Bar Alpino in the council's list - Ristorante Pizzeria Quattro Cime: about 200 metres - Edo Sport, clothing and equipment hire: about 450 metres - Colle di Zambla, start of the paths up the Alben: about 790 metres - D: Is there a grocery shop in Zambla Alta? R: Yes: the Alimentari Tiraboschi at via Fezzoli 112, which the council records as Alimentari Tiraboschi Valerio, phone 0345 95043. About ten metres away is the Panificio Tiraboschi Andrea. - D: What are the opening hours of the Zambla Alta grocery? R: They are not published by the council, the Pro Loco or OpenStreetMap. It is best to call 0345 95043 before going. - D: Is the Mini market Zambla Alta the same shop? R: We do not know. The «Mini market Zambla Alta» appears in an advertisement in the 2026 Pro Loco booklet, in via Fezzoli with the mobile 379 1808661; none of the sources we read says whether it is the Alimentari Tiraboschi. - D: Where can I buy bread in Zambla Alta? R: At the Panificio Tiraboschi Andrea, in via Fezzoli, about ten metres from the grocery as the crow flies: it is the only bakery in the council's list of shops. - D: Can I buy tobacco in Zambla Alta? R: The register of the Customs and Monopolies Agency lists an active tobacco shop, no. 4, at via Fezzoli 103: at the same house number the council records the Bar Alpino. - D: Where can I park near the Zambla Alta grocery? R: OpenStreetMap shows three small car parks in the centre of the hamlet, between 105 and 130 metres from the shop as the crow flies. The Albergo Miramonti bus stop is about 100 metres away. - Il Mercatino della Frutta — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/alimentari/alimentari-mercatino-della-frutta-oltre-il-colle, Via Roma 56, 24013 Oltre il Colle, tel. 0345 96002, Monday 6.00-12.00; Tuesday to Saturday 6.00-12.00 and 16.00-19.00 [checked on 2026-10-01]. Il Mercatino della Frutta, fruit and vegetables on via Roma in Oltre il Colle since 1996: opens at 6 am, hours, phone, summer markets and how to get there. Il Mercatino della Frutta is the fruit and vegetable shop of the main village, on via Roma, in the western part of the centre between the Piazzale degli Alpini and the butcher's. In the council's list of shops it is the only business in the fruit and vegetables category, and the Pro Loco includes it among the grocery shops of the area. In its advertisement in the Pro Loco's summer 2026 booklet the shop introduces itself in a few words: since 1996, quality fruit and vegetables, the landline 0345 96002 and the address via Roma 56. In March 2020, during the first lockdown, it also appeared in the CompraVicino list of Ascom Confcommercio Bergamo, among the shops that delivered groceries free of charge to anyone who ordered by phone. It opens very early: according to the survey published on OpenStreetMap in August 2026, at 6 in the morning. The sources disagree on the house number: the council and the shop's advertisement say via Roma 56, OpenStreetMap via Roma 6; the position on the map, a few metres from the «via Roma, 60» bus stop, is in any case on the stretch between the Piazzale degli Alpini and the butcher's. #### Opening hours and closing days The hours come from the OpenStreetMap survey of 11 August 2026: the shop does not print them in its advertisement and the Pro Loco does not give them. It is closed on Monday afternoons; for Sundays OpenStreetMap shows no opening. Before counting on a specific purchase, especially on public holidays, it is worth a call to 0345 96002. #### The shop: thirty years of fruit and vegetables on via Roma The shop itself gives its starting date, in the 2026 advertisement: since 1996. None of the sources we read describes the range or the suppliers, and the shop has no website or official social media pages that we could read: to find out what is in season, ask at the counter. It is not the only shop to have sold fruit and vegetables in the village: in 2022 Prima Bergamo, announcing a new ice-cream parlour run by the Bettineschi family, recalled that its premises had for years housed a greengrocer that later closed. In today's council list the Mercatino della Frutta is the only fruit and vegetable shop. #### How to get there and where to park The shop is on the SP27 provincial road, which in the centre is called via Roma. OpenStreetMap shows the «via Roma, 60» bus stop right in front, about 10 metres away as the crow flies; the line B stop with a published timetable is piazza Tiraboschi, about 160 metres away. The bus does not run on Sundays and public holidays. By car, about 75 metres away as the crow flies OpenStreetMap maps a free car park above via Roma, towards the post office; the Piazzale degli Alpini, with the petrol station, is about 35 metres away. #### Nearby Distances are as the crow flies, calculated on the coordinates published in this guide. - Macelleria Raieri, via Roma 33: about 35 metres - Petrol station on the Piazzale degli Alpini: about 35 metres - Alimentari Tiraboschi, via Perletti 25: about 95 metres - Post office with the Postamat, via Roma 189: about 100 metres - Church of San Bartolomeo: about 100 metres - Town hall, piazza Mons. Belotti 212: about 125 metres - Newsagent and Punto Poste, via Roma 268: about 170 metres - A&M Market, via Roma 316/320: about 200 metres #### The Friday market and the summer markets In summer there is another way to buy fruit and vegetables. In the Pro Loco's 2026 programme the market was held every Friday in July and August, from 3 July to 28 August, from 9 to 13 in piazza Mons. Belotti, in front of the town hall; in piazza Carrara, from 10 to 18, there were the market stalls, on three Sundays with Coldiretti, the farmers' association, on 12 July and on 2 and 16 August. For the other months the sources give no dates. - D: What time does the Mercatino della Frutta open? R: At 6 in the morning, according to the hours surveyed on OpenStreetMap: from Tuesday to Saturday from 6 to 12 and from 16 to 19, on Mondays only in the morning. - D: Is the Mercatino della Frutta open on Sundays? R: OpenStreetMap shows no Sunday opening and the shop does not publish its own hours: before going, call 0345 96002. - D: Where is the fruit and vegetable shop in Oltre il Colle? R: On via Roma, in the main village, near the Piazzale degli Alpini and the butcher's. The council and the shop's advertisement give number 56, OpenStreetMap number 6. - D: How long has the Mercatino della Frutta been open? R: Since 1996, as its advertisement in the Pro Loco's summer 2026 booklet says. - D: Is there a weekly market in Oltre il Colle? R: In summer 2026 the Pro Loco's programme listed the market every Friday in July and August, from 9 to 13 in piazza Mons. Belotti. For the other months the sources give no dates. - D: Does the Mercatino della Frutta deliver? R: In March 2020 it appeared among the shops delivering groceries in the Ascom CompraVicino list; today no source mentions it. You can ask on the phone, on 0345 96002. - Alimentari Tiraboschi (capoluogo) — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/alimentari/alimentari-tiraboschi-capoluogo-oltre-il-colle, Via Perletti 25, 24013 Oltre il Colle, tel. 0345 95019 [checked on 2026-10-01]. Alimentari Tiraboschi at via Perletti 25, near the Oltre il Colle town hall: what the sources say, why it is worth calling first and the other groceries nearby. At via Perletti 25, about fifty metres as the crow flies from the town hall, the council's list of shops records the Alimentari Tiraboschi, with the landline 0345 95019. It is one of three grocery shops in the municipality with the same surname on the sign, one in each locality: this one in the main village, the other two in Zambla Alta and Zambla Bassa. In March 2020, during the first lockdown, the same number appeared as «Alimentari Tiraboschi Roberto» in the CompraVicino list of Ascom Confcommercio Bergamo, among the shops that delivered groceries free of charge to anyone who ordered by phone. In more recent sources the shop does not appear: it is not on the Pro Loco's page about the shops of the area, updated in 2026, nor among the advertisements in the summer booklet, and it is not mapped on OpenStreetMap. The council keeps it in its list, which however is not up to date: in the same way it still records the old Monymarket sign on via Roma. We found no news of a closure, but no recent confirmation that it is open either: so the safest thing is to call 0345 95019 before calling in. #### Is it open? What the sources say on 1 October 2026 The sources we checked give an incomplete picture. The council's list and the 2020 Ascom list agree on name, surname and phone number; the 2026 sources, the Pro Loco and its summer guide, do not mention it. Neither the council nor anyone else publishes opening hours. If you need a grocery you can count on in the main village, a few hundred metres away there are shops with hours or contacts updated in 2026, listed below. #### Where it is and how to get there Via Perletti is a local street in the main village that starts next to the town hall in piazza Mons. Belotti; OpenStreetMap marks part of it as one-way. Number 25 is about 55 metres as the crow flies from the town hall and about 60 metres from the Macelleria Raieri, on the provincial road. By bus, the line B stop with a published timetable is piazza Tiraboschi, about 230 metres away as the crow flies; OpenStreetMap shows the «via Roma, 1» stop closer, about 60 metres away. By car there is a mapped parking area near the town hall, about 75 metres away as the crow flies. #### Nearby Distances are as the crow flies, calculated on the coordinates published in this guide. - B&B Casa Dolce Casa: about 40 metres - Town hall and library, piazza Mons. Belotti 212: about 55 metres - Macelleria Raieri, via Roma 33: about 60 metres - Il Mercatino della Frutta: about 95 metres - Petrol station on the Piazzale degli Alpini: about 105 metres - Post office with the Postamat, via Roma 189: about 145 metres - Church of San Bartolomeo: about 170 metres - A&M Market, via Roma 316/320: about 250 metres #### Three Alimentari Tiraboschi: how not to mix them up In the council's list the surname Tiraboschi appears on four signs. To avoid going to the wrong shop, look at the street and the phone number rather than the name. - Alimentari Tiraboschi, main village: via Perletti 25, 0345 95019 - Alimentari Tiraboschi Valerio, Zambla Alta: via Fezzoli 112, 0345 95043 - Alimentari Tiraboschi Pierina, which the Pro Loco calls Da Sofia, Zambla Bassa: via Vidali 403, 0345 95248 - Panificio Tiraboschi Andrea, Zambla Alta: via Fezzoli, 0345 95054 #### The other groceries in the main village On via Roma there are the A&M Market, on the ground floor of the Appartamenti Manenti, which also opens on Sunday morning; Da Parabèl, opened in 2022, with home delivery; the Macelleria Raieri, which also sells groceries; and Il Mercatino della Frutta for fruit and vegetables. On the provincial road leaving towards Zambla, at via Foppa 120, there is Il Bere. - D: Is the Alimentari Tiraboschi in via Perletti still open? R: We have no recent confirmation: the council keeps it in its list, but the Pro Loco's 2026 page does not mention it and we found no published opening hours. Before going, call 0345 95019. - D: Where is the Alimentari Tiraboschi in the main village? R: At via Perletti 25, about 55 metres as the crow flies from the town hall in piazza Mons. Belotti and about 60 metres from the provincial road, near the Macelleria Raieri. - D: What is the phone number? R: 0345 95019, the number in the council's list of shops and in the 2020 Ascom Confcommercio list. - D: What other groceries are there in the main village of Oltre il Colle? R: The A&M Market and Da Parabèl on via Roma, the Macelleria Raieri, which also sells groceries, Il Mercatino della Frutta for fruit and vegetables and Il Bere at via Foppa 120. - D: What is the difference between the three Alimentari Tiraboschi? R: They are different shops in three localities: via Perletti 25 in the main village (0345 95019), via Fezzoli 112 in Zambla Alta (0345 95043) and via Vidali 403 in Zambla Bassa (0345 95248), which the Pro Loco calls Da Sofia. - Da Parabèl — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/alimentari/alimentari-da-parabel-oltre-il-colle, Via Roma 116, 24013 Oltre il Colle, tel. 351 3936177 [checked on 2026-10-01]. Da Parabèl, grocery at via Roma 116 in Oltre il Colle, opened in 2022 in the old shoemaker's workshop: home delivery, phone number and the story behind it. Da Parabèl is the youngest grocery in the main village: it opened on Monday 23 May 2022 on via Roma, in the old centre, near the church and the Pro Loco office according to Prima Bergamo, near the town hall according to Valbrembanaweb. It is run by Simona Parravicini and Rita Manenti. At the opening the family expected autumn and spring, when the holiday homes stand empty, to be difficult months, and said it wanted above all to provide a service to elderly people and residents, as well as to holidaymakers. The name comes from the history of the premises. The shoemaker Aldo Parravicini, Simona's father, known in the village as Parabèl, worked there: Valbrembanaweb places him in the 1960s, Prima Bergamo writes that the workshop stayed open until the 1970s. Then the shop had become a sports shop, which closed in the early 2000s. For the village the opening was news: it was the first grocery to open since 2016, when the Monymarket had opened. In the advertisement published in the Pro Loco's summer 2026 booklet the shop, with an edelweiss in its logo, presents itself as a grocery with home delivery, at via Roma 116, with the mobile number 351 3936177. The same number is on the Pro Loco's page about the shops of the area. #### What you can buy and the home delivery service The 2026 advertisement says two things: groceries and home delivery. There is no list of products, and the sources we read do not describe the range: it is a village grocery, set up to serve people who live in Oltre il Colle all year round and those who spend their holidays there. For home delivery the contact is the mobile 351 3936177. The sources do not say which hamlets are covered or on what terms: ask on the phone, especially if you are staying in Zambla or Zorzone. #### The story: from the shoemaker's workshop to the grocery Three newspapers tell the story of the premises, with some differences in the dates. For decades the shoemaker Aldo Parravicini, the Parabèl, worked there; then the same space became Simona Parravicini's sports shop, which closed, Valbrembanaweb writes, about twenty years before the reopening. In May 2022 the shutters went up again under a name everyone in the village recognised. The opening came after years of closures: Valbrembanaweb recalled that another grocery in the village had closed two years earlier, Prima Bergamo that in the village, in recent years, closures had outnumbered openings. In the same weeks a new pizzeria, La Fonte 2.0, was also announced in the centre. #### Opening hours and contacts Opening hours are not published: the shop's advertisement, the Pro Loco and OpenStreetMap do not give them, and the shop does not appear in the council's list of shops, which was compiled before 2022. The only published contact is the mobile 351 3936177, the same for shopping in store and for deliveries. #### Where it is and how to get there Via Roma is the stretch of the SP27 provincial road that runs through the centre of the main village, and number 116 is in the old centre, near the church of San Bartolomeo, the Pro Loco and the town hall according to the newspapers that reported its opening. We do not give a precise distance because for this house number the mapping sources have no point of their own: the national archive of house numbers gives it the same position as numbers 316 and 320. The Arriva–Bergamo Trasporti line B stop with a published timetable is piazza Tiraboschi, in the centre; the bus does not run on Sundays and public holidays. By car, OpenStreetMap maps a free car park above via Roma, towards the post office. #### Nearby In the centre of the main village, a few hundred metres away, there are the post office with the Postamat at via Roma 189, the Pro Loco at 201, the Farmacia Viganò at 272, the newsagent with the Punto Poste at 268 and the Banco BPM branch with a cash machine at 377. For other shopping there are the A&M Market, the Macelleria Raieri and Il Mercatino della Frutta, all on via Roma. - D: Does Da Parabèl deliver groceries? R: Yes: the shop's advertisement in the Pro Loco's summer 2026 booklet offers home delivery. Ask on the mobile 351 3936177; the sources do not say how far deliveries go. - D: Where is Da Parabèl? R: At via Roma 116, in the old centre of Oltre il Colle: Prima Bergamo placed it near the church and the Pro Loco, Valbrembanaweb near the town hall. - D: When did Da Parabèl open? R: On Monday 23 May 2022. It was the first grocery to open in the village since 2016, according to Prima Bergamo. - D: Why is it called Da Parabèl? R: Parabèl was the name by which the village knew the shoemaker Aldo Parravicini, Simona's father, who worked in the same premises between the 1960s and the 1970s. - D: Who runs Da Parabèl? R: Simona Parravicini and Rita Manenti, who opened it in 2022, according to Prima Bergamo, La Voce delle Valli and Valbrembanaweb. - D: What are Da Parabèl's opening hours? R: They are not published by the shop, the Pro Loco or on OpenStreetMap. It is best to call 351 3936177. - Il Bere — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/alimentari/alimentari-il-bere-oltre-il-colle, Via Foppa 120, 24013 Oltre il Colle, tel. 328 8693032 [checked on 2026-10-01]. Il Bere, shop at via Foppa 120 in Oltre il Colle on the road to Zambla: phone numbers, what the council and the Pro Loco say, how to get there and what is nearby. Il Bere is at via Foppa 120, the stretch of the SP27 provincial road that leaves the centre of the main village towards Zambla. The council records it among the grocery shops under the name «Il Bere a Oltre il Colle», the Pro Loco puts it in the same section of its page about the shops of the area, and the shop has its own advertisement in the summer 2026 booklet. None of the sources we read describes the range: the advertisement only gives the name, the street and the mobile number. The name evokes drinking, but we found no written confirmation of what it sells, nor any published opening hours, and the shop is not mapped on OpenStreetMap: to find out whether it has what you are looking for, the quickest way is to call. There are two numbers in circulation. The mobile 328 8693032 is the one in the 2026 advertisement and on the Pro Loco's page, and it is the most up to date; the council's list of shops, which in other cases is not up to date, gives the landline 0345 95967. #### Phone, opening hours and range: what is published The table sets out what each source says. None publishes opening hours or a list of products; all agree on the via Foppa address. #### Where it is and how to get there Via Foppa is the continuation of the provincial road beyond the centre, towards Zambla Bassa, Zambla Alta and the Colle di Zambla: if you come from Zambla you reach the shop before entering via Roma. The centre of the main village, with piazza Tiraboschi, is about 430 metres away as the crow flies. By bus, OpenStreetMap shows the «via Roma, 636» stop on the provincial road about 120 metres away as the crow flies, but the line B timetable only gives times for piazza Tiraboschi; the line does not run on Sundays and public holidays. The sources do not say whether the shop has its own parking spaces. #### Nearby Distances are as the crow flies, calculated on the coordinates published in this guide. - Bus stop «via Roma, 636»: about 120 metres - B&B Sotto l'Alben: about 150 metres - Marianna Boutique, via Roma 545/547: about 210 metres - Playground and picnic areas of the main village: about 255 metres - Banco BPM with cash machine, via Roma 377: about 350 metres - A&M Market and Bar Pasticceria Manenti: about 385 metres - Newsagent and pharmacy, via Roma 268-272: about 425 metres #### The other grocery shops in the main village Further towards the centre, on via Roma, there are the A&M Market, which also opens on Sunday morning, Da Parabèl, with home delivery, the Macelleria Raieri, which also sells groceries, and Il Mercatino della Frutta; in via Perletti, near the town hall, the council lists the Alimentari Tiraboschi. If you are heading for the hamlets, Zambla Alta has a grocery and the municipality's only bakery. - D: What is Il Bere's phone number? R: The mobile 328 8693032, published in the shop's 2026 advertisement and by the Pro Loco. The council's list also gives the landline 0345 95967. - D: Where is Il Bere in Oltre il Colle? R: At via Foppa 120, on the SP27 provincial road leaving the centre towards Zambla, about 430 metres as the crow flies from piazza Tiraboschi. - D: What does Il Bere sell? R: The sources do not describe it: the council classifies it among the groceries and the advertisement only gives name, street and phone. To find out whether it has what you need, call 328 8693032. - D: What are Il Bere's opening hours? R: They are not published by the council, the Pro Loco, the shop's advertisement or OpenStreetMap. It is best to call before going. - D: Is there a bus stop near Il Bere? R: OpenStreetMap shows the «via Roma, 636» stop about 120 metres away as the crow flies, but line B only publishes times for piazza Tiraboschi, about 430 metres away. The bus does not run on Sundays and public holidays. ### Bakeries — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/panificio The council's list of shops in Oltre il Colle has a single bakery, the Panificio Tiraboschi Andrea in via Fezzoli, in Zambla Alta, about ten metres as the crow flies from the hamlet's grocery. In the main village, Zambla Bassa and Zorzone the council's list records no bakeries, and the Pro Loco, on its page about the shops of the area, lists none. The sources publish only the bakery's name, address and phone number, 0345 95054, and no opening hours: before making a special trip, it is worth calling. It is an address to know for another reason too: on the outside wall there is a public defibrillator, accessible every day at any time according to the AREU regional register. #### Bread and baked goods in the other hamlets The sources we read do not say which groceries sell fresh bread. In Zorzone the grocery on via Pascusa sells, under the Baci di Zorzone brand, artisan baked goods such as the caramel loaf and the Pagnotta della Val Carnera, as well as biscuits; in the main village the A&M Market offers ready-made food and sandwiches to take on an outing. #### How to get to the Zambla Alta bakery The bakery is in via Fezzoli, the local road that leaves the SP27 provincial road and enters the centre of Zambla Alta. The Zambla Alta Albergo Miramonti stop of the Arriva–Bergamo Trasporti line B is about 105 metres away as the crow flies; the bus does not run on Sundays and public holidays. The sources use two house numbers for the address: the council says via Fezzoli 62, the AREU register of the defibrillator via Fezzoli 102. - Panificio Tiraboschi Andrea — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/panificio/panificio-tiraboschi-oltre-il-colle (Zambla Alta), Via Fezzoli 62, Zambla Alta, tel. 0345 95054 [checked on 2026-10-01]. Panificio Tiraboschi in Zambla Alta, the only bakery in the Oltre il Colle council's list: address, phone, outside defibrillator, bus and what is nearby. The Panificio Tiraboschi Andrea is in Zambla Alta, in via Fezzoli, the street that leads from the provincial road into the centre of the hamlet. It is the only business the council records in the bakery category: in the main village, Zambla Bassa and Zorzone the council's list has no bakeries. Official sources say little about the shop: the council publishes its name, number 62 on via Fezzoli and the landline 0345 95054; the Pro Loco does not mention it on its page about the shops of the area or in its summer 2026 booklet. We found no website or official social media page and no published opening hours: before making a special trip, it is worth calling. The bakery is also a useful point for safety. On the outside wall there is a public defibrillator, recorded in the AREU regional map under the shop's name and available every day, at any time, since February 2025. The register places it at number 102 on via Fezzoli, while the council gives number 62 for the shop: the two sources use two different house numbers for the same spot, and the coordinates on this page are those of the defibrillator. #### The defibrillator on the bakery wall In the defibrillator map of AREU, the regional emergency agency, the device appears as «PAD - panificio Tiraboschi Andrea», located «outside the shop» and available every day from 0 to 24. In case of cardiac arrest, call 112 immediately. The next nearest defibrillators on the AREU map are both about 900 metres away as the crow flies: at the Passo di Zambla, under the portico near the helicopter landing pad, and on the outside wall of the parish centre in Zambla Bassa. #### Opening hours and phone Opening hours are not published: the council, the Pro Loco and OpenStreetMap, where the shop is not mapped, do not give them. The only contact we found is the landline in the council's list, 0345 95054. A phone call is also useful if you want to order bread for a group or for the next day. #### How to get there and where to park Via Fezzoli is a local road that leaves the SP27 provincial road, here called via Prealpina, and runs through the centre of Zambla Alta. With Arriva–Bergamo Trasporti line B, get off at the Zambla Alta Albergo Miramonti stop, about 105 metres away as the crow flies; the bus does not run on Sundays and public holidays. OpenStreetMap shows three small car parks in the centre of the hamlet, the nearest about 95 metres from the bakery as the crow flies. #### Nearby: grocery, tobacco and restaurants Distances are as the crow flies, calculated on the coordinates published in this guide. - Alimentari Tiraboschi, via Fezzoli 112: about 10 metres - Line B stop Zambla Alta Albergo Miramonti: about 105 metres - Ristorante Miramonti: about 110 metres - Church of Santa Maria Immacolata: about 115 metres - Tobacco shop no. 4, via Fezzoli 103, the same house number as the Bar Alpino in the council's list - B&B Atelier della Montagna: about 150 metres - Edo Sport, clothing and rentals: about 440 metres - Colle di Zambla: about 790 metres #### Bread and baked goods in the rest of the municipality The council's list records no other bakeries, and the sources we read do not say which groceries sell fresh bread. In Zorzone the grocery on via Pascusa sells, under the Baci di Zorzone brand, sweet breads such as the caramel loaf and the Pagnotta della Val Carnera, which the online shop presents as artisan baked goods. - D: Is there a bakery in Oltre il Colle? R: Yes, the Panificio Tiraboschi Andrea, in Zambla Alta in via Fezzoli: it is the only business registered as a bakery in the council's list of shops. - D: What are the opening hours of the Zambla Alta bakery? R: They are not published by the council, the Pro Loco or OpenStreetMap. The number to call is 0345 95054. - D: Where is the defibrillator in Zambla Alta? R: On the outside wall of the Tiraboschi bakery, in via Fezzoli, recorded by AREU as available every day, 24 hours a day. In case of cardiac arrest, call 112 immediately. - D: How do I get to the bakery by bus? R: With Arriva–Bergamo Trasporti line B to the Zambla Alta Albergo Miramonti stop, about 105 metres away as the crow flies; the bus does not run on Sundays and public holidays. - D: What is the bakery's exact address? R: The council gives via Fezzoli 62, the AREU register of the outside defibrillator via Fezzoli 102: these are the two house numbers the sources use for the same shop, in the centre of Zambla Alta. ### Butchers — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/macelleria Oltre il Colle has a single butcher's, the Macelleria Raieri at via Roma 33, in the main village, near the Piazzale degli Alpini: it is the only business registered as a butcher in the council's list, and the Pro Loco includes it among the grocery shops of the area. In the hamlets the council's list records no butchers. According to its advertisement in the Pro Loco's summer 2026 booklet, besides meat it sells groceries, on Tuesdays brings fresh fish to order and delivers to your home. If you are staying in Zambla or Zorzone, it is worth asking on the phone, on 345 2916435, whether deliveries reach you. #### Local cured meats and cheese in the hamlets There are no butchers in the hamlets, but something can be found: in Zorzone the grocery on via Pascusa, according to La Voce delle Valli, has local cheese and cured meats as its strong point, and the online shop of the Baci di Zorzone brand lists a cured salami and some cheeses. In the main village the A&M Market states that it has a selection of typical local cheeses. #### Orders and contacts The butcher's does not publish opening hours. The contacts are the mobile 345 2916435, the same in the council's list, on the Pro Loco's page and in the advertisement, and the email address ppaty87@hotmail.it; the advertisement also points to the shop's Facebook and Instagram pages. The Tuesday fish must be ordered in advance: the sources do not say by when. - Macelleria Raieri — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/macelleria/macelleria-raieri-oltre-il-colle, Via Roma 33, 24013 Oltre il Colle, tel. 345 2916435 [checked on 2026-10-01]. Macelleria Raieri at via Roma 33 in Oltre il Colle: meat, groceries, fresh fish on Tuesdays to order and home delivery. Contacts and how to get there. The Macelleria Raieri is the butcher's of the main village, at via Roma 33, on the stretch of the provincial road near the Piazzale degli Alpini. In the council's list of shops it is the only business registered as a butcher, and the Pro Loco includes it among the grocery shops of the area, with the mobile number 345 2916435. The advertisement the shop placed in the Pro Loco's summer 2026 booklet says in three lines what it offers: butcher's and groceries, fresh fish on Tuesdays to order and home deliveries. The same advertisement gives the mobile number, the email address ppaty87@hotmail.it and the Facebook and Instagram symbols. Home deliveries are nothing new: in March 2020, during the first lockdown, the butcher's appeared, with the name spelt Raineri and the same mobile number, in the CompraVicino list of Ascom Confcommercio Bergamo, among the shops in the province that delivered groceries free of charge to anyone who ordered by phone. It is also a reference point for village initiatives: in 2024 the prizes of the Easter Bunny hunt organised by the Pro Loco could be collected at the Pro Loco office or here. #### What you can buy: meat, groceries and fish on Tuesdays The shop's advertisement speaks of a butcher's and of groceries, without a list of cuts, products or prices, and the sources we read say nothing more about the range. The most unusual service is the fresh fish on Tuesdays, which must be ordered: there are no fishmongers in the council's list, and for people staying in the village it is a way to get fish without going down the valley. To book fish, arrange a delivery or ask for a particular cut, the contacts are the mobile 345 2916435, the same one published by the council and the Pro Loco, and the email address in the advertisement. The sources do not say by when the Tuesday fish must be ordered: it is best to ask a few days ahead. #### Opening hours, orders and home delivery The butcher's opening hours are not published: they do not appear in the council's list, on the Pro Loco's page or on OpenStreetMap. The home deliveries mentioned in the advertisement are arranged by phone, and the sources do not say which hamlets are covered or on what terms. If you are staying in an apartment or a B&B in Zambla or Zorzone, where there are no butchers, you can ask on the phone whether deliveries reach you: in the council's list the Macelleria Raieri is the only butcher in Oltre il Colle. #### How to get there and where to park Via Roma 33 is at the western end of the centre, where the provincial road enters the village coming from Serina. The Piazzale degli Alpini, with the petrol station, is about 45 metres away as the crow flies, and OpenStreetMap shows a bus stop, «via Roma, 1», about 25 metres away; the line B stop with a published timetable, piazza Tiraboschi, is about 175 metres away. The bus does not run on Sundays and public holidays. By car, OpenStreetMap maps two parking areas above via Roma, towards the post office, about 70 metres away as the crow flies, one of them marked as free of charge. #### Nearby Distances are as the crow flies, calculated on the coordinates published in this guide. - Serena Acconciature, via Roma 19: a few metres - Il Mercatino della Frutta, fruit and vegetables: about 35 metres - Petrol station on the Piazzale degli Alpini: about 45 metres - Alimentari Tiraboschi, via Perletti 25: about 60 metres - Town hall and library, piazza Mons. Belotti 212: about 95 metres - Post office with the Postamat, via Roma 189: about 100 metres - Church of San Bartolomeo: about 115 metres - Farmacia Viganò and newsagent, via Roma 268-272: about 190 metres #### Meat, cured meats and cheese in the rest of the municipality Outside the main village there are no butchers. In Zorzone the grocery on via Pascusa sells local cheese and cured meats, which La Voce delle Valli described in 2023 as its strong point, and the online shop of the Baci di Zorzone brand also lists a cured salami and some cheeses. In the main village the A&M Market states that it has a selection of typical cheeses alongside everyday groceries. - D: Does the Macelleria Raieri deliver? R: Yes: its advertisement in the Pro Loco's summer 2026 booklet mentions home deliveries, which are arranged on 345 2916435. The sources do not say which areas are covered. - D: Can I buy fresh fish in Oltre il Colle? R: Yes, at the Macelleria Raieri on Tuesdays, to order, according to the shop's advertisement. Book in advance on 345 2916435 or at ppaty87@hotmail.it. - D: Where is the butcher's in Oltre il Colle? R: At via Roma 33, in the main village, about 45 metres as the crow flies from the Piazzale degli Alpini and the petrol station. It is the only butcher in the council's list of shops. - D: What are the Macelleria Raieri's opening hours? R: They are not published by the council, the Pro Loco or on OpenStreetMap. It is best to call 345 2916435 before going. - D: Does the butcher's also sell other groceries? R: Yes: the shop's advertisement says «macelleria» and «vendita alimentari», butcher's and groceries, without a list of products. - D: How do I contact the Macelleria Raieri? R: On the mobile 345 2916435, published by the council, the Pro Loco and the shop's advertisement, or by email at ppaty87@hotmail.it; the advertisement also points to the shop's Facebook and Instagram pages. ### Tobacconists — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/tabacchi In the register of the Customs and Monopolies Agency the municipality of Oltre il Colle has three active tobacco shops, one per locality: no. 1 at via Roma 268 in the main village, which is the village newsagent; no. 3 at via Pascusa 83 in Zorzone, inside the hamlet's only grocery; no. 4 at via Fezzoli 103 in Zambla Alta, the same house number at which the council records the Bar Alpino. On this page you will find the Zorzone grocery with its tobacco counter, home of the Baci di Zorzone; the newsagent on via Roma has its own page among the newsagents. Outside opening hours one detail of the register matters: a vending machine within ten metres of the shop is listed only for the one at via Roma 268. #### The municipality's three tobacco shops The table sums up the ADM register checked on 1 October 2026. All three are ordinary tobacco shops, active and with no closing periods listed. #### Opening hours of the tobacco shops The newsagent at via Roma 268 opens every morning from 7.15 to 12.30 and, from Tuesday to Saturday, also from 15.30 to 19.30, according to Poste Italiane and OpenStreetMap. The Zorzone grocery opens from Monday to Saturday from 8 to 12 and, except on Wednesdays, from 17 to 18.30, and is closed on Sundays, according to its website. For the Zambla Alta tobacco shop the sources publish no hours. - Alimentari Zorzone – Baci di Zorzone — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/tabacchi/tabacchi-alimentari-zorzone-oltre-il-colle (Zorzone), Via Pascusa 83, 24013 Zorzone, Oltre il Colle, tel. 0345 95329, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday 8.00-12.00 and 17.00-18.30; Wednesday 8.00-12.00; Sunday closed [checked on 2026-10-01]. Alimentari Zorzone, the hamlet's only shop, with tobacco: home of the Baci di Zorzone biscuits. Opening hours, products, online shop and how to reach via Pascusa. It is the only shop in Zorzone: a grocery with a tobacco counter at via Pascusa 83, in the heart of the hamlet, run by Samantha Palazzi since 2003. According to the official website her great-grandparents were already in the same trade at the start of the twentieth century, and among the family photos there is one from 1955 showing the village «Rivendita di Sali e Tabacchi», the salt and tobacco shop. Prima Bergamo reported in 2026 that she opened it when the last grocery in the village had closed, with her parents' help. Since 2023, the year of the shop's twentieth anniversary, it has also been the home of the Baci di Zorzone: artisan biscuits made with almond flour and chocolate that Samantha Palazzi devised with the biscuits her grandmother Emma used to bake in mind, and which are made by pastry shops and bakeries in the valley. Thanks to videos in Bergamasque dialect posted on social media they have become the symbol of the hamlet, so much so that on 22 August 2026 Zorzone held the first Baci festival. For anyone passing through Zorzone, though, it is first of all the village grocery, where residents buy local cheese and cured meats, which La Voce delle Valli described in 2023 as the strong point of the counter. The shop also sells online, from its own website, and can be reached by car or with the S50e shuttle bus that comes up from the main village. #### What you can buy: groceries, tobacco and Baci di Zorzone products The counter is that of a mountain grocery, with local cheese and cured meats and the tobacco counter, no. 3 in the municipality in the register of the Customs and Monopolies Agency. Alongside it there is the range sold under the Baci di Zorzone brand, which according to the website now includes biscuits, rediscovered recipes from 1926-27, jams, chutneys, spreads, baked goods, teas and herbal teas, gift boxes and a liqueur. On 1 October 2026 the online shop listed 35 products. Among the rediscovered recipes are the Cavrec de Zurzu', walnut biscuits from a 1927 recipe, and the Stelle Alpine del Menna, made with cornmeal, butter and Zorzone honey, from a notebook dating from 1926: according to La Voce delle Valli, the recipes were found by Samantha's husband in an old shopping notebook from the 1920s left in the shop. There are also jams with dialect names, Marmelada de Bignaga, de Fregu' and de Persèc, that is apricot, strawberry and peach, the Zorzonella hazelnut spread and the Baciottella, a caciotta-type cheese made from raw milk. #### The story of the Baci di Zorzone The biscuit was born in 2023, for the shop's twentieth anniversary. Samantha Palazzi, who worked as a nursery-school teacher before opening the grocery, wanted a biscuit to celebrate her customers, inspired by the ones her grandmother Emma used to bake at home and give to anyone passing by or coming home from work. The sources do not agree on the recipe: the online shop presents the classic Baci as born «from grandmother Emma's original recipe», while Samantha told BergamoNews that she never found it and created a new one, in the same spirit, with a pastry chef from the valley. Valbrembanaweb describes them as inspired by the Baci di Alassio. Success came through social media. The videos filmed in the village, in Bergamasque dialect, also made the rest of the larder known, such as boiled potatoes with Baciottella, and on Monday evenings the profile hosts a live broadcast with a guest, a well-known personality or a figure from the village; in May 2026 BergamoNews counted more than 14,000 followers on Instagram. In January 2025 a challenge launched on social media gave birth to the fifth Bacio: the winning recipe, announced on 17 February, was to be made by the Pasticceria La Sirena in Serina, whose pastry chefs sat on the jury, and it is now in the online shop; for Easter 2024 came the Cavret duls de Zurzu', a cake shaped like a young goat, the dialect nickname of Zorzone's inhabitants, sold to order. On 22 August 2026 the hamlet hosted the first Sagra dei Baci di Zorzone, organised with the Pro Loco, the Alpini and Fanti veterans' groups and the sports club; the programme included a photo exhibition in the shop on the people of Zorzone past and present and, outside the window, a large heart for souvenir photos and lovers' padlocks. #### Opening hours and closing days The hours are those published on the official website. The shop is closed on Sundays and on Wednesday afternoons; on the other days it takes a long midday break and reopens at 17. For orders, the liqueur and gift boxes the website asks you to write or call: the mobile 333 7209649 also answers on WhatsApp, the landline is 0345 95329. #### Buying from afar: online shop, gifts and resellers From the website you can buy biscuits, jams, teas, the liqueur, boxes and the book; the clothing line with the Baci di Zorzone logo, made up of T-shirts, polo shirts and sweatshirts, and the liqueur can also be ordered by writing or calling. The website offers gift boxes to companies and is looking for bars and shops that want to become resellers. If you come to the village you will find the products right at the counter. In 2023 La Voce delle Valli reported that the biscuits had already been sent as far as Switzerland, and in 2024 the Easter Cavret reached Frankfurt. #### How to get to Zorzone and where to park Zorzone is reached from the main village along the municipal road of via Capriana, which starts in the centre near the Piazzale degli Alpini. Without a car there is the Arriva–Bergamo Trasporti S50e shuttle, which climbs from piazza Tiraboschi in a quarter of an hour to contrada Santi, via Gasparelli and piazza Caduti del Lavoro, from Monday to Saturday only. By car, OpenStreetMap shows two car parks less than 300 metres from the shop as the crow flies. The Museo dei Minerali e della Miniera is a few dozen metres away: the AREU register places the defibrillator at the museum entrance on the same via Pascusa, about 70 metres from the shop. - D: Where can I buy Baci di Zorzone? R: In the Zorzone grocery at via Pascusa 83, where they were born, and in the online shop on bacidizorzone.it. The website is also looking for bars and shops that want to become resellers. - D: What are Baci di Zorzone? R: Artisan biscuits made with almond flour and chocolate, created in 2023 by Samantha Palazzi for her shop's twentieth anniversary and inspired by her grandmother Emma's biscuits. There are now also pistachio, buckwheat and orange versions and the Quinto Bacio with spelt and coffee chocolate. - D: Is the Zorzone grocery open on Sundays? R: No. From Monday to Saturday it opens from 8 to 12 and, except on Wednesdays, from 17 to 18.30; on Sundays it is closed, according to the hours on the official website. - D: Can I buy cigarettes in Zorzone? R: Yes: the grocery at via Pascusa 83 is also a tobacco shop, no. 3 in the municipality in the register of the Customs and Monopolies Agency. The register does not list a vending machine. - D: How much do Baci di Zorzone cost? R: In the online shop, on 1 October 2026, a pack of classic Baci cost €7.80, like the variants; the Assaggio goloso box with four 100-gram packs cost €17.99. - D: How do I get to Zorzone without a car? R: With the Arriva–Bergamo Trasporti S50e shuttle, which leaves from piazza Tiraboschi in Oltre il Colle and reaches piazza Caduti del Lavoro in about a quarter of an hour, from Monday to Saturday. It does not run on Sundays and public holidays. - D: Can I order the products on WhatsApp? R: Yes: the website gives the mobile 333 7209649 for WhatsApp too, as well as the landline 0345 95329. For the liqueur and the clothing the website asks you to write or call. - D: When is the Sagra dei Baci di Zorzone? R: The first edition was held on Saturday 22 August 2026, with a preview on the 21st: stalls, a visit to the museum, the opening of the orchard, boiled potatoes and Baciottella, lovers' padlocks and music. For future dates, follow the shop's and the Pro Loco's channels. ### Restaurants — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/ristorante There are five restaurants in the municipality, in three different places. In the main village is the Antico Ristorante Drago, on via Roma, the only business in Oltre il Colle on the regional register of historic businesses, run by the same family since 1870. Zambla Alta has three: the Miramonti on the provincial road and, on via Fezzoli, the Quattro Cime and the Neve, less than 200 metres apart. At the Passo di Zambla is Al Trapper, with its picnic park and barbecues. The cooking is that of the Bergamo mountains: the published menus keep returning to casoncelli, Bergamo-style polenta and polenta taragna with mushrooms, melted cheese or game, venison and roe deer, and the valley's cured meats and cheeses. Three of the five also make pizza: the Quattro Cime, the Neve, which serves it in the evening, and Al Trapper, in a wood-fired oven. None of them publishes opening hours. Three have a website, the Quattro Cime and the Neve with menus and prices, Al Trapper with a menu without prices; for the Drago and the Miramonti there are only phone numbers. Call before you drive up, and Al Trapper expressly asks you to book. The entries report what the restaurants themselves, the council, the Pro Loco, the Region and the local press say, with dates, and not review portals. #### Where they are: main village, Zambla Alta and Passo di Zambla You drive up the same road, the SP27 of the Val Serina, which runs through the main village as via Roma and through Zambla Alta as via Prealpina and reaches the Colle di Zambla. As the crow flies the Drago is just under two kilometres from the Miramonti and about two kilometres from the Trapper; in Zambla Alta the Miramonti, the Quattro Cime and the Neve are within 300 metres of one another, and from the Neve to the Trapper it is about 750. The Miramonti faces the «Zambla Alta Albergo Miramonti» bus stop, the Trapper stands next to the Passo Zambla terminus. At the pass, just over the boundary in the municipality of Oneta, there is also the restaurant of the Centro Sportivo Valle, which in its 2026 advertisement offers traditional dishes with polenta. #### What you eat and what you spend Those that publish prices give an idea of the bill. At the Quattro Cime casoncelli cost 9.50 euros, the mixed grill with polenta 19 and a pizza margherita 5; at the Neve, on the July 2026 menus, casoncelli 10 euros, polenta taragna with mushrooms 13 and pizzas from 5 to 10. For Easter and Ferragosto 2026 the Quattro Cime offered set menus at 55 euros for adults, wine included, and at 35 and 25 euros for children. The valley's cheeses and cured meats are the common thread: the Neve uses those of its own farm and sells them at the bar, the Trapper says its cured meats and cheeses are home-produced, and the Quattro Cime puts Branzi and formagella on its pizzas and, on request, prepares polenta cunsada and dishes with wild herbs. #### Opening hours, bookings and getting there without a car None of the five publishes full opening hours; the Drago, on its pages of past years, gave Tuesday as its closing day. Phoning is the surest way, and at Al Trapper a booking is required. Without a car you can come for lunch but not for dinner: Arriva's line B runs Monday to Saturday only, and in the timetable valid from 14 September 2026 to 8 June 2027 the last bus down towards Zogno leaves the Passo Zambla at 16:50 and passes Zambla Alta at 16:52 and piazza Tiraboschi at 17:03. #### Other places to eat For a pizza or a quick meal in the main village there are the Café Carrara and the Bar Pizzeria Cristallo, on the pizzerias page, and the pizza by the slice of the La Fonte ice-cream shop. At the Passo di Zambla the Pro Loco also lists the La Baita bar among its places to eat. Higher up you can eat at the mountain huts, which have their own entries in the Things to do section: the Capanna 2000, on the Arera, announces in its 2026 advertisement that it opens every weekend from September. - Antico Ristorante Drago — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/ristorante/ristorante-drago-oltre-il-colle, Via Roma 520, 24013 Oltre il Colle, tel. 0345 95006 [checked on 2026-10-01]. Antico Ristorante Drago in Oltre il Colle: a historic Lombard restaurant, run by the Maurizio family since 1870, on via Roma. Game, polenta, period furniture. It is the oldest restaurant in the basin and the only business in Oltre il Colle on the regional register of historic and traditional businesses: the Lombardy Region lists it as a historic venue (locale storico), in the restaurant category, under the sign «Ristorante Drago di Maurizio Paolo», trading since 1870 and recognised in 2010. It stands in the main village, along via Roma, the provincial road that runs through the village. It has always been run by the same family: according to the history published by the restaurant, it has passed from father to son for four generations, from Gerolamo Maurizio in 1870 to Paolo, who has run it since 1982, as the advertisement in the Pro Loco's summer 2026 booklet also says. Until 1964, the restaurant wrote in 2002, it was also a hotel. Today's building is a reconstruction: it was demolished in 1996, because two storeys of concrete blocks added in 1954 had undermined its structure, and in the rebuilding the stone fireplace, the stone door frames, the copperware and the antique furniture went back where they had been. It has no working website and no published opening hours: the 2026 advertisement points to the oltreilcolle.com domain, which was not responding on 1 October 2026, and asks guests to book. That it is trading is confirmed by this year's records and news: in February 2026 it was one of the participating venues of the Pro Loco's carnival, and for 24 May the council entrusted it with lunch for the participants in its Ecology Day. #### The history: the same family since 1870 The Drago's dates come from the restaurant itself. On the page it published on the oltreilcolle.com portal, preserved by the Internet Archive from 2006 to 2014, the management is traced generation by generation: Gerolamo Maurizio from 1870 to 1908, then his son Pietro, his grandson Pietro from 1954 to 1981 and from 1982 Paolo. An older version of the page, from 2002, gave 1863 instead as the start of the family's management; the regional register and today's advertisement use 1870, and the advertisement celebrates «1870-2010, 140 years of history». As early as 2006 the restaurant wrote that it had been granted the Region's recognition as a historic business of local importance; in the current register its recognition as a historic venue is dated 2010. In July 2013 L'Eco di Bergamo published the list of the ninety historic shops and venues of the Bergamo area recognised by the Region, including the Ristorante Antico Drago of Oltre il Colle, 1870. The sign is a winged dragon with seven heads. According to the restaurant it appears in a list of weights and measures from 1889 and in the book «Arti minori bergamasche» by the engineer Luigi Angelini, who stayed at the Drago from 1936 to 1938 while working on the parish church of San Bartolomeo and the cemetery. The drawing of a hearth that the restaurant reproduces in its advertisements is signed «L. Angelini 1935». #### The rooms: fireplace, copperware and antique furniture In the restaurant's description there are seventy seats in three small rooms: the Sala del Camino (fireplace room), the Sala delle Stampe (prints room) and the Saletta della Ghiacciaia (ice-house room). The first has the original fireplace, partly in stone, and a collection of 95 pieces of antique copperware; the second the late nineteenth-century prints of Vittorio Emanuele, Cavour and Napoleon, a sideboard in Bergamo walnut from 1760 and a wall cabinet from 1880. The third room is named after the old ice house discovered when the wooden floor was lifted during a restoration partly funded by the Region: it has been left visible under a glass hatch, beneath a stone vault that was brought back to light. Among the furnishings the restaurant also lists walnut tables from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the original walnut and cherry doors with cast-iron knockers shaped like hands, and a telephone from 1907: until 1970, the same page recalls, the village's public telephone was here. #### What's on the menu There is no up-to-date menu online. In 2002 the restaurant named game with polenta as its typical dish, and the last daily menu it put online, in 2013, included casoncelli alla bergamasca, tagliolini with porcini mushrooms, gnocchi with gorgonzola and walnuts, braised beef with polenta, oven-roasted local rabbit, donkey stew with polenta, polenta taragna with sausage and eggs with polenta and cheese; among the starters local salami, herb-cured lard and venison ham, among the cheeses strachì tund and goat's formagella, among the desserts plums in grappa. These are indications from thirteen years ago, not today's menu: dishes and prices should be asked on the phone. The restaurant offers set menus on request, and this year it was chosen for village occasions: it was a participating venue for the Pro Loco's carnival lunch on 14 February 2026 and for the dinner on 21 February, and the council entrusted it with the Ecology Day lunch on 24 May. #### Opening hours, closing day and bookings No source publishes current opening hours. On the restaurant's pages from 2002, 2006 and 2014 the closing day was Tuesday, and in 2002 the Drago said it was open all year round: old information, to be checked before you go up. To book there are the landline 0345 95006 and the mobile 328 2118844, both printed in the 2026 advertisement with the words «bookings welcome»; the landline is the same one given by the council and the Pro Loco. The oltreilcolle.com website named in the advertisement could not be reached on 1 October 2026. #### Where it is: the address and how to get there The address published by the restaurant and recorded by the Region is via Roma 520; the council's list of public premises gives via Roma 256 instead, a number that does not appear in the national register of house numbers for Oltre il Colle, while 520 does. In the same council list, number 520 is assigned to the Pub Aurora: the sources do not make it possible to say whether the two premises share a building or one of them is wrong. The point on the map is the one georeferenced by the Region, in the eastern part of the main village, about 200 metres from piazza Tiraboschi as the crow flies. From the line B stop in piazza Tiraboschi you walk along via Roma. For dinner, though, the bus is no use: the line runs Monday to Saturday only, and in the timetable valid from 14 September 2026 the last bus towards Zogno leaves piazza Tiraboschi at 17:03. By car, the nearest free public car park mapped by OpenStreetMap is towards Piazzale degli Alpini, about 300 metres away as the crow flies. Nearby, about seventy metres away, is the council playground on via Roma; the B&B Drago 48, on via Drago, is about sixty metres away. Among the places in the centre, the Café Carrara is about 200 metres away and the La Fonte ice-cream shop about 230. - D: How old is the Antico Ristorante Drago? R: It dates from 1870 according to the regional register of historic businesses and according to the restaurant, run ever since by the Maurizio family; a 2002 page of the restaurant gave 1863. Until 1964 it was also a hotel. - D: Is the Drago a historic restaurant? R: Yes. The Lombardy Region has entered it on the register of historic and traditional businesses as a historic venue, recognised in 2010; as early as 2006 the restaurant wrote that it had been recognised as a historic business of local importance. - D: What is the Drago's closing day? R: No current timetable is published. On the restaurant's pages from 2002, 2006 and 2014 it was closed on Tuesdays: call 0345 95006 before you go. - D: Do I need to book at the Drago? R: The restaurant asks you to: in its 2026 advertisement it writes «bookings welcome» and gives the landline 0345 95006 and the mobile 328 2118844. - D: What can I eat at the Drago? R: Bergamo mountain cooking: in 2002 its typical dish was game with polenta, and the 2013 daily menu included casoncelli, braised beef and donkey stew with polenta, local rabbit, taragna with sausage and local cheeses. There is no up-to-date menu online. - D: Where is the Drago and what is the correct address? R: On via Roma, in the main village, about 200 metres from piazza Tiraboschi as the crow flies. The restaurant and the Region give number 520, the council's list 256, which however does not exist in the national register of house numbers. - D: How many seats does the Drago have? R: Seventy, in three small rooms (the fireplace, prints and ice-house rooms), according to the restaurant's description; the last online copy of that page dates from 2014. - Ristorante Miramonti — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/ristorante/ristorante-miramonti-oltre-il-colle (Zambla Alta), Via Prealpina 518, Zambla Alta, tel. 0345 95111 [checked on 2026-10-01]. Ristorante Miramonti in Zambla Alta, with a bar, at via Prealpina 518 opposite the bus stop: what is known about it, how to get there and its phone number. Of the three restaurants in Zambla Alta, the Miramonti is the closest to the main village: it stands on the provincial road of the Val Serina, called via Prealpina in the village, at number 518. The council lists it among its public premises as a restaurant, with the phone number 0345 95111; the Pro Loco lists it twice, as a restaurant and as a bar, with the same number, and features it among the three places highlighted on its website's home page. In front of it is the bus stop that bears its name, «Zambla Alta Albergo Miramonti», on Arriva's line B from Zogno. The name of the stop speaks of a hotel, but on the council's list, which also covers hotels and bed and breakfasts, the Miramonti appears only as a restaurant, and the Pro Loco does not include it among the places to stay. We found no official website, nor any menu, prices or opening hours published by the restaurant. To find out whether it is open, what it serves and whether you need to book, you have to phone. #### What we know about the Miramonti The official sources say little, and that little agrees: the name, the address at via Prealpina 518 and the phone number 0345 95111 are the same on the council's list of public premises and on the Pro Loco's pages, which add the bar with the same number. Number 518 has its own point in the national register of house numbers, and that is the one used for the map. Menu, prices, closing days and holiday periods are not published by any of the sources this guide uses. We do not give them, nor what can be read on review portals and automatically compiled listings, which cannot be checked. #### Opening hours and bookings The only published contact is the landline 0345 95111, which serves both the restaurant and the bar. For lunch, dinner or a group, call first and ask about opening days and the menu. #### Getting there: by car, and by the bus that stops outside By car you drive up from the main village along the SP27: the Miramonti is about two kilometres from piazza Tiraboschi as the crow flies and 700 metres from the Colle di Zambla. OpenStreetMap maps a car park about a hundred metres away and two more between 150 and 180 metres away, towards via Fezzoli. The Zambla Alta Albergo Miramonti stop is about fifteen metres away. In the timetable valid from 14 September 2026 to 8 June 2027 line B buses arrive here from Zogno between 9:18 and 20:18 and leave down the valley between 5:32 and 16:52; they run Monday to Saturday only, and anyone coming from Bergamo always changes at Zogno. By bus you can come for lunch, not for dinner. #### Nearby in Zambla Alta Within a few hundred metres on foot are the hamlet's other two restaurants, the Quattro Cime and the Neve, both on via Fezzoli less than 300 metres away as the crow flies; the Tiraboschi grocery is about a hundred metres away, the church of Santa Maria Immacolata about 200 and the Edo Sport shop and rental, on the same via Prealpina, less than 400. At the Colle di Zambla, 700 metres away, are the Al Trapper restaurant and the Parco Avventura Monte Alben; from the pass car park the CAI shows the way to path 501 for Monte Alben, and in winter the dirt road towards Pian della Palla becomes a cross-country ski track. - D: Is the Miramonti in Zambla Alta a hotel? R: The bus stop outside is called «Zambla Alta Albergo Miramonti», but on the council's list of public premises, which also covers hotels and B&Bs, the Miramonti is registered only as a restaurant, and the Pro Loco lists it as a restaurant and bar, not among the places to stay. - D: What are the Ristorante Miramonti's opening hours? R: No source publishes them. To find out whether it is open, call 0345 95111. - D: Does the Miramonti also have a bar? R: Yes: the Pro Loco also lists the Bar Miramonti, in Zambla Alta, with the same number as the restaurant, 0345 95111. - D: How do I get to the Miramonti by bus? R: With Arriva's line B, changing at Zogno if you come from Bergamo: the Zambla Alta Albergo Miramonti stop is right outside. Buses run Monday to Saturday only, and in the 2026-2027 timetable the last one down the valley passes at 16:52. - D: Where can I park at the Miramonti? R: OpenStreetMap maps a car park about a hundred metres from the restaurant and two more between 150 and 180 metres away; at the Colle di Zambla, 700 metres away, is the pass's free public car park. - D: What other restaurants are there in Zambla Alta? R: The Quattro Cime and the Neve, on via Fezzoli, less than 300 metres from the Miramonti; at the Passo di Zambla, a little higher up, is Al Trapper. - Ristorante Pizzeria Quattro Cime — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/ristorante/ristorante-quattro-cime-oltre-il-colle (Zambla Alta), Via Fezzoli 491, Zambla Alta, tel. 0345 95196 [checked on 2026-10-01]. Quattro Cime restaurant and pizzeria in Zambla Alta, run by the Quistini family since 1982: casoncelli, game, grills and pizza, step-free rooms, priced menu. The Quattro Cime opened in June 1982 in Zambla Alta, on via Fezzoli, and has been run ever since by the Quistini family. On its website the restaurant presents its Bergamo and Italian cooking and its search for ingredients that are «local where possible»; the dish it names as its speciality is casoncelli alla bergamasca. It is a restaurant and pizzeria, with two dining rooms and a hall that are also used for celebrations and weddings, large windows and a big panoramic terrace. The website states that the restaurant is equipped for people with disabilities, with architectural barriers removed, and has a large car park outside. The Quattro Cime publishes its menu with prices on its website, and at Easter and on Ferragosto (15 August) it prepares set menus. The same family runs the B&B La Teresa, a few metres away on the same street. Opening hours and closing days are not published: to book there are the landline, the mobile and the email address. #### What's on the menu: dishes and specialities The kitchen menu, updated on the website in mid-July 2026, follows mountain tradition with a few seafood dishes. Starters include a board of Val Serina cured meats and cheeses, carne salata carpaccio and beef tartare; first courses local casoncelli, pappardelle with game ragù, polenta gnocchi with gorgonzola cream, tagliolini with porcini and cream, and the chef's trio. Then game and roasts, venison alla cacciatora, beef braised in red wine, rabbit, pork shank, and the grill, with T-bone and rib steak sold by weight and a mixed grill with polenta, salamella sausage, skewer, ribs, sausage and pork chop. On request the restaurant prepares dishes that are not on the menu, such as local free-range hen, polenta cunsada and dishes with wild herbs. The sides are the valley's own, polenta, polenta taragna and sautéed porcini, and the desserts are home-made. #### The pizzeria The pizzeria page lists twenty-two classic pizzas, from the marinara at 4 euros and the margherita at 5 up to the porcini at 12, and fifteen «sfiziose» (speciality pizzas) using local cheeses: the Montanara with sausage and Branzi cheese, the Parmigiana with aubergine and Branzi, the Taleggio and walnut, the Teresa with local formagella and salami, and the Quattro cime with raw ham, anchovies, olives, capers, mushrooms and artichokes. There are also calzoni, focaccias and the scrocchiarella, single or double, from 10 to 25 euros. The pizzeria page was last updated in July 2025, a year before the kitchen page: pizza prices may have changed. #### Easter, Ferragosto and celebrations For holidays the restaurant publishes a set menu with matching wines included. In 2026 both the Easter and the Ferragosto menus cost 55 euros for adults, 35 for children up to 10 and 25 for the baby menu up to 8, with a starter, pasta or lasagne, a breaded cutlet with chips and a dessert. The Ferragosto menu included ravioli with ricotta and parüc in mountain butter and sage and venison alla cacciatora with wholemeal polenta and Branzi cheese; the Easter menu blueberry risotto with Taleggio cream, home-made casoncelli and roast kid with polenta taragna. For celebration lunches and weddings there are the two dining rooms and the hall, and the website has a gallery devoted to events and weddings. Holiday menus are booked by phone, on 0345 95196 or 348 5687960. #### Opening hours and bookings The website does not publish opening hours or closing days. It has a «Prenota» (book) button and a contact form, and the contacts are the landline 0345 95196, which is also a fax, the mobile 348 5687960 and the address info@quattrocime.it. The restaurant also has a Facebook page and an Instagram profile, ristorante_quattrocime. In February 2026 the Quattro Cime was one of the participating venues of the Pro Loco's carnival, for the pizza evening on Saturday 14 February and for the dinner on Saturday 21. #### Getting there, parking and accessibility The restaurant is at via Fezzoli 491, in Zambla Alta, about 840 metres from the Colle di Zambla as the crow flies and about 260 from the Zambla Alta Albergo Miramonti stop of Arriva's line B, which runs Monday to Saturday only: in the 2026-2027 timetable the last bus down the valley passes at 16:52. Outside is the restaurant's large car park. The website states that the restaurant is equipped for people with disabilities and free of architectural barriers. For children, besides the baby menu on holidays, the B&B La Teresa page mentions a playground a short distance away. The Neve is about 170 metres away, the Miramonti less than 300. #### Staying overnight: the family's B&B La Teresa A few metres from the restaurant, at number 595 on the same street, the Quistini family runs the B&B La Teresa, with three rooms, the Yellow, the Orange and the Peach, a shared lounge with kitchen and parking: the restaurant gives it the «Dove dormire» (where to stay) page on its website. Its full entry is in the Where to stay section of this guide. - D: Does the Quattro Cime serve pizza? R: Yes: the pizzeria page lists twenty-two classic pizzas and fifteen speciality ones, with calzoni, focaccias and scrocchiarelle; the margherita costs 5 euros on the published list. - D: How much does a meal at the Quattro Cime cost? R: From the menu on the website: starters from 8 to 13 euros, first courses from 9 to 11, main courses from 9 to 25, mixed grill 19, desserts 5.50. At Easter and Ferragosto 2026 the set menu cost 55 euros with wine, 35 for children up to 10. - D: What is the Quattro Cime's speciality? R: Casoncelli alla bergamasca, which the website names as the house speciality. On request it also prepares local free-range hen, polenta cunsada and dishes with wild herbs. - D: Is the Quattro Cime wheelchair accessible? R: The website states that the restaurant is equipped for people with disabilities and that architectural barriers have been removed; there is a large car park outside. - D: How much does the Ferragosto or Easter menu cost at the Quattro Cime? R: In 2026 both cost 55 euros for adults, wine included, 35 for children up to 10 and 25 for the baby menu up to 8. Book by phone. - D: What are the Quattro Cime's opening hours? R: The website publishes no opening hours or closing days: ask on 0345 95196 or the mobile 348 5687960, or at info@quattrocime.it. - D: Can I stay overnight near the Quattro Cime? R: Yes: the same family runs the B&B La Teresa, a few metres away at via Fezzoli 595, with three rooms. Above the nearby Neve restaurant there is also the Albergo Neve. - Ristorante Pizzeria Neve — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/ristorante/ristorante-neve-oltre-il-colle (Zambla Alta), Via Fezzoli 663, Zambla Alta, tel. 0345 95275 [checked on 2026-10-01]. Neve restaurant and pizzeria in Zambla Alta, open since 1978: Bergamo cooking with cheese from its own farm, pizza in the evening, celebrations and snow tubing. The Neve is the restaurant and pizzeria of the hotel of the same name in Zambla Alta, on via Fezzoli, and has been welcoming guests since 1978. Its official website presents its typical Bergamo cooking and the produce of its own farm, which is near the restaurant: milk, cheese, butter and cured meats, plus honey and jams produced higher up, at 1,500 metres. The same products are sold at the bar, and during the year the cheesemaker runs guided visits showing how cheese is made. It is a large place, designed for parties and celebrations too: the website mentions a spacious dining room with a panoramic terrace and a car park in front of the entrance. The pages the restaurant published on the oltreilcolle.com portal give an idea of its size: in 2002 two rooms with five hundred seats in all, one for the hotel restaurant and one for the pizzeria; in 2015 three separate rooms with more than three hundred covers and two wood-fired pizza ovens. Above the restaurant are the rooms of the Albergo Neve, under the same management; around it, in winter, the small ski lift with its learners' area, and in summer the snow tubing run on artificial grass. Opening hours and days are not published: call 0345 95275. #### What's on the menu: lunch and dinner The restaurant publishes two menus as PDFs, updated at the end of July 2026. At lunch there are boards of home-produced cured meats and cheeses, a vegetable buffet and first courses such as home-made casoncelli with butter, sage and pancetta, pizzoccheri, porcini risotto, pennette with game sauce, crespelle alla Neve and the house trio. Main courses are dominated by Bergamo-style polenta and polenta taragna, with mushrooms, with zero-kilometre melted cheese or with both, followed by rabbit, pork shank, roast veal, roe deer in salmì, braised venison and stewed wild boar. In the evening come gnocchi alla Neve, with tomato, cream and a «secret ingredient», the grill with rib steak, tagliata of young beef and a mixed grill, a few fish dishes, beef fillet with green pepper or Armagnac, Milanese cutlet, cheeses by the portion, from local formagella to gorgonzola, and the pizzeria. The house trio and the gnocchi alla Neve were already among the «dishes of our own creation» on the 2002 page: they have been on the menu for more than twenty years. #### Pizza: evenings only The pizzeria appears only on the evening menu: the lunch menu published in July 2026 has no pizzas. The list is long, about fifty pizzas and calzoni between 5 and 10 euros, from marinara and margherita to mountain pizzas: the Nostrana with formagella, the Alpina with porcini, chanterelles and honey fungus, the Dolomiti with speck and porcini, the Cinghiale with wild boar ham and the Astrid with pesto, Formai de Mut and raw ham. There are also six scrocchiarelle between 12 and 16 euros, and each extra topping costs one euro. Pizza as an evening dish is nothing new: in 2002 the restaurant wrote that it served it on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings, and every day, lunch included, only during the Christmas and Easter holidays and in July and August. Today's schedule is not published: if you want pizza at lunchtime, ask. #### Cheese, cured meats and the family farm The link with livestock farming is the Neve's most distinctive feature. The website says that the farm, near the restaurant, produces zero-kilometre milk, cheese, butter and cured meats, that honey and jams are produced higher up, at 1,500 metres, and that the animals graze the meadows of the Passo di Zambla. On the menu it shows in the boards of home-produced cheeses and zero-kilometre cured meats and in the polenta with zero-kilometre melted cheese. The products are sold at the restaurant's bar, and during the year the cheesemaker shows in guided visits how cheese is made following the Bergamo tradition; dates and arrangements are not published and should be asked on the phone. In October 2023, Valbrembanaweb reported, part of the episode of Canale 5's Melaverde programme devoted to Oltre il Colle was filmed in the cowshed above the restaurant, with a local farm and its cheesemaking. #### Celebrations, parties and holiday menus For confirmations, first communions, weddings and other parties the restaurant offers its large dining room and the panoramic terrace, with the car park in front of the entrance. For holidays it publishes set menus: for Ferragosto 2026 there were Parma ham, local salami and the house formagella, celery and prawn salad and spelt and chickpea salad, carnaroli risotto with honey and rosemary finished with Taleggio, foiade with porcini, donkey stew with rustic polenta, roast with chips, dessert and coffee; no price was shown on the website. It is also a meeting place for the village. On 28 February 2026 it hosted the annual dinner of the Associazione manifestazioni agricole e zootecniche della Valle Serina, with the prize-giving for the cattle show and the cheese competition; for 21 February the Pro Loco had scheduled the closing party of its carnival there, with a DJ set, and the council entrusted it with lunch for the participants in its Ecology Day on 12 April. #### Winter and summer: ski lift, sledging and snow tubing In 2002 the restaurant wrote that the hotel stands on a small hill called Costa Nebel, which in winter becomes a ski slope. Today's website describes a small ski lift for downhill skiing with the learners' area of the Scuola Sci Oltre il Colle instructors, suitable for first steps, and next to it a sledging field. The lift's status needs checking: on 23 December 2022 L'Eco di Bergamo wrote that in Zambla Alta the learners' area was open but the drag lift closed, and we have found no more recent news. In summer there are a large garden and the snow tubing run, which you ride down on an inflatable ring: the website describes it as artificial grass, the Pro Loco, which lists it among its family experiences, as a run of plastic material with a raised edge. Opening times and prices for the snow tubing are not published. #### Getting there, parking and booking The restaurant is on via Fezzoli, in Zambla Alta, about 170 metres from the Quattro Cime as the crow flies and 690 from the Colle di Zambla. The sources disagree on the address: the website's Contatti page, the council's list for the hotel and Confcommercio Bergamo, which listed it among its member restaurants in 2021, give number 663, which in the national register of house numbers matches the building; the footer of the home page gives 621 and the council's list of public premises, for the restaurant, 681. The car park belongs to the restaurant, in front of the entrance. By public transport the nearest stop is Zambla Alta Albergo Miramonti on Arriva's line B, about 280 metres away as the crow flies, served Monday to Saturday only: in the 2026-2027 timetable the last bus down the valley passes there at 16:52. To book there are the phone number 0345 95275 and the email ristorantenevesnc@gmail.com, given on the Contatti page and in the Pro Loco's 2026 advertisement; the footer of the home page still gives ristoranteneve@alice.it. - D: Does the Neve serve pizza at lunchtime? R: On the menus published at the end of July 2026 the pizzeria appears only on the evening one; the lunch menu has no pizzas. For an exception, ask on 0345 95275. - D: How much does a meal at the Neve cost? R: From the July 2026 menus: boards 8 euros, casoncelli 10, polenta taragna with mushrooms 13, roe deer and venison 12, mixed meat grill 18, pizzas from 5 to 10 euros, desserts 5. Prices may change. - D: Can I buy the Neve's cheese? R: Yes: the website says that the family farm's products, namely cheese, butter, cured meats, honey and jams, are sold at the restaurant's bar. - D: Does the Neve host weddings and celebrations? R: Yes: for confirmations, first communions, weddings and events the restaurant offers its large dining room with the panoramic terrace, and for holidays it publishes set menus such as the Ferragosto one. - D: Is the Neve's ski lift in Zambla Alta open? R: The restaurant's website describes the small ski lift with the learners' area, but in December 2022 L'Eco di Bergamo wrote that the Zambla Alta learners' area was open and the drag lift closed, and there is no more recent news. It is best to phone. - D: What is the Neve's address? R: Via Fezzoli 663, Zambla Alta, according to the website's Contatti page, the council's entry for the hotel and the national register of house numbers. The website also shows 621, and the council's list of public premises gives 681 for the restaurant. - D: How do I book at the Neve? R: By phone on 0345 95275 or by writing to ristorantenevesnc@gmail.com, the address on the Contatti page and in the 2026 advertisement. - D: Can I stay overnight at the Neve? R: Yes: above the restaurant is the Albergo Neve, under the same management, whose rooms all have a terrace; its entry is in the Where to stay section. - Ristorante Pizzeria Al Trapper — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/ristorante/ristorante-al-trapper-oltre-il-colle (Passo di Zambla), Via Colle 41, Passo di Zambla, 24013 Oltre il Colle, tel. 0345 67955 [checked on 2026-10-01]. Al Trapper, restaurant and pizzeria at the Passo di Zambla: Bergamo cooking, wood-fired pizza, a picnic park with barbecues, rooms for up to 200 people. Book. Al Trapper is the bar, restaurant and pizzeria of the Passo di Zambla, the pass between the Val Serina and the Val del Riso, at via Colle 41. The building is made entirely of wood and is surrounded by a large garden with picnic tables and barbecues; the council lists it as a restaurant, pizzeria, grill and picnic park. The cooking is Bergamo-style: home-made casoncelli, game with polenta, porcini «from our woods», grilled meat, cured meats and cheeses that the restaurant says it produces itself, and home-made desserts. The pizza, the website says, is crisp and light and baked in a wood-fired oven. Two banqueting rooms for up to 200 people and, in summer, the panoramic terrace make it a place for celebrations and groups, and the restaurant repeats on every page that «for good organisation a booking is necessary». Opening hours and days are not published. #### What's on the menu: Bergamo cooking, grills and wood-fired pizza The menu published on the website, without prices, includes among the starters Bergamo lard with mountain herbs on warm polenta, home-made salami, a board of home-produced cured meats and cheeses, Parma ham and bresaola with Grana. First courses include home-made casoncelli alla bergamasca, porcini risotto, potato gnocchi with mountain cheese and walnuts, egg tagliatelle with venison salmì, penne all'arrabbiata and strozzapreti with cream and porcini. Almost all the main courses come with polenta, Bergamo-style or taragna as you prefer: local melted cheese, grilled salamella sausage, local porcini, roast veal, beef braised in Barbera, venison morsels, a mixed grill and beef tagliata with herbs, with rocket and Grana or with porcini. Prices and the pizza list are not published: ask when you book. #### The picnic park with barbecues In the garden the restaurant has a large area set up for picnics and grilling, with big tables, plenty of barbecues and a playground; OpenStreetMap maps it as the restaurant's private equipped area, with fire pits, just south of the building. The website also says that the Trapper welcomes groups of children on school trips who want to stop and eat their packed lunch. How to reserve a table with a barbecue, what it costs and what you bring from home is not stated: ask the restaurant. The advertisement in the Pro Loco's summer 2026 booklet lists among its services the grill with a picnic park and tables, the sun terrace and the playground. #### Banquets, celebrations and groups The two banqueting rooms seat up to 200 people, the website says, and the restaurant caters for birthdays, anniversaries and weddings with tailored menus. After lunch guests move into the garden, where the playground is fully fenced. The 2026 advertisement also lists a dance hall and a B&B, about which the website gives no details. The Trapper also takes part in village festivities: in February 2026 it was one of the participating venues for the Pro Loco's carnival pizza evening on Saturday 14 February. #### Booking: why it's needed and how to do it A booking is requested on every page of the website. The contacts are the phone number 0345 67955, the email info@altrapper.com and a WhatsApp button on the website; the Pro Loco's 2026 advertisement adds the mobile 328 4528424 and a second email address, newtrapper@gmail.com. For quotes for celebrations the website has a contact form. Opening hours, closing days and any seasonal closures are not published by any of the sources consulted: call before you go up. #### Getting there and parking at the Passo di Zambla The restaurant stands at the pass, about sixty metres from the Colle di Zambla point as the crow flies. OpenStreetMap maps next to the building a car park reserved for Trapper customers and, about 80 metres away, the pass's free public car park; nearby are a Be Charge charging point with two spaces and a free charging station for electric bikes. Arriva's line B buses terminate at the Passo Zambla, less than a hundred metres away: services run Monday to Saturday only, and in the timetable valid from 14 September 2026 to 8 June 2027 the last one leaves down the valley at 16:50. Opposite the bar and restaurant, the CAI Bergamo notes, there is a toilet for people with disabilities. #### Nearby: trails, cross-country track and adventure park The way to the Alben passes the Trapper: to reach path 501 the CAI Bergamo says to follow via Prealpina from the Colle car park towards the Trapper bar and restaurant, with the cross-country track signs, and then the forest road to the Passo della Crocetta, about a kilometre further south. In winter the dirt road that leads from the Colle, at the Trapper, to Pian della Palla becomes a cross-country ski track: council ordinance no. 33 of 19 November 2025 closed it to traffic from 20 November, until revoked, and entrusted its management to the Sci Club Valserina. About 160 metres away as the crow flies is the Parco Avventura Monte Alben, and from the pass car park the step-free walk to the Conca dell'Alben sets off: both have their own entries in the Things to do section. The Neve and the restaurants of Zambla Alta are below the pass, less than a kilometre away. - D: Do I need to book at Al Trapper? R: Yes: the restaurant writes on every page of its website that «for good organisation a booking is necessary». Book on 0345 67955, the mobile 328 4528424, at info@altrapper.com or with the WhatsApp button on the website. - D: Does Al Trapper serve pizza? R: Yes, baked in a wood-fired oven, the website says; the council and OpenStreetMap also list it as a pizzeria. The pizza list is not published. - D: Can I have a barbecue in the Trapper's park? R: The restaurant's garden has a picnic area with big tables and plenty of barbecues. Conditions, prices and how to reserve the area are not published: ask the restaurant. - D: How many people can Al Trapper seat for a celebration? R: Up to 200 in its two banqueting rooms, according to the website. After the meal there is the garden with the fenced playground. - D: Where can I park for Al Trapper? R: OpenStreetMap maps a customer car park next to the building and, about 80 metres away, the Passo di Zambla's free public car park, near the electric car charging point. - D: Is there an accessible toilet at the Passo di Zambla? R: Yes: the CAI Bergamo notes a toilet for people with disabilities opposite the Trapper bar and restaurant, at the pass car park. - D: Can I get to Al Trapper by bus? R: Arriva's line B terminates at the Passo Zambla, less than a hundred metres away, but only Monday to Saturday, and in the 2026-2027 timetable the last bus down the valley leaves at 16:50: fine for lunch, not for dinner. - D: What are Al Trapper's opening hours? R: No source publishes them. It is best to call 0345 67955 or send a WhatsApp message from the website before going up. ### Pizzerias — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/pizzeria This page lists the two bar-pizzerias of the main village, the Café Carrara and the Bar Pizzeria Cristallo, about forty metres apart on via Roma, near the piazza Tiraboschi bus stop. But in Oltre il Colle you can also eat pizza elsewhere: at the restaurant-pizzerias of Zambla Alta and the Passo di Zambla and, by the slice, at the La Fonte ice-cream shop. Of the two bars, only the Café Carrara publishes opening hours: according to its 2026 advertisement it is open every day from 6 am to midnight, with wood-fired pizza at all hours and home delivery. Of the Cristallo we know that it is a bar and café with outdoor tables; the Pro Loco lists it as a pizzeria, but no menu is published. #### Where to eat pizza in Oltre il Colle Besides the two bar-pizzerias of the main village, pizza is served at five other places, all with an entry in this guide: - Ristorante Pizzeria Quattro Cime, Zambla Alta: twenty-two classic pizzas and fifteen speciality ones, calzoni, focaccias and scrocchiarelle, with prices on its website. - Ristorante Pizzeria Neve, Zambla Alta: about fifty pizzas and calzoni from 5 to 10 euros and six scrocchiarelle, only on the evening menu (July 2026). - Al Trapper, Passo di Zambla: wood-fired pizza; the list is not published. - La Fonte, via Roma: pizza by the slice and to take away, with home delivery. - Bar Pasticceria Manenti, via Roma: its 2026 advertisement also presents it as a bistro and pizzeria, with takeaway service. #### Takeaway and home delivery Home delivery is stated in the 2026 advertisements of the Café Carrara and the La Fonte ice-cream shop; the Bar Pasticceria Manenti mentions a takeaway service. Nobody publishes delivery areas, times or charges: ask when you order. #### Pizza at lunchtime or in the evening At the Neve pizza is an evening dish: on the July 2026 menus it appears only on the evening one, as it did in 2002, when the restaurant served it mainly at weekends. At the Café Carrara, according to its advertisement, it is available at all hours of the day. For the other places the pizzeria hours are not published. For the 2026 carnival the Pro Loco signed up the Bar Carrara, the Quattro Cime, the Neve and the Trapper for the pizza evening on Saturday 14 February. - Bar Pizzeria Cristallo — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/pizzeria/bar-pizzeria-cristallo-oltre-il-colle, Via Roma 229, 24013 Oltre il Colle, tel. 0345 95141 [checked on 2026-10-01]. Bar Cristallo, café and pizzeria at via Roma 229 in Oltre il Colle, next to the piazza Tiraboschi bus stop: outdoor tables, wi-fi and phone number. The Cristallo is one of the bars of the main village, at via Roma 229, on the stretch of the provincial road where the buses stop in piazza Tiraboschi. In its advertisement in the Pro Loco's summer 2026 booklet it presents itself as Bar Cristallo caffetteria; the Pro Loco, in its list of places to eat, calls it a bar and pizzeria, and the council records it among its public premises as a bar. OpenStreetMap maps it with tables indoors and outdoors and with wi-fi. None of the sources consulted publishes a menu, prices or opening hours, and we found no pizza menu: if you are after a pizza, phone and ask on which days and at what times it is served. The bar is in the handiest spot in the village if you arrive without a car or need the Pro Loco, the post office or the pharmacy: everything is within about fifty metres. There is only one contact, the landline 0345 95141, the same for the council, the Pro Loco and the bar's own advertisement. #### Where it is, between the bus stop and the Pro Loco The bar is on the main street of the village, the SP27 of the Val Serina, which here is called via Roma. As the crow flies it is about thirty metres from the piazza Tiraboschi stop of line B and from the Pro Loco office, and about fifty from the parish church of San Bartolomeo, the post office with its Postamat cash machine and the pharmacy. A few steps away OpenStreetMap also maps a drinking fountain and a free charging point for electric bikes. The sources differ slightly on the address: the council and the bar's advertisement give number 229, OpenStreetMap 221. The point on the map is OpenStreetMap's, which matches the position of number 229 in the national register of house numbers. #### Opening hours, pizza and bookings None of the sources consulted publishes the Cristallo's opening hours, closing day or pizza menu. For a table, to find out whether the pizzeria is open or to book for a group, call 0345 95141. If you want a pizza with declared hours, the Café Carrara, about forty metres away, says in its 2026 advertisement that it is open every day with pizza from a wood-fired oven; the La Fonte ice-cream shop, about twenty metres away, sells pizza by the slice and to take away. #### Getting there and parking By public transport it is one of the most convenient bars in the village, because the piazza Tiraboschi stop is a few steps away. Arriva's line B comes up from Zogno, where anyone coming from Bergamo always changes bus, and runs Monday to Saturday only: in the timetable valid from 14 September 2026 to 8 June 2027 buses reach piazza Tiraboschi between 9:07 and 20:07, and the last one down the valley leaves at 17:03. By car: along via Roma OpenStreetMap maps roadside spaces about forty metres away and a free public car park towards Piazzale degli Alpini less than a hundred metres away; a second car park, further north, is about 160 metres away. #### Nearby The Cristallo sits among the other places in the centre: the La Fonte ice-cream shop about twenty metres away, the Café Carrara about forty, the Bar Pasticceria Manenti about sixty. For a sit-down lunch or dinner the nearest restaurant is the Antico Ristorante Drago, also on via Roma, about 200 metres away as the crow flies. - D: Does the Bar Cristallo in Oltre il Colle serve pizza? R: The Pro Loco lists it as a bar and pizzeria, but no source publishes a pizza menu or the pizzeria's hours. It is best to ask on 0345 95141 before going. - D: Does the Bar Cristallo have outdoor tables? R: Yes: OpenStreetMap maps the bar with outdoor as well as indoor tables, and with wi-fi. - D: What are the Bar Cristallo's opening hours? R: They are not published: neither the council, nor the Pro Loco, nor the bar's advertisement gives opening hours or a closing day. The phone number is 0345 95141. - D: Where is the Bar Cristallo in Oltre il Colle? R: At via Roma 229, in the centre of the main village, about thirty metres from the piazza Tiraboschi bus stop and from the Pro Loco office. OpenStreetMap records it at number 221. - D: Where can I park near the Bar Cristallo? R: OpenStreetMap maps spaces along via Roma about forty metres away and a free public car park towards Piazzale degli Alpini less than a hundred metres away. - Café Carrara — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/pizzeria/bar-pizzeria-carrara-oltre-il-colle, Via Roma 264, 24013 Oltre il Colle, tel. 0345 95250, Every day 6.00-24.00 [checked on 2026-10-01]. Café Carrara, bar and pizzeria on via Roma in Oltre il Colle, by the bus stop: open every day from 6 am to midnight, wood-fired pizza and home delivery. The Café Carrara is the bar and pizzeria at via Roma 264, in the centre of the main village, right on the piazza Tiraboschi bus stop. The council lists it among its public premises as Bar Carrara S.n.c. and the Pro Loco as a bar, pizzeria and burger bar; in its advertisement in the summer 2026 booklet it presents itself as Café Carrara, pizzeria and lounge bar, run by the company Babayaga. It is open from breakfast to midnight: according to the advertisement every day from 6 am to midnight, with breakfasts, sandwiches, aperitifs and wood-fired pizza «at all hours of the day», delivered to your home too. OpenStreetMap, where the place appears as Cafè Carrara Pizzeria, records slightly different hours: every day from 6.15 am to 1 am. The advertisement also shows the logos of Sky and DAZN, the platforms that broadcast sport, and the price of an espresso at the counter, one euro. To order a pizza or book a table the number is 0345 95250, the same for the council, the Pro Loco and OpenStreetMap. #### What's on offer: wood-fired pizza, sandwiches and breakfast The 2026 advertisement lists four things: pizza from a wood-fired oven at all hours of the day, sandwiches, breakfasts and aperitifs. For breakfast it names Tre Marie pastries and Trismoka coffee. OpenStreetMap describes the place as a café serving breakfast, cakes, doughnuts and pizza, and the Pro Loco adds burgers. No menu with prices is published: the only declared price is that of an espresso at the counter, one euro in the 2026 advertisement. To find out which pizzas and sandwiches are available, and at what price, ask on the phone. #### Opening hours: open every day According to its own advertisement the Café Carrara is open every day from 6 am to midnight; according to OpenStreetMap from 6.15 am to 1 am. The two sources are different, the business itself and an outside survey: this page gives the hours declared by the business, and for a late visit a call to 0345 95250 settles any doubt. The bar also takes part in village festivities: in the Pro Loco's 2026 carnival it was one of the participating venues for the pizza evening on Saturday 14 February and for the dinner on Saturday 21 February. #### Home delivery Home delivery of pizza is stated in the 2026 advertisement, without times, areas or charges, which you ask about when ordering. In the centre of the village the La Fonte ice-cream shop, about seventy metres away as the crow flies, also delivers pizza and sells it by the slice and to take away. #### Where it is and how to get there The bar is about fifteen metres from the line B stop in piazza Tiraboschi; the newsagent is next door and the pharmacy about ten metres away. Buses come up from Zogno Monday to Saturday only: in the timetable valid from 14 September 2026 to 8 June 2027 they reach piazza Tiraboschi between 9:07 and 20:07, and the last one leaves down the valley at 17:03. By car, OpenStreetMap maps spaces along via Roma about seventy metres away and a free public car park towards Piazzale degli Alpini about 120 metres away. The Bar Pizzeria Cristallo is about forty metres away, the Antico Ristorante Drago about 200. - D: Is the Café Carrara in Oltre il Colle open every day? R: Yes, according to its advertisement in the Pro Loco's 2026 booklet: every day from 6 am to midnight. OpenStreetMap gives every day from 6.15 am to 1 am instead. - D: Can I have pizza for lunch at the Café Carrara? R: The 2026 advertisement promises wood-fired pizza «at all hours of the day». For a group or a specific time it is best to call 0345 95250. - D: Does the Café Carrara deliver pizza? R: Yes, home delivery is stated in the 2026 advertisement. Areas, times and charges are not published: ask on 0345 95250 when you order. - D: Can I have breakfast at the Café Carrara? R: Yes: according to the advertisement it opens at 6 am and lists breakfast among its services, with Tre Marie pastries and Trismoka coffee; an espresso at the counter cost one euro in 2026. - D: Can I watch football at the Café Carrara? R: The bar's advertisement shows the logos of Sky and DAZN, the platforms that broadcast football and other sports. For a particular match it is best to ask. - D: Where is the Café Carrara and where can I park? R: At via Roma 264, on the piazza Tiraboschi bus stop, next to the newsagent. OpenStreetMap maps spaces along via Roma and a free public car park towards Piazzale degli Alpini, about 120 metres away. ### Bars and cafés — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/bar The bars of the basin are in three places: along Via Roma, the provincial road through the main village; in Zambla Alta, between Via Fezzoli and the campsite; and at the Passo di Zambla, where the road crosses over towards the Val del Riso. On this page you will find Bar Pasticceria Manenti and Pub Aurora in the main village, Bar Alpino and Camping Zambla's Piccola Parigi in Zambla Alta, and La Baita at the pass. Other places where you can have a coffee have their page in another category because they mainly serve pizza or meals: Bar Pizzeria Cristallo and Bar Pizzeria Hamburgeria Carrara, which the municipality lists among the bars on Via Roma, are among the pizzerias; the Miramonti restaurant, which the Pro Loco also lists as a bar in Zambla Alta, and Al Trapper at the pass are among the restaurants; the bar of the Centro Sportivo Valle is on the centre's page, among the sports facilities. Opening hours are the weak point of the public information: the municipality's list has a column for the closing day, but it is empty for every venue, and the Pro Loco does not publish hours either. Before relying on a bar for breakfast or a stop after an outing, it is worth phoning. #### Where the bars are: main village, Zambla Alta and Passo di Zambla In the main village the venues are all on Via Roma, a short distance from the piazza Tiraboschi bus stop; in Zambla Alta Bar Alpino is close to the Albergo Miramonti stop and Piccola Parigi is inside the campsite, below the pass; at the Passo di Zambla, besides La Baita, there are the bars of the pass's two restaurants. - Bar Pasticceria Manenti, Via Roma 309: bar, pastry shop and ice-cream parlour, with bistro and pizzeria - Pub Aurora, Via Roma: pub and pizzeria with live music and DJ sets - Bar Alpino, Via Fezzoli 103, Zambla Alta - Bar Piccola Parigi, at Camping Zambla, Zambla Alta: boards and cheeses of their own production - La Baita, Passo di Zambla #### Opening times: what is known and what is not Among the bars on this page the only one that states it is open all year round is Piccola Parigi, together with Camping Zambla. For Pub Aurora only the hours announced at its 2023 reopening are known, Thursday to Sunday evenings and every day in summer; for the others no hours are published in the official sources. In winter and in the shoulder seasons the village is quieter: phone first, especially if you are going up specially. The numbers are on the individual venues' pages. #### In the evening: pub, music and how to get back For an evening out the reference is Pub Aurora, which advertises live music and DJ sets. Anyone not staying in the village, however, has to think about getting back: Arriva's line B runs only from Monday to Saturday and, in the timetable valid from 14 September 2026, the last bus down the valley leaves piazza Tiraboschi at 5.03 pm. - Bar Pasticceria Manenti — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/bar/bar-pasticceria-manenti-oltre-il-colle, Via Roma 309, 24013 Oltre il Colle, tel. 0345 95005 [checked on 2026-10-01]. Bar Pasticceria Manenti on Via Roma in Oltre il Colle: a family-run bar, pastry shop and ice-cream parlour, with tea room, bistro, pizzeria and takeaway. Bar Pasticceria Manenti is at Via Roma 309, on the provincial road that runs through the main village, and it is the only venue the municipality lists among its public premises as a bar and pastry shop. On its Facebook page it describes itself as a welcoming, family-run place in the centre of Oltre il Colle; the Pro Loco lists it among the village's places to eat. In its advertisement in the Pro Loco's summer 2026 booklet the venue describes itself as bar, pastry shop, ice-cream parlour, tea room, bistro and pizzeria, with takeaway. For information and bookings it gives the mobile number 345 8825343, in addition to the landline 0345 95005 that appears in the lists of the municipality and the Pro Loco. The same family rents out holiday flats in the Via Roma building and serves its guests' breakfast at the bar: you will find them on the page Manenti apartments on Via Roma, in the Where to stay section. Opening hours and closing day are not published in the sources we consulted, so before going for a table or a pizza it is worth phoning. #### What you will find: bar, pastries, ice cream and pizza The municipality classifies the venue as a bar and pastry shop, and it is the only entry in its list with that type. The 2026 advertisement widens the offer to ice cream and a tea room, a bistro and a pizzeria, with the option of taking food away. The sources do not publish a menu or prices: which cakes are available, whether pizza is also served at lunchtime and whether you need to book a table are things to ask the venue. #### Contacts, bookings and opening hours The landline is 0345 95005, the same in the lists of the municipality and the Pro Loco; for information and bookings the 2026 advertisement gives the mobile 345 8825343. The Facebook page is the channel where the bar presents itself. Opening hours, closing day and holiday periods appear neither in the municipality's list, whose column for the closing day is left empty, nor on the Pro Loco website. Phone first, especially out of season. #### The pastry shop in the Vallis Serinae brand In July 2024 Valbrembanaweb reported the opening in Serina, on 1 July, of the first shop of Vallis Serinae, the brand that brings together some twenty craftspeople and businesses of the Val Serina: in the building that once housed the Venetian Vicariate, in the old centre, there are objects in wood, iron and ceramics, wines, spirits and pastry products. Among the members the paper listed three pastry shops, Palma il Vecchio, Sirena and Manenti. #### Where it is, how to get there and where to park Number 309 on Via Roma is in the central stretch of the main village. The Oltre il Colle piazza Tiraboschi stop of Arriva's line B, the only stop in the main village with times shown in the line's timetable, is less than 80 metres away as the crow flies according to OpenStreetMap; from Bergamo you must change at Zogno, and buses run only from Monday to Saturday. By car, OpenStreetMap marks roadside spaces about 45 metres away as the crow flies, a free car park about 135 metres away towards Piazzale degli Alpini, and at about 190 metres the square of roughly three thousand square metres that is the largest car park drawn in the main village. #### Nearby The bar is on the stretch of Via Roma where the village's services are concentrated. The distances below are as the crow flies, from the coordinates of the pages on this website. - A&M Market grocery, numbers 316-320: a few metres - Banco BPM branch: about 45 metres - Farmacia Viganò, the pharmacy: about 75 metres - Pro Loco office, Via Roma 201: about 75 metres - Post office: about 105 metres - Parish church of San Bartolomeo: about 110 metres - Town hall and library, piazza Mons. Basilio Belotti: about 235 metres - D: Where is Bar Pasticceria Manenti? R: At Via Roma 309, in the centre of the main village of Oltre il Colle, on the provincial road. The Oltre il Colle piazza Tiraboschi stop of line B is less than 80 metres away as the crow flies. - D: Does the Manenti bar also serve ice cream and pizza? R: Yes, according to the venue's advertisement in the Pro Loco's summer 2026 booklet: besides the bar and pastry shop there are an ice-cream parlour, tea room, bistro and pizzeria, with takeaway. Menu and prices are not published. - D: How do you book at the Manenti pastry shop? R: For information and bookings the venue gives the mobile number 345 8825343; the landline is 0345 95005. - D: What are the opening hours of Bar Pasticceria Manenti? R: They are published neither by the municipality nor by the Pro Loco, nor in the venue's advertisement: it is worth phoning 0345 95005 before you go. - D: Where can you park near the Manenti pastry shop? R: OpenStreetMap marks roadside parking about 45 metres away as the crow flies, a free car park about 135 metres away towards Piazzale degli Alpini and the largest car park in the main village about 190 metres away. - D: Does the Manenti family also rent out flats? R: Yes, in the same building on Via Roma, with breakfast served at the bar: the details are on the page Manenti apartments on Via Roma, in the Where to stay section. - La Baita — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/bar/bar-la-baita-oltre-il-colle (Passo di Zambla), tel. 339 4329245 [checked on 2026-10-01]. La Baita at the Passo di Zambla: a venue the Pro Loco lists among its places to eat, mobile 339 4329245; how to get there, where to park and nearby trails. La Baita is one of the venues at the Passo di Zambla, the 1,264-metre pass between the Val Serina and the Val del Riso: the Pro Loco of Oltre il Colle lists it among the places to eat in the basin, with the mobile number 339 4329245. It is the only information about the venue we found in an official source: it has no website, and neither the Pro Loco nor the municipality publishes an address, opening hours or a menu. It does not appear in the municipality of Oltre il Colle's list of public premises, which at the pass records only the Al Trapper restaurant and pizzeria. The pass lies on the boundary with the municipality of Oneta: OpenStreetMap marks the sign where Oneta begins about thirty metres south of the saddle, on the side where the Centro Sportivo Valle stands. The pass itself, on the other hand, is easy to reach: two bus lines serve it, it has a free public car park, and from here start the trails to Monte Alben, Cima di Grem and the Rifugio Capanna 2000, the barrier-free walk towards the Conca dell'Alben and, in winter, the cross-country ski track. Before driving up specially for La Baita, though, phone: the opening days are not published. #### Where it is and how to contact it The official sources place La Baita at the Passo di Zambla without a street number. The only published contact is the mobile 339 4329245, in the “Where to eat” list on the Pro Loco website; in our searches on 1 October 2026 we did not find a social media page for the venue. To find out whether it is open, what food is served and whether you can book for a group, you have to phone. At the pass there are also the Al Trapper restaurant and pizzeria and the restaurant with bar of the Centro Sportivo Valle, which have their own pages. #### How to get to the Passo di Zambla by car and by bus By car the pass is reached from the Val Brembana by going up the Val Serina on provincial road 27, which runs through Oltre il Colle and Zambla Alta, or from the Val Seriana on provincial road 46, which climbs from Ponte Nossa via Oneta: CAI Bergamo's printable card for route 104 gives 41 kilometres from Bergamo via Albino, Vertova, Ponte Nossa and Oneta. By bus the pass is the terminus of Arriva's line B, from Bergamo with a compulsory change at Zogno: in the timetable valid from 14 September 2026 buses run only from Monday to Saturday and take 13 minutes from piazza Tiraboschi, in the main village, to the pass. From the Val Seriana some runs of line S50bce climb from Ponte Nossa to the Passo Zambla - Deposito SAB stop, also only from Monday to Saturday. #### Where to park and the facilities at the pass OpenStreetMap draws a free public car park of about 680 square metres at the saddle and, next to it, the one reserved for Al Trapper's customers; CAI Bergamo gives the asphalted area by the Centro Sportivo Valle restaurant, about 180 metres from the saddle as the crow flies, as the starting point of its barrier-free routes. In November 2022 La Voce delle Valli reported the completion of the service centre built by the municipality at the Colle di Zambla, in the area used for festivals and where the cross-country tracks start, with changing rooms, toilets and an information point, also intended as the end point of the mountain-bike and e-bike route that climbs from San Giovanni via Dossena and Serina. OpenStreetMap marks at the pass a charging point for electric cars, a free e-bike charging station, a drinking fountain and the Adventure Park's toilets. #### Trails and walks starting from the pass Some of the most popular routes in the basin start from the Passo di Zambla; they are described on the Things to do pages. Times, height gain and lengths below are CAI Bergamo's, one way only. - CAI trail 501 to Monte Alben, 2,019 metres: 2 hours 15 minutes, about 750 metres of ascent and 3.7 kilometres - CAI trail 223 to Cima di Grem, 2,049 metres: 2 hours 40 minutes, about 800 metres of ascent and 6 kilometres - CAI trail 238 to Baita Camplano: 2 hours 10 minutes, about 600 metres of ascent and 6.5 kilometres; for the Rifugio Capanna 2000 the CAI gives 3 hours from the pass - Barrier-free route 104 towards the Conca dell'Alben: 5.6 kilometres according to the CAI, 45 minutes each way and 30 metres of ascent - D: Where is La Baita at the Passo di Zambla? R: At the Passo di Zambla, according to the Pro Loco of Oltre il Colle, which however does not publish an address. The pass lies on the boundary between Oltre il Colle and Oneta, on the road between the Val Serina and the Val del Riso. - D: What is La Baita's phone number? R: The mobile number published by the Pro Loco of Oltre il Colle is 339 4329245. - D: Is La Baita open all year round? R: We do not know: opening days and hours are not published in any official source we found. Phone 339 4329245 before you go up. - D: Where can you park at the Passo di Zambla? R: At the saddle there is a free public car park that OpenStreetMap puts at about 680 square metres; the CAI also gives the asphalted area by the Centro Sportivo Valle, a little further south, as the start of its barrier-free routes. - D: Can you reach the Passo di Zambla by bus? R: Yes, from Monday to Saturday: it is the terminus of Arriva's line B from Bergamo, with a change at Zogno, and some runs of line S50bce climb from Ponte Nossa. On Sundays and public holidays line B does not serve the basin. - D: Which trails start from the Passo di Zambla? R: CAI 501 to Monte Alben, 223 to Cima di Grem and 238 to Baita Camplano and the Rifugio Capanna 2000, plus barrier-free route 104 towards the Conca dell'Alben and, in winter, the cross-country ski track. - Bar Alpino — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/bar/bar-alpino-zambla-alta (Zambla Alta), Via Fezzoli 103, Zambla Alta, 24013 Oltre il Colle, tel. 0345 95055 [checked on 2026-10-01]. Bar Alpino at Via Fezzoli 103 in Zambla Alta: phone 0345 95055, line B bus stop a few steps away, car parks, shops and places to stay around the bar. Bar Alpino is one of the bars of Zambla Alta, the hamlet below the Colle di Zambla. The municipality of Oltre il Colle lists it among its public premises as a bar, at Via Fezzoli 103, with the number 0345 95055; the Pro Loco lists it among the venues of Zambla Alta, without contact details. Apart from name, address and phone, the official sources say nothing else: no opening hours, closing day or services, and the bar has no website. The social media pages with the same name that come up in searches belong to other Alpino bars, in Veneto and Trentino: do not mix them up. Its location, on the other hand, is easy to describe: number 103 is about thirty metres as the crow flies from the Zambla Alta Albergo Miramonti stop of line B, in the part of the hamlet where you also find the Miramonti restaurant, the grocery shop and the bakery. #### Phone, opening hours and services The only published contact is 0345 95055, the landline that appears in the municipality's list; the Pro Loco lists the bar without a phone number. The municipal list has a column for the closing day, but for Bar Alpino, as for the other venues, it is empty. If you are looking for a place to stop before or after an outing, phone to find out whether it is open: in Zambla Alta, within a few hundred metres, there are other bars and restaurants with their own pages in this section. #### How to get there by bus and by car, and where to park The Zambla Alta Albergo Miramonti stop of Arriva's line B is about thirty metres from the bar as the crow flies, according to the position OpenStreetMap gives it. In the timetable valid from 14 September 2026 buses arrive here from Monday to Saturday, with a compulsory change at Zogno for those leaving from Bergamo, and take 11 minutes from piazza Tiraboschi, in the main village; on Sundays and public holidays the line does not serve the basin. By car, Zambla Alta is on provincial road 27, here called Via Prealpina, between the main village and the Colle di Zambla. OpenStreetMap marks three small car parks within 150 metres of the bar as the crow flies: the largest, about 470 square metres, is about 85 metres away. #### Nearby Distances from the bar as the crow flies, calculated from the coordinates of the pages on this website. - Ristorante Miramonti, Via Prealpina 518: about 30 metres - B&B Atelier della Montagna: about 65 metres - Alimentari Tiraboschi grocery, Via Fezzoli 112: about 80 metres - Panificio Tiraboschi bakery: about 85 metres - Ristorante Pizzeria Quattro Cime: about 250 metres - Albergo and Ristorante Pizzeria Neve: about 270 metres - Camping Zambla and the Piccola Parigi bar: about 330 metres - Edo Sport, sporting goods and rental: about 380 metres - Colle di Zambla: about 700 metres - D: Where is Bar Alpino in Zambla Alta? R: At Via Fezzoli 103, in Zambla Alta, about thirty metres as the crow flies from the Albergo Miramonti bus stop. - D: What is Bar Alpino's phone number? R: 0345 95055, the number the municipality of Oltre il Colle records in its list of public premises. - D: What are Bar Alpino's opening hours? R: They are published neither by the municipality nor by the Pro Loco: to find out whether it is open, phone 0345 95055. - D: Can you get to Bar Alpino by bus? R: Yes, with Arriva's line B from Bergamo, changing at Zogno, from Monday to Saturday: the stop is Zambla Alta Albergo Miramonti, 11 minutes after piazza Tiraboschi. - D: Where can you park near Bar Alpino? R: OpenStreetMap marks three small car parks within 150 metres as the crow flies, the largest about 85 metres from the bar. - Bar Piccola Parigi (Camping Zambla) — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/bar/bar-piccola-parigi-zambla-alta (Zambla Alta), Via Santella 370/D, Zambla Alta, 24013 Oltre il Colle, tel. 0345 95092 [checked on 2026-10-01]. Bar Piccola Parigi at Camping Zambla in Zambla Alta: open all year round, boards of cured meats and cheeses, milk and cheese from the family farm. Piccola Parigi is the bar of Camping Zambla, the Tiraboschi family's campsite at Via Santella 370/D in Zambla Alta, below the Colle di Zambla. The municipality lists it among its public premises as a bar and the Pro Loco lists it among the places to eat in the basin, with the campsite's number, 0345 95092. In its advertisement in the Pro Loco's summer 2026 booklet the bar highlights two things: boards of cured meats and cheeses, and the sale of milk and cheese “of our own production”. The same family runs a farm that makes cheeses, formagelle, butter and cured meats; according to the campsite's website you can watch the making every morning and taste the products on the spot. Bar and campsite both say they are open all year round. The bar's opening hours are not published: for a board or to buy cheese it is worth phoning first, on 0345 95092 or the campsite's booking office, 339 2061112. #### What you will find at the bar: boards and farm products Boards of cured meats and cheeses, milk and cheese of their own production for sale: that is what the bar says about itself in its 2026 advertisement. The campsite's website adds that the family farm produces cheeses, formagelle, butter and various cured meats, that the making can be watched every morning and that tasting takes place on site. Neither the website nor the advertisement publishes a price list or a menu: which cheeses are available on a given day, whether milk has to be ordered in advance and whether boards can be prepared for a group are things to ask on the phone. #### Open all year: contacts and opening hours “We are open all year round” is written both in the bar's advertisement and on the campsite's contact page, which gives the numbers 0345 95092 and 339 2061112 and the address info@campingzambla.com. The bar's opening hours are not published. The hours the campsite publishes concern vehicle access, the reception, quiet hours and the booking office: 339 2061112 answers from 9 am to 7 pm in July and August and from 9 am to 6 pm from September to June. The details are on the Camping Zambla page, in the Where to stay section. #### The Tiraboschi family's campsite The campsite, which presents itself with three stars in the 2026 advertisement, lists among its facilities on its website the bar, common rooms, a playground, table tennis, volleyball, a sun terrace and a dance hall, as well as bathrooms with hot water, washing machines, dryers and a chemical toilet disposal point for campers. The family also rents out flats all year round: pitches, flats and rules are on the Camping Zambla page. The bar is also a stop on the village festivities: according to the programme published by La Voce delle Valli, on Saturday 28 December 2024 the Christmas parade “A.A.A. Babbo Natale cercasi” was to leave the Centro Sportivo Valle at 3 pm, pass by Al Trapper and end right at Piccola Parigi. #### How to get there The campsite is about 470 metres as the crow flies from the saddle of the Colle di Zambla. Its website gives 40 kilometres from Bergamo, 80 from Milan and 25 from San Pellegrino Terme, and a stop of the Bergamo-Zambla bus line 300 metres away. According to OpenStreetMap the nearest line B stops are those of Zambla Alta, just over 300 metres away as the crow flies, and the Passo Zambla terminus, just under 500; buses run only from Monday to Saturday, with a change at Zogno for those leaving from Bergamo. #### Nearby The campsite's website lists nearby restaurants and pizzerias, a minimarket, a riding stable, sporting goods and rental shops, a gym, tennis courts, five-a-side football, minigolf, skating and mountain guides. The distances below are as the crow flies, from the coordinates of the pages on this website. - Edo Sport, sporting goods and rental: about 110 metres - Albergo and Ristorante Pizzeria Neve: about 220 metres - Bar Alpino: about 330 metres - Ristorante Miramonti: about 335 metres - Colle di Zambla: about 470 metres - Monte Alben Adventure Park: about 670 metres - D: Is the Camping Zambla bar open all year round? R: Yes, according to the bar's advertisement and the campsite's website, which both state it is open all year. Opening hours are not published: phone 0345 95092. - D: Can you buy the Tiraboschi family's cheeses? R: Yes: in its 2026 advertisement the bar announces the sale of milk and cheese of its own production. The family farm makes cheeses, formagelle, butter and cured meats. - D: Can you see how cheese is made at Camping Zambla? R: The campsite's website says the making of the products can be watched every morning and that tasting takes place on site. It is worth asking the time beforehand. - D: Can you eat at the Piccola Parigi bar? R: The sources mention boards of cured meats and cheeses; a menu of hot dishes is not published. - D: Where is the Piccola Parigi bar? R: At Camping Zambla, Via Santella 370/D in Zambla Alta, about 470 metres as the crow flies from the Colle di Zambla. - D: How do you contact Camping Zambla? R: By phone on 0345 95092 or at the booking office, 339 2061112, or by writing to info@campingzambla.com. - Pub Aurora — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/bar/bar-pub-aurora-oltre-il-colle, Via Roma, 24013 Oltre il Colle, tel. 349 8079007 [checked on 2026-10-01]. Pub Aurora, Oltre il Colle: pub and pizzeria in the historic Aurora hotel, reopened in 2023, with pizza by the metre, live music and DJ sets; phone 349 8079007. Pub Aurora is the main village's pub, on Via Roma, the provincial road that runs through Oltre il Colle. On its Facebook page it presents itself as a historic venue of the village, a place to have fun and spend an evening with friends; on Instagram it promises food, including pizza by the metre, live music and DJ sets. Its story was told by Valbrembanaweb in March 2023: the venue is in the historic Aurora hotel, built at the beginning of the twentieth century; in 1994 Ambrogio Quistini took over the premises and opened the pub, which then went through several managements until it closed in 2017. After five years it was reopened, on Saturday 18 March 2023, by Andrea Ariotti, a pastry chef and for some years a pizza maker, who came from Novara after working abroad as far as Australia. At the time of the reopening the paper described it mainly as a pub but also as a pizzeria, with about 50 seats inside and 30 outside, open from Thursday to Sunday evening until 2 am and every day in summer. This information dates from 2023: for today's days and hours call 349 8079007, the number published by the Pro Loco. #### From the historic Aurora hotel to the pub The name comes from the Aurora hotel, built at the beginning of the twentieth century on the provincial road: according to Valbrembanaweb the venue has always been one of the busiest in the tourist centre of the Val Serina. The pub opened there in 1994 with Ambrogio Quistini, who had taken over the premises; after several managements it closed in 2017. In March 2023, once the renovation was complete, the management passed to Andrea Ariotti, who had known the village since childhood and often came back in summer. The inauguration was set for Saturday 18 March at 5 pm. #### What you will find: pub, pizzeria and pizza by the metre The Instagram profile, “your trusted pub”, puts food first, including pizza by the metre, and music. In 2023 the venue opened mainly as a pub but also as a pizzeria, with a pizza maker as manager, about 50 seats inside and 30 outside. Menu and prices are not published on the official pages we were able to consult. For a table, especially on music nights, it is worth phoning. #### Live music, DJ sets and evenings The evenings are the venue's hallmark. Besides the live music and DJ sets promised on the Instagram profile, La Voce delle Valli announced, for example, an Afro Party Night from 10 pm with Dj Valo on Saturday 21 December 2024 and, on Saturday 8 March 2025, the closing party of Carnevale&Oltre, from 10 pm with Dj Luca. A complete calendar is not published in one place: the evenings appear on the pub's social media profiles and in the events columns of the local press. #### Opening days and hours The only published schedule is the one announced at the 2023 reopening: Thursday to Sunday evenings, until 2 am, and every day in summer. Neither the municipality nor the Pro Loco gives updated hours, so phone 349 8079007 before you go. #### Where it is The pub is on Via Roma, the provincial road through the main village, but the street number is uncertain. The municipality records it at 520; La Voce delle Valli, announcing the December 2024 evening, wrote 623. However, 520 is also the number the Antico Ristorante Drago publishes in its advertisement in the Pro Loco's 2026 booklet and that Regione Lombardia records in its register of historic businesses, while the municipality places the Drago at 256: either the two venues are in the same building or one of the sources is wrong, and those we consulted do not allow us to say which. For this reason we do not mark a precise point on the map. The main village is served by Arriva's line B, only from Monday to Saturday and with a change at Zogno for those leaving from Bergamo, with the Oltre il Colle piazza Tiraboschi stop. For evenings, though, the bus is not enough: in the timetable valid from 14 September 2026 the last bus down the valley leaves piazza Tiraboschi at 5.03 pm, so to get back after the pub you need a car. - D: Where is Pub Aurora in Oltre il Colle? R: On Via Roma, the provincial road through the main village of Oltre il Colle, in the historic Aurora hotel. The street number is uncertain: the municipality writes 520, which is however also the address declared by the Antico Ristorante Drago; La Voce delle Valli gave 623 in December 2024. - D: Which days is Pub Aurora open? R: At the March 2023 reopening the manager announced opening from Thursday to Sunday evening, until 2 am, and every day in summer. Updated hours are not published: call 349 8079007. - D: Can you eat pizza at Pub Aurora? R: Yes: the venue reopened in 2023 as a pub and pizzeria, and its Instagram profile also advertises pizza by the metre. - D: Is there live music at Pub Aurora? R: The Instagram profile promises live music and DJ sets; the local press announced, among others, DJ nights on 21 December 2024 and 8 March 2025. - D: Does Pub Aurora have outdoor seating? R: At the 2023 reopening Valbrembanaweb spoke of about 50 seats inside and 30 outside. - D: How long has Pub Aurora existed? R: The pub opened in 1994 in the historic Aurora hotel, built at the beginning of the twentieth century; closed in 2017, it reopened on 18 March 2023 under new management. ### Ice-cream shops — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/gelateria On the council's list of public premises there is only one ice-cream shop: La Fonte, on via Roma next to the Pro Loco office, which also sells pizza by the slice and to take away. The Pro Loco describes it as an artisan ice-cream shop, and La Fonte takes part in the «Gelaterie di fiducia» campaign of the Gruppo Gelatieri Bergamaschi of Confcommercio Bergamo, in 2025 as in 2026. Ice cream is also available at the Bar Pasticceria Manenti, also on via Roma, which in its 2026 advertisement presents itself as a bar, pastry shop and gelateria. In the hamlets the council's list records no ice-cream shops. #### La Fonte's ice cream and the polenta-and-milk flavour Neither opening hours nor a list of flavours is published: to find out whether it is open, call 0345 95434 or 331 6470269. In summer 2023 La Fonte was one of the shops offering the «polenta e latte» flavour, made with milk, cream and polenta, created by Confcommercio's Bergamo ice-cream makers for Bergamo Brescia Capital of Culture; of the 26 on the list it was the only one in the Val Serina. #### What the Gelaterie di fiducia are It is the annual campaign of the Gruppo Gelatieri Bergamaschi of Confcommercio Bergamo: members get compulsory and professional training, advice and visibility on the association's channels. It is a membership, not a ranking: in 2025 there were 21 member shops across the city and the province, and La Fonte also appears on the 2026 list. - La Fonte — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/gelateria/gelateria-la-fonte-oltre-il-colle, Via Roma 211, 24013 Oltre il Colle, tel. 0345 95434 [checked on 2026-10-01]. La Fonte, artisan ice cream and pizza by the slice on via Roma in Oltre il Colle: takeaway and home delivery, one of Confcommercio's trusted gelaterie. La Fonte is the ice-cream shop of the main village, on via Roma next to the Pro Loco office, and it also sells pizza by the slice and to take away. In the council's list of public premises it is the only business registered as pizza by the slice and ice cream; the Pro Loco describes it as pizza by the slice and to take away plus artisan ice cream, and in its advertisement in the summer 2026 booklet it presents itself as a pizzeria and gelateria, with home delivery. It takes part in the «Gelaterie di fiducia» (trusted ice-cream shops) campaign of the Gruppo Gelatieri Bergamaschi of Confcommercio Bergamo: it is among the 21 member shops of 2025 and on the 2026 list. In summer 2023 it was one of the shops offering the «polenta e latte» flavour, created by Bergamo's ice-cream makers for Bergamo Brescia Capital of Culture. No source publishes opening hours. To order pizza, ask about the flavours of the day or find out whether it is open, there are the landline 0345 95434 and the mobile 331 6470269, both printed in the 2026 advertisement. #### The ice cream: artisan, and the polenta-and-milk flavour The Pro Loco presents La Fonte as an artisan ice-cream shop, and already in 2013 the shop's page on the old oltreilcolle.com portal spoke of home-made ice cream in many flavours. No list of today's flavours is published. In July 2023 the Comitato Gelatieri Bergamaschi of Ascom Confcommercio, with Bergamo milk from Lactis and other partners, created for Bergamo Brescia Capital of Culture a flavour based on milk, cream and polenta, which member shops were to offer until the end of the year. Among the 26 on the list published by La Voce delle Valli and Prima Bergamo was La Fonte, the only one in the Val Serina. #### Pizza by the slice, takeaway and home delivery Next to the ice-cream counter La Fonte sells pizza by the slice and takeaway pizzas. In 2013 the shop published online a list of about forty pizzas, telephone ordering and home delivery between 6 and 8 pm for a small surcharge. The 2026 advertisement confirms home delivery but gives neither times nor charges, and no up-to-date price list is online: ask on the phone. #### The Gelaterie di fiducia of Confcommercio Bergamo The campaign is run every year by the Gruppo Gelatieri Bergamaschi of Confcommercio Bergamo. Members get compulsory and professional training courses, from food safety to intolerances and sales, advice and visibility on the association's channels: it is a membership campaign, not a ranking. In 2025 there were 21 members across the city and the province, and La Fonte was the only one in the Val Serina. In 2026 it appears on the list of participating businesses published on the Gelatieri Bergamaschi website, with the address via Roma 211. #### Where it is and how to get there The house number is 211 in the shop's advertisement and in the Gelatieri Bergamaschi list, 221 in the council's list; the point on the map is that of number 211 in the national register of house numbers. The shop is a few metres from the Pro Loco office, about twenty from the Bar Cristallo and about fifty from the parish church of San Bartolomeo and the piazza Tiraboschi bus stop. By car, OpenStreetMap maps spaces along via Roma about thirty metres away and a free public car park towards Piazzale degli Alpini about seventy metres away. Arriva's line B reaches piazza Tiraboschi Monday to Saturday only. - D: Does La Fonte in Oltre il Colle deliver? R: Yes: the shop's advertisement in the Pro Loco's 2026 booklet states home delivery. Times and charges are not published: ask on 0345 95434 or 331 6470269. - D: Is La Fonte's ice cream artisan? R: The Pro Loco presents it as an artisan ice-cream shop, in 2013 the shop spoke of home-made ice cream, and La Fonte takes part in the «Gelaterie di fiducia» campaign of Confcommercio Bergamo's artisan ice-cream makers. - D: Does La Fonte sell pizza by the slice? R: Yes: the council registers it as pizza by the slice and ice cream, and the Pro Loco lists pizza by the slice and to take away. - D: What is the polenta-and-milk flavour? R: An ice-cream flavour made with milk, cream and polenta, created in 2023 by Confcommercio's Bergamo ice-cream makers for Bergamo Brescia Capital of Culture. La Fonte was one of the shops offering it that year. - D: What are La Fonte's opening hours? R: No source publishes them. To find out whether it is open, call 0345 95434 or the mobile 331 6470269. - D: Are there other ice-cream shops in Oltre il Colle? R: On the council's list La Fonte is the only ice-cream shop. The Bar Pasticceria Manenti, on via Roma, also presents itself as a gelateria in its 2026 advertisement. - D: Where is La Fonte? R: At via Roma 211, next to the Pro Loco office and about fifty metres from the piazza Tiraboschi bus stop. The council records it at number 221. ### Tourist office — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/pro-loco In the village tourist information is provided by the Pro Loco, a volunteer association founded in 1956 with its office at via Roma 201, in the main village, in a building owned by the municipality. The municipality recognises it as the reference body for promoting tourism through an agreement valid until 2028, and entrusts it with the tennis courts in via Capriana. Out of season the office opens only on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning; in summer and on public holidays every day. Contacts are the phone 0345 95541 and the email oltreilcolleproloco@gmail.com; the association's portal is oltreilcolleturismo.it. #### Tourist office: when you will find it open In the quieter months the office opens on Saturday from 15.30 to 18 and on Sunday from 10 to 12. In summer 2026 it was open in June from Friday to Sunday and in July and August every day, in the morning from 9.30 to 12 and in the afternoon. Anyone calling in on a weekday out of season will find it closed: better to phone. #### The portal and the right contacts The oltreilcolleturismo.it portal is owned by the municipality and run by the Pro Loco. It contains the list of accommodation, restaurants, shops and services with contact details, the events calendar, tennis court booking and rental listings. Its footer still shows an email on an old domain that now hosts a site unrelated to the association, and the same old address appears in some external listings: to write, use oltreilcolleproloco@gmail.com. - Pro Loco Oltre il Colle — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/pro-loco/proloco-oltre-il-colle, Via Roma 201, 24013 Oltre il Colle, tel. 0345 95541, Off season: Saturday 15.30-18.00, Sunday 10.00-12.00; June 2026: Friday to Sunday 9.30-12.00 and 15.30-18.00; July and August 2026: every day 9.30-12.00 and 16.00-18.30; On public holidays: every day [checked on 2026-10-01]. Pro Loco of Oltre il Colle: the tourist office at via Roma 201, opening hours, membership card, tennis courts, houses to rent and the year's festivals. The Pro Loco is the volunteer association that acts as the municipality's tourist office. Its desk is at via Roma 201, in the main village; it answers on 0345 95541, publishes the festival programme and runs the oltreilcolleturismo.it portal, with lists of accommodation, restaurants, shops and services. It was founded in 1956, and since 1958 its office has been in the same building, put up that year: today the building belongs to the municipality, which lends it to the association free of charge. It has an agreement with the municipality, approved by the town council on 30 January 2026 and valid until 31 December 2028, which names it as the reference body for promoting tourism and the local area; for 2026 the council executive set a grant of 20,000 euros. Besides the festivals, it runs the two municipal tennis courts in via Capriana and an online board of houses to rent, and in summer 2026 it organised the children's summer camp with the parish of Serina. Out of season the office opens only at weekends, and on 1 October 2026 the website calendar showed no upcoming events: in autumn and winter it is worth phoning or writing before calling in. The right address to write to is oltreilcolleproloco@gmail.com, the one at the top of the website and on the association's forms: the email in the portal's footer uses an old domain that now hosts a site unrelated to the Pro Loco. #### Tourist office opening hours and contacts The association's website gives two schedules. In the quieter months the office opens only at weekends, on Saturday from 15.30 to 18 and on Sunday from 10 to 12; on public holidays and in summer it opens every day. The summer 2026 booklet gives the times: in June from Friday to Sunday, 9.30-12 and 15.30-18, in July and August every day, 9.30-12 and 16-18.30. For June the two sources disagree, as the website speaks of daily opening. Other sources need care too: on 1 October 2026 the Pro Loco's Instagram profile still showed the daily summer hours, and the OpenStreetMap entry adds a Saturday-morning opening that the website does not mention. The reference remains the phone, 0345 95541, or the email oltreilcolleproloco@gmail.com; the association is also on Facebook (proloco.oltreilcolle) and on Instagram (@prolocooltreilcolle). #### What the Pro Loco does: tourist office, events, flats At the desk and on the phone it gives information on paths, accommodation, restaurants and services, takes registrations for many summer events and sells the book «Sentieri di fede. Itinerari alla scoperta delle Santelle di Oltre il Colle», about the small wayside chapels scattered through the woods of the basin. It publishes a booklet with the summer programme: the 2026 edition, out in May under the patronage of the municipality, has 48 pages of calendar, useful numbers, mountain huts and advertisements from local businesses. The oltreilcolleturismo.it portal belongs to the municipality, which commissioned it at the end of 2024, while the Pro Loco runs it and is the data controller, as the council executive decided in May 2026; in the same resolution the municipality notes that, after a privacy check, it asked the developer to fix the links to the municipal website and some data reported incorrectly. The portal also has a Rentals section: on 1 October 2026 it held eleven listings, eight in the main village, one in Zambla Alta and two in Zorzone, from studio flats to a mountain hut, with rooms, beds and the owner's contact details, to be contacted directly. Municipal records document other tasks in recent years: from August to October 2023 the Pro Loco ran the municipal service centre at the Colle di Zambla, from 2022 to October 2024 it had three municipal e-bikes on loan, and between 2021 and 2023 it received one-off grants for the Christmas lights and trees. For the 2024 and 2025 summer camps the municipality passed on to it the funds received from the national government, and in 2026 it organised the summer camp «Bella fra!» with the parish of Serina, from 29 June to 24 July. #### The year's festivals, from Carnival to the Sagra del Balòch The calendar the Pro Loco presents on its website starts in February with Carnevale & Oltre, the parade of floats and masked groups through the village streets: in 2026 it took place on Saturday 14 February, opening a Carnival week that lasted until the 21st. From June to September there is the Estate a Oltre il Colle programme; in July the Festa della Montagna at Pian della Palla, in its fourth edition on 19 July 2026; on 13 August the Sagra del Balòch at the Passo di Zambla, an afternoon of traditional country games with a market of local produce, in its thirteenth edition in 2026. In November the Sagra d'Autunno returns to the centre of the main village, with music, folk groups, market stalls, roast chestnuts and mulled wine; from December to March there are markets and cinema for children. In summer 2026 the booklet named the Pro Loco as the contact for information and registration for many smaller events: the Qi Gong course, the burraco tournaments, the children's market, the «Sbaracco cantine» second-hand market in piazza Carrara, the Marcia dei draghetti and the helicopter service for the Monte Menna festival. There were also two competitions, «Balconi fioriti» (flowering balconies) and «Una montagna di Lego» for children aged 5 to 13, with prizes given on the evening of 16 August during the tombola; the Pro Loco's mid-August tombola already appears in municipal records for the 2023 and 2024 editions. For autumn and winter the booklet refers to the association's website and social profiles: on 1 October 2026 the online calendar did not yet show any events. #### Membership card: cost and benefits The 2026 card costs 25 euros, 10 for under-18s, and is valid for the calendar year: it is renewed every January. You download the form from the website, hand it in at the office or send it by email and pay the fee. According to the booklet it gives reduced rates on the tennis and five-a-side football pitches and the chance to add a flat to the rental listings; the website adds taking part in organising events, agreements and discounts with local businesses and a vote at members' meetings. The membership form gives the office at via Roma 201, the phone number 0345 95541 and the email oltreilcolleproloco@gmail.com; the web address printed on the same form, however, was not responding on 1 October 2026. - Standard card 2026: 25 euros - Junior card, under 18: 10 euros - Validity: calendar year, renewed in January #### Tennis courts: location, prices and booking The agreement with the municipality lets the Pro Loco use, free of charge, the municipal tennis, volleyball and basketball courts in via Capriana, with toilets and changing rooms, in return for cleaning and routine maintenance. There are two tennis courts, with artificial grass, which the website places at the Oltre il Colle sports centre; OpenStreetMap maps them in via Capriana together with a basketball court and a football pitch, about 300 metres as the crow flies from the Pro Loco office. They are used in the summer season, from 9 to 18. In 2026 an hour cost 12 euros, 10 for members. You book with the form on the website, choosing date, court and time slot, but the booking is only valid once the Pro Loco confirms it; for information the number is the office's. #### How to get there and where to park The office is at via Roma 201, the main street of the main village. As the crow flies, according to this guide's coordinates, the post office at via Roma 189 is about thirty metres away, the parish church of San Bartolomeo about fifty and the town hall in piazza Monsignor Belotti about 170. By bus you arrive on Arriva–Bergamo Trasporti line B, changing at Zogno: on the Val Serina section buses run Monday to Saturday and the stop in the main village is piazza Tiraboschi, about sixty metres from the Pro Loco. By car, the nearest free public car park mapped on OpenStreetMap is the one a few steps from the church, about 60 metres away; there are also roadside spaces along via Roma. - D: Where is the Pro Loco of Oltre il Colle? R: At via Roma 201, in the main village, about thirty metres from the post office, in the premises built in 1958 that now belong to the municipality. Phone 0345 95541, email oltreilcolleproloco@gmail.com. - D: When is the Oltre il Colle tourist office open? R: Out of season on Saturday from 15.30 to 18 and on Sunday from 10 to 12. In summer 2026 it was open in June from Friday to Sunday, 9.30-12 and 15.30-18, and in July and August every day, 9.30-12 and 16-18.30; on public holidays it opens every day. - D: What is the correct email address of the Pro Loco of Oltre il Colle? R: oltreilcolleproloco@gmail.com, the address at the top of the website and on the association's forms. The email in the portal's footer uses an old domain that now hosts a site unrelated to the Pro Loco: better not to use it. - D: How much is the Pro Loco membership card in Oltre il Colle? R: In 2026 it costs 25 euros, 10 for under-18s, and is valid for the calendar year. It gives reduced rates on the tennis and five-a-side pitches, the chance to post a rental listing, agreements with local businesses and a vote at the members' meeting. - D: How do you book the tennis courts in Oltre il Colle? R: With the form on the Pro Loco website, choosing date, court and time slot: the booking is valid once the association confirms it. The two artificial-grass courts in via Capriana are used in summer from 9 to 18; in 2026 an hour cost 12 euros, 10 for members. - D: Does the Pro Loco help you find a house to rent in Oltre il Colle? R: Yes, through the Rentals section of the portal: on 1 October 2026 there were eleven listings, eight in the main village, one in Zambla Alta and two in Zorzone, with the owner's contact details, to be reached directly. Anyone with a place to rent can ask the Pro Loco to publish it. - D: Which festivals does the Pro Loco of Oltre il Colle organise? R: Carnevale & Oltre in February, the Estate a Oltre il Colle programme from June to September, the Festa della Montagna at Pian della Palla in July, the Sagra del Balòch on 13 August at the Passo di Zambla, the Sagra d'Autunno in November and, in winter, markets and cinema for children. - D: Does oltreilcolleturismo.it belong to the municipality or to the Pro Loco? R: It is owned by the municipality, which commissioned it; the Pro Loco runs it and is the data controller. This was set out by the council executive in resolution no. 39 of 20 May 2026. ### Town hall and offices — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/comune Here are the services of the council of Oltre il Colle: the town hall at piazza Monsignor Basilio Belotti 212, with offices open from Monday to Friday in the morning and also on Monday and Wednesday afternoons, the municipal library in the same building, open on Tuesday afternoons, and the recycling centre on via Capriana. This guide is independent and is not the council's website: official acts, orders, calls for tender and forms are on comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it, with its online noticeboard. That is also where the orders that matter to visitors are published, such as those on the road to the Alpe Arera or on parking along via Roma. #### What holidaymakers need to know If you spend a few days in a house or a flat, you follow the kerbside collection calendar, with bags out by 6 am on collection day, and take cooking oil and bulky items to the recycling centre. For trips abroad, the council's notice of July 2026 applies: since 3 August 2026 the paper identity card is no longer valid for travel abroad. Parking rules change with the season and are set by orders, summed up on the parking page. For tourist information there is the Pro Loco of Oltre il Colle, at via Roma 201: its listing is in the Pro Loco category. #### Council contacts The switchboard is 0345 95015, the email info@comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it and the certified email comune.oltreilcolle@legalmail.it. Registry, records, secretariat and accounts receive Monday to Friday from 8.00 to 11.30 and on Monday and Wednesday also from 14.00 to 16.00; the technical office on Wednesday from 14.00 to 17.00, by appointment. #### Where to find notices and orders On the council's website the online noticeboard publishes orders, resolutions and decisions with their attachments; the Events and news section gathers communications to residents, from the waste calendar to the TARI waste tax, and the Amministrazione trasparente section gives the office hours. This guide cites its sources with the date they were consulted: for official acts, the council's website is always the reference. - Municipio di Oltre il Colle — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/comune/comune-municipio-oltre-il-colle, Piazza Mons. Basilio Belotti 212, 24013 Oltre il Colle, tel. 0345 95015, Offices: Monday to Friday 8.00-11.30; Monday and Wednesday also 14.00-16.00; Technical office: Wednesday 14.00-17.00, by appointment [checked on 2026-10-01]. Oltre il Colle town hall, piazza Mons. Belotti 212: office hours, phone and certified email, electronic identity card, online certificates and official notices. The town hall of Oltre il Colle is in the main village, at piazza Monsignor Basilio Belotti 212. The same building houses the municipal library and the family doctor's surgery; the municipal civil protection plan lists the town hall car park as one of the assembly areas in an emergency. The offices open to the public, registry, records, secretariat and accounts, receive Monday to Friday from 8.00 to 11.30 and on Monday and Wednesday also from 14.00 to 16.00. The technical office receives on Wednesday from 14.00 to 17.00, by appointment made on the council's number, 0345 95015. This guide is independent: for acts, orders, calls for tender and forms, the reference is the council's official website, with its online noticeboard (albo pretorio) and news section. #### Council office hours The hours are those published by the council in its Amministrazione trasparente section, under the organisation of the offices. For the public works, education and social services offices the page gives the location but no hours: phone first. #### Phone, email and certified email The council switchboard is 0345 95015, the fax 0345 95661. The ordinary email is info@comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it, the certified email comune.oltreilcolle@legalmail.it; the council's tax code and VAT number are 00579500166. To access administrative records and building files, the council asks you to fill in the access form published on its website and send it to the email address. #### Identity card: what is changing On 7 July 2026 the council published a notice on the limited extension of paper identity cards. Since 3 August 2026 the paper card is no longer valid for travel abroad, even if it has not expired; cards that have not expired remain valid until 31 January 2027 only for certain purposes, such as health, social security and insurance services, dealings with public administrations and public service providers, collecting post and judicial documents, and banking, postal and financial transactions. Until 31 December 2027, in genuinely urgent cases, a provisional paper document valid for up to six months will be available, but at the time of the notice it could not yet be issued. The council urges people not to cancel appointments already made for the electronic identity card and to book in good time, especially before travelling abroad. When the electronic card is issued or renewed, adults can record at the town hall their consent or refusal to organ and tissue donation. #### Certificates and online procedures The council has published instructions for producing, for yourself and your family, registry certificates from the national population register at any time, without going to the office, and for declaring residence online. The website also gives access to pagoPA payments and to the IMU property tax calculator. Applications to the one-stop offices for building and for business activities, a May 2023 notice reminds, can be submitted only online, through the impresainungiorno.gov.it portal, with a national services card and a digital signature: the council no longer accepts them on paper or by certified email. #### Council rooms and the Friday market Under regulations approved by the municipal council on 9 September 2025, the council makes available the council chamber in the town hall, the meeting room and the Smart room of Villa Perletti, at via Perletti 2, and the primary school gym at via Grimoldo 250; the regulations and the request form are on the website. In summer the town hall square hosts the market: in 2026 it was held every Friday from 26 June to 28 August. - D: What are the opening hours of the council in Oltre il Colle? R: The offices receive Monday to Friday from 8.00 to 11.30 and on Monday and Wednesday also from 14.00 to 16.00. The technical office receives on Wednesday from 14.00 to 17.00, by appointment on 0345 95015. - D: What is the certified email (PEC) of the council of Oltre il Colle? R: The certified email is comune.oltreilcolle@legalmail.it; the ordinary email is info@comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it and the phone number 0345 95015. - D: Is the paper identity card still valid? R: According to the council's notice of 7 July 2026, since 3 August 2026 it is no longer valid for travel abroad. If it has not expired it remains valid until 31 January 2027 only for certain purposes, such as health services, dealings with public administrations, post and banking and postal transactions. The council urges people to book the electronic identity card in good time. - D: How do I apply for an electronic identity card in Oltre il Colle? R: At the council's registry office, by appointment: the 2026 notice urges people not to cancel appointments already made and to book in good time. The offices answer on 0345 95015 during opening hours. - D: Can I get a registry certificate without going to the town hall? R: Yes: the council has published instructions for producing online, for yourself and your family, certificates from the national population register, at any time of day. - D: Where can I find the council's orders? R: On the online noticeboard and in the Orders section of comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it: that is where, for example, the opening and closing of the road to the Alpe Arera and the parking rules on via Roma are published. - Biblioteca comunale — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/comune/comune-biblioteca-oltre-il-colle, Piazza Mons. Basilio Belotti 212, 24013 Oltre il Colle, tel. 0345 95015, Tuesday 14.00-16.00 [checked on 2026-10-01]. Oltre il Colle municipal library: open Tuesdays 14.00-16.00, loans from the Bergamo library network, the Mountain Music Festival and the Zorzone frescoes. The municipal library is in the town hall building, at piazza Monsignor Basilio Belotti 212, and is open to the public on Tuesday from 14.00 to 16.00: these are the hours given by the council and by the portal of the Rete Bibliotecaria Bergamasca, the Bergamo library network. The phone number is the council's, 0345 95015; for events there is the address oltrelabiblioteca@gmail.com. It is a small library, but its catalogue is that of the provincial network: with a library card you can reserve books from other libraries in the Bergamo area and collect them here. The council belongs to the library system of the North-West Area of the province of Bergamo, whose central library is the one in Ponte San Pietro; on 17 June 2026 the municipal council approved the agreement for the years 2027 to 2036. Besides lending books, the library organises events: the Mountain Music Festival, four concerts at altitude, one on each of the mountains around the basin, and ValParinART, the art day that in August 2026 brought the Zorzone fresco competition back after about twenty years. #### Opening hours and contacts The library opens on Tuesday from 14.00 to 16.00. The Bergamo library network portal shows the same hours for the current week, with Monday closed, and gives as contact the council's phone number, 0345 95015. For events the council refers to the Facebook and Instagram pages «oltrelabiblioteca»; the Pro Loco's 2026 summer booklet gives @bibliotecaoltreilcolle on Instagram and the email address oltrelabiblioteca@gmail.com. #### Joining and borrowing books, even on holiday The library uses the catalogue and rules of the Bergamo library network. You can join at any library in the provincial network, except those of the Bergamo city library system, with a valid identity document and your health card, the regional services card. Membership is free and, according to the network, has no expiry date and no age or residence limits: so it is open to holidaymakers too. With the login for your personal area you search the catalogue and reserve: you choose the library where you want to collect the book and the request goes to the libraries that hold a copy. The MediaLibraryOnLine digital library, by contrast, is reserved for residents of the province of Bergamo. #### The Mountain Music Festival: concerts on the four peaks The festival is organised by the library and takes music onto the mountains around the basin, the ones that give the MAGA its name: Menna, Arera, Grem and Alben. For the third edition, approved by the council executive on 29 May 2026 with the support of the Fondazione Cariplo, the programme had a wind orchestra on the Menna on 11 July, harp and cello on the Arera on 25 July, a jazz quartet on the Grem on 8 August and a string duo on the Alben on 15 August. These are concerts you reach on foot: for the details of each edition, times and paths, the library gives information on its channels and at its email address. #### ValParinART and the Zorzone frescoes ValParinART is the library's project approved by the council executive on 12 August 2026: an art competition with frescoes on private houses, whose owners gave their permission, a mural on the façade of the Zorzone museum, workshops and an award ceremony, with a contribution from the BIM consortium. According to La Voce delle Valli the competition, born in 2006 and run three times until 2009, returned at the end of August 2026 after about twenty years, on the theme «Once upon a time»: seven new frescoes painted by students of the Manzù art high school in Bergamo, bringing the Zorzone total to 23, and the mural «Memorie di luce» on the façade of the museum. #### Talks and evenings In the Pro Loco's 2026 summer programme the library also appears with evenings and talks: on 26 June, in the library, the evening «I sentieri intorno a noi» with the CAI Val Serina, and on 4 July, at the SABA Ca' d'Arera hut, the event «Negli abissi dell'Arera» with the Gruppo Speleologico Bergamasco Le Nottole caving club. - D: What are the opening hours of the library in Oltre il Colle? R: It is open on Tuesday from 14.00 to 16.00, in the town hall building at piazza Monsignor Basilio Belotti 212, according to the council and the Bergamo library network. - D: Can I borrow books while on holiday in Oltre il Colle? R: Yes: the Bergamo library network says membership is free, with no expiry and no age or residence limits. You need a valid identity document and your health card. The MediaLibraryOnLine digital library is reserved for residents of the province. - D: Can I reserve books from other libraries and collect them in Oltre il Colle? R: Yes: in the Bergamo library network catalogue, with your personal login, you reserve a title and choose the collection library; the request goes to the libraries that hold a copy. - D: What is the Mountain Music Festival in Oltre il Colle? R: The summer concerts organised by the municipal library on the four mountains around the basin, Menna, Arera, Grem and Alben. In 2026, the third edition, they were held on 11 and 25 July and on 8 and 15 August. - D: Who organises the Zorzone fresco competition? R: The municipal library, with the ValParinART project approved by the council in August 2026. In 2026 seven new frescoes were painted, along with the mural «Memorie di luce» on the museum façade. - D: How do I contact the library in Oltre il Colle? R: On the council's phone number, 0345 95015, or at oltrelabiblioteca@gmail.com; the council also refers to the social media pages «oltrelabiblioteca». - Centro di raccolta rifiuti (piazzola ecologica) — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/comune/comune-centro-raccolta-rifiuti-oltre-il-colle, Via Capriana, 24013 Oltre il Colle, tel. 800 452 616, Monday 10.00-12.00; Wednesday 14.00-16.00; Friday 10.00-12.00; Saturday 10.00-12.00 [checked on 2026-10-01]. Oltre il Colle recycling centre on via Capriana: opening hours, what to bring, the 2026 kerbside calendar, glass, batteries, medicines and the free number. The municipal recycling centre, the piazzola ecologica, is on via Capriana, north of the centre of the main village, about 600 metres as the crow flies from the town hall. It opens four times a week: on Monday, Friday and Saturday from 10.00 to 12.00, and on Wednesday from 14.00 to 16.00. On Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday it is closed. The centre and the collection are run by Servizi Comunali S.p.A., the company in which the municipality of Oltre il Colle has been a shareholder since 2013. Kerbside collection follows the half-yearly calendar published by the council: bags must be put out by 6 am on collection day, and the operator's Rumentologo app gives the window as starting at 9 pm the evening before. According to the operator the municipality has reached 68.84 per cent separate collection. The rules apply to every house in the municipality, including holiday stays: you follow the same days, and whatever does not go in the bags, from frying oil to household appliances, goes to the recycling centre. #### Recycling centre opening hours The hours are the same on the council's 2026 calendar and on the recycling centre page of the Rumentologo, the information service of Servizi Comunali: Monday 10-12, Wednesday 14-16, Friday 10-12 and Saturday 10-12. The centre has a container for used oil, that is used cooking oil. #### What to take to the recycling centre The Rumentologo waste dictionary, set for Oltre il Colle, sends to the recycling centre whatever goes neither in the kerbside bags nor in the street containers. Several items are accepted «from households only», and rubble up to two buckets. Some examples: - Household appliances, fridges, televisions and mobile phones - LED, neon and fluorescent bulbs - Printer toner and cartridges - Mattresses, sofas, armchairs and furniture - Tyres and car and motorcycle batteries - Paints and spray cans labelled as hazardous - Used cooking oil - Grass, cuttings and garden waste - Rubble, up to two buckets #### Kerbside collection: days and putting bags out The council's 2026 calendar has four streams: organic waste, residual waste, paper and plastic. From January to June and from September to December organic and residual waste are collected on Monday, paper and plastic on Wednesday, in alternate weeks. In July and August collections double: organic and residual waste on Monday and Friday, plastic every Tuesday and paper every Thursday. Some days change, such as the paper collection on Thursday 24 September: the calendar is the reference. Waste must be put out by 6 am on collection day; according to the Rumentologo the window opens at 9 pm the evening before. Glass is not collected from the kerbside. #### Glass, cans, batteries, medicines and clothes According to the Rumentologo dictionary, glass and cans, aluminium or steel, go in the glass bells, together with empty spray cans for food, deodorant or hairspray. Used batteries and expired medicines go in the dedicated street containers, clothes and shoes still in good condition in the street clothing bins; engine oil is handed in to the eco-vehicle. The map of collection points published by Servizi Comunali shows where the containers are. #### App, calendar and free number The calendar, in two half-years, can be downloaded from the council's website. The same calendar, with a reminder of the next collection, the waste dictionary and the recycling centre page, is in the Rumentologo app and website of Servizi Comunali, by choosing the municipality of Oltre il Colle. For questions, collections and complaints the operator has the free number 800 452 616, extension 1 for the environment department; the Servizi Comunali waste desk is at via del Molino in Chiuduno. - D: What are the opening hours of the recycling centre in Oltre il Colle? R: The via Capriana recycling centre opens on Monday, Friday and Saturday from 10.00 to 12.00 and on Wednesday from 14.00 to 16.00; it is closed on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. - D: When is rubbish collected in Oltre il Colle? R: In the 2026 calendar organic and residual waste on Monday, paper and plastic on Wednesday in alternate weeks; in July and August organic and residual waste on Monday and Friday, plastic on Tuesday and paper on Thursday. The full calendar is on the council's website and in the Rumentologo app. - D: What time do bags go out in Oltre il Colle? R: By 6 am on collection day, the council's calendar says; according to the Servizi Comunali Rumentologo they can be put out from 9 pm the evening before. - D: Where does glass go in Oltre il Colle? R: In the street glass bells, which also take cans and empty spray cans for food, deodorant or hairspray: glass is not collected from the kerbside. - D: Where do I throw away frying oil? R: At the via Capriana recycling centre, which has a container for used cooking oil. - D: I am on holiday in a flat: what do I do with my rubbish? R: You follow the same kerbside calendar as the village houses, with bags out by 6 am on collection day. Glass goes in the bells, oil and bulky items to the recycling centre during opening hours. ### Doctors and clinics — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/medico For health matters, three contacts count in Oltre il Colle. The general practice in the town hall building at piazza Monsignor Basilio Belotti 212, the only one the ASST Papa Giovanni XXIII lists for the municipality, sees patients by appointment from Monday to Friday. When surgeries are closed, the out-of-hours medical service, once called guardia medica, answers on 116117. For an emergency call 112. Holidaymakers usually do not have their own doctor here: that is why the ASST runs clinics for visitors in Zogno, Villa d'Almè and Sant'Omobono Terme, Monday to Friday from 16.00 to 20.00 by appointment, and on Saturday afternoons a free paediatric clinic for young people up to 14. #### Who to call, day by day The table sums up the channels the ASST Papa Giovanni XXIII gives for the Valle Brembana district. Hours, numbers and rules are on the two pages above. #### Hospital and emergency department In Valle Brembana the ASST Papa Giovanni XXIII hospital is the one in San Giovanni Bianco, with 75 beds and an emergency department. For an emergency the number is still 112, which sends the medical rescue service. For intoxication the ASST gives 112 from Bergamo and its province and the poison centre's free number, 800 883300, from outside the province. #### Medical transport and ambulances For an emergency, the ambulance is called on 112. Planned transport is a different matter: in Lombardy requests for contracted medical transport go through 116117, key 3, active 24 hours a day, and in Val Serina the Croce Verde Oltre il Colle Val Serina provides medical transport on 331 6168189. - Continuità assistenziale (ex guardia medica) — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/medico/medico-guardia-medica-oltre-il-colle, tel. 116117, Monday to Friday from 19.00 to 8.00; Saturday, Sunday and public holidays 24 hours a day; Weekdays before a public holiday from 14.00; The 116117 centre answers 24 hours a day [checked on 2026-10-01]. Out-of-hours doctor for Oltre il Colle: call 116117. Hours, what the doctor can do, ASST clinics for holidaymakers and the Saturday paediatric clinic. There is no out-of-hours surgery to walk into in Oltre il Colle. The service, once called guardia medica and now continuità assistenziale, is organised by the ASST Papa Giovanni XXIII, the local health authority, for the whole district of Valle Brembana, Valle Imagna and Villa d'Almè, and it is reached only by phone: you call 116117, an operator of the regional centre answers and puts you through to the doctor. The doctor decides whether advice by phone or video call is enough, or whether you need to be seen in a clinic or at home, and where. The service covers the hours when family doctors are closed: Monday to Friday from 19.00 to 8.00, and on Saturday, Sunday and public holidays 24 hours a day. It is open to residents, to people domiciled here and to people passing through: the ASST explicitly mentions those staying temporarily. For emergencies the number is still 112. Holidaymakers also have clinics set up for visitors and for people temporarily without a doctor, in the Community Houses (Case di Comunità) of Zogno, Villa d'Almè and Sant'Omobono Terme, open Monday to Friday from 16.00 to 20.00 and by appointment only. #### When to call 116117 and when to call 112 116117 is the harmonised European number for non-urgent medical care. In Lombardy the centre is run by AREU, the regional emergency agency: it answers 24 hours a day every day, it is free, it is dialled without an area code from landlines and mobiles, and no registration is needed. Lombardy was the first Italian region to extend it to its whole territory, from 20 July 2020. It is for problems that cannot wait until your doctor's surgery reopens but are not life-threatening. In an emergency, or a life-threatening situation, the ASST says to call 112; if an urgent rescue request reaches 116117, the call is transferred straight to the emergency service. At 116117 a voice menu offers three options: - Key 1, out-of-hours medical service: outside its hours a message says when the service is active - Key 2, health advice and information about the Lombardy health service, 24 hours a day - Key 3, contracted medical transport, 24 hours a day #### Hours: when the doctor answers The out-of-hours service covers the hours when family doctors and paediatricians are not seeing patients: Monday to Friday from 19.00 to 8.00 the next morning, and on Saturday, Sunday and public holidays 24 hours a day. For weekdays before a public holiday the ASST's main page says the service starts at 14.00, while its page for holidaymakers speaks of such days being covered 24 hours a day: the number to call is the same anyway, and key 1 plays a message saying whether the service is active. You should not go straight to the clinics: the ASST asks you always to phone first, because it is the 116117 operator who directs you to the right place and care pathway. The doctor can answer by phone or video call, or arrange a visit at a clinic or at home. #### What the doctor can and cannot do The out-of-hours doctor gives advice by phone, including by video call, sees patients at a clinic or at home and prescribes medicines for treatment that cannot be postponed or to cover a course of treatment. For shift workers he or she issues sick notes, limited to the days when the service is open. For people who do not speak Italian the ASST provides a real-time telephone interpreting service. According to the ASST, the following are not part of the service: - Repeat prescriptions for long-term treatment - Transcribing prescriptions written by doctors outside the National Health Service - Certificates for sports activities - Prescribing diagnostic tests, scans and specialist visits - Certificates for returning to school or nursery #### For holidaymakers: the visitors' clinics In the Valle Brembana, Valle Imagna and Villa d'Almè district the ASST adds to the out-of-hours service clinics dedicated to holidaymakers and to people temporarily without a family doctor. They are in the Community Houses of Zogno, Villa d'Almè and Sant'Omobono Terme and open Monday to Friday from 16.00 to 20.00. Booking is compulsory and is made by phone, on 0345 545729, Monday to Friday from 8.30 to 13.00; the ASST updated the page on 18 September 2026. In Zogno the ASST site is in piazza Belotti, in the town centre, on the SS470 road of Val Brembana. People without an assigned family doctor who need help outside out-of-hours service times should go, the ASST says, to the Temporary Medical Clinics (Ambulatori medici temporanei) of their own ASST. #### Children: the Saturday paediatric clinic On Saturday afternoons, when family paediatricians are not seeing patients, the ASST runs a free paediatric clinic from 14.00 to 19.00 for children and young people aged 0 to 14 who are resident, domiciled or staying temporarily in its area. Access is only after a triage phone call, on Saturday from 14.00 to 18.00, to one of the three sites; in August hours are reduced to 17.00, with calls from 14.00 to 16.45. Outside these times call 116117. - San Giovanni Bianco hospital, via Castelli 5: 0345 27354 - Villa d'Almè Community House, via Roma 16: 035 6313517 - Community House at via Garibaldi 13/15, Bergamo: 035 2278813 #### Hospital, emergency department and poison centre The ASST Papa Giovanni XXIII hospital in Valle Brembana is the one in San Giovanni Bianco: 75 beds, with an emergency department, radiology, a laboratory and internal medicine, general surgery and orthopaedics wards. For an emergency the number is still 112, which sends the medical rescue service. For intoxication or poisoning the ASST gives 112 for callers from Bergamo and its province; callers from outside the province can ring the poison centre's free number, 800 883300. - D: Where is the nearest out-of-hours doctor to Oltre il Colle? R: There is no surgery to walk into: you call 116117 and, after assessing you by phone, the doctor tells you which clinic is open nearest or arranges a home visit. For holidaymakers there are also the visitors' clinics in Zogno, Villa d'Almè and Sant'Omobono Terme, Monday to Friday from 16.00 to 20.00, by appointment on 0345 545729. - D: What is the out-of-hours doctor's number for Oltre il Colle? R: 116117, dialled without an area code from a landline or a mobile. It is free and in Lombardy the centre answers 24 hours a day; the out-of-hours doctor works Monday to Friday from 19.00 to 8.00 and all day on Saturday, Sunday and public holidays. - D: Does the out-of-hours doctor see tourists? R: Yes. The ASST Papa Giovanni XXIII offers the service to residents, to people domiciled here and to those staying temporarily, so also to holidaymakers. Monday to Friday, from 16.00 to 20.00, there are also clinics for visitors, by appointment. - D: Can the out-of-hours doctor write a prescription? R: Yes, for treatment that cannot be postponed or to cover a course of treatment. It does not repeat prescriptions for long-term treatment, transcribe other doctors' prescriptions or prescribe tests and specialist visits. - D: Is there a paediatrician on Saturday afternoon? R: Yes: the ASST runs a free paediatric clinic on Saturday from 14.00 to 19.00 for young people up to 14, including those staying temporarily. Phone first, on Saturday from 14.00 to 18.00; the site nearest to Val Serina is San Giovanni Bianco hospital, 0345 27354. - D: What do I do in an emergency in Oltre il Colle? R: Call 112, the single emergency number: the centre locates the call and sends the medical rescue service. 116117 is for non-urgent problems. - D: Where is the emergency department for people in Oltre il Colle? R: The ASST hospital in Valle Brembana with an emergency department is in San Giovanni Bianco. In an emergency, though, you do not need to know where to go: call 112, which organises the rescue. - Ambulatorio della dott.ssa Antonella Massimetti — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/medico/medico-massimetti-oltre-il-colle, Piazza Mons. Basilio Belotti 212, 24013 Oltre il Colle, tel. 349 3989914, Monday and Wednesday 9.30-12.00; Tuesday and Thursday 14.30-18.00; Friday 9.00-12.00; By appointment only, to be requested by phone during surgery hours; Home visits: request from 8 to 10 am, Monday to Friday [checked on 2026-10-01]. Family doctor in Oltre il Colle: surgery at piazza Mons. Belotti 212, hours by appointment, home visits and what to do if you are on holiday. The general practice of Oltre il Colle is in the town hall building, at piazza Monsignor Basilio Belotti 212, the same address as the town hall and the library. In the list of family doctors and paediatricians of the ASST Papa Giovanni XXIII, only this practice appears for the municipality: that of Dr Antonella Massimetti, general practitioner in the Valle Brembana district. Patients are seen by appointment only, to be requested on the number given by the ASST during surgery hours: Monday and Wednesday from 9.30 to 12.00, Tuesday and Thursday from 14.30 to 18.00, Friday from 9.00 to 12.00. Home visits are requested from 8 to 10 am, Monday to Friday. According to the ASST record the practice has neither a nurse nor a secretary. For holidaymakers, or for anyone who does not currently have a family doctor, the ASST has set up other channels: the clinics for visitors from Monday to Friday and 116117 when surgeries are closed. #### Surgery hours and appointments The hours are those published by the ASST Papa Giovanni XXIII in the doctor's record, all by appointment. The note in the record explains how to ask for one: you phone the practice number during the hours when the practice is open. For Saturday and Sunday the record gives no hours. When the practice is closed, Monday to Friday from 19.00 to 8.00 and at the weekend, the out-of-hours medical service answers on 116117; for an emergency call 112. #### Home visits According to the ASST record, home visits are requested by phoning from 8 to 10 am, Monday to Friday. The record lists no secretary: the number to call is the same as for appointments. #### On holiday in Oltre il Colle: who to contact For people spending a holiday here, the ASST Papa Giovanni XXIII runs clinics for visitors and for patients temporarily without a doctor in the Community Houses of Zogno, Villa d'Almè and Sant'Omobono Terme, Monday to Friday from 16.00 to 20.00, with compulsory booking on 0345 545729, Monday to Friday from 8.30 to 13.00. At night, at weekends and on public holidays there is the out-of-hours medical service, called on 116117 and open also to people staying temporarily. For children up to 14, on Saturday afternoons the ASST opens a free paediatric clinic, after a triage phone call; in the ASST list for Oltre il Colle no family paediatrician appears. #### Where the surgery is The surgery is in the town hall building at piazza Monsignor Basilio Belotti 212, in the main village, about 250 metres as the crow flies from the pharmacy. The municipal civil protection plan lists the town hall car park among the assembly areas in an emergency. From the centre of Zambla Alta the surgery is about 2.2 kilometres away as the crow flies, from the centre of Zorzone about 1.1. - D: Who is the family doctor in Oltre il Colle? R: In the list of family doctors and paediatricians of the ASST Papa Giovanni XXIII, for Oltre il Colle there is the practice of Dr Antonella Massimetti, general practitioner, at piazza Monsignor Basilio Belotti 212. - D: How do I book an appointment with the doctor in Oltre il Colle? R: Phone 349 3989914, the number given by the ASST, during surgery hours: Monday and Wednesday 9.30-12.00, Tuesday and Thursday 14.30-18.00, Friday 9.00-12.00. Patients are seen by appointment only. - D: Does the family doctor in Oltre il Colle make home visits? R: Yes: according to the ASST record, home visits are requested by phoning from 8 to 10 am, Monday to Friday. - D: I am on holiday in Oltre il Colle and need a doctor: where do I go? R: Monday to Friday from 16.00 to 20.00 there are the ASST clinics for visitors in Zogno, Villa d'Almè and Sant'Omobono Terme, by appointment on 0345 545729. At night, at weekends and on public holidays call 116117; for an emergency call 112. - D: Is there a paediatrician in Oltre il Colle? R: No family paediatrician appears in the ASST list for the municipality. On Saturday afternoons the ASST runs a free paediatric clinic for young people up to 14, after a triage phone call: the nearest site is San Giovanni Bianco hospital, 0345 27354. - D: What do I do if the surgery is closed? R: Monday to Friday from 19.00 to 8.00, at weekends and on public holidays call 116117, the out-of-hours medical service. For an emergency call 112. ### Emergency: defibrillators and rescue — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/emergenza For any emergency, in Oltre il Colle as everywhere in Lombardy, the number is 112. A single answering centre takes the call, the one in Varese for the province of Bergamo: it locates the call, works out what is needed and passes it to the medical rescue service, the Carabinieri, the police or the fire brigade. The call reaches the same centre even if you dial 118, 113 or 115, and it is free from landlines and mobiles. There are nine defibrillators mapped in the municipality: eight in AREU's regional register, the one the centre uses to guide callers to the nearest, and one on OpenStreetMap only. Six are listed as available 24 hours a day in publicly accessible places; one is in a cooperative's infirmary, always available according to AREU; two are inside sports facilities: the ticket office of the cross-country track, open in season, and the changing room of the sports ground, for which AREU gives no hours. The full list, with the exact spot, is below. In the mountains the number does not change: mountain rescue too is called through 112, and its VI Orobic Delegation has a station right in Oltre il Colle. The Croce Verde Oltre il Colle Val Serina, the valley's public assistance association, provides ambulance rescue and medical transport. #### Calling 112: how it works In Lombardy there are three single answering centres for 112, in Milan, Brescia and Varese; the Varese centre also serves the province of Bergamo, connected since 6 November 2012. The operator takes the call, brings in a real-time interpreter if needed, gathers the details and transfers the call to the body responsible for the emergency and the area. Callers from a landline are identified within seconds, callers from a mobile are located through the network. AREU's free 112 Where ARE U app, for iOS and Android, sends the phone's GPS position when you call, over mobile data or by SMS if there is no data connection, and lets people who cannot speak make a silent call, with buttons to indicate the type of help needed. You do not need to tell the operator: the system recognises calls made with the app. #### Where the defibrillators are All the defibrillators recorded by AREU are registered and geolocated in the systems of the 118 control rooms: when someone calls about a cardiac arrest, the centre points to the nearest device and guides the caller to fetch and use it. The one on via Roma is mapped on OpenStreetMap but does not appear in the regional register. Three of the defibrillators were bought by the council in 2014 for the main village and the hamlets. In 2024 the council replaced their expired pads, for adults and for children, and in January 2025 it bought new pads for the Zambla Alta one, which had been used in a rescue. #### How to use a defibrillator First of all, call 112. AREU points out that if the rescuer has not done the course, the control room operators guide them through chest compressions while help arrives. The automated external defibrillator, or AED, is a small machine with two adhesive pads: it analyses the heart's electrical activity, decides by itself whether a shock is needed and tells you step by step what to do with an electronic voice. AREU recommends drying the person's chest if it is wet and not touching them during the shock, until the machine signals; on its own, defibrillation has limited effect and must be combined with chest compressions. Since 2021 the law has allowed anyone to use a defibrillator in a suspected cardiac arrest when no trained person is present, and it applies the state-of-necessity rule to those who do so. AREU nevertheless recommends the course of about five hours run by accredited centres, and the Croce Verde Val Serina has organised such courses for the public. These are the five steps AREU gives: - Switch the device on - Connect the pad cables to the defibrillator - Stick the adhesive pads on the person's chest - Let the machine analyse the heart rhythm - Press the shock button only if the machine expressly asks you to #### Mountain rescue: what to tell 112 In the mountains rescue is called through 112, reminds the Lombardy Alpine and Cave Rescue service, which in its VI Orobic Delegation also has the Oltre il Colle station and provides its technicians to the air ambulance. Do not leave the phone you are calling from: if the call drops, keep the line free so the control room can call you back. A rescue can also take place without a helicopter, which is why details on the ground matter. Tell the operator: - That you are calling from the mountains, the municipality, the province and a landmark you can find on the map - The phone number you are calling from - Your position, if you have a GPS or an altimeter, and what can be seen from above: slope, woods, summit, hut - What happened, when, and how many people are involved - Your name and the condition of the injured: breathing, consciousness, bleeding, visible injuries, position - For a rescue without a helicopter: walking time from the car, weather, terrain, wind, visibility, overhead cables or power lines #### Other useful numbers and assembly areas For non-urgent health problems there is 116117. For intoxication the ASST gives 112 from Bergamo and its province and the poison centre's free number, 800 883300, from outside the province. For reports and paperwork the Carabinieri station of reference is the one in Serina, at via Valle 1, phone 0345 66061, the number also listed by the Pro Loco; for emergencies it is still 112. For water and sewer faults the municipal civil protection plan gives the Uniacque free number, 800 123 955. The same plan, published by the council in 2024, sets out the assembly areas, the places to gather in an emergency, for example after an earthquake: - Main village: town hall car park - Main village: sports centre on via Capriana - Zorzone: car park on via Giorgi - Zambla Alta: Albergo Neve car park - Zambla Bassa: cemetery car park - P.A. Croce Verde Oltre il Colle Valserina — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/emergenza/croce-verde-valserina, Viale Papa Giovanni XXIII 2, 24017 Serina (sede indicata dal sito), tel. 331 6168189 [checked on 2026-10-01]. Croce Verde Oltre il Colle Val Serina: ambulance rescue and medical transport. When to call 112 and when the association, its base and courses. The Croce Verde Oltre il Colle Val Serina is the volunteer public assistance association that provides ambulance rescue and simple medical transport in Val Serina. Oltre il Colle is in its name, but the base given on its website is in Serina; its logo carries the letters O.D.V., meaning a registered volunteer organisation, and in 2019 the association celebrated fifteen years since it was founded. Two things should be kept apart. In an emergency you do not phone the association: you call 112, the centre locates the call and sends the medical rescue service. The Croce Verde number, 331 6168189, is the one the Pro Loco of Oltre il Colle gives «for medical transport», for example simple medical transport, which in the association's definition takes to a health facility people who need no care during the journey. Besides the service, the association trains people: in 2021 it opened a course for rescuers, in January 2023 it held in Serina a free course in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and defibrillator use for the public and a public meeting on how to behave in an emergency, and in March 2023 a 16-hour course in simple medical transport. #### Emergency or transport: which number to call For a sudden illness, an accident or someone who does not respond, the number is always 112. In Lombardy emergency calls reach a single answering centre, which locates the caller and passes the request to the medical rescue control room: that is where the response is organised, not at the association's base. The association's number is for planned transport. In Lombardy requests for contracted medical transport and simple medical transport also go through 116117, key 3, active 24 hours a day, as AREU explains. #### What it does: ambulance rescue and simple medical transport At its public meeting in January 2023 the Croce Verde presented its services as simple medical transport, ambulance rescue and new projects for the population. The poster for the same meeting promised to explain what to tell the 112 operator, what to do while waiting for the ambulance and where to find the nearest defibrillator. Simple medical transport, as defined for the course run by the association, means transporting patients who need no specific medical care during the transfer, to health and social care facilities or to and from other places. The vehicle shown on the course poster carries the phone number 0345 95339. #### How much a transport costs The association's website does not publish fees. In September 2024 the municipality of Oltre il Colle committed 140 euros to share, at a resident's request, the cost of a medical transport to a hospital carried out by the Croce Verde: ask about costs and any contributions when you book. #### Where it is based: addresses and phone numbers The sources differ. The association's website gives its base at viale Papa Giovanni XXIII 2 in Serina, with the mobile number 331 6168189 and the address croceverde.valserina@gmail.com; the page of the municipality of Serina, updated in May 2024, gives instead via Palma il Vecchio 50, also in Serina. The municipality of Oltre il Colle, in its list of associations, gives the landline 0345 95339 and the website. The association's tax code is 94018170160: with this code the P.A. Croce Verde Oltre il Colle Valserina appears among the admitted organisations in the Italian Revenue Agency's lists for the 5 per mille tax donation. #### Courses and volunteering The courses published on the website show how to get involved: in December 2021 the 112 rescuer training, in January 2023 the free lay BLSD course in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and defibrillator use, in March 2023 the 16-hour course in simple medical transport, all in Serina. The website also has a section on civil service. The latest news on the website dates from 2023: to find out whether courses are planned, or how to become a volunteer, write to the association's email address. - D: How do I call an ambulance in Oltre il Colle? R: Call 112, the single emergency number: the centre locates the call and sends the medical rescue service. The Croce Verde number is not for emergencies. - D: What is the phone number of the Croce Verde Valserina? R: The association's website gives 331 6168189, which the Pro Loco of Oltre il Colle lists for medical transport. The municipality of Oltre il Colle also gives the landline 0345 95339; the email is croceverde.valserina@gmail.com. - D: Where is the Croce Verde Valserina based? R: In Serina. The association's website gives viale Papa Giovanni XXIII 2, the municipality of Serina's page via Palma il Vecchio 50: phone before going there. - D: Does the Croce Verde provide transport for appointments and hospital stays? R: Its services include simple medical transport, for people who need no care during the journey to health or social care facilities. Book on 331 6168189; in Lombardy contracted transport also goes through 116117, key 3. - D: Do you pay for Croce Verde medical transport? R: The association does not publish fees. In 2024 the municipality of Oltre il Colle contributed 140 euros, at a resident's request, to a transport to a hospital: ask about costs and any contributions when you book. - D: How do I become a Croce Verde volunteer? R: The website publishes the rescuer and simple medical transport courses and has a section on civil service; the latest announcements date from 2023. For information write to croceverde.valserina@gmail.com. - Defibrillatore (DAE) del centro parrocchiale di Zambla Bassa (Zambla Bassa), Via Vidali, Zambla Bassa, Available 24 hours a day, according to the AREU register [checked on 2026-10-01] - Defibrillatore (DAE) del panificio di Zambla Alta (Zambla Alta), Via Fezzoli 102, Zambla Alta, Available 24 hours a day, according to the AREU register [checked on 2026-10-01] - Defibrillatore (DAE) del Passo di Zambla (Passo di Zambla), Available 24 hours a day, according to the AREU register [checked on 2026-10-01] - Defibrillatore (DAE) del museo di Zorzone (Zorzone), Via Pascusa, Zorzone, Available 24 hours a day, according to the AREU register [checked on 2026-10-01] - Defibrillatore (DAE) del rifugio Capanna 2000 (Alpe Arera), AREU register: available every day, 0-24 [checked on 2026-10-01] - Defibrillatore (DAE) della pista di fondo (Conca dell'Alben), 2025-26 season: every day 8.30-16.30, from 8 December to 6 April; Hours for the 2026-27 season not yet registered [checked on 2026-10-01] - Defibrillatore (DAE) del campo sportivo, Via Capriana, 24013 Oltre il Colle [checked on 2026-10-01] - Defibrillatore (DAE) della cooperativa Le Bonne Semence, Via Drago, 24013 Oltre il Colle, Available 24 hours a day, according to the AREU register [checked on 2026-10-01] - Defibrillatore (DAE) in via Roma, Via Roma, 24013 Oltre il Colle, Available 24 hours a day, according to OpenStreetMap [checked on 2026-10-01] ### Banks and ATMs — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/banca-bancomat There is only one bank in Oltre il Colle, the Banco BPM branch at via Roma 377, and there are two places to withdraw cash, both in the main village, about 120 metres apart as the crow flies: the bank's cash machine and the Postamat at the post office at via Roma 189, which Poste Italiane lists as available 24 hours a day. In the hamlets, Zambla Alta, Zambla Bassa and Zorzone, and at the Passo di Zambla, OpenStreetMap shows no cash machines: if you are staying up there and want to pay in cash, withdraw money in the village. #### When the bank is open According to the Banco BPM page the branch receives customers Monday to Thursday from 8.20 to 13.20 and from 14.30 to 16.30, and on Friday from 8.20 to 13.20 and from 14.30 to 16.00. The cash desk works only in the morning, until 12.55; the afternoon is for advice. For Saturday and Sunday the page gives no opening hours: the cash machine and the Postamat remain. #### Paying by card in the mountains and at the filling station For the Capanna 2000 hut the regional Rifugi di Lombardia portal lists payment by debit card. For the Api-IP filling station on Piazzale degli Alpini, which is self-service only, the Ministry register lists the «Bancomat» service. For shops, bars and restaurants, accepted payment methods, where the sources give them, are on each business's page. #### If you need a cash point outside the municipality OpenStreetMap shows in Serina a branch with a cash machine of the Banca di Credito Cooperativo Bergamo e Valli, with data entered in 2020: check it on the bank's website before relying on it. In the village, when the cash desk is closed, the branch cash machine and the Postamat remain available. - Banco BPM, agenzia di Oltre il Colle — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/banca-bancomat/banca-bpm-oltre-il-colle, Via Roma 377, 24013 Oltre il Colle, tel. 0345 95001, Monday to Thursday 8.20-13.20 and 14.30-16.30; Friday 8.20-13.20 and 14.30-16.00; Cash desk mornings only, until 12.55 [checked on 2026-10-01]. Banco BPM in Oltre il Colle, via Roma 377: cash desk and advisory hours, cash machine, branch contacts and where to withdraw money when it is closed. The only bank in Oltre il Colle is branch 04027 of Banco BPM, at via Roma 377, in the main village. On the branch page Banco BPM presents it under the Credito Bergamasco brand and gives its ABI 05034 and CAB 53270 codes. The branch is open Monday to Thursday from 8.20 to 13.20 and from 14.30 to 16.30, and on Friday from 8.20 to 13.20 and from 14.30 to 16.00. The cash desk, however, works only in the morning, until 12.55: if you need to pay in or withdraw at the counter, go before lunch. It has a cash machine. There are no other banks in the municipality: the other place to withdraw cash is the Postamat at the post office, about 120 metres away as the crow flies along via Roma, which Poste Italiane lists as available 24 hours a day. #### Hours: cash desk in the morning, advice into the afternoon The Banco BPM page distinguishes the branch's hours from the cash desk's. The branch receives customers Monday to Thursday from 8.20 to 13.20 and from 14.30 to 16.30, and on Friday from 8.20 to 13.20 and from 14.30 to 16.00, with the afternoon devoted to advice. The cash desk is open only in the morning, until 12.55. For Saturday and Sunday the page gives no opening hours. #### Cash machines and withdrawals in Oltre il Colle To withdraw cash in the village there are two cash machines, both on via Roma in the main village: the Banco BPM branch machine at number 377 and the Poste Italiane Postamat at the post office at number 189, about 120 metres away as the crow flies. In the hamlets, Zambla Alta, Zambla Bassa and Zorzone, and at the Passo di Zambla, OpenStreetMap shows no cash machines. Up in the mountains a card can be useful: for the Capanna 2000 hut the regional Rifugi di Lombardia portal lists payment by debit card. #### Branch contacts The branch phone number is 0345 95001 and the email address is filiale.04027@bancobpm.it, as shown on the official Banco BPM page, which also publishes up-to-date hours and services. To block a lost or stolen card, the Banco BPM website has a dedicated card-blocking page. #### If the branch is closed When the cash desk is closed there is still the branch cash machine, and a short walk away the post office Postamat. Outside the municipality, OpenStreetMap shows in Serina a branch with a cash machine of the Banca di Credito Cooperativo Bergamo e Valli, with data entered in 2020: check it on the bank's website before relying on it. #### Where it is The branch is at via Roma 377, on the provincial road through the main village, about 115 metres as the crow flies from the pharmacy and 140 from the post office. From the centre of Zambla Alta it is about 2 kilometres away as the crow flies, from the centre of Zorzone about 1.3. - D: Is there a cash machine in Oltre il Colle? R: Yes, two, both on via Roma in the main village: the Banco BPM branch machine at number 377 and the Postamat at the post office at number 189, which Poste Italiane lists as available 24 hours a day. - D: What are the bank's opening hours in Oltre il Colle? R: The Banco BPM branch at via Roma 377 is open Monday to Thursday from 8.20 to 13.20 and from 14.30 to 16.30, and on Friday from 8.20 to 13.20 and from 14.30 to 16.00. The cash desk works only in the morning, until 12.55. - D: Is the bank in Oltre il Colle open in the afternoon? R: Yes, but only for advice: according to the Banco BPM page the cash desk is open only in the morning, until 12.55. The cash machine remains available. - D: Where can I withdraw cash in Zambla or Zorzone? R: OpenStreetMap shows no cash machines in the hamlets or at the Passo di Zambla: the two cash points are in the main village, on via Roma, at the bank and at the post office. - D: What is the email address of the bank in Oltre il Colle? R: The official page gives filiale.04027@bancobpm.it and the phone number 0345 95001. - Postamat dell'ufficio postale, Via Roma 189, 24013 Oltre il Colle, Available 24 hours a day, according to Poste Italiane [checked on 2026-10-01] ### Petrol stations — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/benzinaio Oltre il Colle has only one filling station, the Api-IP on Piazzale degli Alpini, in the main village: petrol and diesel, self-service only. In the register of the Ministry of Enterprise and Made in Italy its opening hours are «not declared» for every day, so there is no official confirmation that it works at night. The nearest station outside the municipality is in Serina, about 3.5 kilometres away as the crow flies; on the Val Seriana side the first is in Ponte Nossa. Within 12 kilometres, methane and LPG are sold only in Casnigo. #### Before driving up: fuel and winter tyres There are no filling stations either at Plassa or at the Passo di Zambla: for a trip into the mountains or an evening journey, fill up before driving up into Val Serina or during the day in the village. On the roads of the Province of Bergamo, including the SP27 through Oltre il Colle, from 15 November to 15 April you drive with winter tyres or chains on board, and with snow or ice chains must be fitted if you do not have winter tyres. #### Electric cars The filling station has no electric charging. The only car charging point that OpenStreetMap shows in the area is at the Passo di Zambla, on the side of the pass that belongs to the municipality of Oneta: details on the charging page. #### Prices This guide does not publish fuel prices because they change often: the official figure, reported by each operator, is on the Ministry's Osservaprezzi carburanti portal. - Distributore Api-IP — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/benzinaio/benzinaio-ip-oltre-il-colle, Piazzale degli Alpini 15, 24013 Oltre il Colle, Opening hours not declared to the Ministry register; Petrol and diesel, self-service only [checked on 2026-10-01]. The Api-IP filling station in Oltre il Colle, Piazzale degli Alpini: self-service petrol and diesel, what the Ministry register says and the nearest stations. The filling station of Oltre il Colle is on Piazzale degli Alpini, along via Roma in the main village, and it is the only one in the municipality: there are none in the hamlets or at the Passo di Zambla. It carries the Api-IP brand and, according to the register of filling stations of the Ministry of Enterprise and Made in Italy, it is run by Calor Systems. In the Ministry register the station sells only petrol and diesel, both self-service, and among its services it lists «Bancomat». There are no opening hours: for every day of the week the entry reads «not declared». The operator does, however, update its prices, which were also reported on 1 October 2026. If you are driving up with an almost empty tank, the first station outside the municipality is in Serina, about 3.5 kilometres away as the crow flies, and on the Val Seriana side the nearest is in Ponte Nossa. #### Fuels and self-service: what the register says The Ministry of Enterprise and Made in Italy keeps the register of all filling stations and publishes the data on the Osservaprezzi carburanti portal. For Oltre il Colle the record shows the «Oltre il Colle» station of Calor Systems, Api-IP brand, at Piazzale degli Alpini 15, with two products: petrol and diesel, both self-service. Attended service, LPG and methane are not listed. Among its services the record lists only «Bancomat», with no further detail. OpenStreetMap describes the same station with data entered in 2020 and a previous operator: for the filling station the Ministry register, updated by the operator, is the reference. #### Opening hours: is the station open at night? The register does not say. For every day of the week the opening hours entry reads «not declared», and the operator does not publish hours elsewhere. So there is no official confirmation that the self-service pumps work 24 hours a day. For an evening journey or a trip into the mountains it is wise to fill up before driving up into Val Serina, or during the day in the village. There are no filling stations either at Plassa or at the Passo di Zambla. #### Prices: where to check them Petrol and diesel prices change often and this guide does not publish them. The official figure is the one every operator must report to the Ministry, which you can read on the Osservaprezzi carburanti portal by searching for Oltre il Colle or by searching an area. #### If it is closed: the nearest filling stations In the Osservaprezzi area search, within a radius of 12 kilometres, the nearest station is in Serina, at via Dante Alighieri 20, about 3.5 kilometres away as the crow flies: a Retitalia with petrol and diesel, both self-service and attended. All the others are between 8 and 10 kilometres away as the crow flies: in Valle Brembana at Lenna, Valnegra and San Giovanni Bianco, on the Seriana side at Ponte Nossa and Casnigo. By road the distances are longer. If your car runs on methane or LPG, plan ahead: within the search radius the only station selling them is the one in Casnigo, at via Serio 70, which the register shows as open Monday to Friday from 7.00 to 12.00 and from 14.00 to 19.00, on Saturday from 7.00 to 12.30 and closed on Sunday. #### In winter: winter tyres or chains The road through Oltre il Colle is provincial road 27 of Val Serina. On every road of the Province of Bergamo, by order of the roads department, from 15 November to 15 April you must drive with winter tyres or carry snow chains; if there is snow or ice on the road, chains must be fitted if you do not have winter tyres. The rule also applies outside that period whenever it snows or the road freezes. #### How to get there and parking Piazzale degli Alpini is on via Roma, where the road to Zorzone branches off, about 120 metres as the crow flies from the town hall and 150 from the pharmacy. In summer 2026, from 4 July to 6 September, a mayor's order regulated parking on the square with the parking disc, from 8.00 to 20.00 and for a maximum of two hours. - D: Is the filling station in Oltre il Colle self-service at night? R: The Ministry register lists petrol and diesel as self-service only, but for every day the opening hours are «not declared»: there is no official confirmation that the self-service pumps work 24 hours a day. It is wise to fill up during the day or before driving up the valley. - D: Where can I get fuel near the Passo di Zambla? R: There are no filling stations at the pass: the nearest is the one in Oltre il Colle, on Piazzale degli Alpini. On the Val Seriana side the first is in Ponte Nossa, at via Europa 43. - D: What is the nearest filling station outside Oltre il Colle? R: According to the Osservaprezzi area search it is the Retitalia in Serina, at via Dante Alighieri 20, about 3.5 kilometres away as the crow flies, with self-service and attended petrol and diesel. - D: Where can I find methane or LPG near Oltre il Colle? R: Not in Oltre il Colle. Within 12 kilometres the only station with methane and LPG in the Ministry register is in Casnigo, at via Serio 70, in Val Seriana. - D: How much does petrol cost in Oltre il Colle? R: This guide does not publish prices because they change often. The official price, reported by the operator, is on the Osservaprezzi carburanti portal of the Ministry of Enterprise and Made in Italy. - D: Do I need winter tyres to drive up to Oltre il Colle? R: On the provincial roads of Bergamo, so also on the SP27 of Val Serina, from 15 November to 15 April you need winter tyres or chains on board, and with snow or ice chains must be fitted if you do not have winter tyres. ### Post offices — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/poste Oltre il Colle has two Poste Italiane points, about eighty metres apart as the crow flies along via Roma. The post office at number 189 opens in the morning, Monday to Saturday, and has a Postamat available 24 hours a day. The Punto Poste at the tobacconist's at number 268 has longer hours: it opens at 7.15, also in the afternoon from Tuesday to Saturday, and on Sunday mornings. There are no Poste points in the hamlets: in Poste Italiane's search over the municipality only these two appear. Outside the municipality there are post offices in Serina, at viale Papa Giovanni XXIII 1, and in Oneta, at via Marconi 30. #### Post office or Punto Poste? Counter operations are done at the post office: registered and insured mail and judicial documents, poste restante, SPID identification with Poste ID, INPS and pension certificates, BancoPosta services and MoneyGram. The Punto Poste is in the tobacconist's: it is handy for parcels because it also opens in the afternoon and on Sunday mornings, and the tobacconist's listing says what can be done there. #### Opening hours and closures The post office is open Monday to Friday from 8.20 to 13.45 and on Saturday until 12.45; it is closed on Sunday, on public holidays and on 24 August, the patron saint's day. The Punto Poste opens on Monday and Sunday from 7.15 to 12.30 and from Tuesday to Saturday from 7.15 to 12.30 and from 15.30 to 19.30, according to Poste Italiane. - Ufficio postale di Oltre il Colle — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/poste/poste-oltre-il-colle, Via Roma 189, 24013 Oltre il Colle, tel. 0345 95925, Monday to Friday 8.20-13.45; Saturday 8.20-12.45; Closed on Sunday and public holidays; Closed on 24 August, patron saint's day [checked on 2026-10-01]. The post office in Oltre il Colle, via Roma 189: hours, closures, counter services, the 24-hour Postamat and the Punto Poste at the tobacconist's. The post office of Oltre il Colle is at via Roma 189, at the start of the central stretch of the main village; it is the only one in the municipality and Poste Italiane identifies it by office number 10137. It opens in the morning: Monday to Friday from 8.20 to 13.45 and on Saturday until 12.45; it is closed on Sunday and public holidays. Besides letters, registered mail and parcels, Poste lists for this office identification for Poste ID enabled for SPID, the Italian digital identity, the issue of INPS and pension certificates, the Certificazione Unica tax statement, BancoPosta services, postal savings books and bonds and MoneyGram; you can book your turn at the counter with the Prenota Ticket service and a QR code. Outside opening hours there are the Postamat, available 24 hours a day, and the Punto Poste at the tobacconist's at via Roma 268, about 80 metres away as the crow flies, which opens at 7.15, also in the afternoon and on Sunday mornings. #### Opening hours and closures According to Poste Italiane the office is open Monday to Friday from 8.20 to 13.45 and on Saturday from 8.20 to 12.45; it is closed in the afternoon and on Sunday. It also closes on 24 August, for the feast of the patron saint, Saint Bartholomew, and on public holidays: in the calendar Poste publishes for the end of 2026 it is closed on 8, 25 and 26 December, while on 24 December it keeps normal hours. The calendar of opening days can be checked on the Poste Italiane website by searching for the office by number or address. #### What you can do at the counter Poste publishes a list of services for each office. For Oltre il Colle it includes some that are useful to people passing through, such as SPID identification and shipping, alongside the financial services for account holders: - Identification for Poste ID enabled for SPID - Issue of INPS certificates, pension certificates and the Certificazione Unica - Registered and insured mail, judicial documents, Posta1 and Posta4 - Poste Delivery parcels, international too, poste restante and poste restante for parcels - BancoPosta accounts, cards, savings books, postal bonds and government bonds - MoneyGram money transfers - Booking your turn with Prenota Ticket and a QR code #### Postamat 24 hours a day At the post office there is a Postamat cash machine that Poste Italiane lists as available 24 hours a day; OpenStreetMap mapped it in August 2026 next to the office. Together with the Banco BPM cash machine at via Roma 377, it is one of the two places to withdraw cash in the municipality. #### The Punto Poste at the tobacconist's, via Roma 268 About 80 metres away as the crow flies is the Punto Poste at the tobacconist's at via Roma 268, which Poste lists as «Tabaccheria N. 1», phone 0345 51485. The hours published by Poste are longer than the office's: on Monday and Sunday from 7.15 to 12.30, from Tuesday to Saturday from 7.15 to 12.30 and from 15.30 to 19.30. It is the place to send or collect a parcel in the afternoon or at the weekend; for the shop's services see the newsagent and tobacconist's listing. #### How to get there and parking The office is at via Roma 189, about 110 metres as the crow flies from the pharmacy and 140 from the town hall. OpenStreetMap shows a small free public car park about thirty metres away. In summer 2026, from 4 July to 6 September, a mayor's order made the parking disc compulsory in the car parks on via Roma between numbers 189 and 195, that is in front of the office, with a maximum stay of one hour from 8.00 to 20.00. - D: What are the opening hours of the post office in Oltre il Colle? R: Monday to Friday from 8.20 to 13.45 and Saturday from 8.20 to 12.45; it is closed on Sunday and public holidays, and also on 24 August for the patron saint's day. - D: Is the post office in Oltre il Colle open in the afternoon? R: No, it opens only in the morning. In the afternoon, Tuesday to Saturday from 15.30 to 19.30, you can send and collect parcels at the Punto Poste at the tobacconist's at via Roma 268. - D: Does the Postamat in Oltre il Colle work at night? R: Yes: Poste Italiane lists the Postamat cash machine at the via Roma 189 office as available 24 hours a day. - D: Can I get SPID at the post office in Oltre il Colle? R: Yes: among the office's services Poste lists identification for Poste ID enabled for SPID. You can book your turn with Prenota Ticket. - D: Where can I send a parcel on Sunday in Oltre il Colle? R: At the Punto Poste at the tobacconist's at via Roma 268, open on Sunday from 7.15 to 12.30 according to Poste Italiane. The post office is closed on Sunday. - D: When is the post office in Oltre il Colle closed? R: On Sundays, in the afternoons, on public holidays and on 24 August, the patron saint's day. For the end of 2026 Poste lists it as closed on 8, 25 and 26 December. ### Car parks — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/parcheggio For people heading into the mountains the key car park is the one at the Alpe Arera, at 1,600 metres, at the end of the road that climbs from Plassa: it costs 4 euros a day for any vehicle, with the ticket bought before driving up, and the road is open only from spring to autumn. In the centre, in summer, the council regulates parking with the parking disc. Rules change with the seasons and with events and are set by mayor's orders published on the online noticeboard: the reopening and closing of the road to the Alpe Arera, the summer parking disc on via Roma and Piazzale degli Alpini, and temporary parking bans for markets and festivals. #### Alpe Arera and Plassa, for the Arera and the Capanna 2000 The paid car park at 1,600 metres is the closest to the Capanna 2000 hut, about an hour's walk away. In 2026 the road from Plassa reopened from 22 April, with a 30 km/h limit, a ban on vehicles over 3.5 tonnes and a ban on roadside parking; in winter 2025-26 it was closed to all vehicles from 18 November. When the road is closed you park at Plassa, at the start of the climb: the car park next to the Camping Arera is entrusted by the council to the campsite operator, who also clears the snow. All the details are on the Alpe Arera car park page. #### In the centre: the parking disc in summer In summer 2026 a mayor's order imposed the parking disc from 4 July to 6 September, every day from 8.00 to 20.00: in the car parks on via Roma between numbers 189 and 195, 201 and 296, 439 and 492 the maximum stay was one hour, on Piazzale degli Alpini two hours. In 2025 a similar order applied from 5 July to 7 September. For the rest of the year these rules do not apply, unless new orders are issued. On via Capriana, opposite number 120, there is a public car park linked to the centre by a flight of steps, which an order of December 2023 reserved, with a permit, for residents and shopkeepers of via Roma between numbers 201 and 325. #### Colle di Zambla At the pass OpenStreetMap shows a free public car park along the road and, next to it, an area reserved for customers of the Al Trapper restaurant. The pages on the trails and the Adventure Park each say where to leave the car for that starting point. #### Markets, festivals and roadworks: temporary bans For markets, festivals and roadworks the council issues parking-ban orders, often with towing. Among those published on the noticeboard: in the car parks on via Roma between numbers 270 and 284 on 8, 27 and 28 December 2024 and 5 January 2025, in 2025 for the summer market and the youth festival on 1 August, and in 2026 on 14 and 21 February. If you leave your car in the centre on those days, check the signs and the noticeboard. - Parcheggio a pagamento dell'Alpe Arera (quota 1600) — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/parcheggio/parcheggio-alpe-arera-1600 (Alpe Arera), Road from Plassa reopened from 22 April 2026 (order no. 5/2026); Winter 2025-26: closed to all vehicles from 18 November 2025; As of 1 October 2026 the order for winter 2026-27 has not been published [checked on 2026-10-01]. The Alpe Arera car park at 1,600 metres: 4 euros a day, where to buy the ticket, when the road from Plassa is open and the rules for driving up. It is the highest car park in the municipality and the one from which the Capanna 2000 hut is closest: it lies at 1,600 metres, at the end of the road that climbs from Plassa, below the old ski lifts of the Alpe Arera. From here the hut is about an hour's walk and 400 metres of ascent according to the Rifugi di Lombardia portal; as the crow flies it is just over 1.2 kilometres. Parking is charged for every vehicle: 4 euros a day. The ticket must be bought before driving up, in the participating shops in the village or at the Plassa parking meters, in front of the apartment blocks before the climb begins, and displayed so it can be seen. The council also sells a 30-euro season pass, valid until the road closes. The road is not always open. Every spring a mayor's order reopens it provisionally and every autumn another closes it: in 2026 it reopened from 22 April, and the winter before it was closed to all vehicles from 18 November 2025. It can also close for a few hours or a few days, because of snow or for a race. #### How much it costs and how to pay According to the council's notice of 21 April 2026 the charge is 4 euros a day for any vehicle. You do not buy the ticket up at the car park: you buy it before the climb, in the participating shops or at the parking meters installed at Plassa, in front of the apartment blocks, and display it so it can be seen. The season pass costs 30 euros and is valid until the road closes; ask the council for it. The solar-powered parking meter serving the 1,600-metre car park was bought by the council in 2014 and placed at the start of the access road, at Plassa; in December 2025 the council commissioned maintenance work on it. OpenStreetMap describes the car park as an unsurfaced, unattended area. #### When the road is open The stretch from Plassa to Arera 1600 is open provisionally, pending its final inspection: the 2026 reopening order says so, referring back to the first provisional opening in 2010. So every year the mayor signs one order in spring and one in autumn, and short closures can come in between. Before driving up, check the council's online noticeboard, where the orders are published. #### The rules on the road from Plassa Order no. 5 of 21 April 2026, which reopened the road, sets precise rules. The road has asphalt and crash barriers but has not passed its final inspection, so the order imposes restrictions: - Speed limit of 30 km/h along the whole stretch - Ban on vehicles with a tow hook pulling a trailer that carries other vehicles - Ban on vehicles over 3.5 tonnes, because there is no equipped area and the uninspected road surface may not be stable - Ban on parking at the roadside or anywhere outside the designated spaces - For those who break the order, a fine and removal of the vehicle #### From the car park to the Capanna 2000 hut According to the Rifugi di Lombardia portal, from the 1,600-metre car park you reach the hut, at 1,969 metres, in less than an hour on CAI path 221, or on the vehicle track, which makes a wider loop and climbs more gently to Pian Cansaccio, where the hut stands. The same portal gives one hour and 400 metres of ascent from the Alpe Arera, against one hour fifty and 900 metres starting on foot from Zambla Alta. In the hut's entrance hall there is a defibrillator registered by AREU. #### In winter: where to leave the car When the road is closed you park lower down, at Plassa. At the start of the road to Monte Arera there is the car park next to the Camping Arera, which since 2023 the council has entrusted by agreement to the campsite operator for its management, supervision, maintenance, snow clearing and upkeep of the green areas; the agreement requires it to be usable at least from June to September, at Christmas, at Easter, on public holidays and at weekends, and it authorises charging points for e-bikes. From there you go up on foot or on snowshoes: route, times and precautions are in the guide's page on the snowshoe walk to the Capanna 2000. - D: How much does it cost to park at the Alpe Arera? R: Four euros a day for any vehicle, according to the council. There is also a 30-euro season pass, valid until the road closes. - D: Where do I buy the ticket for the Alpe Arera car park? R: Before driving up: in the participating shops in Oltre il Colle or at the Plassa parking meters, in front of the apartment blocks, before the climb begins. The ticket must be displayed so it can be seen. - D: Is the road to the Alpe Arera open? R: As of 1 October 2026, yes: it reopened from 22 April 2026 and the closing order for winter 2026-27 has not yet been published. In winter 2025-26 it was closed to all vehicles from 18 November. Before driving up, check the council's online noticeboard. - D: Can I drive up to the Alpe Arera with a camper van or a trailer? R: The 2026 order bans vehicles over 3.5 tonnes and those pulling a trailer that carries other vehicles; it also bans parking outside the designated spaces. There are no specific bans for lighter vehicles. - D: How long does it take from the Alpe Arera car park to the Capanna 2000? R: About an hour on foot and 400 metres of ascent according to the Rifugi di Lombardia portal, on CAI path 221; the vehicle track is longer but gentler. - D: Where do I park in winter to walk up to the Capanna 2000? R: At Plassa, because in winter the road to 1,600 metres is closed by order: there is the car park next to the Camping Arera, run by the campsite under an agreement with the council. ### EV and e-bike charging — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/ricarica On OpenStreetMap, the free map kept up to date by volunteers, there are two charging points for electric bikes in the territory of Oltre il Colle, marked as free of charge: one on via Roma, in the centre of the main village, and one at the Passo di Zambla. For cars there is a single charging station, at the Passo di Zambla, on the side of the pass that belongs to the municipality of Oneta. These data should be checked before setting off: OpenStreetMap does not say whether the charging points are working, and for cars the official information is on the national single platform of charging points and in the operator's app. #### Electric bikes: where to charge The via Roma charging point is in the centre of the main village, about forty metres as the crow flies from the pharmacy, surveyed on OpenStreetMap in May 2025. The one at the Passo di Zambla is at the pass, a few metres from the defibrillator and near the Adventure Park, and is registered as «Stazione di ricarica per e-bike n°4 schuko». Both are marked as free of charge. In 2023 the council also authorised e-bike charging points in the car park next to the Camping Arera, at Plassa, under its agreement with the campsite operator: they are not mapped on OpenStreetMap, so ask on the spot. #### Electric cars: the Passo di Zambla charging station OpenStreetMap shows at the pass a charging station with two charging points run by Be Charge, with 2022 data. The Be Charge website now redirects to Eni Plenitude's electric mobility page, which offers the Plenitude On The Road app and a map of charging stations. The filling station in Oltre il Colle has no electric charging, and OpenStreetMap shows no other car charging points in the rest of the municipality. #### How to check before setting off The national single platform of charging points (Piattaforma Unica Nazionale), presented by the GSE with the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security, is the official portal mapping charging infrastructure in Italy: for each point it gives the location, the type of supply, the maximum power, the operator and the status. Together with the operator's app it is the safest way to find out whether a charging point is available before driving up. - Ricarica per e-bike in centro, Via Roma, 24013 Oltre il Colle [checked on 2026-10-01] - Ricarica per e-bike al Passo di Zambla (Passo di Zambla) [checked on 2026-10-01] - Ricarica per auto elettriche al Passo di Zambla (Passo di Zambla) [checked on 2026-10-01] ### Sports shops and rental — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/sport For sport in the village there are two points of reference. Edo Sport, in Zambla Alta on the provincial road about 200 metres from the Colle di Zambla, is the only sports shop in the municipal and Pro Loco lists: it sells mountain clothing and equipment and rents what you need for snow and for summer. The Scuola Sci Oltre il Colle brings together the basin's instructors, who teach cross-country, downhill and Nordic walking. In winter they work on the same slopes: cross-country is learnt at the Colle di Zambla, a few hundred metres from the shop, and at Pian della Palla, downhill at the Conca dell'Alben. In summer Edo Sport rents e-bikes, via ferrata sets and child carriers. Mountain guides, horse riding, the Centro Sportivo Valle and the Pro Loco tennis courts have their own category pages. #### Rental: what is available in the village and prices Edo Sport's price list, read on 1 October 2026, gives for winter 12 euros a day for an adult cross-country set and 10 for children, 18 and 15 euros for downhill, 20 euros for a snowboard and 10 euros for snowshoes and sledges, with the option of keeping skis for the whole season. Winter rental cannot be booked. In summer e-bikes cost 35 euros for half a day and 55 for a full day, with compulsory booking; the via ferrata set 15 euros a day and the child carrier 10. #### Ski lessons: who teaches and how to book The Scuola Sci Oltre il Colle, founded in 1981 according to its website and honoured in November 2025 by Regione Lombardia among the historic ski schools, is booked on 350 1230498. In the 2025-26 season a private lesson cost 45 euros an hour plus 10 for each extra person, group alpine courses 150 euros; on 1 October 2026 the prices for the new winter were not yet published. #### 2026-27 season: what to check before coming up The Monte Alben slopes are managed by the Sci Club Valserina; the agreement between the municipalities of Oltre il Colle and Serina for running the ski area covered the period until 30 August 2026, and on 1 October the municipal noticeboard did not yet show the new one. Before coming up it is worth asking the school or the shop whether the trails are open. - Edo Sport — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/sport/sport-edo-sport-zambla-alta (Zambla Alta), Via Prealpina 892, Zambla Alta, tel. 0345 95285, Shop: 9.00-12.30 and 14.30-19.00, open on Sundays too; Rental, winter season: 8.30-12.30 and 13.30-18.00 [checked on 2026-10-01]. Edo Sport in Zambla Alta: mountain shop since 1979 renting skis, snowshoes, sledges, via ferrata sets and e-bikes, with the prices and hours the shop publishes. Edo Sport is the sports shop of Zambla Alta, at via Prealpina 892, on the provincial road about 200 metres from the Colle di Zambla, as the shop itself puts it. It is a family business: the Tiraboschi family opened it in the summer of 1979 and still runs it today. It sells clothing, footwear and equipment for hiking, trail running and winter sports, for adults and children, and also has an online shop. For visitors what matters most is the rental service, which changes with the season. In winter there are complete cross-country and downhill ski sets, snowboards, snowshoes and sledges, by the day and, for skis, also for the whole season, without booking and while stocks last; in summer there are Rossignol e-bikes, via ferrata sets and child carriers. For daily rental the published price list runs from 10 euros for snowshoes, sledges, child carriers and children's cross-country skis to 55 euros for a full day on an e-bike. The shop is open from 9 to 12.30 and from 14.30 to 19, Sundays included; in winter the rental desk keeps its own hours, from 8.30 to 12.30 and from 13.30 to 18. E-bikes must be booked by phone on 0345 95285; for via ferrata sets and child carriers booking is recommended. #### Ski, snowboard, snowshoe and sledge rental: what is available and prices The cross-country set includes skis, boots and poles; the downhill set skis, boots, poles and helmet, in the children's version too. Snowboards come with boots and helmet, snowshoes with poles, and the sledges have metal brakes. For children size matters: the junior cross-country set is for skis up to 150 centimetres, the downhill one up to 130. Skis can be kept for the whole season: 140 euros for adult cross-country and 100 for children, 150 for adult downhill and 120 for children, in this case without a helmet. Winter rental cannot be booked: equipment is collected at the shop while stocks last, from 8.30 to 12.30 and from 13.30 to 18. #### Summer rental: e-bikes, via ferrata sets and child carriers The e-bikes are Rossignol, in two models assigned according to availability: the E-Track Trail 2, full suspension, for demanding routes, and the E-Track 29, a hardtail, for outings on regular routes. Both have a Shimano E7000 motor, a 500 Wh battery and a stated range of up to 100 kilometres. Half a day costs 35 euros, in the morning from 9 to 12 or in the afternoon from 15 to 18; a full day, from 9 to 18, 55 euros. Helmet and lock are included on request. The via ferrata set is a CAMP kit with harness, energy absorber, karabiner and helmet, at 15 euros a day: the shop offers it for protected climbing routes, such as the Monte Alben via ferrata that the Pro Loco lists among the area's activities. The child carrier, padded and with a safety belt, takes children from 6 months up to 20 kilos and costs 10 euros a day, and can also be rented for the season. For both the shop recommends booking. #### E-bike rental rules: age, deposit and where you cannot ride The shop's rules require a valid identity document, which stays at the shop for the whole rental, and a deposit of 200 euros per e-bike, in cash or as a credit-card pre-authorisation; rental is paid in advance. Young people may ride from their 14th birthday, with a parent's written consent. For safety reasons rented e-bikes may not be taken up Monte Arera. They may be used on paved roads and agricultural and forest tracks, cycle paths and mountain-bike routes, not on footpaths reserved for walkers, and they may not be loaded onto cars or public transport. Returning the bike late without agreement costs 25 euros an hour; in case of breakdown or emergency you can ask for the bike to be collected, for 35 euros and depending on the shop's availability. During the rental the customer has no insurance cover from the rental company. #### The shop: clothing, footwear and online store In the shop and online there is women's and men's clothing, footwear for trekking, trail running and leisure, sandals, backpacks and accessories, for adults and children. The online shop ships orders of 89 euros or more free of charge and also sells a gift card. Institutional sources describe the business slightly differently: the municipality's list of shops records it as selling clothing and sports goods with rental of skis and mountain bikes, the Pro Loco as renting skis, sledges, snowshoes, mountain bikes and via ferrata sets. On 1 October 2026 the shop's price list includes only e-bikes among its bicycles. #### Edo Sport and village life: school, events, Pro Loco Since at least 2023, according to published records, the municipality has funded a cross-country ski course every winter for the pupils of the Oltre il Colle primary school, with the instructors of the Scuola Sci Oltre il Colle and equipment rented from Edo Sport: in 2026 the course took place on 25, 26 and 27 February, from 9 to 12, and the rental cost the municipality 390.16 euros. In summer 2026 the shop hosted some events from the Pro Loco programme: the «Voce di montagna» aperitifs with a local mountain guide, at 18 on 25 July and on 11 and 12 August, and on 20 and 21 August a climbing wall run by the Pro Loco and the Val Serina section of the CAI. On its activities page the Pro Loco refers visitors to Edo Sport for e-bike and winter equipment rental. #### How to get there and where to park The shop is at via Prealpina 892, on the provincial road between the centre of Zambla Alta and the Colle di Zambla. It does not mention any parking of its own: the free public car park on the Colle, mapped on OpenStreetMap, is about 340 metres away as the crow flies according to this guide's coordinates, and from the pass start the cross-country trail towards Pian della Palla, about half a kilometre as the crow flies from the shop, and the paths up Monte Alben. Without a car you can take Arriva–Bergamo Trasporti line B, changing at Zogno, with buses Monday to Saturday: the nearest timetabled stops are Zambla Alta Albergo Miramonti and Passo Zambla, the terminus, both about 360-370 metres from the shop as the crow flies. - D: Where can you rent skis in Zambla? R: At Edo Sport, via Prealpina 892 in Zambla Alta, about 200 metres from the Colle di Zambla according to the shop. A complete cross-country set costs 12 euros a day for adults and 10 for children, a downhill set 18 and 15; no booking is needed, equipment is rented while stocks last. - D: How much does it cost to rent snowshoes in Oltre il Colle? R: At Edo Sport 10 euros a day, poles included. A sledge also costs 10 euros a day, a snowboard with boots and helmet 20. - D: Can you rent e-bikes in Zambla Alta? R: Yes, at Edo Sport: full-suspension or hardtail Rossignol bikes, at 35 euros for half a day and 55 for a full day. Booking on 0345 95285 is required; you need an identity document, which stays at the shop, and a 200-euro deposit, and minors may ride from 14 with a parent's written consent. - D: Can you ride up Monte Arera on an e-bike rented in Zambla? R: No: Edo Sport's rules forbid it for safety reasons. Rented e-bikes may not be used on footpaths reserved for walkers either, nor loaded onto cars or public transport. - D: Is Edo Sport open on Sundays? R: Yes. The shop opens from 9 to 12.30 and from 14.30 to 19, Sundays included; in the winter season the rental desk is open 8.30-12.30 and 13.30-18. - D: Where can you rent a via ferrata set near Monte Alben? R: At Edo Sport in Zambla Alta: the CAMP kit with harness, energy absorber, karabiner and helmet costs 15 euros a day. The shop recommends booking on 0345 95285 to check availability. - D: Can you rent skis for the whole season in Zambla? R: Yes, at Edo Sport: 140 euros for adult cross-country skis and 100 for children's, 150 euros for adult downhill skis and 120 for children's, without helmet. - D: Is there child carrier rental in Oltre il Colle? R: Yes, at Edo Sport in Zambla Alta: 10 euros a day, for children from 6 months up to 20 kilos, also for the whole season. The shop recommends booking. - Scuola Sci Oltre il Colle — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/sport/sport-scuola-sci-oltre-il-colle, Via Belvedere 16, 24017 Serina (località Valpiana), tel. 350 1230498 [checked on 2026-10-01]. Scuola Sci Oltre il Colle: cross-country and downhill instructors since 1981, lessons at the Colle di Zambla and Conca dell'Alben, 2025-26 prices and booking. The Scuola Sci Oltre il Colle brings together the ski instructors of the basin: it teaches Nordic skiing, alpine skiing and Nordic walking, and has instructors specialised in teaching pupils with disabilities. According to its website it was founded in 1981 on the initiative of the valley's alpine and Nordic ski instructors; all its instructors belong to the Collegio regionale maestri di sci della Lombardia, the regional board of ski instructors, and the school is a member of AMSI, the Italian ski instructors' association, and of ISIA, the international one. It is directed by Carolina Tiraboschi. On 5 November 2025 Regione Lombardia honoured it among the region's 22 «historic» ski schools, those with at least forty years of uninterrupted activity: six of them are in the province of Bergamo. On the founding year the sources differ by one: the school's website says 1981, the regional list of honoured schools gives 1982 as the year of incorporation. Cross-country is taught on the trails of the Colle di Zambla and Pian della Palla, downhill at the Conca dell'Alben. The registered office is outside the municipality, at via Belvedere 16 in Valpiana di Serina, where the cross-country trail arrives: VisitBrembo describes it as running from Zambla Alta to Valpiana. For lessons and courses the contact is the mobile 350 1230498. On 1 October 2026 the website still showed the courses and prices of the 2025-26 season. #### Courses and lessons: how to book and 2025-26 prices You book by phone on 350 1230498, the number the school gives for information and bookings, or by writing to info@scuolascioltreilcolle.it or using the contact form on the website. Lessons last 55 minutes and take place in any weather, even in falling snow. In the 2025-26 season a private alpine or Nordic ski lesson cost 45 euros an hour for one person, plus 10 euros for each extra person. For alpine skiing there were three group courses at 150 euros: at Christmas from 27 to 31 December and at Epiphany from 1 to 5 January, from 11 to 13, and the Sunday course in January and February, from 15 to 17; equipment could be rented on site. The prices are also set out in this guide's page on the ski school and rental in Zambla. #### Where lessons take place: cross-country trails and Conca dell'Alben For Nordic skiing the school names the trails of the Passo Colle di Zambla and Pian della Palla, which cross the woods and meadows of the north side of Monte Alben and are groomed for both classic and skating technique, with artificial snow on part of the course; the website is inconsistent on the length, 13 kilometres on one page and 12 on another. For alpine skiing the dedicated page mentions only the Conca dell'Alben, while the home page and the «Dove siamo» page also name the Costa Nebel in Zambla Alta. The Monte Alben slopes and trails are managed by the Sci Club Valserina, to which the municipality paid the advance and the balance of its grant for winter 2025-26; the agreement between the municipalities of Oltre il Colle and Serina and the Sci Club covered the period from 1 November 2024 to 30 August 2026. On 1 October 2026 the municipal noticeboard did not yet show a new act for the 2026-27 season: before booking it is worth asking the school whether the trails are open. #### Children, adults and pupils with disabilities With children the school says it tailors teaching to each child's level from their first steps on snow, and requires all pupils to wear a helmet, citing the legal obligation. With adults it follows the pupil from the first runs to refining technique. The specialisation in teaching people with disabilities appears among the director's disciplines: it is worth mentioning when booking. Since at least 2023, according to municipal records, the school's instructors have taught the cross-country course for the pupils of the Oltre il Colle primary school, funded through the right-to-education plan and agreed with the teachers of the Istituto comprensivo Valle Serina: in 2026 it took place on 25, 26 and 27 February, from 9 to 12, with 504 euros of lessons and equipment rented from Edo Sport. #### Who the instructors are and what they teach The website is inconsistent on the number of instructors: the home page says 11, the presentation page 10, and the list of names gives ten: eight teach Nordic skiing, nine Nordic walking and three alpine skiing. Some, the school explains, work with various ski clubs to train athletes. In the regional register of ski schools, among Regione Lombardia's open data, the school appears as «Scuola di sci di Oltre il Colle – Associazione maestri di sci», for alpine and cross-country skiing and not for snowboarding, with winter-only activity; the record, however, refers to the 2019-20 season. For Nordic walking, which it presents among the area's outdoor activities, the Pro Loco refers to the instructors of the «Scuola N.W. di Oltre il Colle» with the same number, 347 5061501, that it gives for the ski school. At the start of 2026, among the holiday events, the torchlight descent of the Oltre il Colle ski instructors on the Conca dell'Alben slopes was scheduled for 2 January, from 17.30. #### Contacts: which number to call The number the school publishes on its own website for information and bookings is the mobile 350 1230498, the same one that VisitBrembo, the tourism portal of the Val Brembana, gives as the contact for the Monte Alben trails. The Pro Loco, in its 2026 list, and the regional register of ski schools give 347 5061501 instead, and the list of member schools of AMSI Lombardia, published in 2023, a third number: the safest reference remains the one on the website. The email is info@scuolascioltreilcolle.it and the school also has a Facebook page. The registered office is at via Belvedere 16 in Serina, in the hamlet of Valpiana, outside the municipality of Oltre il Colle; lessons take place on the trails listed above. #### How to reach the trails and where to park At the Colle di Zambla, where the cross-country trails start, there is a free public car park mapped on OpenStreetMap, and Arriva–Bergamo Trasporti line B arrives there, with its terminus at Passo Zambla, changing at Zogno and with buses Monday to Saturday. Since 20 November 2025, under municipal order no. 33/2025, the dirt road between the Colle di Zambla and Pian della Palla has been closed to traffic and serves as a Nordic ski trail, entrusted to the Sci Club Valserina. Pian della Palla, the other access to the cross-country trail, is reached from the village of Oltre il Colle, as the Pro Loco indicates, and according to VisitBrembo the Conca dell'Alben, where the downhill slopes are, can also be reached from the main village. - D: How do you book a lesson with the Scuola Sci Oltre il Colle? R: By phoning 350 1230498, the number the school gives for information and bookings, or by writing to info@scuolascioltreilcolle.it. The registered office is in Serina, but lessons take place on the trails of the Colle di Zambla, Pian della Palla and the Conca dell'Alben. - D: How much is a ski lesson in Oltre il Colle? R: In the 2025-26 season a private alpine or Nordic ski lesson cost 45 euros an hour for one person, plus 10 euros for each extra person, with 55-minute lessons. The Christmas, Epiphany and Sunday group alpine courses cost 150 euros. - D: Where are cross-country ski lessons held in Zambla? R: On the trails of the Colle di Zambla and Pian della Palla, groomed for classic and skating technique. The school teaches downhill at the Conca dell'Alben. - D: Does the Scuola Sci Oltre il Colle teach snowboarding? R: The website does not list it among its disciplines, which are alpine skiing, Nordic skiing and Nordic walking, and in the regional register of ski schools snowboarding is marked as excluded. - D: Are there ski instructors for people with disabilities in Oltre il Colle? R: Yes: the Scuola Sci Oltre il Colle states a specialisation for pupils with disabilities, which appears among the director's disciplines. It is worth mentioning it when booking. - D: Why does the Oltre il Colle ski school have several phone numbers? R: The school's website gives 350 1230498; the Pro Loco and the regional register of ski schools give 347 5061501. The website number is the one the school itself publishes for bookings. - D: Is the Scuola Sci Oltre il Colle a historic school? R: Yes: on 5 November 2025 Regione Lombardia honoured it among the 22 ski schools with at least forty years of uninterrupted activity. The website gives 1981 as its founding year, the regional list 1982. - D: When will the 2026-27 ski courses be published? R: On 1 October 2026 the school's website still shows the courses and prices of the 2025-26 season. For the new winter it is worth phoning 350 1230498. ### Sports facilities — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/impianti-sportivi The basin's sports facilities are few and concentrated in two places. In the main village the Pro Loco rents out the two municipal artificial-grass tennis courts on Via Capriana, in summer from 9 am to 6 pm and by booking; at the Passo di Zambla, on the Oneta side, the Centro Sportivo Valle brings together tennis, five-a-side football, minigolf, trampolines, table tennis, a bowls hall and a games room, with a restaurant and bar. In November 2022 La Voce delle Valli reported two projects by the municipality: the resurfacing with a synthetic surface of two multi-purpose courts in the village centre, for five-a-side football, tennis and volleyball, and a new service centre at the Colle di Zambla, with changing rooms, toilets and an information point next to the start of the cross-country tracks. The cross-country tracks, the Monte Alben Adventure Park and the crags are not on this page: they have their own pages in the Things to do section, with seasons, prices and access. #### Tennis, five-a-side and minigolf: where to play For tennis there are two options: the municipal courts on Via Capriana, which the Pro Loco runs under the agreement approved by the municipality in January 2026 and which in 2026 cost 12 euros an hour or 10 for members, and the court of the Centro Sportivo Valle at the pass. The same agreement also entrusts the Pro Loco with the volleyball and basketball courts on Via Capriana, with toilets and changing rooms. Five-a-side football is at the Centro Sportivo Valle, and in 2026 the Pro Loco membership card gave reduced access to the tennis and five-a-side courts. The minigolf is at the Centro Sportivo Valle. - Pro Loco tennis courts, Via Capriana: booking on the oltreilcolleturismo.it website or on 0345 95541 - Centro Sportivo Valle, Passo di Zambla: tennis, five-a-side football, minigolf, trampolines, table tennis, bowls hall and games room, 035 708988 #### Gyms, climbing and summer tournaments In the Pro Loco's summer 2026 programme the school gym, at Via Grimoldo 25, hosted courses in theatre, meditation and zumba, and a marquee in the village the qi gong lessons. For 20 and 21 August a climbing wall at Edo Sport, in Zambla Alta, organised by the Pro Loco and the CAI Val Serina section, was on the calendar, and for 8 and 9 August a beach volleyball tournament on Via Capriana. These are one summer's initiatives: the calendar changes every year. - Centro Sportivo Valle — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/impianti-sportivi/centro-sportivo-valle-passo-di-zambla (Passo di Zambla), Via Colle di Zambla 5/A, 24020 Oneta, tel. 035 708988 [checked on 2026-10-01]. Centro Sportivo Valle at the Passo di Zambla: restaurant with polenta, bar, tennis, five-a-side, minigolf and trampolines next to the cross-country track. The Centro Sportivo Valle is at the Passo di Zambla, on the side of the municipality of Oneta, at Via Colle di Zambla 5/A; in its advertisement it gives an altitude of 1,260 metres. It combines a restaurant, a bar and several facilities for sport and play, next to the start of the cross-country ski track. In its advertisement in the summer 2026 booklet of the Pro Loco of Oltre il Colle it lists a restaurant with traditional dishes and polenta, a bar, sandwich bar and tea room with fireplace, and then tennis, five-a-side football, a bowls hall, table tennis, a gym, skating, trampolines, minigolf and a games room. Its Facebook page adds ice cream and a billiards room, and the Pro Loco also mentions the sun terrace. For CAI Bergamo the restaurant is the refreshment point of the barrier-free walk towards the Conca dell'Alben, which starts from the asphalted area right next to the centre. Opening hours and prices are not published: the number to call is 035 708988. #### What you can do: sports and games The list of facilities varies a little from one source to another, but the core is the same: tennis, five-a-side football, minigolf, trampolines, table tennis, bowls and a games room appear both in the centre's advertisement and on the Pro Loco pages. The advertisement adds a gym and skating, the Facebook page the billiards room and five-a-side football, the Pro Loco the sun terrace. Next to the car park indicated by the CAI, OpenStreetMap draws a tennis court and a football pitch. Prices, court times and equipment hire have to be asked at the centre. - Tennis - Five-a-side football - Minigolf - Trampolines - Table tennis - Bowls hall - Games room and billiards room - Gym and skating, according to the centre's advertisement - Sun terrace, according to the Pro Loco #### The restaurant and the bar The food, according to the advertisement, is traditional dishes with polenta; the bar also works as a sandwich bar and tea room, with a fireplace, and the Facebook page mentions ice cream. Menu and prices are not published on the pages we consulted. At the pass there are also the Al Trapper restaurant and pizzeria and the La Baita venue, with their own pages in Food and services. #### Where it is: the Oneta side of the Passo di Zambla The pass lies on the boundary between Oltre il Colle and Oneta: OpenStreetMap marks the sign where Oneta begins about thirty metres south of the saddle, and the centre is on that side, in Via Colle di Zambla. CAI's page for route 104 gives Via Colle di Zambla 5 and attributes it to Serina; the centre, in its advertisement, writes Oneta. CAI's printable card gives 41 kilometres from Bergamo via the Val Seriana, through Albino, Vertova, Ponte Nossa and Oneta; from the Val Brembana you climb through Serina and Oltre il Colle on provincial road 27. #### How to get there and where to park The CAI recommends parking in the asphalted area next to the restaurant, about 180 metres as the crow flies from the saddle of the pass, where OpenStreetMap also draws a free public car park of about 680 square metres. By bus you get off at the Passo Zambla terminus of Arriva's line B, from Bergamo with a change at Zogno, or at the Passo Zambla - Deposito SAB stop of line S50bce, which climbs from Ponte Nossa: both lines run only from Monday to Saturday. #### Start of the cross-country track and the barrier-free walk The centre's advertisement points out that it is next to the cross-country ski track, which in winter starts from the Colle di Zambla. From the car park by the restaurant also starts CAI's barrier-free route 104 towards the Conca dell'Alben: 5.6 kilometres according to the CAI, 45 minutes each way, 30 metres of ascent and a maximum gradient of 10 per cent, passable also by people with motor disabilities with the help of a Joëlette. In the description of the Baita Nembrini, the CAI Valserina hut below the Torrione Brassamonti, OpenStreetMap names the Centro Sportivo Valle, together with the CAI sub-section, among the contacts for information about the keys: it is a note by the mappers, to be checked by phone. #### Opening hours and contacts Opening hours, closing days and prices do not appear in the sources we consulted. The number, 035 708988, is the same in the centre's advertisement, on the Pro Loco pages and on the CAI card; for information about route 104 the CAI also gives the municipality of Oneta, 035 707117. The Facebook page is the channel where the centre presents itself. - D: What can you do at the Centro Sportivo Valle? R: Tennis, five-a-side football, minigolf, trampolines, table tennis, bowls and a games room, according to the centre and the Pro Loco; the centre's advertisement also mentions a gym and skating. There is a restaurant with a bar. - D: Can you eat at the Centro Sportivo Valle? R: Yes, there is a restaurant with traditional dishes and polenta, and a bar with sandwiches and a tea room with fireplace; the Facebook page also mentions ice cream. - D: Which municipality is the Centro Sportivo Valle in? R: Oneta: the centre is on the side of the Passo di Zambla that belongs to the municipality of Oneta, at Via Colle di Zambla 5/A. - D: Where can you park at the Centro Sportivo Valle? R: In the asphalted area next to the restaurant, which the CAI gives as the start of the barrier-free walk, or in the free public car park at the saddle of the pass. - D: What are the Centro Sportivo Valle's opening hours? R: They are not published: phone 035 708988. - D: Is there a minigolf at the Passo di Zambla? R: Yes, at the Centro Sportivo Valle, which lists it together with tennis, five-a-side football and trampolines. - Campi da tennis della Pro Loco — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/impianti-sportivi/campi-tennis-pro-loco, Via Capriana, 24013 Oltre il Colle, tel. 0345 95541, Summer season, 9.00-18.00, by booking [checked on 2026-10-01]. Pro Loco tennis courts on Via Capriana in Oltre il Colle: two artificial-grass courts, in summer from 9 am to 6 pm, 12 euros an hour or 10 for members. The Pro Loco of Oltre il Colle runs the two municipal tennis courts on Via Capriana, in the main village: they have an artificial-grass surface and are open to residents and visitors. On its website it places them at the village sports ground and describes them as panoramic and available throughout the summer season, from 9 am to 6 pm. You book online, choosing date, court and time slot, or by phone on 0345 95541; a booking is only valid once the Pro Loco confirms it. In the summer 2026 booklet the rate was 12 euros an hour, 10 for members, and the membership card, 25 euros for adults and 10 for under-18s, gave reduced access to the tennis and five-a-side courts. The street is given by the agreement with the municipality, approved by the town council on 30 January 2026 and valid until 31 December 2028: the municipal tennis and volleyball/basketball courts on Via Capriana, with the adjoining toilets and changing rooms, are granted free of charge to the Pro Loco, which in return takes care of cleaning and routine maintenance. Anyone looking for a court at the Passo di Zambla will also find tennis at the Centro Sportivo Valle, on the Oneta side. #### Opening hours, season and prices The courts are available during the summer season, from 9 am to 6 pm; the Pro Loco does not give the dates when the season opens and closes. The rates are those published in the summer 2026 booklet. #### Where they are: the municipal courts on Via Capriana The courts belong to the municipality and are on Via Capriana, in the main village. With the 2026 agreement the municipality grants the Pro Loco free use of them, together with the volleyball and basketball courts and the adjoining toilets and changing rooms; the Pro Loco undertakes to clean them and carry out routine maintenance. OpenStreetMap draws two side-by-side tennis courts on Via Capriana, next to a basketball court and a football pitch, about 320 metres as the crow flies from the Pro Loco office at Via Roma 201 and about 310 from Bar Pasticceria Manenti. The largest square in the main village, above Via Roma, is about 300 metres away as the crow flies. #### How to book a court On the Pro Loco website there is a form: you choose date, court and time slot and leave your name, phone and email. The Pro Loco warns that bookings must be confirmed and asks you to wait for confirmation after sending the form. Alternatively, phone 0345 95541 or write to oltreilcolleproloco@gmail.com, the address published in the booklet. In summer 2026 the Pro Loco office, at Via Roma 201, was open in June from Friday to Sunday, 9.30-12 and 15.30-18, and in July and August every day, 9.30-12 and 16-18.30. #### The multi-purpose courts renovated in 2022 In November 2022 La Voce delle Valli reported the completion of work on two multi-purpose courts in the village centre, formerly used for tennis and volleyball and resurfaced with a synthetic surface for five-a-side football, tennis and volleyball; the municipal administration intended to make them free for young people up to 16. Together with the new service centre at the Colle di Zambla the work cost about 350,000 euros, with contributions from Regione Lombardia and the GAL Valle Brembana. The article does not name the street, so it cannot be said for certain that they are the Via Capriana courts; the Pro Loco, for its part, says nothing about free access for young people: under-16s should ask when booking. #### Other tennis courts in the basin At the Passo di Zambla, on the side of the municipality of Oneta, the Centro Sportivo Valle lists tennis among its facilities, together with five-a-side football, minigolf and bowls; you book on 035 708988. Camping Zambla mentions tennis courts among the things you will find near the campsite. - D: How much does a tennis court cost in Oltre il Colle? R: In 2026 the Pro Loco charged 12 euros an hour, 10 for members; the membership card cost 25 euros, 10 for under-18s. - D: How do you book the Pro Loco tennis court? R: With the form on the oltreilcolleturismo.it website, choosing date, court and time slot, or by phone on 0345 95541. The booking is only valid once the Pro Loco confirms it. - D: What are the opening hours of the tennis courts in Oltre il Colle? R: From 9 am to 6 pm, during the summer season. - D: What surface do you play on? R: Artificial grass, on both courts. - D: Are the tennis courts open in winter? R: The Pro Loco lists them as available in the summer season; for the other months it publishes no hours. - D: Where are the Pro Loco tennis courts? R: On Via Capriana, in the main village: they are the municipal courts entrusted to the Pro Loco under the 2026 agreement, about 320 metres as the crow flies from the Pro Loco office at Via Roma 201. ### Mountain guides and outdoor activities — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/guide-e-attivita This page collects the activities you do with someone leading you: the village's mountain guides and horse riding. Three mountain guides registered with the Lombardy regional association have their professional base in Oltre il Colle, Nadia Tiraboschi, Mattia Cavagna and Gianluigi Carrara, and the Pro Loco recommends them for climbing, going up to high altitude, tackling the most demanding outings and snowshoe walks in winter. For horse riding there is Walter's Valley, which the Pro Loco places in Zambla Alta and recommends for excursions and treks in the basin and for pony rides. The activities you do on your own, from via ferratas to crags, from trails to cross-country tracks, have their own pages in the Things to do section. Neither the guides nor the riding stable publish rates or a fixed calendar: you book by phoning directly. In summer the Pro Loco's booklet gathers the group outings, such as the family canyoning and the climbing courses of 2026. #### Who can lead you in the mountains The regional association of mountain guides points out that Law 6 of 1989 and Lombardy Regional Law 26 of 2014 recognise only three figures for leading people in the mountains for payment and teaching mountaineering techniques: the trainee guide, the mountain guide and the medium-mountain leader. The association's register is online and for each guide shows registration, professional base and specialities. Among the mountain guide's activities the association lists leading on rock and ice, on ski-mountaineering trips and on hikes, teaching mountaineering techniques, rescue, rope work at height and canyoning. #### Summer 2026: canyoning, courses and group outings In the Pro Loco's summer booklet the guided offers were mainly Nadia Tiraboschi's: canyoning trips suitable for families and adults on many dates in July and August, two days of family canyoning, on 3 and 17 July, and a climbing course at basic, intermediate and advanced level in two sessions, from 15 to 17 July and from 11 to 13 August. The same booklet noted that Walter's Valley was carrying on with its pony rides. #### Other activities with instructors, with a page in other categories The Scuola Sci Oltre il Colle, with cross-country skiing, alpine skiing and Nordic walking, and the Edo Sport rental shop in Zambla Alta are in the sporting goods and rental category; the Monte Alben Adventure Park at the Passo di Zambla, with its tree-top courses, has a page in the Things to do section. - Guide alpine di Oltre il Colle — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/guide-e-attivita/guide-alpine-oltre-il-colle [checked on 2026-10-01]. Mountain guides in Oltre il Colle: Nadia Tiraboschi, Mattia Cavagna and Gianluigi Carrara, contacts and specialities, canyoning and the 2026 courses. Three mountain guides have their professional base in Oltre il Colle: Nadia Tiraboschi, Mattia Cavagna and Gianluigi Carrara. They are the guides the Pro Loco recommends to anyone who wants to climb, go up to high altitude or tackle demanding outings, and in the mountain guides list of the Lombardy regional association's register, consulted on 1 October 2026, they are the only ones with their professional base in the village. The mountain guide is one of the three figures, with the trainee guide and the medium-mountain leader, that Law 6 of 1989 and, in Lombardy, Regional Law 26 of 2014 recognise for leading people in the mountains for payment and teaching mountaineering techniques, the association points out. Besides leading on rock and ice, on ski-mountaineering trips and on hikes, its activities include rescue, rope work at height and canyoning. The profession has deep roots: the CAI Valserina, tracing the history of mountaineering in the valley, starts from a mountain guide, Luigi Manenti, entered in the book of Bergamo guides as early as 1890, and two guides from the basin, Nadia Tiraboschi and Pierangelo Maurizio, reached the summit of Everest in 2007. Today the offer ranges from family canyoning to climbing courses, from via ferratas to snowshoe walks. #### The three guides: contacts and specialities The table brings together the contacts published by the Pro Loco and by the regional association's register, where each guide has a page with registration number, phone, email and specialities. For Gianluigi Carrara the two sources give mobile numbers that differ in the last digits: 329 9609565 the Pro Loco, 329 9609595 the register. #### What you can do with a guide: climbing, via ferratas, canyoning and snowshoes The Pro Loco recommends the village guides for climbing, exploring high altitudes and tackling demanding outings, but also for snowshoe walks in winter and for hikes adapted to families. In her advertisement in the summer 2026 booklet Nadia Tiraboschi lists climbing, via ferratas, hiking, canyoning and courses for beginners and advanced climbers. The crags of the Torrione Brassamonti, the Maurizio via ferrata, the ascents of Arera, Grem and Menna and the snowshoe walks in the Conca dell'Alben have their own pages in the Things to do section, with times, difficulty and access. #### Canyoning and courses in summer 2026 The Pro Loco's summer 2026 booklet gave an idea of Nadia Tiraboschi's calendar: canyoning trips “for everyone”, suitable for families and adults, on many dates in July and August; two days of family canyoning, on 3 and 17 July; a climbing course at basic, intermediate and advanced level from 15 to 17 July and from 11 to 13 August; and three “Voce di montagna” aperitifs with the guide at Edo Sport, in Zambla Alta. For bookings the contact was 335 5426993. In August 2024 La Voce delle Valli presented family canyoning as suitable also for families with children aged 6 and over. On her website, which can no longer be reached, the guide described the gorges of the Bergamo valleys from June to September, in the Val Cavallina, Val Seriana and Val Brembana, and recommended in particular the Fiumenero, in the Val Seriana, a route she had bolted herself, suitable for first-timers; the basic course consisted of three half-day outings for a maximum of five people. #### How to book a guide You contact the guide directly, by phone or email: we found no shared office, no fixed calendar of outings and no published rates, apart from the dates in the Pro Loco's summer booklet. Ask for the price when you make your request. To check that whoever leads you is qualified, the register of the Lombardy regional association of mountain guides is online: for each guide it shows the registration number, professional base and specialities. #### From Everest to the Maurizio via ferrata: the guides and their home mountains Nadia Tiraboschi, born in Oltre il Colle where she lives with her family, writes on her website that she obtained her mountain guide licence at 28. With Pierangelo Maurizio, a guide from Zambla, she climbed Fitz Roy in 1995 and, at the beginning of 1996, Cerro Torre in Patagonia, as the CAI Valserina recalls; in 2004 she took part in the Italian expedition for the fiftieth anniversary of the first ascent of K2, and on 17 May 2007 she was on the summit of Everest with a small alpine-style expedition of friends, from which Maurizio did not return. In 2011, L'Eco di Bergamo reports, Mattia Cavagna and the Fancy Mountain association re-bolted some twenty pitches on the Torrione Brassamonti and the neighbouring point, fixed up the Bottiglione and equipped the main boulder of the Corni dell'acqua, with the idea of turning the Val Serina into a great climbing gym for every level. The following year, according to the CAI Valserina, the via ferrata on the Alben named after Pierangelo Maurizio was completed; on Nadia Tiraboschi's website the via ferrata page asks those who climb it to report any anomalies to the mountain guides of Oltre il Colle. - D: How many mountain guides are there in Oltre il Colle? R: Three have their professional base in the village according to the register of the Lombardy regional association: Nadia Tiraboschi, Mattia Cavagna and Gianluigi Carrara, the same guides the Pro Loco lists. - D: How do you book a mountain guide in Oltre il Colle? R: By contacting the guide directly: Nadia Tiraboschi on 335 5426993, Mattia Cavagna on 339 7290946, Gianluigi Carrara on 329 9609565 according to the Pro Loco or 329 9609595 according to the register. The email addresses are published by the association's register and by the Pro Loco. - D: Can you go canyoning with children in Oltre il Colle? R: Yes: in summer 2026 Nadia Tiraboschi offered family canyoning and canyoning trips suitable for families and adults; in 2024 La Voce delle Valli gave family canyoning as suitable for children aged 6 and over. - D: How much does a mountain guide cost in Oltre il Colle? R: The village guides do not publish rates online: ask them directly for the price. - D: Do the guides also lead snowshoe walks? R: Yes, the Pro Loco recommends the village mountain guides for winter outings on snowshoes. - D: Who can lead people in the mountains for payment? R: Under Law 6 of 1989 and Lombardy Regional Law 26 of 2014, the trainee guide, the mountain guide and the medium-mountain leader. Among the mountain guide's activities the association lists climbing on rock and ice, ski mountaineering, teaching mountaineering techniques and canyoning. - Walter's Valley, escursioni a cavallo — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/guide-e-attivita/walters-valley-cavalli (Zambla Alta), tel. 333 2810352 [checked on 2026-10-01]. Walter's Valley in Zambla Alta: horse-riding excursions and treks in the Oltre il Colle basin and pony rides for children, by booking on 333 2810352. Walter's Valley is the riding stable of the Oltre il Colle basin. The Pro Loco, which also writes it as Walter Valley, places it in Zambla Alta and presents it in one line: horse-riding excursions and treks in the basin. In the summer 2026 booklet it adds that Walter's Valley “carries on with the pony rides”. For information and bookings there are two numbers, both published by the Pro Loco: 333 2810352, which the booklet associates with the name Lory, and 335 7084253. The stable has no website and, as far as we could find, no social media page: address, prices, length of the outings and minimum age have to be asked on the phone. The ponies also turn up at the festivals in the basin. For the Sagra del Balòch on 13 August 2024, in the Parco del Colle di Zambla, La Voce delle Valli announced that all children could ride “Lory and Walter's ponies”; in the 2026 programme the same festival, again on 13 August, included a pony ride, and the Festa della Montagna on 19 July at Pian della Palla pony walks. #### Excursions, treks and pony rides The sources describe two activities: horse-riding excursions and treks in the Oltre il Colle basin, which the Pro Loco lists among its outdoor experiences, and pony rides, aimed at children and mentioned in the summer 2026 booklet. Routes, durations, required level and minimum age are not published. Camping Zambla, too, lists a riding stable among the things you will find near the campsite, without naming it. #### How to book You phone: 333 2810352 is the main number, the one the Pro Loco highlights and the 2026 booklet gives for information and bookings; 335 7084253 is the second contact. It is worth asking where to meet, how long the outing lasts, how much it costs and whether experience or particular clothing is needed. #### The ponies at the festivals in the basin The Sagra del Balòch is organised by the Pro Loco in the Parco del Colle di Zambla. For the edition of 13 August 2024, from 2.30 to 6.30 pm, La Voce delle Valli announced stalls, country games and the chance for every child to ride Lory and Walter's ponies. The Pro Loco's 2026 programme, for the thirteenth edition on 13 August, still mentioned a pony ride, without saying who brought the ponies. The same booklet announced for 19 July 2026 the fourth Festa della Montagna at Pian della Palla, with pony walks among stalls of local produce and wooden games. #### Where the stable is The Pro Loco places Walter's Valley in Zambla Alta, but does not publish an address, and the stable does not appear on OpenStreetMap: the meeting point has to be agreed on the phone. Zambla Alta is served by Arriva's line B, from Monday to Saturday, with the Zambla Alta Albergo Miramonti stop. - D: Can you go horse riding in Oltre il Colle? R: Yes, with Walter's Valley, which the Pro Loco recommends for horse-riding excursions and treks in the Oltre il Colle basin. Book on 333 2810352. - D: Are there pony rides for children in Zambla? R: Yes: according to the Pro Loco booklet, in summer 2026 Walter's Valley carried on with its pony rides. Age and duration are not published. - D: Where is the Walter's Valley stable? R: In Zambla Alta according to the Pro Loco, which does not publish an address: the meeting point is agreed by phone. - D: How much does a horse-riding excursion in Zambla cost? R: Prices are not published: ask on 333 2810352 or 335 7084253. - D: Can you ride ponies at the Sagra del Balòch? R: In the editions of 13 August 2024 and 13 August 2026, in the Parco del Colle di Zambla, the programme included pony rides for children. ### Local produce and farm shops — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/prodotti-tipici In the Oltre il Colle basin local produce means above all cheeses and cured meats from livestock farming, and it is best bought from the people who make it. On this page you will find the summer alpine pasture of the Cominelli farm on Monte di Zambla, reachable on foot from the Colle di Zambla: boards, cheeses and cured meats of their own production and lunches for groups by booking. The bar at Camping Zambla also sells milk and cheese from the Tiraboschi family's farm, which produces cheeses, formagelle, butter and cured meats: its page is among the bars. Another farm in the basin, the Azienda agricola Betinel at Via Freroli 289, advertised in the Pro Loco's summer 2026 booklet the production and sale of cheeses and, on 12 and 26 July, dairy visits with tastings; for information the Pro Loco gave 348 2120709. In summer there are also the markets: according to the Pro Loco's 2026 programme, the Friday-morning market in piazza Mons. Belotti in July and August and, on some weekends, the Coldiretti and Cascinale Lombardo markets in piazza Carrara. #### Where to buy the basin's cheeses and cured meats These are the farms that sell directly, according to their official sources and the Pro Loco booklet. The seasons matter: the Cominellis' alpine pasture works in summer, while the campsite bar states it is open all year round. - Cominelli alpine pasture, Monte di Zambla: boards, cheeses and cured meats of their own production, lunches for groups from June to the end of summer, 339 2628735 - Camping Zambla, Piccola Parigi bar, Zambla Alta: milk and cheese of their own production, open all year round, 0345 95092 - Azienda agricola Betinel, Via Freroli 289: production and sale of cheeses, information on 348 2120709 #### Summer markets In summer 2026 the Pro Loco's programme included the Friday market in piazza Mons. Belotti, from 9 am to 1 pm, from 3 July to 28 August. In piazza Carrara, from 10 am to 6 pm, the markets took turns: Coldiretti's on 12 July and on 2 and 16 August, the Cascinale Lombardo's on 4 and 25 July and on 8 and 22 August. Stalls of local produce and crafts also accompany the festivals: the Festa della Montagna at Pian della Palla on 19 July 2026, and the Sagra del Balòch in the Parco del Colle di Zambla on 13 August. The dates change every year: the up-to-date calendar is the Pro Loco's. #### Lunch at an alpine pasture The only alpine pasture in the basin that publishes a lunch offer is the Cominellis' on Monte di Zambla, about 50 minutes on foot from the Colle di Zambla according to the farm: groups book from June and throughout the summer on 339 2628735. Prices and days are not published. - Alpeggio Cominelli all'Alpe Zambla — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/prodotti-tipici/prodotti-tipici-alpeggio-cominelli (Monte di Zambla), tel. 339 2628735, Lunches at the alpine pasture by booking, from June to the end of summer [checked on 2026-10-01]. Cominelli alpine pasture on Monte di Zambla: boards, home-made cheeses and cured meats, and lunches for groups by booking, 50 minutes from the Colle di Zambla. In summer the brothers Giovanni and Roberto Cominelli, farmers from Parre in the Val Seriana, take their animals up to Monte di Zambla, above the pass. Their farm calls the hut on the alpine pasture Baita Casere; OpenStreetMap marks it as Alpe Zambla, with the farm as operator. Here, they write, you will find a special selection of boards with cured meats and cheeses of their own production. Since June 2023 the farm has also offered lunch at the alpine pasture: from June and throughout the summer a group can book it by phoning 339 2628735 and arranging everything with Roberto. The hut is about 50 minutes from the Colle di Zambla, according to the farm, and lies on CAI trail 238. Besides the alpine pasture, the products also reach your home: the Cominellis deliver throughout the province of Bergamo with a minimum order of 50 euros, and on their website they publish directions to their farmhouse in Parre. #### Who the Cominellis are and what they produce The Cominelli brothers come, they write, from generations of livestock farmers and shepherds. In Parre they have restored their centuries-old farmhouse, the Cascina Zènder in the Mut Bas area, combining the old parts with an automatic milking system with milk transport, a dairy and a cured-meat workshop. They raise about 50 dairy and beef cattle, partly of the Alpine Brown breed and, gradually, of the Alpine Grey, as well as pigs; with their animals they take part in the sector's fairs in the area. Cheeses and cured meats carry the EC health mark, which allows them to be sold outside Lombardy too. These are the products listed on the website: - Mountain cheese - Formagella - Stracchino - Primo sale cheese - Cotechino and salami - Coppa, pancetta, bresaola, porchetta and carne salata - Milk, butter and cream - Veal and pork #### Lunch at the alpine pasture for groups The lunch is designed for groups and has to be arranged: the farm invites you to phone 339 2628735 and agree everything with Roberto, and welcomes guests with the products made by the farm. Prices, minimum number of people and days are not published. The offer has been on the website since June 2023 under the title “Spend a day in the Orobie between the Val del Riso and the Val Serina”: Monte di Zambla lies right between the two valleys, above the pass. #### How to get there on foot from the Colle di Zambla The reference is CAI trail 238, which starts from the Passo di Zambla. From the car park you follow the signposted lane north, pass the shrine of the Madonna di Caravaggio and go down to the Cascine Sinelli; from here the CAI says to carry straight on to the end of the dirt road, take the left-hand path and, leaving trail 223, come out onto the wide pastures of Monte di Zambla, from where the dirt road climbs to the Baita di Monte di Zambla in 15 easy minutes. The GPS track of trail 238 published by the CAI passes about ten metres from the building OpenStreetMap marks as the Cominellis' Alpe Zambla. At the Cascine Sinelli a lane climbs to the left towards the same hut, but the CAI warns that it is a decidedly longer route. As the crow flies the hut is about 1.7 kilometres from the saddle of the Colle di Zambla. #### The farm in Parre and home delivery The farm is based in Parre, in the Val Seriana: the Società agricola Cominelli gives as its address Via Campella 24 and the Cascina Zènder in the Mut Bas area, which you reach, they write, by carrying on for about five minutes to the right just after the Parre cemetery. The website publishes a map with the turns. For those who do not go up to the alpine pasture there is home delivery throughout the province of Bergamo, with a minimum order of 50 euros: you order by phone, by email at info@agricolacominelli.it or with the form on the website. - D: Where is the Cominelli alpine pasture? R: On Monte di Zambla, above the Colle di Zambla, in the municipality of Oltre il Colle: the hut, which the farm calls Baita Casere, is on CAI trail 238, about 1.7 kilometres from the pass as the crow flies. - D: How long is the walk to the Cominelli alpine pasture? R: About 50 minutes from the Colle di Zambla according to the farm, on CAI trail 238 to the pastures of Monte di Zambla and then along the dirt road that climbs to the hut. - D: Can you have lunch at the Cominelli alpine pasture? R: Yes, for groups and by booking, from June and throughout the summer: call 339 2628735 and arrange it with Roberto. - D: What can you buy at the Monte di Zambla alpine pasture? R: The farm mentions boards with cured meats and cheeses of its own production; its products include mountain cheese, formagella, stracchino, primo sale, cured meats, milk, butter and cream. - D: Do the Cominellis deliver to your home? R: Yes, throughout the province of Bergamo, with a minimum order of 50 euros. - D: Is the Cominelli alpine pasture open in winter? R: The sources only speak of summer: lunches can be booked from June and throughout the summer season. In the other months there are the farm in Parre and home delivery. ### Newsagents — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/edicola Oltre il Colle has only one newsagent: L'Edicola at via Roma 268, in the centre of the main village, next to the pharmacy and about twenty metres from the piazza Tiraboschi bus stop. In the council's list it is the only business in the newsagent and tobacco category, under the name Tabaccheria Carrara Alessandro; in the hamlets the council's list records no newsagents. For people staying in the village what matters most is that it is open every morning from 7.15, Sunday included, and that it is a Punto Poste: you can send prepaid parcels, return online purchases and collect deliveries even in the afternoon and on Sunday morning, when the post office at via Roma 189 is closed. #### Newsagent or post office: where to do what The two are about a hundred metres apart, on via Roma, and do different things. The table brings together the opening hours and services published by Poste Italiane. #### How to get to the newsagent The newsagent is on the provincial road, which in the centre takes the name via Roma. The Oltre il Colle piazza Tiraboschi stop of the Arriva–Bergamo Trasporti line B, where the S50e shuttle to Zorzone also starts, is about 20 metres away as the crow flies; buses do not run on Sundays and public holidays. - L'Edicola — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/edicola/edicola-oltre-il-colle, Via Roma 268, 24013 Oltre il Colle, tel. 0345 51485, Every day 7.15-12.30; Tuesday to Saturday also 15.30-19.30 [checked on 2026-10-01]. L'Edicola at via Roma 268 in Oltre il Colle: newspapers, tobacco and a Punto Poste for parcels and returns, open every morning including Sunday. Hours and services. L'Edicola at via Roma 268 is the newspaper and tobacco shop of the main village, a few steps from the pharmacy and from the piazza Tiraboschi bus stop. The Pro Loco simply calls it L'Edicola, the newsagent; in the council's list it appears as Tabaccheria Carrara Alessandro, in the newsagent and tobacco category, and on OpenStreetMap as Edicola Carrara Alessandro. For people on holiday it is useful above all for three things: it is open every morning from 7.15, Sunday included; it is tobacco shop no. 1 in the municipality, with a vending machine within ten metres according to the register of the Customs and Monopolies Agency; and it is a Punto Poste, where you can send prepaid parcels and collect or return online purchases even when the post office at via Roma 189 is closed. The opening hours match in two independent sources: the Poste Italiane page for the Punto Poste, where the shop appears under the name «Tabaccheria N. 1», and the OpenStreetMap survey updated on 15 September 2026. #### Opening hours and closing days In the morning the newsagent opens every day from 7.15 to 12.30; in the afternoon, from 15.30 to 19.30, only from Tuesday to Saturday, while it is closed on Monday and Sunday afternoons. Poste Italiane also publishes the calendar for the following days, which up to 11 October 2026 confirms the same hours. By comparison, the post office at via Roma 189 opens from Monday to Friday from 8.20 to 13.45 and on Saturday until 12.45, and is closed on Sundays: to send or collect a parcel in the afternoon or on Sunday morning, on the Poste Italiane map the newsagent is the only point in the municipality. #### Useful services: Punto Poste, parcels and online returns Poste Italiane lists six services for this Punto Poste, all of them to do with parcels. It is not a post office: bill payments, deposits, withdrawals and the other counter services are at the office at via Roma 189, which also has the Postamat cash machine open 24 hours a day. - Sending parcels that are already stamped and paid for - Returning online purchases - Collecting parcels - Buying the Poste Delivery Box Express box - Printing labels to send returns and shipments paid online - Sending without packaging with the Boxless service #### Tobacco: what the Customs and Monopolies Agency records In the ADM register the newsagent is ordinary tobacco shop no. 1 in Oltre il Colle, active and with no closing periods listed. It is also the only one of the municipality's three tobacco shops with a vending machine within ten metres, useful if you need cigarettes outside opening hours; the register also gives it a ricevitoria number, the code the Agency uses for tobacco shops linked to the Lotto game. The other two active tobacco shops are in the hamlets: no. 3 in the Zorzone grocery, at via Pascusa 83, and no. 4 at via Fezzoli 103 in Zambla Alta. #### How to get there and where to park The newsagent is on the provincial road, which in the centre takes the name via Roma, next to the pharmacy. The Oltre il Colle piazza Tiraboschi stop of the Arriva–Bergamo Trasporti line B is about 20 metres away as the crow flies, and it is also where the S50e shuttle to Zorzone starts; buses do not run on Sundays and public holidays. By car, OpenStreetMap shows roadside spaces about 80 metres away as the crow flies and a free car park above via Roma, towards the post office, about 130 metres away. #### Nearby Distances are as the crow flies, calculated on the coordinates published in this guide. - Farmacia Viganò, via Roma 272: next door, about 5 metres - Bar Pizzeria Carrara, via Roma 264: about 7 metres - Carrara Mauro hairdresser, via Roma 280: about 15 metres - Bar Cristallo: about 50 metres - Church of San Bartolomeo: about 75 metres - A&M Market and Pro Loco: about 80 metres - Post office with the Postamat, via Roma 189: about 105 metres - Banco BPM with cash machine, via Roma 377: about 115 metres - D: Is the newsagent in Oltre il Colle open on Sundays? R: Yes, in the morning, from 7.15 to 12.30. In the afternoon it only opens from Tuesday to Saturday, from 15.30 to 19.30, according to Poste Italiane and OpenStreetMap. - D: Where can I send or collect parcels in Oltre il Colle? R: At the newsagent at via Roma 268, which is a Punto Poste: sending prepaid parcels, returning online purchases and collecting parcels. For other services there is the post office at via Roma 189. - D: Can I buy cigarettes outside opening hours in Oltre il Colle? R: The register of the Customs and Monopolies Agency lists a vending machine within ten metres of the tobacco shop at via Roma 268: it is the only one among the municipality's three tobacco shops. - D: Can I return online purchases at the newsagent? R: Yes: the Punto Poste services include sending returns of online purchases and printing labels to send returns and shipments paid online. - D: Are there other newsagents in the municipality? R: In the council's list of shops it is the only one in the newsagent and tobacco category. The other two tobacco shops are in Zorzone, at via Pascusa 83, and in Zambla Alta, at via Fezzoli 103. - D: What is the newsagent's phone number? R: 0345 51485: it is the same on the Pro Loco's page, in the council's list and on the Punto Poste page. ### Bazaars and shops — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/bazar Apart from the grocery shops, there are few shops in Oltre il Colle. On this page you will find Marianna Boutique, the women's and men's clothing shop on via Roma in the main village; for sportswear, footwear and equipment hire there is Edo Sport in Zambla Alta, which this guide lists under sports equipment and rentals. The council's list of shops, the widest source but not the most up to date, has only nine categories: clothing, groceries, petrol station, newsagent and tobacco, pharmacy, fruit and vegetables, butcher, bakery and hairdresser. Other shops do not appear in it: for other purchases it is worth asking the Pro Loco, at via Roma 201, on 0345 95541. #### Clothing in the village and in Zambla Alta Marianna Boutique is at via Roma 545/547, phone 0345 95271: the Pro Loco describes it as women's and men's clothing, and neither the shop nor other sources publish opening hours or brands. Edo Sport is at via Prealpina 892 in Zambla Alta, phone 0345 95285: the council records it for the sale of clothing and sports goods and the hire of skis and mountain bikes, and in its 2026 advertisement it also lists footwear and mountain equipment for men, women and children and the hire of e-bikes, via ferrata kits and child-carrier backpacks. #### Summer market and market stalls In summer the village also has its stalls. In the Pro Loco's 2026 programme the market was held every Friday in July and August, from 9 to 13 in piazza Mons. Belotti, and in piazza Carrara, from 10 to 18, there were market stalls on many days between 31 May and 25 August; on 30 August the same square hosted the Sbaracco cantine, the second-hand market. - Marianna Boutique — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/bazar/bazar-marianna-boutique-oltre-il-colle, Via Roma 545/547, 24013 Oltre il Colle, tel. 0345 95271 [checked on 2026-10-01]. Marianna Boutique, women's and men's clothing at via Roma 545 in Oltre il Colle: phone, how to get there, what is nearby and where to find mountain clothing. Marianna Boutique is the clothing shop of the main village, on via Roma, in the eastern part of the centre. The Pro Loco describes it in a few words, women's and men's clothing, and the council records it in the clothing category with the landline 0345 95271. The shop has its own advertisement in the Pro Loco's summer 2026 booklet, with the Marianna Boutique sign, the address via Roma 545/7 and the same phone number. We found no website or official social media pages, and no published opening hours: brands, sizes and hours have to be asked in the shop or on the phone. Beware of the namesake: the website mariannaboutique.it belongs to a shop in Tivoli, not to this one. In the council's list of shops there are two clothing businesses: this one in the main village and Edo Sport in Zambla Alta, which however is above all a sports and rental shop and in this guide has a page among sports equipment. #### What you can buy The sources only say women's and men's clothing: the Pro Loco adds nothing else and the 2026 advertisement gives sign, address and phone number. If you are looking for a particular item, it is quicker to call 0345 95271. For technical mountain clothing the place to go is Edo Sport, at via Prealpina 892 in Zambla Alta: in its 2026 advertisement it lists clothing, footwear and equipment for the mountains and leisure for men, women and children, and the hire of e-bikes, via ferrata kits and child-carrier backpacks. #### Address, phone and opening hours On the house number the sources complement each other: the council says via Roma 547, the shop's advertisement via Roma 545/7, that is numbers 545 and 547. The phone number, 0345 95271, is the same for the council, the Pro Loco and the advertisement. None of the sources we consulted publishes opening hours, and the shop is not mapped on OpenStreetMap. #### How to get there and where to stop The shop is on the SP27 provincial road, which in the centre of the main village takes the name via Roma, on the stretch towards the east, in the direction of Zambla. OpenStreetMap shows the «via Roma, 636» stop about 95 metres away as the crow flies; the line B stop with a published timetable is piazza Tiraboschi, about 225 metres away. The bus does not run on Sundays and public holidays. By car the sources show no parking reserved for the shop; OpenStreetMap shows roadside spaces on via Roma closer to the centre, about 230 metres away as the crow flies. #### Nearby Distances are as the crow flies, calculated on the coordinates published in this guide. - Playground and picnic areas of the main village: about 70 metres - B&B Drago 48: about 90 metres - Bus stop «via Roma, 636»: about 95 metres - Banco BPM with cash machine, via Roma 377: about 160 metres - A&M Market: about 185 metres - Il Bere, via Foppa 120: about 210 metres - Farmacia Viganò and newsagent, via Roma 268-272: about 215 metres #### Shopping in Oltre il Colle in summer Besides the shops, in summer the village has its markets. In the Pro Loco's 2026 programme the market was held every Friday in July and August from 9 to 13 in piazza Mons. Belotti, in front of the town hall, and in piazza Carrara, from 10 to 18, there were the market stalls, some of them listed in the programme with Coldiretti or with the Cascinale Lombardo. - D: Is there a clothing shop in Oltre il Colle? R: Yes, Marianna Boutique at via Roma 545/547, women's and men's clothing, phone 0345 95271. For mountain clothing and equipment there is Edo Sport in Zambla Alta. - D: Where is Marianna Boutique? R: On via Roma, in the eastern part of the centre of the main village: the council gives number 547, the shop's advertisement 545/7. The «via Roma, 636» bus stop is about 95 metres away as the crow flies. - D: What are Marianna Boutique's opening hours? R: They are not published by the council, the Pro Loco or OpenStreetMap. It is best to call 0345 95271. - D: Does Marianna Boutique have a website? R: We found no official one. The website mariannaboutique.it belongs to a namesake shop in Tivoli, which has nothing to do with this one. - D: Where can I buy mountain clothing in Oltre il Colle? R: At Edo Sport, at via Prealpina 892 in Zambla Alta, which in its 2026 advertisement lists clothing, footwear and mountain equipment for men, women and children, as well as rentals. ### Hairdressers and beauty — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/parrucchiere In Oltre il Colle the hairdressers are all in the main village, along via Roma: in the hamlets of Zambla Alta, Zambla Bassa and Zorzone the municipal and Pro Loco lists include none. In 2026 the Pro Loco lists three: Serena Acconciature at number 19, Luisa Acconciature at 294 and Mauro Carrara's men's salon at 280. The municipality's list of shops also has Dany Acconciature, recorded at the same number 19 as Serena. Only Serena Acconciature publishes its opening hours, on its Instagram profile, with a late opening on Wednesdays; for the other salons the only contact is a mobile number, and it is worth phoning before going. The category also covers beauty treatments, but the municipal and Pro Loco lists show no beauty centre in the village. #### How to choose: women, men, unisex The Pro Loco describes Serena Acconciature as unisex and Mauro Carrara's salon as a men's hairdresser; for Luisa Acconciature it does not say. The municipality, in its list, also calls Dany Acconciature unisex. None of the salons publishes a price list or an online booking system: services and prices are asked by phone. #### Why the municipal and Pro Loco lists differ The municipality's list puts two salons in the owners' names, Carrara Mauro and Giassi Luisa, while the Pro Loco uses the salon names, Mauro Parrucchiere Uomo and Luisa Acconciature: the mobile numbers match, so these are the same businesses. At via Roma 19, instead, the municipality records Dany Acconciature and the Pro Loco, in 2026, Serena Acconciature, with different numbers, and the sources do not explain whether there has been a change of management. This guide's pages list both salons, with this caveat. #### Getting to via Roma and where to park Via Roma is the main street of the main village and is served by Arriva–Bergamo Trasporti line B, which stops in piazza Tiraboschi, with a change at Zogno and buses Monday to Saturday. For cars OpenStreetMap maps a free public car park near the church of San Bartolomeo and some roadside spaces along the street. - Dany Acconciature Unisex — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/parrucchiere/parrucchiere-dany-oltre-il-colle, Via Roma 19, 24013 Oltre il Colle, tel. 331 9844820 [checked on 2026-10-01]. Dany Acconciature Unisex, a hairdresser the municipality records at via Roma 19 in Oltre il Colle; in 2026 the Pro Loco lists another salon at the same address. Dany Acconciature Unisex appears in the Oltre il Colle municipality's list of shops as a hairdresser at via Roma 19, in the main village, with the mobile number 331 984 4820. That is all the source publishes: no opening hours, no website, no date for when the entry was last updated. In 2026 the Pro Loco does not mention it: in the «Bellezza» (beauty) section of its portal and in its summer booklet it lists three salons, and at the same address, via Roma 19, it gives Serena Acconciature, with a different number. The sources consulted do not say whether the salon changed name or owner, or whether the two salons share the premises: before going, it is worth calling 331 984 4820 and, if there is no answer, Serena Acconciature on 333 838 7038. #### What the official sources say The municipality's list of shops gives Dany Acconciature Unisex the category «hairdresser», the address via Roma 19 and the mobile 331 984 4820. The same list includes the village's other two hairdressers, Carrara Mauro at via Roma 280 and Giassi Luisa at via Roma 294, both also listed by the Pro Loco. In 2026, however, the Pro Loco publishes three salons and puts Serena Acconciature at number 19, both in the «Bellezza» section of the portal and in the salon's advertisement in the summer booklet. This page does not appear on the site's map: the same address already carries the point for Serena Acconciature, the only one of the two salons the Pro Loco confirms in 2026. #### Opening hours and appointments Dany Acconciature's opening hours are not published in the sources consulted, and we found no website or social profile for the salon. The only contact is the mobile 331 984 4820 given by the municipality: it is the number to try first, bearing in mind that the municipal list carries no update date. #### Where it is and where to park Via Roma 19 is on the first stretch of the main street of the main village: according to this guide's coordinates, about forty metres as the crow flies from the petrol station on piazzale degli Alpini and about a hundred from the town hall. The free public car park near the church of San Bartolomeo, mapped on OpenStreetMap, is about 70 metres away; the timetabled bus stop, piazza Tiraboschi, about 170, on Arriva–Bergamo Trasporti line B, changing at Zogno, with buses Monday to Saturday. #### The village's other hairdressers Besides Serena Acconciature, at the same street number, Oltre il Colle has Luisa Acconciature at via Roma 294 and the men's hairdresser Carrara Mauro at via Roma 280, both in the main village and listed by both the municipality and the Pro Loco. In the hamlets of Zambla Alta, Zambla Bassa and Zorzone the lists include no hairdressers. - D: Is Dany Acconciature in Oltre il Colle still open? R: Public sources do not allow us to confirm it. The municipality records it at via Roma 19, but in 2026 the Pro Loco gives Serena Acconciature at the same address. It is worth phoning 331 984 4820. - D: What is Dany Acconciature's phone number in Oltre il Colle? R: The mobile 331 984 4820, from the municipality's list of shops. - D: Where is Dany Acconciature? R: At via Roma 19, in the main village of Oltre il Colle, according to the municipality. It is the same street number as Serena Acconciature. - D: What are Dany Acconciature's opening hours? R: The hours are not published: the municipality gives only the address and phone number. - D: What is the difference between Dany Acconciature and Serena Acconciature? R: The sources do not explain it. The municipality records Dany Acconciature at via Roma 19 with 331 984 4820; in 2026 the Pro Loco lists Serena Acconciature at the same street number, with 333 838 7038, which publishes its hours on Instagram. - Carrara Mauro, parrucchiere uomo — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/parrucchiere/parrucchiere-carrara-mauro-oltre-il-colle, Via Roma 280, 24013 Oltre il Colle, tel. 349 1541327 [checked on 2026-10-01]. Carrara Mauro, men's hairdresser at via Roma 280 in Oltre il Colle: contact, how to reach the centre of the main village, where to park and the other salons. It is the only salon in the village explicitly described as a men's hairdresser: the Pro Loco lists it among beauty businesses as «Mauro Parrucchiere Uomo», the municipality's list of shops as a hairdresser in the owner's name, Carrara Mauro, at via Roma 280. The mobile number, 349 154 1327, is the same in both sources. Opening hours and prices are not published and the salon has no website: to find out when it is open, you phone. Number 280 is on the stretch of via Roma where the main village's services are concentrated, between the pharmacy, the newsagent, the bars and the piazza Tiraboschi bus stop. #### Names and contact: what the municipality and the Pro Loco say In the municipality's list of shops the entry is in the name of Carrara Mauro, category hairdresser, via Roma 280, mobile 349 154 1327. In the «Bellezza» section of the Pro Loco portal the same number appears under the name «Mauro Parrucchiere Uomo», which specifies the clientele. The village's other salons are described as unisex, Serena Acconciature and Dany Acconciature, or without specification, Luisa Acconciature: anyone looking for a men's hairdresser has here the only one described as such. #### Opening hours and appointments Neither the municipality nor the Pro Loco publishes opening hours or a price list, and we found no website or social profile for the salon. The contact is the mobile 349 154 1327: phone to find out when it is open and to book a cut. #### Where it is, how to get there and where to park Number 280 is in the centre of the main village. According to this guide's coordinates, as the crow flies the pharmacy at via Roma 272 is about fifteen metres away, the newsagent and the Carrara bar and pizzeria less than twenty, and the Pro Loco and the church of San Bartolomeo about 80. The piazza Tiraboschi bus stop, on Arriva–Bergamo Trasporti line B with a change at Zogno and buses Monday to Saturday, is about twenty metres away. By car, OpenStreetMap maps roadside spaces along via Roma, about 70 metres away, and the free public car park near the church, about 130. #### The village's other hairdressers On the same street are Luisa Acconciature at number 294 and Serena Acconciature at 19, about 200 metres as the crow flies towards the town hall, with hours published on Instagram and a late opening on Wednesdays. The municipality's list also records Dany Acconciature at number 19. In the hamlets the municipal and Pro Loco lists include no hairdressers. - D: Is there a barber in Oltre il Colle? R: Yes: at via Roma 280, in the main village, there is the men's hairdresser Carrara Mauro, listed by the Pro Loco as Mauro Parrucchiere Uomo. The mobile number is 349 154 1327. - D: What are the opening hours of the hairdresser Carrara Mauro? R: The hours are not published by the municipality or the Pro Loco: phone 349 154 1327. - D: Where do you park for the hairdresser at via Roma 280? R: Along via Roma OpenStreetMap maps roadside spaces, about 70 metres away as the crow flies, and there is the free public car park near the church of San Bartolomeo, about 130 metres away. - D: Are Mauro Parrucchiere Uomo and Carrara Mauro the same salon? R: Yes: the mobile number is the same, 349 154 1327. The municipality uses the owner's name, the Pro Loco adds that it is a men's hairdresser. - D: Can you get to the hairdresser at via Roma 280 by bus? R: Yes: the piazza Tiraboschi stop on Arriva–Bergamo Trasporti line B is about twenty metres away. You change at Zogno, and buses run Monday to Saturday. - Luisa Acconciature (Giassi Luisa) — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/parrucchiere/parrucchiere-luisa-oltre-il-colle, Via Roma 294, 24013 Oltre il Colle, tel. 333 5887167 [checked on 2026-10-01]. Luisa Acconciature, hairdresser at via Roma 294 in the main village of Oltre il Colle: contact, how to get there, where to park and the village's other salons. Luisa Acconciature is one of the three salons the Pro Loco lists in 2026 among the village's beauty businesses. The municipality's list of shops records it as a hairdresser in the owner's name, Giassi Luisa, at via Roma 294, in the main village; the mobile number, 333 588 7167, is the same in both sources. The salon has no website and the sources consulted give neither opening hours nor prices: to find out when it is open and to book an appointment, you phone. Via Roma is the main street of the main village, where the pharmacy, the post office, the Pro Loco and the village's other salons are also found. #### Names and contact: what the municipality and the Pro Loco say The two sources use different names for the same salon. In the municipality's list the entry is in the name of Giassi Luisa, category hairdresser, via Roma 294; in the «Bellezza» section of the Pro Loco portal it appears as Luisa Acconciature, without an address but with the same mobile, 333 588 7167, which confirms it is the same business. The Pro Loco does not say whether the salon is for women, men or both: of the other names in the lists, two are described as unisex and one as a men's hairdresser. #### Opening hours and appointments Neither the municipality nor the Pro Loco publishes opening hours, and we found no website or social profile for the salon. The contact to use is the mobile 333 588 7167, which is also the way to ask which services the salon offers and at what prices. #### Where it is, how to get there and where to park Number 294 is on via Roma, in the main village. The point that the national archive of street numbers assigns to 294 is not consistent with those of the neighbouring numbers, so this page does not put it on the map. To get your bearings along the street, the barber Carrara Mauro is at number 280 and the A&M Market supermarket at numbers 316 and 320. By bus you get off at the piazza Tiraboschi stop of Arriva–Bergamo Trasporti line B, changing at Zogno, with buses Monday to Saturday. By car you can leave it in the roadside spaces along via Roma, mapped on OpenStreetMap, or in the free public car park near the church of San Bartolomeo. #### The village's other hairdressers Via Roma also has Serena Acconciature at number 19, with hours published on Instagram and a late opening on Wednesdays, and the men's hairdresser Carrara Mauro at 280; the municipality also records Dany Acconciature at number 19. In the hamlets of Zambla Alta, Zambla Bassa and Zorzone the municipal and Pro Loco lists include no hairdressers. - D: Where is Luisa Acconciature in Oltre il Colle? R: At via Roma 294, in the main village, according to the municipality's list of shops. - D: What is Luisa Acconciature's phone number? R: The mobile 333 588 7167, the same in the municipality's list and in the Pro Loco's. - D: What are Luisa Acconciature's opening hours? R: The municipality and the Pro Loco do not publish the hours: to find out, phone 333 588 7167. - D: Are Giassi Luisa and Luisa Acconciature the same salon? R: Yes: the municipality records the salon in the owner's name, Giassi Luisa, the Pro Loco as Luisa Acconciature, and the mobile number is the same. - D: How many hairdressers are there in Oltre il Colle? R: In 2026 the Pro Loco lists three, all on via Roma in the main village: Serena Acconciature, Luisa Acconciature and Mauro's men's salon. The municipality's list adds Dany Acconciature, at the same street number as Serena. - Serena Acconciature — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services/parrucchiere/parrucchiere-serena-oltre-il-colle, Via Roma 19, 24013 Oltre il Colle, tel. 333 8387038, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 8.30-12.30 and 14.30-18.30; Wednesday 14.30-21.30; Saturday 8.30-12.30 and 13.30-18.00 [checked on 2026-10-01]. Serena Acconciature, hairdresser at via Roma 19 in Oltre il Colle: open Tuesday to Saturday, late on Wednesdays, with phone, parking and how to get there. Serena Acconciature is a hair salon at via Roma 19, on the first stretch of the main street of the main village, about forty metres as the crow flies from the petrol station on piazzale degli Alpini. It has no website: the contact details are those in its advertisement in the Pro Loco's summer 2026 booklet, via Roma 19 and mobile 333 838 7038, and the Instagram profile @serenacconciature, where it publishes its hours. In the «Bellezza» section of its portal the Pro Loco calls it Serena Acconciature Unisex. It works from Tuesday to Saturday, with a late opening on Wednesdays until 21.30; Monday and Sunday do not appear among the days the salon lists. At the same street number the municipality's list of shops records another hairdresser, Dany Acconciature Unisex, which is missing from the Pro Loco's 2026 lists: the sources consulted do not explain the relationship between the two names. #### Salon opening hours The hours are those the salon gives in its Instagram profile, read on 1 October 2026. On Wednesdays it works only in the afternoon and evening, until 21.30; on Saturdays the afternoon starts at 13.30 and ends at 18. The profile says nothing about holidays and closing periods: for those days it is worth phoning. #### Contacts and appointments The published contact is the mobile 333 838 7038, which appears both in the salon's advertisement in the Pro Loco booklet and in the «Bellezza» section of the oltreilcolleturismo.it portal. The salon publishes no online booking or price list: for an appointment, you phone. The name the salon uses, in its advertisement and on Instagram, is Serena Acconciature; «Unisex» appears only in the Pro Loco's list, which places it among the village's three salons together with Luisa Acconciature and Mauro's men's salon. #### Where it is, how to get there and where to park Number 19 is on the stretch of via Roma near piazzale degli Alpini and the town hall. As the crow flies, according to this guide's coordinates, the town hall in piazza Monsignor Belotti and the post office at via Roma 189 are about a hundred metres away, the Pro Loco about 130. The free public car park near the church of San Bartolomeo, mapped on OpenStreetMap, is about 70 metres away. By bus the timetabled stop in the main village is piazza Tiraboschi, about 170 metres away, on Arriva–Bergamo Trasporti line B, changing at Zogno, with buses Monday to Saturday. #### The village's other hairdressers All of Oltre il Colle's salons are in the main village, along via Roma: Luisa Acconciature at number 294 and the men's hairdresser Carrara Mauro at 280, about 200 metres from here as the crow flies. The municipality's list also names Dany Acconciature at the same number 19. In the hamlets of Zambla Alta, Zambla Bassa and Zorzone the municipal and Pro Loco lists include no hairdressers. - D: What are the opening hours of Serena Acconciature in Oltre il Colle? R: According to the salon's Instagram profile: Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 8.30-12.30 and 14.30-18.30, Wednesday 14.30-21.30, Saturday 8.30-12.30 and 13.30-18. Monday and Sunday do not appear among the opening days. - D: Is Serena Acconciature open in the evening? R: On Wednesdays, until 21.30. On the other days the salon closes at 18.30, on Saturdays at 18. - D: How do you book an appointment at Serena Acconciature? R: By phoning 333 838 7038, the mobile the salon publishes in the Pro Loco booklet. We found no online booking. - D: Where is Serena Acconciature? R: At via Roma 19, in the main village of Oltre il Colle, about a hundred metres as the crow flies from the town hall. The free car park near the church of San Bartolomeo is about 70 metres away. - D: Does Serena Acconciature also cut men's hair? R: The Pro Loco lists it as Serena Acconciature Unisex. For the services offered it is best to ask by phone: the salon publishes no price list. - D: Are Serena Acconciature and Dany Acconciature the same salon? R: The sources do not say. The municipality records Dany Acconciature at via Roma 19, with 331 984 4820; in 2026 the Pro Loco gives only Serena Acconciature at the same address. ## Getting there https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/how-to-get-there - Bergamo (By car): From Bergamo you leave towards Villa d'Almè and take the SS470 of the Brembana valley. After Sedrina and Zogno, at Ambria you leave the valley floor and turn right onto the SP27 of Val Serina, which climbs in hairpins to Serina; from Serina you continue via Valpiana and the Col d'Anì and reach Oltre il Colle. For Zambla Bassa, Zambla Alta and the Colle di Zambla you carry on past the main village; for Zorzone you leave the provincial road at the Piazzale degli Alpini. — 38 km, about 45 minutes It is the shortest way and the one the village regards as its main access: from Bergamo station to piazza Tiraboschi it is about 38 kilometres, to Zambla Alta about 42, to Zorzone about 43. The Pro Loco gives 43 kilometres from the A4 exit at Bergamo, which is south of the city centre. From Ambria the climb to the main village measures about 17 kilometres, to the Colle di Zambla about 23. The SP27 crosses steep slopes and is sometimes closed by landslides: the latest closure, between Rosolo and Serina, lasted from 28 August to 1 October 2026, with traffic and buses diverted via Costa Serina and Cornalba; the road reopened after the Province's safety works. - Bergamo (variant via the Seriana valley and the Colle di Zambla) (By car): From Bergamo you drive up the Seriana valley along the SS671 to Ponte Nossa, where you take the SP46 of Val del Riso. The road climbs the mining valley through Gorno and Oneta and reaches the Colle di Zambla at 1,264 metres; from there you descend to Zambla Alta and Zambla Bassa and continue to Oltre il Colle. — 50 km, about 1 hour Longer than Val Serina, but it is the natural road for those arriving from Albino, Clusone and the upper Seriana valley, and the alternative to keep in mind when the SP27 is closed. The Colle di Zambla is the only pass between the Brembana and Seriana valleys crossed by a road for vehicles. From Ponte Nossa (450 m) to the pass Wikipedia counts 14.1 kilometres of continuous climbing in hairpins, with a maximum gradient of 10%; from Clusone to the main village it is about 27 kilometres. - Milan (By car): A4 Milan–Venice motorway to Bergamo, then the ring road and the SS470 of the Brembana valley towards Villa d'Almè and Zogno. At Ambria you take the SP27 of Val Serina for Serina and Oltre il Colle. — 88 km, about 1 hour 30 minutes The calculation starts from the centre of Milan. The last part is all mountain road: the roughly 38 kilometres between Bergamo and Oltre il Colle weigh almost as much as the 50 kilometres of motorway before them, and with traffic leaving Milan or in the valley the times grow. - Brescia (By car): A4 motorway towards Milan to Bergamo, then the SS470 of the Brembana valley and the SP27 of Val Serina. Alternatively you can drive up the Seriana valley to Ponte Nossa and climb the SP46 of Val del Riso to the Colle di Zambla. — 91 km, about 1 hour 20 minutes The two variants are equivalent in distance: the one via the Seriana valley and the Colle di Zambla measures about 96 kilometres, a little over an hour and a half, and suits those arriving from Lovere and Lake Iseo. - Lecco (By car): From Lecco you follow the SS342 Briantea towards Cisano Bergamasco and Villa d'Almè, where you take the SS470 of the Brembana valley. At Ambria you climb the SP27 of Val Serina for Serina and Oltre il Colle. — 59 km, about 1 hour 15 minutes The route avoids the city of Bergamo. There are no motorway stretches: it is about 60 kilometres almost entirely on state and provincial roads, with the last half hour of hairpins. - one hamlet to another (local roads and parking) (By car): The main village, Zambla Bassa, Zambla Alta and the Colle di Zambla lie in a row along the SP27: from piazza Tiraboschi it is about 3.8 kilometres to the church of Zambla Bassa, 4.6 to Zambla Alta and 5.6 to the pass. Zorzone is on a municipal road, via Capriana, which starts at the Piazzale degli Alpini: about 4.8 kilometres. From Zambla Alta a municipal road climbs for about four kilometres to Plassa and continues to the car park of the old lifts at Alpe Arera, at around 1,600 metres. For the trails CAI Bergamo indicates the car parks of the Colle di Zambla (Alben, Grem), Plassa (Capanna 2000) and Zorzone (Menna, Val Vedra, Val Parina); in the main village the largest car park is above via Roma, near the Piazzale degli Alpini, where you also find the only petrol station in the upper Val Serina. In winter you need winter tyres or chains: the ordinance of the Province of Bergamo requires them from 15 November to 15 April on all provincial roads, including the SP27 and the SP46, and with snow or ice on the road chains must be fitted if you do not have winter tyres; the obligation also applies outside that period when it snows. In winter the municipal road from Plassa to Alpe Arera is also closed, and those going up to Capanna 2000 set off on foot from Plassa; via Capriana to Zorzone is a narrow, winding municipal road. - Bergamo–Orio al Serio Airport (By plane): From the airport you take the southern ring road of Bergamo, then the SS470 of the Brembana valley towards Villa d'Almè and Zogno and finally the SP27 of Val Serina for Serina and Oltre il Colle. — 43 km, about 50 minutes It is the basin's reference airport and the Pro Loco also gives 50 minutes. Without a car the connection is not direct: from the airport you reach the Bergamo bus station and from there take line B, with a compulsory change at Zogno and services only from Monday to Saturday. - Bergamo (bus station) (By bus): Arriva–Bergamo Trasporti line B, Bergamo – Zogno – Serina – Oltre il Colle – Passo Zambla, leaves from the Arriva Terminal in Bergamo, next to the railway station, and takes you into Val Serina with a compulsory change of bus at Zogno. The timetabled stops in the basin are Oltre il Colle piazza Tiraboschi, Zambla Alta Albergo Miramonti and Passo Zambla, the terminus. Services run only from Monday to Saturday: on Sundays and public holidays the village is not served., from about 1 hour 20 minutes to almost 2 hours In the timetable in force from 14 September 2026 to 8 June 2027 the arrivals in Oltre il Colle are at 9:07 and 20:07 on every weekday and at 12:07 from Monday to Friday, plus other services that change between school days (14:18, 15:12, 15:52 and 18:07) and school holidays (10:07, 14:07, 15:37 and 18:07); the journey time depends on the wait at Zogno. Downhill, the first bus leaves piazza Tiraboschi at 5:43 and the last, from Monday to Friday, at 17:03, arriving in Bergamo at 18:25. The service is suspended on 25 December. In the summer 2026 timetable, from 9 June to 13 September, the Val Serina branch had six services each way. Zambla Bassa has no timetabled stop: the nearest is on the provincial road, at the turn-off for the village. - Oltre il Colle main village (for Zorzone) (By bus): Shuttle of line S50e, Oltre il Colle – Zorzone. It leaves from Oltre il Colle piazza Tiraboschi and calls at Oltre il Colle Cipriana, Zorzone contrada Santi, Zorzone via Gasparelli 144 and Zorzone piazza Caduti del Lavoro. — 5 km, 15 minutes It is the only public transport up to Zorzone, the mining hamlet where the Minerals Museum is. In the timetable in force from 14 September 2026 to 8 June 2027 there are seven services each way from Monday to Friday, one of them on school days only, and five on Saturdays; the first leaves Oltre il Colle at 6:25 and the last at 18:10, and the timetable also publishes connections with line B to and from Zogno and Bergamo. In the summer 2026 timetable there were two services each way. The shuttle does not run on Sundays and public holidays. - Ponte Nossa and the Seriana valley (By bus): Arriva–Bergamo Trasporti line S50bce, Ponte Nossa – Gorno – Oneta – Passo Zambla. It climbs Val del Riso calling at Gorno Erdeno, Gorno Villasio, Oneta and Cantoni d'Oneta, and ends at Passo Zambla, Deposito SAB stop. It is the public connection from the Seriana valley side, useful for those arriving from Albino, Clusone or the middle valley. Only some services reach the pass: in the timetable in force from 14 September 2026 to 8 June 2027 there are six each way on school days and four on other weekdays, with arrivals at Passo Zambla at 7:15, 13:45, 14:15 and 19:45 plus two school services in the afternoon; in summer 2026 there were three. From Passo Zambla you continue to Zambla Alta and Oltre il Colle with line B. Here too the service runs only from Monday to Saturday. - Milan or Brescia by train, changing at Bergamo (By train): There is no railway in Val Serina or the Brembana valley. The useful station is Bergamo, reached by regional trains from Milan, Brescia, Lecco and Treviglio; from the station you walk to the adjacent Arriva Terminal and take line B to Zogno, where you change bus for Serina, Oltre il Colle and Passo Zambla. The Brembana valley railway, which ran from Bergamo to Piazza Brembana with a station at Ambria too, closed to passengers on 17 March 1966 and was abolished on 1 September of the same year: it was never rebuilt, and in any case it did not climb into Val Serina. Those travelling without a car must allow for the change at Zogno and the fact that buses to the basin do not run on Sundays and public holidays. - Ponte Nossa by bike to the Colle di Zambla (By bike): Climb on the SP46 of Val del Riso: from Ponte Nossa, on the Seriana valley floor, you climb through Gorno, Oneta and Cantoni d'Oneta to the Colle di Zambla at 1,264 metres, where the road crosses over towards Zambla and Oltre il Colle. — 15 km Wikipedia counts 14.1 kilometres from Ponte Nossa (450 m) to the pass, with a maximum gradient of 10% and the last stretch without shade; by car they take about twenty minutes, and for the time by bicycle there is no official figure to cite. From the Brembana side the climb starts at Ambria (330 m) and measures 23 kilometres, longer but with false flats and gradients that never exceed 11%. It can be ridden as a traverse between the two valleys. The Brembana Valley Cycleway, built on the bed of the old railway between Zogno and Piazza Brembana, stays on the valley floor: the climb into Val Serina is on a road open to traffic. ## Where to stay https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/where-to-stay - B&B Casa Dolce Casa (B&B, Oltre il Colle) — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/where-to-stay/b-b-casa-dolce-casa: B&B in the Grimoldo district of Oltre il Colle: three rooms and two self-catering flats, a buffet breakfast with home baking, pets allowed for a supplement. https://www.bebcasadolcecasa.eu/ Casa Dolce Casa is a bed and breakfast at via Grimoldo 222, in the district its website describes as the oldest part of Oltre il Colle. Coming from Serina it is at the start of the village, with the sign on the left. It has three double rooms and two flats with a kitchen: the capacities declared for each unit add up to twelve guests, plus a folding bed that can be added in the Stella Alpina room. The house is furnished in shabby-chic style with English and Provençal touches: distressed furniture, antiques, floral quilts and pastel colours. The owner writes that she has been welcoming guests for more than fifteen years. Breakfast is a buffet with home baking and products from two local businesses; wi-fi is free throughout and pets are allowed for a supplement. The regional code CIR 016146-BEB-00002 and the national code CIN IT016146C1DQUDR7YH are published on the website and match those on the Lombardy Region tourism portal. #### Rooms and apartments There are three rooms, all with a private bathroom with shower and hairdryer, a TV with DVD player and wi-fi. Primula has a double bed or two singles and a small side terrace, and outside high season it can also be booked for single use. Ciclamino has a four-poster bed and a large panoramic terrace where breakfast can be served, but it does not take a third bed. Stella Alpina has a wood-burning fireplace, a bow window facing the mountains where breakfast can be served in the room, a bathroom with whirlpool bath-shower and a large side terrace; a folding bed can be added. The flats have equipped kitchens with crockery, pans, microwave and fridge-freezer, and the price includes water, electricity and gas but not breakfast, which can be added for a supplement if requested the day before. Anemone is a one-bedroom flat for four, with a double bedroom, a living room with a double sofa bed, Smart TV, washing machine and panoramic terrace. Bucaneve is a studio for two with a double sofa bed, its own entrance and a large shared terrace, and it is let only from June to September. #### Breakfast, common room and guest kitchen Breakfast is a buffet of home-made cakes and tarts, croissants, cheese and cured meats from the Da Paganì Antichi Sapori shop in Serina, jams from the Il Mongetto farm, Bergamo honey, seasonal fruit and Illy coffee. There are products for guests with coeliac disease or intolerances, to be requested in advance. The breakfast room, heated by a wood stove, has a library, a film collection and board games, and guests can also use a fully equipped kitchen. Together with the Serina shop the B&B offers platters of cheese and cured meats with Bergamo wine, to be enjoyed in the breakfast room or in your room, and delivery of cheese to the house; on request it prepares the stay for a marriage proposal, an anniversary or a birthday. #### Facilities: wi-fi, pets, children and parking Wi-fi is free throughout the house and guests can use the terrace with sun deck. Pets are allowed for a supplement which, according to the property's page on VisitBergamo, the province's tourism portal, is charged from the second animal per room or flat. For children up to three the website offers a cot, for a supplement, in the Primula room and the Anemone flat; in Stella Alpina a folding bed can be added for a third guest. The VisitBergamo page instead lists the cot in Ciclamino and Stella Alpina, and a free extra bed in Stella Alpina: what you agree with the owner is what counts. The same page mentions free parking in public spaces; the B&B's website does not mention parking. #### Check-in times, high season and how to book Rooms and flats are available from 3 pm to 8 pm on the day of arrival and must be vacated by 10.30 am. The website counts July and August, long weekends, Easter and the Christmas holidays up to Epiphany as high season: during those periods Primula is not let for single use. You book by phone or WhatsApp on 333 6189592, by email or through the bed-and-breakfast.it portal, which the website gives as its online booking channel. Guests get a discount at the partner businesses listed below. - Ristorante Drago, Oltre il Colle - Quattro Cime restaurant and pizzeria, Zambla Alta - Moderno e Mori restaurant and wine bar, Serina - Da Paganì Antichi Sapori local produce shop, Serina - Monte Alben Adventure Park, Passo di Zambla - QC Terme San Pellegrino: 10 per cent off admission #### Getting there by car and bus The website gives an hour from Bergamo and an hour and a half from Milan. Leave the A4 motorway at Bergamo coming from Venice, or at Dalmine coming from Milan; follow the signs for the Brembana valley and at the mouth of the valley turn off for Val Serina, towards Serina and then Oltre il Colle. The B&B is at the start of the village, with the sign on the left. Without a car there is Bergamo Trasporti bus line B, which climbs from Bergamo into Val Serina with a compulsory change at Zogno and runs Monday to Saturday only: the piazza Tiraboschi stop is about 260 metres from the B&B as the crow flies, based on its position on OpenStreetMap. #### What's nearby: shops, cross-country ski trails and paths The house is at the Serina end of the main village, and services are a short walk away. As the crow flies, the Tiraboschi grocery in the main village is about 40 metres away, the Raieri butcher 90, the petrol station 130, the Postamat cash machine 190, the church of San Bartolomeo 200, the Pro Loco tourist office 210, the pharmacy and the A&M Market under 300 metres and the Banco BPM branch about 310. For cross-country skiing the B&B suggests taking the SP27 provincial road towards Zambla Alta and parking at the Passo di Zambla, where the trail starts: the first three kilometres, the easiest, lead to Pian della Palla. As the crow flies the Colle di Zambla is about 2.5 kilometres away and Pian della Palla about 1.1. The Zorzone Mineral Museum is about 1.2 kilometres away and the Monte Alben Adventure Park, a partner of the B&B, about 2.4. - D: Can I bring my dog to B&B Casa Dolce Casa? R: Yes: the website allows pets for a supplement. The property's page on VisitBergamo specifies that the supplement is charged from the second animal per room or flat; it is worth confirming when you book. - D: Is breakfast included? R: In the three rooms, yes: the price is per room and includes breakfast for two. In the Anemone and Bucaneve flats it is not: it can be added for a per-person supplement, requested the day before. - D: What are the check-in and check-out times? R: Check-in is from 3 pm to 8 pm and check-out by 10.30 am, in both the rooms and the flats. - D: Can a cot be added for a child? R: The website offers a cot for children up to three, for a supplement, in the Primula room and the Anemone flat; in Stella Alpina a folding bed can be added. No extra beds can be added in Ciclamino or Bucaneve. - D: Is there parking? R: The property's page on VisitBergamo lists free parking in public spaces; the B&B's website does not mention it. For the cross-country ski trails the owner suggests driving up to the Passo di Zambla and parking there. - D: How far is the B&B from the cross-country ski trails? R: The start of the trail at the Colle di Zambla is about 2.5 kilometres away as the crow flies and is reached by car on the SP27 road; Pian della Palla, which the trail reaches after the first three easy kilometres, is about 1.1 kilometres away. - D: Is the Bucaneve flat available all year? R: No: the website lets it only from June to September. It is a studio for two with its own entrance and a shared terrace, and it does not take extra beds. - D: Does the B&B have deals with restaurants and spas? R: Yes: guests get a discount at Ristorante Drago in Oltre il Colle, at Quattro Cime in Zambla Alta, at Moderno e Mori and Da Paganì Antichi Sapori in Serina, at the Monte Alben Adventure Park and at QC Terme San Pellegrino, where admission is 10 per cent off. - B&B La Teresa (B&B, Zambla Alta) — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/where-to-stay/b-b-la-teresa: Three-room B&B on via Fezzoli in Zambla Alta, run by the Quattro Cime restaurant family: shared lounge with kitchen, washing machine, wi-fi, free parking. https://www.quattrocime.it/dovedormire/ La Teresa is a three-room bed and breakfast at via Fezzoli 595, in Zambla Alta. It is run by the Quistini family, who have owned the Quattro Cime restaurant and pizzeria at number 491 on the same street since June 1982: the B&B has no website of its own but a page on the restaurant's site, and the lateresa.it domain, which the Pro Loco gives as its website, leads there. There is one family room, with a double bed and a bunk bed, and two doubles with a private terrace, one of which also has a private bathroom. Guests share a lounge with kitchen, the washing machine and the wi-fi, and parking is free. Two restaurants and the centre of the hamlet are a few metres away. On the Lombardy Region tourism portal the B&B is registered under code CIR 016146-BEB-00001 and CIN IT016146C1H2RCH74I, but at via Fezzoli 621; the municipality and the B&B's page give number 595. #### The rooms: Gialla, Arancio and Pesca The three rooms are named after colours. Gialla (yellow) is designed for families, with a double bed and a bunk bed. Arancio (orange) is a double with a private terrace, where a cot can be added. Pesca (peach) is the double with private bathroom and terrace: for Gialla and Arancio the page does not say what the bathroom arrangement is, and it is one of the things to ask when booking. The rooms are part of a single flat, with a shared lounge and kitchen, washing machine and wi-fi. The page publishes per-person rates for high and low season, with a reduced price for children aged 5 to 10 and a single-room rate; it does not describe breakfast, nor say whether it is included or where it is served. #### Who runs it: the family of the Quattro Cime restaurant The Quattro Cime restaurant and pizzeria opened in June 1982 and belongs to the Quistini family, who write on their website that they follow Bergamo and Italian cooking with ingredients sourced locally where possible. It is at number 491 on via Fezzoli, about ten metres from the B&B as the crow flies: for guests of La Teresa it is the nearest place to eat. On its activities page the restaurant recommends the walks of the basin, from the Rifugio Capanna 2000 to Monte Alben, Cima di Menna, Monte Grem and the Sentiero dei Fiori, the mountain-bike routes of Val Serina, the Monte Alben Adventure Park, the Fattoria Ariete farm in Gorno, in Val del Riso, the Becco viewing platform and the Ponte nel Sole bridge in Dossena, the Zorzone Mineral Museum and QC Terme San Pellegrino. #### Facilities: parking, kitchen, washing machine and pets Parking is free and unrestricted, wi-fi covers the house and the lounge kitchen is shared by the three rooms, as is the washing machine. The page mentions a playground and two restaurants close by. The page says nothing about pets, arrival and departure times or breakfast: these are the questions to ask on the phone before confirming. #### Location and getting there by bus Via Fezzoli is the street in Zambla Alta that is also home to the Neve restaurant and the Tiraboschi grocery and bakery. You can drive right up to the B&B and park on site. Without a car, take Bergamo Trasporti bus line B from Bergamo, with a compulsory change at Zogno and services Monday to Saturday only: the Zambla Alta Albergo Miramonti stop is about 260 metres away as the crow flies, based on its position on OpenStreetMap. #### Things to do nearby: shops, ski trails and paths on foot As the crow flies the Neve restaurant is about 165 metres away, the Tiraboschi bakery and grocery under 200, the Miramonti restaurant 270, the Piccola Parigi bar at Camping Zambla about 370 and the Edo Sport shop, which rents skis, snowshoes and mountain bikes, about 465. The Colle di Zambla is about 830 metres away, the start of the cross-country ski trail and the Monte Alben Adventure Park about a kilometre. The Quattro Cime restaurant points out that to reach the Capanna 2000 you drive as far as Plassa in winter and up to the car park at 1,600 metres in summer, from where CAI path 221 reaches the hut in under an hour; the Alpe Arera car park is about 2.6 kilometres away as the crow flies. For cross-country skiing it mentions two equipped access points, at the Colle di Zambla and at Pian della Palla, and a floodlit loop from Zambla Alta to the Crocetta for skiing in the evening. #### Booking: which number to use The B&B's page gives the mobile 348 5687960 and the address info@lateresa.it, and has a contact form; the same mobile appears among the restaurant's contacts, together with the landline 0345 95196. The landline is the number published by the Pro Loco, while the municipality's accommodation list gives the B&B the mobile 389 9998039. The B&B's page does not give the identification codes: the CIR 016146-BEB-00001 and the CIN IT016146C1H2RCH74I come from the Lombardy Region tourism portal. - D: Who runs B&B La Teresa in Zambla Alta? R: The Quistini family, who also run the Quattro Cime restaurant and pizzeria, opened in June 1982 at via Fezzoli 491, about ten metres from the B&B. The B&B's page is on the restaurant's website. - D: Is breakfast included? R: The B&B's page does not say: it publishes per-person rates for high and low season without describing breakfast. Ask when booking. - D: Do the rooms have a private bathroom? R: The page states it for the Pesca room, the double with private bathroom and terrace; for Gialla and Arancio it does not specify. - D: Is B&B La Teresa suitable for families? R: The Gialla room has a double bed and a bunk bed, a cot can be added in Arancio and the page gives a reduced price for children aged 5 to 10. Guests share the lounge, kitchen and washing machine; the Monte Alben Adventure Park is about a kilometre away as the crow flies. - D: Is there parking? R: Yes: the B&B's page mentions free, unrestricted parking. - D: How far is it from the cross-country ski trails? R: The start of the trail at the Colle di Zambla is about a kilometre away as the crow flies and the Edo Sport rental shop in Zambla Alta about 465 metres. The family's restaurant also mentions a floodlit loop from Zambla Alta to the Crocetta for night skiing. - D: Which number should I call to book? R: The mobile on the B&B's page, 348 5687960, or the email info@lateresa.it. The Pro Loco gives the Quattro Cime restaurant's landline, 0345 95196, and the municipality the mobile 389 9998039. - B&B Sotto l'Alben (B&B, Oltre il Colle) — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/where-to-stay/b-b-sotto-l-alben: B&B open all year in an early twentieth-century villa in Oltre il Colle: three rooms for up to four guests, private parking, sauna and hot tub on the terrace. https://www.bbsottolalben.it/ Sotto l'Alben occupies the second floor of an early twentieth-century villa at via Roma 697, surrounded by a large garden. The website places it 300 metres from the centre of Oltre il Colle, with its restaurants and shops, and about 5 kilometres from the Passo di Zambla. The house was completely renovated in 2019, with wooden furnishings in contemporary alpine style, and is open all year. There are three double rooms, each with a sofa bed that makes them triples and, in one case, a quadruple. The B&B has private parking and a breakfast room with a fireplace and a bay window facing the mountains, and since 2024 a terrace with a barrel sauna and a whirlpool hot tub heated by wood, booked separately. Smoking is not allowed indoors; small dogs are welcome. The Region lists it as a foresteria lombarda rather than as a bed and breakfast: code CIR 016146-FOR-00002 and national code CIN IT016146B4EYH89FO6, published on the website and on the Lombardy Region tourism portal. #### The rooms: three doubles that become triples or quadruples All three rooms have a double bed or, alternatively, two singles, and a sofa bed for a third person; in one the sofa bed also takes a fourth guest. Each has a large private bathroom with a big shower, hairdryer, linen, toiletries, satellite TV, kettle and water in the room. The website publishes a price list for a double room with breakfast, split between low and high season, which here covers July, August, long weekends and the Christmas and Easter holidays, with supplements for single use and for a third and fourth bed. For the extra bed guests aged 13 and over count as adults; children up to 2 sleeping with their parents stay free. #### Breakfast: times, buffet and picnic basket Breakfast is a buffet from 8 to 9.30 am, in the room with the panoramic bay window: home-made cakes and jams, croissants, fruit salad, natural yoghurt, alpine-pasture butter, local cheese and cured meats, cereals, bread and Val Serina honey. The property's page on VisitBergamo adds that hot drinks, from coffee to cappuccino, are served at the table. In fine weather you can order a basket to have breakfast outdoors, on the meadows around the house or under the gazebo. On request the house prepares packed lunches and, between 5 and 8 pm, an aperitif dinner with local produce. #### The terrace with sauna and hot tub: how it works The wellness terrace, opened in 2024, has a barrel sauna and a hot tub, a wooden tub with whirlpool and coloured lights, both heated by wood. It is used only privately and by booking, for two hours, in slots starting at 4, 6 and 8 pm, subject to availability; it is paid separately, with a price per couple and for groups of up to four adults. - Bathrobe included for adults and children from 4, flip-flops for adults: just bring a swimsuit - Minors only with an adult; no sauna under 14 - Children up to 3 with a swim nappy - No pets on the terrace - Herbal teas and fresh fruit available; aperitif on request, for a supplement #### Facilities: parking, wi-fi, dogs and children Parking is private, inside the property, wi-fi is free throughout the house and cards are accepted: the VisitBergamo page lists debit cards, Visa and Mastercard. The garden has outdoor furniture and a gazebo. Small dogs are allowed, with a one-off supplement for the final cleaning rather than a nightly charge: they must be well behaved and used to being indoors, and cannot be left alone in the room during the day. For children the VisitBergamo page mentions a cot in the room, a high chair in the breakfast room and a baby carrier backpack to use on walks. #### House rules: arrival, departure, deposit and cancellation Rooms are ready from 3 pm on the day of arrival and must be vacated by 10.30 am; the VisitBergamo page gives check-in until 9 pm and check-out at 10 am, but the conditions on the website are the ones that apply. The house is family-run and has no reception open all day: let the owners know your arrival time in advance, by phone or email. Smoking is not allowed indoors, the kitchen is not available to guests except for special needs agreed in advance, and visitors who are not staying are not allowed. Rooms are made up every day between 10 am and noon. When booking you pay a 50 per cent deposit by bank transfer or Satispay: it is not refundable, but if you cancel up to 14 days before arrival it can be used for another stay in the same season. #### Getting there and what's nearby The website gives about an hour from Bergamo and an hour and a half from Milan. Without a car you can arrive on Bergamo Trasporti bus line B, with a compulsory change at Zogno and services Monday to Saturday: the piazza Tiraboschi stop is about 370 metres away as the crow flies. Closer by are the via Roma playground, about 190 metres away, the Banco BPM branch 270 and the A&M Market 300; the pharmacy is about 370 metres away. Pian della Palla, one of the two access points to the Alben cross-country ski trail, is about 890 metres away as the crow flies: according to the B&B's blog you drive there from Oltre il Colle along via Drago, about 3 kilometres, and there is plenty of parking. Among the trips the website recommends are the Capanna 2000 and the Sentiero dei Fiori on the Arera, the mines, the Ponte nel Sole bridge, the caving park and the Becco viewing platform in Dossena, the Big Bench in Serina and the village of Cornello dei Tasso. Guests get 10 per cent off the Ponte nel Sole and QC Terme San Pellegrino. - D: Does B&B Sotto l'Alben accept dogs? R: Yes, small dogs, with a one-off supplement for the final cleaning. They must be well behaved and used to being indoors and cannot be left alone in the room during the day; pets are not allowed on the sauna terrace. - D: What time is breakfast? R: From 8 to 9.30 am, as a buffet, in the room with the bay window facing the mountains. In fine weather you can ask for a basket and have breakfast on the meadow or under the gazebo. - D: How do I book the sauna? R: The terrace with barrel sauna and whirlpool hot tub is booked separately, for private use, for two hours, in the 4, 6 and 8 pm slots subject to availability. Bathrobes and flip-flops are included; the sauna is not allowed under 14. - D: Is there parking? R: Yes, private, inside the property. - D: How many people can sleep in a room? R: The rooms are doubles with a sofa bed for a third person; in one the sofa bed also takes a fourth guest. For the extra bed guests aged 13 and over count as adults. - D: What are the check-in and check-out times? R: According to the website rooms are ready from 3 pm and must be vacated by 10.30 am; there is no reception open all day, so you need to give your arrival time in advance. The VisitBergamo page gives slightly different times. - D: Can I cancel my booking? R: The 50 per cent deposit is not refundable. If you cancel up to 14 days before arrival it can be used for another stay in the same season; after that it is kept. - D: How far is it from the cross-country ski trails? R: Pian della Palla, one of the trail's access points, is about 890 metres away as the crow flies and about 3 kilometres by car along via Drago, according to the B&B's blog; the Colle di Zambla is about 1.9 kilometres away as the crow flies. - B&B Atelier della Montagna (B&B, Zambla Alta) — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/where-to-stay/b-b-atelier-della-montagna: B&B in the centre of Zambla Alta in a stone and timber building that is also a painting studio: three rooms, a small apartment and a buffet breakfast. https://www.atelierdellamontagna.it/ The Atelier della Montagna is at via Bertulli 64, in the centre of Zambla Alta. It was created by fully restoring an old building, whose stone walls and timber parts have been left visible. The name comes from the art studio of the person who runs the house, who paints mostly local animals and places on wood and stone: the paintings decorate the rooms and painting courses are held in the studio. There are four units, three rooms and a small apartment for four with kitchen and small terrace. Breakfast is a buffet with home-made cakes and products from small local businesses, and the restaurants of Zambla Alta are within walking distance. Arrival is between 4 and 7 pm, and small and medium-sized dogs are allowed. On the Lombardy Region tourism portal the house is listed as a foresteria lombarda, with code CIR 016146-FOR-00001 and CIN IT016146B4392UN6IF; the website does not publish the codes. #### The rooms and the Re del Bosco apartment Fiocco di Neve is on the second floor, for one or two people: it has a double bed, a cot for children if needed, and mountain views. Stella Alpina, on the ground floor, has a double bed that splits into two singles. Dente di Leone, on the first floor, has its bed in an alcove and also looks out onto the mountains. Re del Bosco is the small apartment, for two to four people: a double bed and a bunk bed, a small kitchen with fridge, microwave and everything needed to cook, and a small panoramic terrace. All the units have a television, wi-fi, hairdryer and linen. #### The atelier: paintings and painting courses The person who runs the house presents it as their own art studio: they paint on wood and stone, drawing inspiration from nature and from the view from the B&B, and the works hang in the bedrooms. Painting courses for children and adults are held in the studio and are open to anyone who wants to try: to take part, write to the house. The website does not publish a course calendar. #### Breakfast, arrival times and rules for dogs Breakfast is a buffet: home-made cakes and sweet and savoury products from the small businesses and farms in the area the house works with. Check-in is from 4 to 7 pm and check-out by 10.30 am; different times must be agreed with the property in advance. Small and medium-sized dogs are allowed for a cleaning supplement: they must be well behaved and used to being indoors, and cannot be left alone in the room during the day. The website publishes a price list for a double room with breakfast, split between low and high season, which here covers August, long weekends and the Christmas and Easter holidays, plus a rate for the quadruple room. #### Location: the centre of Zambla Alta Via Bertulli is in the centre of the hamlet. As the crow flies the Miramonti restaurant and the Zambla Alta Albergo Miramonti stop of bus line B, which runs Monday to Saturday with a compulsory change at Zogno, are about 45 metres away; the Tiraboschi grocery and bakery about 150, the Neve and Quattro Cime restaurants about 300 and the Edo Sport rental shop about 330. The website says nothing about parking, so ask when booking. The address on the contacts page is via Bertulli 64, the same as on the regional portal; the map link on the website points to number 100 instead. #### Things to do nearby: the house's suggestions The paths that start from the hamlet can be reached on foot from the house. As the crow flies the Colle di Zambla is about 650 metres away, the start of the cross-country ski trail about 780 and the Monte Alben Adventure Park about 800; Plassa, the starting point for the Capanna 2000, is about 1.9 kilometres away. On its activities page the house suggests the Rifugio Capanna 2000 and the climb to the Pizzo Arera, Lago Branchino, the great beech trees of the Cascinetto del Menna, at about 1,500 metres, reached from Zorzone, the cross-country ski trails with their two access points at the Colle di Zambla and Pian della Palla, and ski touring towards the Capanna 2000 and the Cima di Grem. For climbers it mentions the Cornalba crag and the Bottiglione, a rock pillar about 20 metres high with six routes from 3c to 6a; beyond the basin, the Ponte nel Sole bridge in Dossena, the Big Bench in San Pellegrino and the spa. #### Booking: contacts and codes You book on the mobile 338 2545733, also on WhatsApp, or by writing to info@atelierdellamontagna.it; the website also has a contact form. The same mobile appears in the municipality's accommodation list and in the Pro Loco's list, which however spells the website address with three Ls. The CIR 016146-FOR-00001 and the CIN IT016146B4392UN6IF come from the Lombardy Region tourism portal, which registers the house as a foresteria lombarda. - D: Can I bring my dog to the Atelier della Montagna? R: Yes, small and medium-sized dogs, for a cleaning supplement. They must be well behaved and used to being indoors, and cannot be left alone in the room during the day. - D: What are the check-in and check-out times? R: Check-in is from 4 to 7 pm and check-out by 10.30 am. Different times must be agreed with the property in advance. - D: Is there a unit for a family of four? R: Yes, the Re del Bosco apartment, for two to four people, with a double bed, a bunk bed, a small kitchen and a small panoramic terrace. A cot can be added in the Fiocco di Neve room. - D: Does the Atelier della Montagna run painting courses? R: Yes: painting courses for children and adults are held in the house's studio. The website does not publish a calendar; to take part, write to the property. - D: Is there parking? R: The website does not mention it: ask when you book. - D: How far is it from the Colle di Zambla and the cross-country ski trails? R: The Colle di Zambla is about 650 metres away as the crow flies, the start of the cross-country ski trail about 780 and the Edo Sport rental shop in Zambla Alta about 330. - D: Can I get to the Atelier della Montagna by bus? R: Yes: the Zambla Alta Albergo Miramonti stop of bus line B is about 45 metres away as the crow flies. From Bergamo you change at Zogno and services run Monday to Saturday only. - B&B Drago 48 (B&B, Oltre il Colle) — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/where-to-stay/b-b-drago-48: B&B on via Drago in the centre of Oltre il Colle: two deluxe rooms and a 55 m² suite, breakfast included, no pets, an EV charging point outside the house. https://www.drago48.it/ Drago 48 is a bed and breakfast on the second floor of a house at via Drago 48, in the centre of Oltre il Colle. It has three units: two double rooms of about 22 square metres, Verde Bosco and Blu Alpina, and the Suite del Drago, of about 55 square metres, with a living room and a sofa bed. The rates published on the website include breakfast. It has its own website, drago48.it, and a listing on Booking.com, where it is shown as run by a private host who speaks Italian and English. You book through the website's form, by email or by WhatsApp message; pets are not allowed and smoking is not permitted indoors. It is registered as a bed and breakfast with the regional code CIR 016146-BEB-00005 and the national code CIN IT016146C1DLMRUPHF, published on the website and on the Lombardy Region tourism portal. #### The three units: Verde Bosco, Blu Alpina and Suite del Drago The two deluxe rooms have the same fittings and differ in their colours: about 22 square metres with a small hallway, a double bedroom and a bathroom with a 90 by 140 centimetre shower. They have electric shutters, a 27-centimetre hybrid spring mattress with topper, hairdryer, Ethernet and wi-fi and a smart TV. The Suite del Drago measures about 55 square metres: entrance hall, living room with open kitchen and sofa bed, double bedroom and a larger bathroom, also with a 90 by 140 shower. It has a microwave and a large table; the Booking listing gives it a maximum of four guests and lists balconies, mountain views, a kettle and a tea and coffee maker in the rooms. #### Breakfast, common room and kitchen: what you can use The daily rates on the website include breakfast; the Booking listing says it is served in the room. Each room has its own small table and a reserved section of the fridge in the common room, but the website specifies that the common-room kitchen is not available to guests and that, for now, neither is the suite's kitchen. The Booking listing, on the other hand, lists a shared kitchen: if you plan to cook, ask first. On request the website offers a feather pillow, for a supplement, and the listing mentions packed lunches. #### House rules: times, pets, children and smoking The website sets check-in from 3 to 8 pm and check-out by 11 am; the Booking listing gives arrival from 3 to 7 pm and departure from 8 to 11 am. Arrivals outside these hours must be agreed in advance, and at check-in you need a valid identity document for the registration required by law. - No pets in the units or common areas, because of possible allergies of other guests; you can ask about guide dogs, assistance dogs or renting the whole property - No smoking in the rooms or common areas - No unregistered guests without permission - Minors must always be accompanied and supervised by an adult; the Booking listing welcomes children of any age but offers no extra beds - No stag or hen parties, according to the listing #### Booking: confirmation, cancellation, discounts and tourist tax You write through the website's form, to drago48beb@gmail.com or on WhatsApp to 371 3808733, which takes messages only; during the stay guests also have a phone number available 24 hours a day. The booking is confirmed by a written reply, by email or WhatsApp, with the access codes for the property, once the required amount has been paid; the balance is usually paid by bank transfer. As a rule cancellation is fully refunded if made at least 15 days before arrival, but conditions can vary with the period and the rate. The website offers discounts for stays of at least 7 and at least 28 nights, which cannot be combined, and states that the municipality of Oltre il Colle does not currently charge a tourist tax. #### Location and what's within walking distance The website publishes the house's coordinates and places it in the centre of the village, about forty minutes by car from Bergamo and just over an hour from Milan. As the crow flies the via Roma playground is about 80 metres away, the Banco BPM branch, the Manenti bar and pastry shop and the A&M Market about 100, the pharmacy 120, the Carrara pizzeria 130 and the La Fonte ice-cream shop 160; the bus line B stop in piazza Tiraboschi, served Monday to Saturday with a change at Zogno, is about 130 metres away. In front of the building, the website notes, there is a public charging point for electric cars. Via Drago is also the road that climbs by car to Pian della Palla, one of the access points to the Alben cross-country ski trail, about 3 kilometres according to B&B Sotto l'Alben; as the crow flies Pian della Palla is about 770 metres away. On foot from via Drago you climb to the Vandullo district, which Bergamonews describes as a sixteenth-century place at the foot of Monte Alben and which hosted a living nativity in December 2024. #### The name: via Drago and the legend of the Alben dragon The name comes from the address and from a legend the website tells on its folklore page: a seven-headed, fire-breathing dragon lived on the slopes of Monte Alben and guarded a spring that gave it strength and long life, until the villagers, united, surrounded it with fire and the dragon plunged into the spring, which turned dark, and disappeared. The website links it to another legend of the village, the dragon of the cloudy spring: a spring whose water was always cloudy, even in fine weather, because a dragon slept at the bottom and, on waking, would make the Ca' Bonaldi district sink into the ground. The website itself presents it as a story probably born to explain an unusual natural phenomenon. - D: Does B&B Drago 48 accept pets? R: No: because of possible allergies of other guests, pets are not allowed in the units or common areas. The website invites you to ask about special cases, such as guide and assistance dogs or renting the whole property. - D: Is breakfast included? R: Yes: the daily rates published on the website include breakfast, which according to the Booking listing is served in the room. - D: Can I use the kitchen? R: According to the website, no: the common-room kitchen is not available to guests and for now neither is the suite's; each room does, however, have its own small table and reserved fridge space. The Booking listing lists a shared kitchen: better to ask first. - D: What are the check-in and check-out times? R: The website gives check-in from 3 to 8 pm and check-out by 11 am; the Booking listing gives arrival from 3 to 7 pm and departure from 8 to 11 am. Arrivals outside these hours must be agreed in advance. - D: Is there an electric car charging point? R: Yes: the website mentions a public charging point for electric vehicles in front of the B&B's building. - D: Is there a tourist tax in Oltre il Colle? R: The website of B&B Drago 48 states that the municipality of Oltre il Colle does not currently charge a tourist tax; if one were introduced, it would be excluded from the rates. - D: How far is Drago 48 from the cross-country ski trails? R: Pian della Palla, one of the access points to the Alben trail, is about 770 metres away as the crow flies and is reached by car along via Drago itself, about 3 kilometres; the Colle di Zambla is about 2.1 kilometres away as the crow flies. - D: How do I book B&B Drago 48? R: Through the form on drago48.it, by email to drago48beb@gmail.com, with a WhatsApp message to 371 3808733 or through the Booking.com listing. - Appartamenti Manenti in via Roma (Apartment, Oltre il Colle) — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/where-to-stay/appartamenti-manenti-via-roma: Six holiday flats above the Manenti bar and pastry shop on via Roma: one bedroom, kitchenette, washing machine and balcony, breakfast at the family bar. Above the Manenti bar and pastry shop, at via Roma 325, the Manenti family lets six one-bedroom holiday flats, which the Booking.com listings call «di Manenti Andrea»: Caravaggio, Donizetti, Colleoni, Panoramico, Eden and Arlecchino. Each has its own listing, measures 55 to 65 square metres and sleeps two to four people. The listings describe a kitchenette or kitchen, a washing machine, free wi-fi, a TV and a balcony with mountain views in all of them, and the building has a lift. The Italian breakfast is taken at the bar on the ground floor, free public parking is nearby and pets are allowed only in some flats. It is one of the most central places to stay in the main village: the bus line B stop in piazza Tiraboschi, the pharmacy, the bank and the A&M Market grocery are all under 100 metres away as the crow flies. Each flat has its own CIR and CIN codes, listed below and confirmed by the Lombardy Region tourism portal. #### The six flats: size, guests and pets All have a double bedroom and a private bathroom; they differ in size, number of guests and bed layout, as the table sums up. Arlecchino is the only one for four, with a bunk bed and a sofa bed as well as the double; Donizetti and Eden are for two. The listings give a kitchenette with fridge, hob and microwave, in some also an oven, and in all of them a washing machine and a balcony with mountain views. There are no extra beds or cots for children: you rely on the declared beds. #### Breakfast at the family bar and building facilities The Italian breakfast is taken at the bar and pastry shop on the ground floor: according to the listings at any time and also to take away, with one hot or cold drink and one croissant per guest over four. The bar appears in the municipality's list of venues and in the Pro Loco's list with the number 0345 95005. The listings also mention the bar and coffee shop on site, a minimarket, a first-aid kit and invoices on request; the Arlecchino listing mentions grocery delivery. The lift appears in the listings for Colleoni, Donizetti, Panoramico and Arlecchino. #### Arrival, departure, pets and children Check-in is from 2 pm and the flat must be vacated by noon, letting the host know your arrival time in advance. Children are welcome but there are no extra beds, and the listings describe the property as entirely non-smoking. Pets are allowed in Caravaggio and Colleoni and, on request, in Arlecchino, and a supplement may apply; the listings for Donizetti, Panoramico and Eden do not allow them. If you travel with a dog, choose the flat before you choose the dates. #### Getting there and parking The listings give free public parking nearby, outside the property: there is no reserved parking space. Without a car you can arrive on Bergamo Trasporti bus line B, which climbs from Bergamo into Val Serina with a compulsory change at Zogno and runs Monday to Saturday only: the piazza Tiraboschi stop is about 70 metres away as the crow flies, based on its position on OpenStreetMap. #### What's around: services, ski trails and paths As the crow flies the A&M Market is a few metres away, the Banco BPM branch about 40, the Cristallo bar and pizzeria 65, the La Fonte ice-cream shop 75, the Pro Loco tourist office, the pharmacy and the Carrara pizzeria about 80, the Postamat cash machine 100, the church of San Bartolomeo 115, the via Roma playground 125 and the petrol station 170. For cross-country skiing the nearest access point is Pian della Palla, about 860 metres away as the crow flies, reached by car along via Drago; the main start at the Colle di Zambla is about 2.2 kilometres away. The Zorzone Mineral Museum is about 1.4 kilometres away. #### CIR and CIN codes of the six flats Each flat is registered as a separate unit, with a regional CIR code and a national CIN code. They appear in the listings and on the Lombardy Region tourism portal, which registers all of them at via Roma 325. - D: Can I bring a dog to the Manenti flats? R: Only to some: the listings allow pets in Caravaggio and Colleoni and, on request, in Arlecchino, and a supplement may apply. Pets are not allowed in Donizetti, Panoramico or Eden. - D: Where is breakfast served? R: At the Manenti bar and pastry shop, on the ground floor of the same building. According to the listings the Italian breakfast can be had at any time, also to take away: one drink and one croissant per guest over four. - D: Is there parking? R: Not reserved: the listings give free public parking nearby. - D: Is there a lift? R: Yes: the lift is listed for Colleoni, Donizetti, Panoramico and Arlecchino. - D: Which flat sleeps four? R: Arlecchino, 60 square metres, with a double bed, a bunk bed and a sofa bed. Caravaggio, Colleoni and Panoramico take up to three guests, Donizetti and Eden two. - D: What time is check-in? R: From 2 pm; the flat must be vacated by noon. Let the host know your arrival time in advance. - D: How far is the bus stop? R: The bus line B stop in piazza Tiraboschi is about 70 metres away as the crow flies. From Bergamo you change at Zogno and services run Monday to Saturday only. - B&B Il Nido (B&B, Zambla Alta) — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/where-to-stay/b-b-il-nido: B&B at the Passo di Zambla, the 1,264-metre pass above Zambla Alta: the Pro Loco publishes only its location and phone number, no rooms, services or codes. Il Nido is a bed and breakfast that the Pro Loco of Oltre il Colle lists among the accommodation of the basin with its location, Passo di Zambla, and a mobile number, 340 7022921. That is all an official source publishes about it: there is no website, no street address with a house number, no CIN code and no information on rooms, beds, breakfast or prices. The B&B does not appear in the municipality's accommodation list and we did not find it among the properties with a regional code published on the Lombardy Region tourism portal. Before booking it is worth phoning and asking for the essentials, starting with the national identification code, which properties must show in their listings. #### The Passo di Zambla: where it is The Passo di Zambla, which maps also call the Colle di Zambla, is the pass linking Val Serina to Val del Riso and from there to the Seriana valley; OpenStreetMap gives it an altitude of 1,264 metres. It lies just above Zambla Alta: from the pass to the centre of the hamlet it is about 580 metres as the crow flies. At the pass there is a public car park, marked as free on OpenStreetMap, and CAI Bergamo also mentions a small car park at the roadside for those setting out on the paths. #### Getting to the pass by bus Passo Zambla is the terminus of Bergamo Trasporti bus line B, which starts in Bergamo and runs via Zogno, where changing buses is compulsory, Serina, piazza Tiraboschi in Oltre il Colle and Zambla Alta. Services run Monday to Saturday only, with different times on school days and in the holidays. #### What's at the pass: restaurants, adventure park, ski trails and paths At the Passo di Zambla the Pro Loco lists the Al Trapper restaurant and pizzeria, La Baita, the Centro Sportivo Valle, with minigolf, tennis, five-a-side football, billiards, trampolines, table tennis, a games room and a bowling green, and the Monte Alben Adventure Park. Going round the Al Trapper restaurant, the blog of B&B Sotto l'Alben explains, you reach the adventure park meadow, where the cross-country ski trail starts: in summer it is an almost level walk, about 2.5 kilometres to Pian della Palla. Two CAI paths also start from the pass. Path 238 heads north to the wayside shrine of the Madonna di Caravaggio, five minutes away, and continues via the Cascine Sinelli and the Baita di Monte di Zambla to the Baita Camplano, at 1,830 metres, and to the Capanna 2000 in about three hours. Path 501 follows the forest road south to the Passo della Crocetta and then climbs to the summit of Monte Alben, at 2,019 metres: 2 hours 15 minutes of ascent, for expert hikers. #### What to ask on the phone before booking With a property that has no public information, the questions to ask are the ones the other houses in the basin answer on their websites. - The national identification code (CIN) - The exact address and whether there is a parking space - How many rooms there are, with which beds and whether the bathroom is private - Whether breakfast is included and how it is served - Arrival and departure times and whether pets are accepted - How to pay and what happens if you cancel - D: Does B&B Il Nido have a website? R: We did not find one. The Pro Loco of Oltre il Colle publishes only the name, the location, Passo di Zambla, and the mobile 340 7022921. - D: Where exactly is B&B Il Nido? R: The Pro Loco places it at the Passo di Zambla, the pass above Zambla Alta, but does not publish a street address with a house number: ask on the phone. - D: How do I book? R: By phoning 340 7022921, the number published by the Pro Loco. Before confirming, ask for the CIN code, the type of room and what the price includes. - D: Can I get to the Passo di Zambla by bus? R: Yes: it is the terminus of Bergamo Trasporti bus line B. From Bergamo you change buses at Zogno and services run Monday to Saturday only. - D: What is there near the Passo di Zambla? R: The Al Trapper restaurant and pizzeria, La Baita, the Centro Sportivo Valle, the Monte Alben Adventure Park, the start of the cross-country ski trail and CAI paths 238 to the Capanna 2000 and 501 to Monte Alben. - Albergo Neve (Hotel, Zambla Alta) — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/where-to-stay/albergo-neve: The hotel of Zambla Alta above the Neve restaurant, open since 1978: rooms with terraces, B&B, half or full board, a sledging field and summer snow tubing. https://www.albergoristoranteneve.it/albergo-bb/ The Albergo Neve occupies the floors above the Neve restaurant and pizzeria, on via Fezzoli in Zambla Alta: the restaurant has been welcoming customers since 1978 and the hotel is the only one the municipality lists as such in its territory. In the Polis Lombardia and Istat data on accommodation capacity, from 2019 to 2024 Oltre il Colle has a single hotel, with 18 beds. The rooms, which the website describes as simple, all have a terrace overlooking the basin. You can stay bed and breakfast, half board or full board, with the restaurant's Bergamo cooking and the cheese, cured meats, butter, honey and jams of the house's own farm. There is a large car park in front of the entrance. In winter the hotel's website lists a small ski lift with the learners' area used by the Oltre il Colle ski instructors, which L'Eco di Bergamo however reported as closed in December 2022, and a sledging field; in summer a garden and a snow tubing run on artificial grass. On the Lombardy Region tourism portal it is registered under code CIR 016146-ALB-00001 and CIN IT016146A1XIMYMBJ5. #### Rooms and board: B&B, half board, full board The website presents the rooms as simple but welcoming, designed for weekends in the basin, each with a terrace overlooking the view. It does not publish the number of rooms or their layout: to find out how many beds each has, ask when booking. There are three options: bed and breakfast, half board and full board, with different prices in high and low season that the website itself calls approximate and subject to change. For a quote it refers you to the phone number and email on the contacts page. #### The kitchen and the house farm The Neve restaurant and pizzeria, open since 1978, serves Bergamo dishes made with ingredients from the house's own farm, which is near the restaurant and produces milk, cheese, butter, cured meats and other zero-mile products. The animals graze on the meadows of the Passo di Zambla, while honey and jams are produced higher up, at 1,500 metres. The products are sold at the restaurant's bar, and during the year the farm organises guided visits in which the cheesemaker shows how cheese is made in the Bergamo tradition. The large hall, with an outdoor panoramic terrace, hosts ceremonies such as confirmations, first communions and weddings; for the 15 August 2026 holiday the restaurant published a special menu. #### Ski lift, learners' area and snow tubing In winter the property's website lists a small ski lift for downhill skiing with a learners' area where the instructors of the Scuola Sci Oltre il Colle teach, for first steps on skis. In December 2022, however, L'Eco di Bergamo wrote that the Neve lift was closed, and we have found no news of it reopening: ask the hotel before counting on it. Next to it there is a sledging field for families. In summer there is a large garden and a snow tubing run on artificial grass, ridden on an inflatable ring; the Pro Loco also lists snow tubing in Zambla Alta at the Neve restaurant and pizzeria. #### Address, getting there and parking The address varies by source: the official website gives via Fezzoli 621 in its footer and via Fezzoli 663 on its contacts page; the municipality records the hotel at number 663, the Lombardy Region tourism portal at number 13. The position is that of the «Albergo Ristorante Neve» building on OpenStreetMap. There is a large car park in front of the entrance. Without a car you can arrive on Bergamo Trasporti bus line B, with a compulsory change at Zogno and services Monday to Saturday: the Zambla Alta Albergo Miramonti stop is about 280 metres away as the crow flies. #### Things to do nearby: paths, cross-country skiing and adventure park The website points out that waymarked routes to the Pizzo Arera, the Cima di Grem and Monte Alben start from the area and that the Monte Alben Adventure Park is a short walk away: as the crow flies it is about 890 metres, the start of the cross-country ski trail about 870 and the Colle di Zambla about 690. In the hamlet the Quattro Cime restaurant is about 175 metres away, Camping Zambla with the Piccola Parigi bar 220, the Tiraboschi bakery and grocery about 270, the Miramonti restaurant 295 and the Edo Sport rental shop about 330. Plassa, the starting point for the Capanna 2000, is about 1.9 kilometres away, the Alpe Arera car park at 1,600 metres about 2.7. #### Booking: phone, email and codes For information and bookings the website gives the phone number 0345 95275, the same as in the municipality's and the Pro Loco's lists, and the address ristorantenevesnc@gmail.com; the footer also shows ristoranteneve@alice.it. The restaurant has a Facebook page and an Instagram profile. The website does not publish the national identification code: the CIR 016146-ALB-00001 and the CIN IT016146A1XIMYMBJ5 come from the Lombardy Region tourism portal. - D: Does the Albergo Neve offer half board? R: Yes: you can stay bed and breakfast, half board or full board, with the Bergamo cooking of the restaurant below. The prices on the website are indicative: for a quote, phone 0345 95275. - D: How many rooms does the Albergo Neve have? R: The website does not say. The Polis Lombardia and Istat data count a single hotel in Oltre il Colle, with 18 beds; the Albergo Neve is the only hotel in the municipality's list. - D: Is there parking? R: Yes: the website mentions a large car park in front of the entrance. - D: Can I ski near the hotel? R: The hotel's website lists a small ski lift in winter with the learners' area of the Scuola Sci Oltre il Colle instructors and a sledging field, but in December 2022 L'Eco di Bergamo reported the lift as closed and we have found no news of it reopening: ask first. The start of the cross-country ski trail at the Colle di Zambla is about 870 metres away as the crow flies. - D: What is the Albergo Neve's snow tubing? R: A run on artificial grass that you ride down on an inflatable ring in summer, in the property's garden. The Pro Loco lists it among the leisure activities of Zambla Alta. - D: Can I buy the farm's cheese? R: Yes: cheese, cured meats, butter, honey and jams from the house farm are sold at the restaurant's bar, and during the year there are guided visits in which the cheesemaker shows how cheese is made. - D: What is the address of the Albergo Neve? R: Via Fezzoli in Zambla Alta, but the house number varies by source: 621 in the website's footer, 663 on its contacts page and in the municipality's list, 13 on the Lombardy Region tourism portal. - Camping Arera (Campsite, Zambla Alta) — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/where-to-stay/camping-arera: Council-owned campsite at Plassa, above Zambla Alta, on the road to the Alpe Arera: 130 pitches, closed in 2021, new operator in 2022, contacts to be checked. Camping Arera is the campsite owned by the municipality at Plassa, above Zambla Alta, at the start of the road that climbs to the Alpe Arera. It was built in the 1980s and has always been run by private bodies and companies since then. In 2021 it had 130 pitches, 53 of them occupied by caravans with wooden structures, and a two-storey facilities building. In 2021 a municipal ordinance, following an inspection by the health authority ATS, suspended its use as accommodation until works to bring it up to standard were carried out; in 2022 the town council approved the draft contract to hand it to a new operator for twelve years, committed to carrying out those works. In 2026 the Pro Loco lists it again among the places to stay, but no official source publishes opening periods, prices or rules for tents and campervans. The five published phone numbers do not match, and the campingarera.com website, still given by the Pro Loco, cannot be reached on 1 October 2026: before going up, write or phone. #### Is it open? What we found on 1 October 2026 The Pro Loco's accommodation page lists Camping Arera, at Plassa, with the email arera.new.camping@gmail.com and the mobiles 329 0394793 and 379 1197315, and its home page also lists it, with 339 4552198. The municipality's list still has the landline 0345 95213. The campingarera.com website, which the Pro Loco gives, could not be reached on 1 October 2026: the domain name does not respond. None of these sources says in which months the campsite operates, whether it takes passing tents and campervans or only long-stay guests, or at what prices. We did not find it among the campsites with a regional code on the Lombardy Region tourism portal either, where Camping Zambla is the only one listed for Oltre il Colle. The only way to know if there is space is to contact the operators. #### The campsite: pitches, facilities and long-stay caravans In the notice with which it sought a new operator at the end of 2021, the municipality described the site as follows: 130 pitches, 53 of them in use and occupied by caravans with wooden add-on structures; a two-storey central building with a meeting room, office, bar, shop, storerooms, toilets, showers and changing rooms; a boiler room, a covered courtyard and a storehouse. On OpenStreetMap the campsite is marked with electricity at the pitches and with permanent camping, meaning pitches rented long term. The same entry gives another mobile number and an email written without the dot between «new» and «camping». #### The 2021 closure and the 2022 concession The last concession had expired on 30 June 2021. After an inspection by the ATS, which had found hygiene and health shortcomings, municipal ordinance no. 7 of 2021 ruled that the campsite could not be used as accommodation until safety works had been carried out and the missing certifications obtained. In 2022 the municipality collected expressions of interest and in April the town council approved the draft contract: a twelve-year concession from signing, with the operator taking on the works, estimated at 56,000 euros for the urgent part, and the maintenance. The works requested by the ATS and the improvements promised by the operator include those below. We found no public records saying whether and when they were completed. - Electrical system rebuilt to standard, removing cables that were not underground - Two toilets for people with disabilities and an accessible entrance to the campers' hall - Bar and campers' hall refurbished - No open-flame heaters inside the wooden structures and gas hobs brought up to standard - Checks and regularisation of the mobile structures built by campers on the pitches #### Getting to Plassa and the road to the Alpe Arera Plassa is reached by car from Zambla Alta on the municipal road that climbs towards the Arera; CAI Bergamo gives the Camping Arera area as the parking place for path 221 and starts the path at around 1,150 metres, while Prima Bergamo gives Plassa 1,169 metres. From the campsite the Plassa-Arera 1600 road continues, reopened in 2026 on 22 April with a 30 km/h speed limit, a ban on vehicles over 3.5 tonnes and on those towing a trailer carrying other vehicles, and a ban on roadside parking. At the top is the pay car park at 1,600 metres: 4 euros a day, with the ticket bought in partner shops or at the Plassa parking meters before driving up, or a 30-euro season pass. In winter the road is closed to all vehicles, in 2025 from 18 November; from 5 October to 18 December 2026, between 8 am and 5 pm, an ordinance also provides for temporary closures managed by flagmen for logging work. #### What's around: path 221, mountain huts and the Cattedrale Vegetale CAI path 221 to the Rifugio Capanna 2000 starts from Plassa: 3.6 kilometres and about 900 metres of ascent, 1 hour 10 minutes up according to the CAI. As the crow flies the Plassa car park is about 80 metres from the campsite, Giuliano Mauri's Cattedrale Vegetale 470, the SABA's Cà d'Arera hut 760, the Alpe Arera car park 890 and the Capanna 2000 about 2 kilometres. The nearest services are in Zambla Alta: the Tiraboschi bakery and grocery are about 1.7 kilometres away as the crow flies, the Zambla Alta Albergo Miramonti stop of bus line B, served Monday to Saturday, about 1.8. - D: Is Camping Arera open? R: In 2026 the Pro Loco lists it among the places to stay, but no official source publishes opening periods. In 2021 the municipality had suspended its use as accommodation until it was brought up to standard and in 2022 it approved the contract with a new operator: to know if there is space, you have to contact them. - D: Can I stay at Camping Arera with a tent or a campervan? R: No official source says so. The municipality described a campsite with many pitches occupied by long-stay caravans; for passing tents and campervans, ask the operators. Alternatively, Camping Zambla in Zambla Alta takes tents and is open all year. - D: Which number should I call for Camping Arera? R: The Pro Loco publishes 329 0394793 and 379 1197315 on its accommodation page, 339 4552198 on its home page and the email arera.new.camping@gmail.com; the municipality lists 0345 95213. Best to write to the email and try the mobiles. - D: Who owns Camping Arera? R: The municipality of Oltre il Colle, which had it built in the 1980s and has always leased it to private bodies and companies; the contract approved in 2022 runs for twelve years. - D: How many pitches does Camping Arera have? R: 130 according to the municipality, which in 2021 counted 53 in use, occupied by caravans with wooden add-on structures. - D: Can I drive from the campsite up to the Alpe Arera? R: Yes, when the Plassa-Arera 1600 road is open: in 2026 from 22 April, with a 30 km/h limit and a pay car park at the top, 4 euros a day. It is closed in winter, and from 5 October to 18 December 2026 temporary closures with flagmen are planned between 8 am and 5 pm. - D: How far is the Capanna 2000 from Camping Arera? R: About 2 kilometres as the crow flies. On foot from the Plassa car park, CAI path 221 is 3.6 kilometres long, with 900 metres of ascent and 1 hour 10 minutes up. - Camping Zambla (Campsite, Zambla Alta) — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/where-to-stay/camping-zambla: Campsite open all year in Zambla Alta, below the Colle di Zambla: pitches for tents and campervans, flats to rent, a bar and the Tiraboschi family's farm. https://www.campingzambla.com/ Camping Zambla is the Tiraboschi family's campsite at via Santella 370/D, in Zambla Alta, below the Colle di Zambla and the walls of Monte Alben. It is open all year: in summer for the walks of the basin, in winter with the cross-country ski trail, the small ski slope and the bobsleigh and sledging slope close at hand. Besides the pitches, the family rents out flats all year round. The price list takes small and large tents, cars and motorbikes, with electricity included in the pitch price, and the campsite has a chemical toilet disposal point for campervans. The campsite bar is the Piccola Parigi, and the same family has a farm producing cheeses, formagelle, butter and cured meats. On the Lombardy Region tourism portal it is registered under code CIR 016146-CAM-00002 and CIN IT016146B1AG8UVYHQ: it is the only campsite in Oltre il Colle with a regional code published there. #### Pitches, tents and flats The campsite's price list, in the 2024 version published on the website, distinguishes the pitch, which includes a car and electricity, the one-person tent, the two-person tent and the large tent, an extra car or motorbike, electricity and day visitors. Children aged 4 to 10 pay a reduced rate. High season, in the price list, runs from 15 June to 15 September and includes the Christmas and Easter holidays and long weekends. On OpenStreetMap the campsite is marked as open to tents, with electricity at the pitches and with permanent camping. The family also rents out flats all year; the website does not say how many there are or what they are like. #### Campsite facilities: toilets, laundry, campervans and bar The facilities listed on the website are those below. The bar is the Piccola Parigi: the Pro Loco lists it with the same phone number as the campsite and the municipality on via Santella. - Toilets with hot water - Washing machines, dryers and dishwashers - Chemical toilet disposal for campervans - Bar and common rooms - Playground, table tennis and volleyball court - Sun deck and dance hall #### Opening hours: entry, reception, quiet hours and traffic The campsite publishes its hours in a 2024 sheet with two seasons: high season in July and August, low season from September to June, a different split from the one in the price list. During the hours when traffic is banned, cars stay parked inside the campsite. For departures the price list specifies that guests arriving in the morning must leave the pitch by 12.30 pm the following day, while leaving in the evening costs a supplement. #### The Tiraboschi family farm The family that runs the campsite also has a farm that produces cheeses, formagelle, butter and cured meats. You can watch the cheese-making every morning and taste the products on site. #### Getting there: car, bus and address The website gives 40 kilometres from Bergamo, 80 from Milan and 25 from San Pellegrino Terme, and a stop on the Bergamo-Zambla bus line 300 metres away: the nearest timetabled stop of bus line B is Zambla Alta Albergo Miramonti, about 325 metres away as the crow flies, served Monday to Saturday with a compulsory change at Zogno. The Colle di Zambla, which the website puts at 1,270 metres, is about 470 metres away as the crow flies. The website's address is via Santella 370/D; the regional portal gives via Santella 370 and the municipality's list via Santella 24. You can call the landline 0345 95092 or the booking office mobile 339 2061112; the website's email is info@campingzambla.com, while the price list and the hours sheet give camping.zambla@gmail.com. #### Things to do nearby: paths, cross-country skiing and adventure park The website lists restaurants and pizzerias near the campsite, a minimarket, riding stables, sports shops and equipment rental, a gym, tennis courts, five-a-side football, minigolf, skating and mountain guides. As the crow flies the Edo Sport rental shop is about 115 metres away, the Neve restaurant 220, the Miramonti 335, the Quattro Cime 380, the Tiraboschi bakery and grocery about 385. Among the excursions the campsite suggests the Sentiero dei Fiori, the Cattedrale Vegetale, the Alben climbing wall and the Corna Bianca at Cornalba, and around it the Pizzo Arera, the Grem, the Alben, the Cima di Menna, Lago Branchino and the Laghi Gemelli. The start of the cross-country ski trail is about 650 metres away as the crow flies and the Monte Alben Adventure Park about 670; Plassa, the starting point for the Capanna 2000, about 2.1 kilometres. - D: Is Camping Zambla open in winter? R: Yes: the campsite is open all year, and in winter the cross-country ski trail, the small ski slope and the bobsleigh and sledging slope are close at hand. From September to June reception is open from 9 am to 12.30 pm and from 4 to 6 pm. - D: Can I camp at Camping Zambla with a tent? R: Yes: the price list includes one-person, two-person and large tents, and OpenStreetMap marks the campsite as open to tents. - D: Is there a service point for campervans? R: The website lists chemical toilet disposal points. Electricity is included in the pitch price. - D: When is reception open? R: In July and August from 8 am to 12.30 pm and from 4 to 7 pm, from September to June from 9 am to 12.30 pm and from 4 to 6 pm. The booking office answers on 339 2061112. - D: Does Camping Zambla rent out flats? R: Yes, all year, according to the website, which however does not say how many there are or what they are like: ask the campsite. - D: Can I get to Camping Zambla by bus? R: Yes: the Zambla Alta Albergo Miramonti stop of bus line B is about 300 metres away. From Bergamo you change at Zogno and services run Monday to Saturday only. - D: How far is the campsite from the cross-country ski trail? R: The start of the trail at the Colle di Zambla is about 650 metres away as the crow flies, and the Edo Sport rental shop about 115. - Rifugio Capanna 2000 (Mountain hut, Zambla Alta) — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/where-to-stay/rifugio-capanna-2000: The Alpe Arera mountain hut, just below 2,000 metres: 25 beds, owned by the municipality, at the start of the Sentiero dei Fiori, renovation awarded in 2026. Capanna 2000 is the mountain hut of the basin, on the south side of the Pizzo Arera at Pian Cansaccio. The Lombardy Region hut register places it at 1,969 metres, CAI Bergamo at 1,960 and OpenStreetMap at 1,955: hence the name. It is owned by the municipality of Oltre il Colle, which calls it the «rifugio alpino Pian Cansaccio», and is run by Attilio Rizzi under a contract extended to 30 September 2027. The hut has twenty-five beds, eighty seats for lunch and thirty at the outdoor tables, and next to it two small wooden cabins, the Starbox, for sleeping under the stars. It can only be reached on foot. In 2026 the municipality awarded the renovation of the building, funded largely by the Region, and the contract with the manager provides that the works may limit or suspend the service: outside high summer, phone before going up. Regional code CIR 016146-RIF-00001, national code CIN IT016146B8EYN32OC8. #### Beds, services and Starbox cabins The regional register gives 25 beds, 80 seats for lunch and 30 at the outdoor tables; OpenStreetMap gives a capacity of 30, and Prima Bergamo wrote of thirty beds and seventy seats in 2018. Next to the building the manager's family runs two Starbox, 3 by 3 metre wooden cabins that the mayor, in L'Eco di Bergamo in June 2025, described as minimalist and very popular places to sleep at altitude under the stars. Among the services the regional portal lists those below, as well as the hut's webcam, useful for checking the weather and snow before setting off. There is a defibrillator registered by AREU in the entrance hall. - Hot shower and electric light - Duvets and sleeping-bag liners for sale - Menu for food intolerances, local products and bottled wines - Games for children; pets allowed - Card payment - Disabled access declared, but the hut can only be reached on foot #### When it is open: calendar, contract and phone calls The 2026 calendar on the Rifugi di Lombardia portal showed it open on weekends in May, on 1 and 2 June, on 6 and 7 June and then every day from 12 June to 7 September; it gives no dates from October to April, and the portal warns that the dates are indicative. The municipality's management contract, by contrast, requires a broader minimum opening: Sundays, public holidays and the days before them all year, every day from 15 June to 15 September and the Christmas and Easter periods, except for bad weather, agreements between the parties and the renovation works. In June 2025 the mayor, in L'Eco di Bergamo, spoke of the hut being open at weekends all year and every day from 15 June until the end of September or October, depending on the weather. To find out whether it is open and to book, call the hut on 0345 95096 or the mobile 339 6986367, which the Pro Loco publishes for information and bookings, or write to rif.capanna2000@virgilio.it. #### The 2026-27 works: what changes for visitors The final renovation project, approved by the municipal executive on 1 April 2026, is worth 202,000 euros; the Lombardy Region awarded a 90 per cent grant of 181,800 euros under its 2024 mountain hut programme, and the municipality covers the rest. The works were awarded on 28 April, the contract was signed on 17 June and in September the municipality paid the contractor the 20 per cent advance. In 2025 the mayor explained that the work would redo the kitchen, the bathrooms, some of the common rooms and the bedrooms. To avoid closing the hut, the municipal executive extended the management contract from 1 May 2026 to 30 September 2027: the manager has undertaken to work in coordination with the building site, accepting even significant limitations, up to total or partial suspension of the service. While the works last, opening times may change at short notice: before going up, especially to stay the night, phone first. #### Getting there and where to leave the car The shortest climb starts from the Alpe Arera car park at 1,600 metres, below the old ski lifts, which can be reached by car from Zambla Alta via Plassa when the road is open; parking costs 4 euros a day, with the ticket bought in partner shops or at the Plassa parking meters before driving up. From there you climb in under an hour on CAI path 221, or on the longer, gentler dirt road up to Pian Cansaccio: the regional portal gives an hour and 400 metres of ascent. The Plassa-Arera 1600 road is closed in winter, in 2025 from 18 November, and from 5 October to 18 December 2026 an ordinance provides for temporary closures with flagmen, between 8 am and 5 pm, for logging work. Without the road you start from Plassa, in the Camping Arera area: path 221 is 3.6 kilometres long with about 900 metres of ascent, 1 hour 10 minutes up according to the CAI and 1 hour 50 minutes from Zambla Alta according to the regional portal. #### The hut's cooking On the regional portal the hut has published some of its recipes: oven-roasted pork shank, marinated overnight in herbs, slow-cooked and served with polenta; the Torta Piero, with ricotta, amaretti, chocolate and sliced apples; and a gluten-free carrot and almond cake. A menu for food intolerances is among the declared services. The hut also hosts parties: the Pro Loco's 2026 summer programme included the opening of the season on Saturday 27 June and an evening on Friday 17 July. #### What to do from the hut From the Capanna 2000 the regional portal gives an hour and 20 minutes to the summit of the Pizzo Arera, 2,512 metres, with 543 metres of ascent and a steep equipped section in a gully; the north ridge is given as 2 hours, very difficult, the east route 2 hours and a half. The Sentiero dei Fiori, the loop via the Passo and Lago Branchino among endemic flowers such as Linaria tonzigii, takes about 3 hours; the circuit of the Pizzo Arera, 5 hours and 703 metres of ascent, is for expert hikers. The same portal mentions the climbs to the Corna Piana, the Cima di Valmora, the Cima di Grem, Monte Vetro and the Cima di Menna and the walk to the Laghi Gemelli. As the crow flies the SABA's Cà d'Arera hut is about 1.3 kilometres away, the summit of the Arera about 1.3 and the Alpe Arera car park about 1.2. - D: Is the Rifugio Capanna 2000 open? R: In the regional portal's 2026 calendar it was open every day from 12 June to 7 September; the municipal contract also requires Sundays, holidays and the days before them all year and the Christmas and Easter periods. With the renovation awarded in 2026 the service may be limited or suspended: phone 0345 95096 or 339 6986367 before going up. - D: How many beds does the Capanna 2000 have? R: 25 according to the regional hut register, which also counts 80 seats for lunch and 30 at the outdoor tables. Next to the hut there are two Starbox, 3 by 3 metre wooden cabins for sleeping at altitude. - D: How do I book at the Rifugio Capanna 2000? R: On the hut's phone, 0345 95096, on the mobile 339 6986367, which the Pro Loco gives for information and bookings, or by email to rif.capanna2000@virgilio.it. - D: Can I drive to the Capanna 2000? R: No, only on foot. By car you drive up to the Alpe Arera car park, at 1,600 metres, when the road from Plassa is open; parking costs 4 euros a day and from there it is about an hour's walk to the hut. - D: Can I bring my dog to the hut? R: Yes: the Rifugi di Lombardia portal lists pets as allowed. - D: What works are being done at the Capanna 2000? R: The renovation and upgrading of the building, a 202,000-euro project with a regional grant of 181,800, awarded in spring 2026: in 2025 the mayor spoke of redoing the kitchen, the bathrooms, some common rooms and the bedrooms. The manager stays on until 30 September 2027 and has accepted limits on the service during the works. - D: How long does it take from the hut to the summit of the Pizzo Arera? R: About an hour and 20 minutes on the normal route, with 543 metres of ascent and a short equipped section in a gully, according to the regional portal. - Rifugio SABA — Cà d'Arera (Mountain hut, Zambla Alta) — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/where-to-stay/rifugio-saba-ca-d-arera: Private hut of the Società Alpinistica Bergamo Alta at the Alpe Arera, on the path from Plassa to Capanna 2000: for members, opened at the club's discretion. The Cà d'Arera is the hut of S.A.B.A., the Società Alpinistica Bergamo Alta, and stands at the Alpe Arera along CAI path 221, between Plassa and the Capanna 2000, just below the car park at 1,600 metres. Prima Bergamo gave it 1,540 metres, L'Eco di Bergamo's listing 1,560. Path 237 to the Cima di Grem starts here. It is a private hut: CAI Bergamo describes it as such and Prima Bergamo wrote in 2018 that it is reserved for members only and that a sign warns hikers that it opens at the club's discretion. You can shelter under the porch in bad weather. It does not appear in the Lombardy Region's list of mountain huts and we found no website for it: the Pro Loco nevertheless lists it among the places to stay, with a phone number. #### Can you stay overnight at the Cà d'Arera? Only if you are a member or if the SABA allows it, since the club decides when to open: Prima Bergamo described it as a private building reserved for members, opened at the club's discretion, and CAI Bergamo, in the photos of paths 221 and 237, calls it «rifugio SABA-Cà d'Arera (privato)». The only public contact is the mobile 348 8900297, which the Pro Loco gives under «Rifugio Saba» among the accommodation of the basin. For eating or sleeping in a hut open to the public, the reference in the area is the Capanna 2000, about 1.3 kilometres further up as the crow flies, to be checked in 2026-27 because of the renovation works. #### Location and how to get there The hut is on the south side of the Pizzo Arera, at the Alpe Arera: L'Eco di Bergamo's listing recalls that the area has been known for centuries for its calamine mines and great beech trees, with views of the Arera, the Grem and the Alben. On OpenStreetMap the building is marked as «Rifugio SABA Ca' Arera». When the road from Plassa is open you can drive up to the car park at 1,600 metres, about 130 metres from the hut as the crow flies: it costs 4 euros a day, with the ticket bought in partner shops or at the Plassa parking meters before driving up. On foot from Plassa, in the Camping Arera area, you climb on path 221: Prima Bergamo saw the hut appear after about an hour's walk. #### The road to the Alpe Arera: openings and closures The Plassa-Arera 1600 road is open only in the summer season: in 2026 from 22 April, with a 30 km/h speed limit, a ban on vehicles over 3.5 tonnes and on those towing a trailer carrying other vehicles, and a ban on roadside parking outside the marked spaces. In winter it is closed to all vehicles, in 2025 from 18 November. From 5 October to 18 December 2026, between 8 am and 5 pm, a municipal ordinance provides for temporary closures managed by flagmen for the installation of a cable crane and the felling of a stand of forest: in those weeks expect delays or set off on foot from Plassa. #### Onwards: Cima di Grem, Capanna 2000 and Sentiero dei Fiori CAI path 237 to the Cima di Grem starts from the hut: 5.6 kilometres, about 450 metres of ascent, 1 hour 50 minutes out and 1 hour 20 back, hiking grade. It leaves path 221 to the left, follows the dirt road up to a hairpin at 1,809 metres, traverses to the Baita Zuccone and the Baita Camplano, at 1,831 metres, and reaches the Bocchetta di Grem and the summit, at 2,049 metres. Continuing on path 221 you climb to the Capanna 2000; near the hut, Prima Bergamo wrote, the first signposts already point to the Sentiero dei Fiori. The hut sometimes opens for public events: on Saturday 4 July 2026, at 5.30 pm, it hosted «Negli abissi dell'Arera», a talk by the Le Nottole caving group of Bergamo on thirty years of exploration beneath the Arera, part of the Pro Loco's summer programme. - D: Is the Cà d'Arera hut open to everyone? R: No. It is the private hut of the SABA, the Società Alpinistica Bergamo Alta, reserved for members: according to Prima Bergamo a sign warns that it opens at the club's discretion. You can shelter under the porch in bad weather. - D: Can I book a night at the SABA hut? R: Not as in a public hut. The only contact is the mobile 348 8900297, published by the Pro Loco: call to find out whether and on what terms the SABA takes guests. - D: What does SABA stand for? R: Società Alpinistica Bergamo Alta, the association that owns the hut, also known as Cà d'Arera. - D: How long does it take to walk from Plassa to the SABA hut? R: About an hour on CAI path 221, according to Prima Bergamo's report. When the road is open you can drive up to the car park at 1,600 metres, about 130 metres from the hut as the crow flies. - D: How much does the Alpe Arera car park cost? R: 4 euros a day, with the ticket bought in partner shops or at the Plassa parking meters before driving up; the municipality also offers a 30-euro season pass. - D: Where can I go from the SABA hut? R: To the Cima di Grem on CAI path 237, in 1 hour 50 minutes, to the Capanna 2000 by continuing on path 221, and towards the Sentiero dei Fiori, which starts from the Capanna 2000. ## History and mines https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/history-and-mines - 1186-1287 — From the bishop to the villagers: the first records of the basin: The earliest records concern grazing and hunting. According to the Wikipedia article on the Val Serina, in a document of 1186 Guala, bishop of Bergamo, granted the people of Bracca and other communities of the valley grazing and hunting rights on the slopes of the Arera, keeping bear hunting for himself. A boundary deed of 1234 shows the territory of today's Oltre il Colle within the large commune of Serina, according to Lombardia Beni Culturali (Wikipedia instead assigns it to the commune of Bracca-Lepreno). At the end of the thirteenth century the bishop still held the rights to hunt bear and chamois throughout the upper Val Serina, but the local communities, led by Grimoldo and alongside it Capriana, Vandullo and Vanini, were beginning to free themselves; the local historian Massimo Maurizio dates to 4 May 1287 the purchase of the upper valley by the men of Serina and Grimoldo, for 624 imperial lire. - Middle Ages — Iron, nails and pikes before zinc: Before zinc there was iron. The archival record of Lombardia Beni Culturali links the first settlements of the basin, perhaps, to the extraction of iron and zinc on the Menna and the Arera, certainly practised since the Middle Ages. The inhabitants traded livestock and wine and made pikes and shafts, spade and pickaxe handles; Wikipedia adds that they were known makers of nails and weapons, made from local iron and from that of the Val di Scalve, and that the local lords encouraged these trades to prevent mass emigration. - 1428-1482 — Under the Republic of Venice: In 1428 the Bergamo area passed to the Republic of Venice, which held it until 1797. The Serenissima divided the Valle Brembana into vicariates: the basin belonged to the Upper Valle Brembana, whose chief town was Serina, seat of the Venetian vicar and of the meetings of the valley councils governed by the statute of 1468. Among the Venetian acts closest to the mining district is the decree of 9 April 1482 by which the Republic authorised the reopening of the Gorno mines, on the other side of the Colle di Zambla. - 1449 — San Bartolomeo becomes a parish: The religious community came more than a century before the civil one. By a decree of 5 April 1449 the bishop of Bergamo, Polidoro Foscari, separated the church of San Bartolomeo from its mother church, San Giacomo in Lepreno, and made it a parish; the deed, drawn up in Bergamo by the notary Giovanni Francesco Cavagnis of Cornalba, was signed in the presence of the representatives of the men of the hamlet of Grimoldo. For more than a century San Bartolomeo was the only parish in the basin; when the synod of 1568 created the rural vicariates, it joined the pieve of Dossena. - 1468-1512 — «Ultracollum» in the documents, and a drawing attributed to Leonardo: The name appears early in the documents: the valley statutes of 1468 mention Antonio Bernardo Pavoncelli, vice-consul of Oltre il Colle; in the statutes of Bergamo of 1491 the village is Ultracollum, among the communes of the faggia of Porta Sant'Alessandro; in a boundary deed of 1506 the consuls of Oltre il Colle appear beside those of Serina and Gorno. At the Zorzone museum the mining story begins with a drawing of the Arera attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, sheet 12410 of the royal collection at Windsor, and with the hypothesis of a visit between 1506 and 1507. In the Royal Collection catalogue, however, the sheet is titled «The Alps seen from Milan» and dated to about 1510-1512, and its identification with the Arera remains disputed. - 1569-1610 — Independence from Serina and the five «colonnelli»: In 1569 the community obtained full administrative independence from Serina, as a note in the municipal statute of 1610 records and as the report of Giovanni Da Lezze of 1596 confirms, counting 100 households and 654 inhabitants. The commune was divided into five «colonnelli», but the two Lombardia Beni Culturali records list them differently: San Bartolomeo, Valpiana, Zambla Alta, Zambla Bassa and Zorzone in one; «del comune», «de Tiraboschi», «della Valle», «de Carrara» and «di Valpiana» in the other, partly by families and partly by places. It was governed by a consul and five elders; the Ordini e Capitoli of January 1610 entrusted the finances to a treasurer, the canevaro, overseen by four auditors. - 1575-1587 — Saint Charles Borromeo at Oltre il Colle and the parish of Zambla: On 28 September 1575 the archbishop of Milan, Charles Borromeo, on a pastoral visit, found four altars at San Bartolomeo and a community of about 500 souls, 300 of them admitted to communion; the church was under the patronage of the community, and the confraternity of the Misericordia and the school of the Corpus Domini were active there. Twelve years later, on 17 November 1587, bishop Gerolamo Ragazzoni made the church of Santa Maria Maddalena in Zambla independent: it was the first hamlet to have its own parish. The survey of churches of 1666 would give it 352 parishioners, against 196 at San Bartolomeo. - 1630-1644 — The plague, San Rocco and the parish of Zorzone: The plague of 1630 struck the Valle Brembana hard: according to Wikipedia it caused 6,313 deaths among 16,440 inhabitants. In Zorzone it is remembered by the chapel of San Rocco, built in 1640 by the villagers in thanks for having been spared, on the mule track that runs down to the Parina stream. In the same years the hamlet obtained its parish: on 24 September 1636 bishop Luigi Grimani canonically established the church of Zorzone, consecrated on 21 June 1644 by the auxiliary bishop Giovan Battista Dovera under the title of the Holy Trinity. - 1712-1755 — The eighteenth century of the churches: Zambla Alta, Zambla Bassa and Zorzone: The eighteenth century renewed the churches of the basin. By a decree of 28 July 1712 the Venetian Senate allowed the few inhabitants of Zambla Alta to build a church of the Immaculate Conception, subsidiary to the parish church, blessed in 1718 by the archpriest of Dossena. On 18 July 1737 bishop Antonio Redetti consecrated the rebuilt church of Santa Maria Maddalena in Zambla Bassa, adding the title of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In Zorzone the seventeenth-century church, by then too small, was rebuilt between 1745 and 1755 to a design by Giovan Battista Caniana, who died in 1754 before the work was finished. - 1778-1781 — Bishop Dolfin's visit and a new municipal council: Between 1778 and 1781 bishop Giovanni Paolo Dolfin visited the three parishes: San Bartolomeo had five altars and about 300 souls, Zambla four altars, Zorzone three altars and 185 parishioners; at Grimoldo there was the oratory of the Nativity of Mary, at Zambla Alta that of the Immaculate Conception. In 1780 Dolfin consecrated both San Bartolomeo and the new Santissima Trinità in Zorzone. Meanwhile, in 1779, a long dispute between «originari», the old families, and «forestieri», the newcomers, ended with a reform of the commune: the special council grew from five to ten members, elected no longer by the colonnelli but by the hamlets, four for Zambla and two each for San Bartolomeo, Zorzone and Valpiana. - 1797-1861 — From Napoleon to the unification of Italy: In April 1797, under the Republic of Bergamo, Zambla and Zorzone declared themselves independent communes, but in March 1798 they rejoined Oltre il Colle, which then moved from one district to another. The commune had 849 inhabitants in 1805 and 881 in 1809; from January 1810 it was merged with Serina, and in April 1812 a prefectural decree restored its independence, with no further change to its boundaries. In the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia it belonged to the district of Zogno: 663 inhabitants in 1816, 870 in 1853. On annexation to the Kingdom of Sardinia, in 1859, it had 909 inhabitants, a council of fifteen members and an executive of two; at the 1861 census, the first of the Kingdom of Italy, there were 967 residents. - 1870-1901 — English and Belgian companies discover the basin's zinc: The zinc industry arrived with foreign capital. In 1870 the London company Richardson took over some concessions between Gorno and Oltre il Colle from the Sileoni firm; in 1883 it handed them to the English Crown Spelter Company, which in 1884 also leased the mines of Monte Arera and Zambla from the Modigliani brothers and built kilns to roast calamine at Camerata Cornello. By 1888 Crown Spelter ran all the zinc mines of the Bergamo area, but in the same year the Belgian Vieille Montagne arrived and acquired, among others, the concessions of Zambla, Monte Arera, Oltre il Colle and Val Vedra. Wikipedia places the arrival of the foreign companies earlier, around 1850. The population was growing: 1,175 inhabitants in 1881, 1,375 in 1901. - 1922-1935 — Between the wars: Vieille Montagne and the new San Bartolomeo: On 22 June 1922 Crown Spelter handed its concessions to Vieille Montagne, which divided the Bergamo deposits into two groups, Valle Seriana and Valle Brembana, separated by the Crocetta-Sinelle line at the Colle di Zambla. In 1927 the Rivista di Bergamo described the Riso-Parina tunnel with its rails, its small wagons hauled by horses and mules and, 1,500 metres from the entrance, an underground power station working since 1925, able to light Gorno, Oneta and Oltre il Colle as well. The population reached 1,727 in 1931. In the same years the main village changed its look: in 1930 the bell tower of San Bartolomeo was raised, and in 1935 the church was enlarged to a design by Luigi Angelini, with the portico on three sides. - 1940-1942 — Expropriation and the birth of SAPEZ: In 1940 the Italian government expropriated Vieille Montagne: its concessions passed to the Azienda minerali metallici italiani and, by a decree of 1941, to the Società anonima nichelio e metalli nobili. At the beginning of 1942 the Belgian company gave up all claims on its Italian sites in exchange for a credit of 8 million lire, and on 3 January SAPEZ, Società anonima piombo e zinco, was founded in Rome as owner of the mining sites of Gorno, Oneta and Oltre il Colle: 350 workers on shifts covering 24 hours. In 1942 the design for a municipal coat of arms with the miner's pick was also submitted; it was approved only in 1956. - 1944-1945 — The «24 Maggio» brigade and the round-ups in the Val Serina: The Giustizia e Libertà partisan brigade «24 Maggio» was born in Oltre il Colle in 1944, with a first group of about ten men led by Giuseppe Baroni, «Rossi»: the testimonies collected by the Blog della Valserina place its birth between 5 May and the beginning of summer. Many men hiding in the mountains found shelter working in the SAPEZ mines, which in those months produced under German control. On 25 November 1944 a fascist unit under captain Aldo Resmini stopped the Zambla-Bergamo bus shortly before Rosolo and attacked Cornalba: fifteen partisans died, among them their commander Giacomo Ratti, known as «Tiragallo». On 1 December another round-up killed five more. At the beginning of February 1945 the group returned to the valley, above Zorzone, and between 17 and 18 February it raided the SAPEZ storehouses. - 1944 — The Lady Irene crashes on Monte Menna: On the night of 4 October 1944 an American B-24 Liberator bomber, the Lady Irene, crashed just below the ridge of Monte Menna, at the place called Pezzadello, at around 2,250 metres. It had taken off from Brindisi on a secret mission to supply the partisans; on board were ten American airmen and three Italians, all of whom died. The sources differ on the drop zone, Lake Endine or the hills of San Fermo, and on the causes, perhaps the bad weather. The bodies, buried on the spot, were later moved to Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis. Since 2016 a memorial in the Zorzone museum, born of Massimo Maurizio's research, has kept objects and remains of the aircraft. - 1951-1955 — New bells, electrolytic zinc and AMMI: In 1951 the parishes received new bells: on 3 March bishop Adriano Bernareggi consecrated the eight bells of San Bartolomeo, recast by the Crespi foundry together with the bells that had escaped wartime requisition, and the five of Zorzone, also by Crespi; on 22 August those of Zambla, cast by the Capanni foundry; at Zambla Alta the five bells were the work of Giorgio Pruneri of Grosio. In June 1952 the electrolytic smelter at Ponte Nossa, financed under the Marshall Plan, went into production: there the district's ore, concentrated at the Riso processing plant, was turned into metal. On 10 December 1954 SAPEZ was absorbed into AMMI, and in 1955 the concessions of the Val Seriana and the Val Brembana passed to it. - 1951-2021 — From a peak of 1,945 inhabitants to fewer than a thousand: The mines also explain the population curve. From 967 inhabitants in 1861 the commune grew to 1,599 in 1921 and reached its peak at the 1951 census, with 1,945 residents. Then the decline began: 1,873 in 1961, 1,574 in 1971, 1,376 in 1981, 1,236 in 1991, 1,142 in 2001, 1,058 in 2011 and 980 at the 2021 census. For 1871 the sources disagree: Lombardia Beni Culturali gives 971 inhabitants, the ISTAT data published by Wikipedia 1,090. - 1956 — The pick and the fountain on the coat of arms: The coat of arms took a long time to come about. A first design, adopted by the podestà Gino Tiraboschi in February 1940, combined swords, mountains, an ox and the old name Grimaldo; the Lombard heraldic commission rejected it in June 1941. The second, of May 1942, is the current one: a silver pick planted on a three-peaked mountain, for the mines of calamine and silver-bearing lead, and a gushing fountain, for the spring of saline and ferruginous mineral water used for cures and baths. Interrupted by the war, the procedure resumed in 1956 and ended with the decree of the President of the Republic of 14 December 1956, which granted the arms and the banner, a cloth divided blue and red. - 1960-1986 — The parishes divide and reunite: On 28 June 1960 bishop Giuseppe Piazzi separated Zambla Alta from the parish of Zambla and made it an independent parish, also recognised by the State in February 1961. In 1971 the parishes of the basin joined pastoral zone V and from 27 May 1979 the local vicariate of Selvino-Serina. On 20 November 1986, with the reorganisation of church bodies, the two Zamblas were reunited in the parish of Santa Maria Maddalena e Santa Maria Immacolata. Today the three parishes of the municipality share the same parish priest and belong to the Territorial Church Community 4 Valle Brembana. - 1970-1982 — The last investments and the closure of the mines: In the 1970s the Val Vedra mine was still working, and the mining archive documents new projects: the portal of the Zorzone drainage level (1971), a cableway at Cà Pasì (1970-1971), a mine road (1975), the general plan of the Riso-Parina tunnel (1976). At the end of 1978 AMMI merged into SAMIM, a company of the Eni group, and as late as 1980 new surface works were being planned at Cà Pasì. Then came the turning point: in 1982 SAMIM gave up the concession for the mines of the Valle del Riso and stopped extraction. The Ecomuseo in Gorno dates the end to 12 January 1982, the Zorzone museum to 1980, while a geological study of 2020 places SAMIM's last underground work as late as 1985. - 1976-1977 — The Giro d'Italia on the Colle di Zambla: The pass was twice part of the Giro d'Italia. On 11 June 1976 the twenty-first stage, from Terme di Comano to Bergamo, crossed the Colle di Zambla with Gianbattista Baronchelli first at the top; Felice Gimondi won the stage. On 9 June 1977 it was the turn of the nineteenth, from Pinzolo to San Pellegrino Terme, and Renato Laghi crossed the pass first and also won at the finish. According to the local historian Massimo Maurizio, the road over the pass had been open for only a few years: before, there was just a mule track. - 1988-2012 — The end of downhill skiing: Alpine skiing on the Arera and in the Conca dell'Alben did not last long. A lift in the Conca dell'Alben had stood idle since 1988, and the Arera ski tow ran until the 1990s. In October 2012, L'Eco di Bergamo reported, the municipality had the last three metal pylons of the Arera ski tow and six pylons of the Conca dell'Alben lift dismantled; mayor Valerio Carrara was considering turning the top station of the first chairlift, at 1,600 metres, into a mountain hut with about ten rooms and building a summer chairlift towards the Capanna 2000, depending, however, on funding. - 1989 — The mountains become part of the Orobie Bergamasche Park: The Orobie Bergamasche Park was created by regional law no. 56 of 15 September 1989, later merged into the regional consolidated law on parks, law no. 16 of 16 July 2007. Covering about 68,898 hectares, it spans the Bergamo side of the Orobie and includes land in dozens of municipalities of the mountain communities of the Val Seriana, the Val di Scalve and the Val Brembana, among them Oltre il Colle. Some areas of the municipality fall within the park, and with them the peaks that close the basin: Arera, Alben, Grem and Menna. - 1992-1994 — The Minerals Museum opens in Zorzone: A collection of minerals begun in the 1970s became a museum in the former primary school of Zorzone. The dates vary: the Ministry of Culture gives 1992 for the move to the new premises, the Comunità Montana Valle Brembana and the municipality 1994 for the opening. The curator, Franco Palazzi, had worked in the mine as a surveyor, and many former miners helped to set it up: on the ground floor the mine section with a reconstructed tunnel, on the first floor local and worldwide minerals and 450 fossils, on the second a multimedia room. In 2016 the Lady Irene memorial was added. - 2004-2010 — The Arera becomes an open-air museum: On 4 July 2004 the Arera's «sentiero dei fiori», the flower trail, was officially named after Claudio Brissoni (1923-2003), a scholar and popular writer on the alpine flora of Bergamo, who in countless hikes had worked out its best route. On 19 July 2008 the Orobie Park and the municipality laid the first stone of a «green cathedral» at Plassa; the final design by Giuliano Mauri (1938-2009) became reality in 2010 at Grumello, at 1,345 metres. The Cattedrale Vegetale, five naves and 42 columns of woven poles around living beeches, was inaugurated on 4 September 2010 together with the project of the Flower and Butterfly trails. - 2006-2026 — Zorzone, the village of frescoes: In 2006 the mayor, Rosanna Manenti, launched a fresco competition in Zorzone to make the hamlet the «village of frescoes»: three editions were held until 2009, bringing scenes of the old way of life onto the façades. After twenty years the competition returned on 29 August 2026 with ValParinART: eight students of the Manzù art high school in Bergamo, led by Giovanni Bonaldi, painted seven new frescoes on the theme «C'era una volta», once upon a time, bringing the village's frescoes to 23. On the same day the artist Frode painted the mural «Memorie di luce» on the museum's façade, with the support of the BIM. - 2014-2015 — The Australians come back looking for zinc: In 2014 the Australian company Energia Minerals obtained permits to resume mining in the abandoned mines of Oltre il Colle, Gorno, Oneta, Premolo and Ardesio. At the beginning of 2015 it opened the Cà Pasì site, near Zorzone, entrusted to the firm Edilmac of Gorle: according to L'Eco di Bergamo, 4.3 million euros to make the tunnels safe and drill, with mining planned for the end of 2017. Mining never started, but a drilling campaign from the old Val Vedra tunnels located, a few hundred metres below the village, the «Zorzone» orebody, estimated by the company at 3.3 million tonnes grading 4.9 per cent zinc. - 2018-2026 — Vaia and the Cattedrale Vegetale growing back: At the end of October 2018 the Vaia storm, with gusts of over 200 kilometres an hour, destroyed about two thirds of the Cattedrale Vegetale's frameworks; the damaged columns were removed. In December 2019 the Orobie Park decided not to rebuild them: the work would carry on with what remained, maintained by the municipality, with signs telling its story. In 2023 33 of the 42 beeches remained, and mayor Ferruccio Ghilardi announced that the nine missing ones would be replanted with the Park; in June 2026 the municipality celebrated the renewed growth with a day of pruning, music and local produce. - 2025-2026 — Mineral exploration suspended and authorised again: In 2025 the ministry halted the zinc exploration in the Oltre il Colle mines because of some drilling outside the approved plan, reported by the company itself, Vedra, which since 2012 has been working on the project to reopen the mines inside Monte Arera, and required an environmental impact assessment after the fact. In February 2026 the assessment was approved with conditions, including consultation with Arpa and Uniacque and continued environmental monitoring, after a spring had been struck during the drilling. The company says it has spent 16 million euros in fifteen years and that its mining plan is 90 per cent ready; before any extraction, however, it needs a new permit and investors. ## Events https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/events - 2026-01-02: Ski instructors' torchlight descent at the Conca dell'Alben (Ski slopes of the Conca dell'Alben) — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/events/fiaccolata-maestri-di-sci. The torchlight descent of the Oltre il Colle ski instructors comes down the slopes of the Conca dell'Alben with lit torches, in the holiday days between New Year and Epiphany. The last documented edition took place on Friday 2 January 2026, from 5.30 pm. It is not announced as a fixed event and the date has changed over the years: on 1 January 2024 the Pro Loco programme had a New Year torchlight procession in the Conca at 4.30 pm. Before going up, check the holiday calendar the Pro Loco publishes in December. Sources: https://valbrembanaweb.com/musica-e-fiaccolate-per-san-silvestro-e-capodanno-gli-appuntamenti/ #### When it takes place: torchlight processions documented since 2023 The sources we found describe different torchlight processions, and it is worth telling them apart. The ski instructors' one comes down the slopes of the Conca dell'Alben: Valbrembanaweb announced it for Friday 2 January 2026 at 5.30 pm, in the same article that listed the end-of-year torchlight events in other places of the valley. On 1 January 2024 La Voce delle Valli reported the Pro Loco programme with a «New Year torchlight procession» in the Conca at 4.30 pm, after the prize-giving for the letters to Father Christmas; the article does not say who led it. The Epiphany torchlight procession is another matter: it crosses the village and ends with a bonfire. On 6 January 2023 it set off at 8.30 pm, on 6 January 2024 at 6.30 pm, arriving in the market square. In winter 2024-25 we found no torchlight event at the Conca in the local press listings, and for the 2026-27 season, as of 1 October 2026, no programme has been published yet. #### Who the Oltre il Colle ski instructors are The village school is the Scuola Sci Oltre il Colle, which states on its website that it was founded in 1981 by the valley's alpine and cross-country ski instructors; La Voce delle Valli, reporting the regional award, gives 1982 instead. In November 2025 the Lombardy Region listed it among the region's 22 «historic» ski schools, those with at least forty years of uninterrupted activity. The school's website mentions eleven instructors covering alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, Nordic walking and teaching people with disabilities, all registered with the Lombardy regional board of ski instructors. Downhill is taught on the very slopes of the Conca dell'Alben, cross-country on the trails between the Colle di Zambla and Pian della Palla. In winter 2025-26 the school's calendar included an Epiphany alpine skiing course from 1 to 5 January: the 2 January torchlight descent fell in those days. #### Where it takes place and how to reach the Conca dell'Alben The Conca dell'Alben is the basin of meadows below the north face of Monte Alben, about 1.2 kilometres as the crow flies south of the centre of the main village. The downhill slopes are those of the drag lift and the beginners' area conveyor belt, described in the page on the lifts; in winter the cross-country trails coming from the Colle di Zambla also pass through. By car you drive up from Oltre il Colle along via Drago to the car parks at Pian della Palla, as the pages of this guide explain. From the Colle di Zambla the dirt road towards Pian della Palla becomes a cross-country trail in winter and is closed to traffic. Line B buses reach piazza Tiraboschi and Passo Zambla but do not go up to the Conca, and they do not run on Sundays and public holidays. #### What the weather is like in early January and what to bring According to the 1991-2020 averages of the ERA5 reanalysis given in the main village's page, the average January minimum is about −7 °C and the maximum about 3 °C; in Zambla Alta, a little higher up, −9 and 1 °C. At 5.30 pm in January it is already dark and spectators stand still in the cold: snow boots, gloves and something hot are needed. The torchlight descent runs on snow-covered slopes and snow is not guaranteed here: in December 2024 the provincial FISI committee postponed, for lack of snow, the cross-country race scheduled at Oltre il Colle on 5 January. As of 1 October 2026 the ski school has not yet published its courses for the 2026-27 season. - D: When is the ski instructors' torchlight descent at Oltre il Colle? R: It has no fixed date. The last documented edition was on Friday 2 January 2026 at 5.30 pm, at the Conca dell'Alben; on 1 January 2024 the Pro Loco programme had a New Year torchlight procession in the Conca at 4.30 pm. The programme for winter 2026-27 has not been published yet. - D: Where does the torchlight descent take place? R: On the downhill slopes of the Conca dell'Alben, above the main village, about 1.2 kilometres as the crow flies from the centre. You get there by car from Oltre il Colle along via Drago, up to the car parks at Pian della Palla. - D: Is it the same as the Epiphany torchlight procession? R: No. The instructors come down the slopes of the Conca; the Epiphany procession crosses the village and ends with a bonfire: in 2023 it set off at 8.30 pm on 6 January, in 2024 at 6.30 pm, arriving in the market square. - D: Who runs ski courses at the Conca dell'Alben? R: The Scuola Sci Oltre il Colle, which teaches alpine skiing at the Conca dell'Alben and cross-country between the Colle di Zambla and Pian della Palla. In winter 2025-26 it offered a Christmas course, from 27 to 31 December, and an Epiphany course, from 1 to 5 January; the 2026-27 courses have not been published yet. - D: What is the weather like at Oltre il Colle in early January? R: Cold: according to the 1991-2020 averages of the ERA5 reanalysis, the January minimum in the main village is about −7 °C and the maximum about 3 °C. These are model estimates, not station measurements. - 2026-01-18: Trofeo Angela Maurizio, cross-country ski race (Centro Fondo trail, Conca dell'Alben) — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/events/trofeo-angela-maurizio. This is Oltre il Colle's home cross-country race: an individual classic-technique event of the Bergamo provincial circuit, dedicated to the memory of Angela Maurizio, with mostly children and teenagers from the province's ski clubs at the start, from Super Baby to Allievi, plus a Giovani/Senior category. The thirty-second edition was raced on Sunday 18 January 2026 on the Centro Fondo trail at the Conca dell'Alben. The date changes with the snow: in 2025 the race slipped from 5 January to 9 March. Sources: https://www.fisibergamo.it/32-trofeo-angela-maurizio-la-gara-di-fondo-oggi-a-oltre-il-colle/ #### The latest editions, one by one The trophy is one of the historic races of the Bergamo FISI provincial circuit, which publishes results and rankings every year. The numbering lets you trace it back: twenty-seventh edition in 2020, thirtieth in 2024, thirty-second in 2026. In 2021 the Sci Club Valserina cancelled the races scheduled for 7 February; we have not found the date of edition number twenty-nine. In 2024, on the day of the thirtieth edition, Valbrembanaweb recalled that exactly a hundred years earlier, on 17 February 1924, Oltre il Colle had hosted the Lombard and Bergamo ski championships, with cross-country, style and ski-jumping events. #### How it is raced: categories and distances Athletes start one at a time, against the clock, in classic technique. The categories are FISI's youth ones: Super Baby, that is under 8, who all receive a prize without a podium, then Baby, Cuccioli, Ragazzi and Allievi, plus Giovani/Senior. In 2024 Lecconotizie reported distances from 500 metres for the youngest to 7.5 kilometres for the oldest. FISI's report on the 2022 edition, which counted as the provincial championship, gives the distances category by category: - Super Baby: 500 metres on the red loop - Baby: 1 kilometre - Cuccioli: 2 kilometres - Ragazzi: 2.5 kilometres for girls, 4 for boys - Allievi: 4 kilometres for girls, 6 for boys - Giovani and senior: 6 kilometres for women, 8 for men #### Who organises it and on which trail For FISI Bergamo the trophy is a «historic race» of the Sci Club Valserina, the club that runs the cross-country trails on behalf of the municipalities of Oltre il Colle and Serina: so say the reports of 2020, 2022 and 2024, Lecconotizie in 2024 and the BergamoTV news in 2025. For the 2026 edition the sources do not agree: FISI writes «Sci Club Serina», La Voce delle Valli «Sciclub di Oltre il Colle». The trail is the one the federation calls «Centro Fondo Serina», between the Colle di Zambla, the Conca dell'Alben and Valpiana di Serina; in 2022 FISI referred to it as the Gianni Carrara trail, reworked that summer. In 2021 the Region funded with 270,000 euros the artificial snowmaking of the cross-country loop, about 2.5 kilometres at Coren de l'acqua above the Conca, and of the downhill slope. It was not enough to avoid the 2025 postponement. #### For spectators: getting there and the weather The Conca dell'Alben lies above the main village, about 1.2 kilometres as the crow flies from the centre: you drive up via Drago to the car parks at Pian della Palla, while from the Colle di Zambla the dirt road is a cross-country trail in winter and stays closed to cars. In 2024 the race was held on Sunday morning; the start time of each edition should be asked to the ski club. The 1991-2020 averages of the ERA5 reanalysis for Zambla Alta, in the hamlet's page, give January minimums of about −9 °C and maximums of 1 °C, February −8 and 2 °C, March −4 and 6 °C. As of 1 October 2026 the provincial calendar for the 2026-27 season has not been published. - D: When is the Trofeo Angela Maurizio held? R: It has no fixed date: in recent years between mid-January and early March, depending on the snow. The latest editions were held on 16 February 2020, 30 January 2022, 18 February 2024, 9 March 2025 and 18 January 2026. The 2027 date has not been published yet. - D: Which technique is used in the Trofeo Angela Maurizio? R: Classic technique, with individual starts. The other provincial race at the Conca dell'Alben, the Trofeo Comune di Ardesio, is raced in free technique instead. - D: Who can take part? R: It is a race of the Bergamo FISI provincial circuit: athletes registered with their ski clubs compete, from Super Baby, the under 8s, up to Giovani and Senior. - D: Who organises the trophy? R: The Sci Club Valserina, according to FISI Bergamo and the press from 2020 to 2025. For the 2026 edition FISI writes «Sci Club Serina» and La Voce delle Valli «Sciclub di Oltre il Colle». - D: Where is the Centro Fondo trail? R: Between the Colle di Zambla, the Conca dell'Alben and Valpiana di Serina; the race is held in the Conca dell'Alben area, above the main village of Oltre il Colle, which you reach by car along via Drago. - 2026-02-14–2026-02-21: Carnevale & Oltre, the Carnival week (Piazzale degli Alpini, piazza Carrara, parish centre and the village streets) — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/events/settimana-di-carnevale. The Oltre il Colle Carnival is called «Carnevale & Oltre» and is organised by the Pro Loco. In 2026 it lasted eight days, from 14 to 21 February: on the first Saturday the parade of floats, masked groups, single masks and couples, gathering at the Piazzale degli Alpini, with an outside jury and cash prizes; then a children's workshop, the parade with a snack in Zorzone, a family film and, on the closing Saturday, markets, magic, cabaret in Zambla Alta and a party in a restaurant with a DJ. Sources: https://www.oltreilcolleturismo.it/evento/carnevale-2026/ #### The 2026 programme, day by day The programme below is the one published by the Pro Loco, with additions from the La Voce delle Valli listings. The sources differ only on the comedian Beppe Lodetti: BergamoNews, La Voce delle Valli and Valbrembanaweb announced him for the afternoon of Saturday 14, while in January Valbrembanaweb placed him in the cabaret of the 21st in Zambla Alta. For lunch and dinner on the 14th the Pro Loco had agreements with the village's restaurants and bars. #### The competition: entry, prizes and winners Floats, masked groups, single masks and couples can take part in the parade. In 2026 entry cost 40 euros for a float, 25 for a group, 3 for a single mask and 5 for a couple; the prizes were 1,000, 500 and 300 euros for the first three floats and 150, 100 and 75 euros for the first three groups, with surprise prizes for masks and couples. The float prizes doubled compared with 2024 and 2025. Every year the judges are an expert jury from outside the organisation. In 2026 the winner was the Zambla Bassa float «Olimpici... ma non troppo», ahead of the main village's float «Oltre i giochi», both themed on the Winter Olympics in the year of Milano Cortina. Among the six groups, first place went to «Chi? non so!» from Oltre il Colle, inspired by the Grinch, second to «Super Family Kart» from San Giovanni Bianco. The next day the Zambla float also won the Zogno Carnival, where it was the only float competing. #### The story of «Carnevale & Oltre» According to Valbrembanaweb, in recent years the Pro Loco, with the support of the municipality and the enthusiasm of a group of young people, has revived the traditions of the local Carnival. In 2024 «Carnevale & Oltre» was in its fifth edition and launched a historic photo contest, «Ricordi di Carnevale a Oltre il Colle», to be posted on Instagram. In the 2024 and 2025 programmes the parade started from the Piazzale degli Alpini, went down towards via Roma and via Foppa and returned to the starting point. In 2025 the event became a whole week, from 1 to 8 March, with read-aloud sessions, the Zorzone parade, detective games, a closing party and a video sketch contest with the Baci di Zorzone; in 2026 the week format stayed. #### When it falls, where to park and the weather The date follows the Carnival calendar, and therefore Easter: the parade was on Saturday 10 February in 2024, Saturday 1 March in 2025 and Saturday 14 February in 2026, postponed to the following Saturday in case of bad weather. The 2027 programme has not been published yet. The Piazzale degli Alpini lies along via Roma, where the road to Zorzone branches off, a few steps from the parish church; near the church there is a public car park that OpenStreetMap marks as free. On Saturdays Arriva's line B comes from Bergamo, changing at Zogno, to piazza Tiraboschi. In February the ERA5 averages for the main village give minimums of about −6 °C and maximums of 4 °C: those on parade and those watching stay outdoors all afternoon. - D: When is Carnival at Oltre il Colle? R: The main parade is on a Carnival Saturday: 10 February in 2024, 1 March in 2025, 14 February in 2026. Since 2025 the event has lasted a week: in 2026 it ran from 14 to 21 February. The 2027 dates have not been published yet. - D: How do you enter a float or a group in the parade? R: At the Pro Loco of Oltre il Colle, via Roma 201, phone 0345 95541. In 2026 entry cost 40 euros for a float, 25 for a group, 3 for a single mask and 5 for a couple. - D: How much can you win at the Oltre il Colle Carnival? R: In 2026, 1,000, 500 and 300 euros for the first three floats and 150, 100 and 75 euros for the first three groups, with surprise prizes for single masks and couples. In 2024 and 2025 the float prizes were half that. - D: What happens if it rains on parade day? R: The parade is postponed to the following Saturday: in 2026 the planned postponement was from 14 to 21 February. - D: Who won the Oltre il Colle Carnival in 2026? R: Among the floats «Olimpici... ma non troppo» from Zambla Bassa, ahead of «Oltre i giochi» from the main village; among the groups «Chi? non so!» from Oltre il Colle, ahead of «Super Family Kart» from San Giovanni Bianco. - 2026-03-01: Trofeo Comune di Ardesio, cross-country race at the Conca dell'Alben (Centro Fondo trail, Conca dell'Alben) — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/events/trofeo-comune-di-ardesio-fondo. This is the other race of the provincial cross-country circuit held at the Conca dell'Alben: it is organised by the Sci Club Ardesio, a club from the Val Seriana, on the Centro Fondo trail, in free technique with individual starts every thirty seconds. The fourth edition, on Sunday 1 March 2026, brought 146 athletes to the start, from Super Baby to Giovani/Senior, on a foggy day with wet snow but present along the whole course, and it was the last race of the season's provincial circuit. Sources: https://www.fisibergamo.it/a-oltre-il-colle-ultima-gara-del-fondo-provinciale/ #### The 2025 and 2026 editions The third edition came out of a postponement: the race, scheduled for 29 December 2024, was cancelled for lack of snow and made up on Sunday 2 March 2025, again with the Sci Club Ardesio, on the Centro Fondo Serina trail. It counted for the provincial champion titles of the youth categories. A week later, on 9 March, the Trofeo Angela Maurizio was raced on the same trail, it too pushed back from January. The fourth edition, on 1 March 2026, closed the provincial circuit: with this race the Bergamo FISI committee assigned the final «red bibs». Among the 146 athletes there were twenty-three Super Baby. We have not found reports of the first two editions. #### Categories and race format The race is open to FISI athletes from ski clubs, divided by age: in the 2025 results list Under 10, Under 12, Under 14, Under 16 and Giovani/Senior, besides the Super Baby, the under 8s; in 2026 the federation used the traditional names Baby, Cuccioli, Ragazzi, Allievi and Giovani/Senior. Free technique sets it apart from the Trofeo Angela Maurizio, raced in classic: those following the circuit thus see the two cross-country techniques on the same trail, a few weeks apart. The individual starts, one every thirty seconds, make the race a time trial. #### The Centro Fondo trail and how to get there Federations and press call the trail «Centro Fondo Serina»: it is the cross-country course that runs from the Colle di Zambla through Pian della Palla and the Conca dell'Alben towards Valpiana di Serina, managed by the Sci Club Valserina for the municipalities of Oltre il Colle and Serina. In 2026 FISI placed the race «at the Conca dell'Alben», where the loop of about 2.5 kilometres with artificial snowmaking, funded by the Region in 2021, lies. For those accompanying athletes or wanting to watch: you drive up from the main village along via Drago to the car parks at Pian della Palla, about 800 metres as the crow flies from the village centre; from the Colle di Zambla the dirt road is a trail in winter and closed to cars. Scheduled buses do not run on Sundays. #### What the weather is like in early March The 1991-2020 averages of the ERA5 reanalysis given in the Zambla Alta page show a March minimum of about −4 °C and a maximum of 6 °C, with about 35 centimetres of fresh snow in the month. On race day in 2026 FISI described fog and wet snow; that year the season on the Oltre il Colle trails lasted until the end of March, when the Tablanata was held at the Conca. - D: When is the Trofeo Comune di Ardesio held? R: In the last two editions, in early March: Sunday 2 March 2025 and Sunday 1 March 2026. The 2025 race made up for a December date lost to the lack of snow; the 2026-27 calendar has not been published yet. - D: Why is it called Comune di Ardesio if it is raced at Oltre il Colle? R: Because it is organised by the Sci Club Ardesio, a club from the Val Seriana, which brings it to the Centro Fondo trail at the Conca dell'Alben. The sources we read do not explain the choice of trail. - D: How does it differ from the Trofeo Angela Maurizio? R: The Trofeo Angela Maurizio, run by the Sci Club Valserina, is raced in classic technique; the Trofeo Comune di Ardesio in free technique. They are the two provincial cross-country races held at the Conca dell'Alben in recent seasons. - D: How many athletes take part? R: In 2026 there were 146, from Super Baby to Giovani/Senior, according to Lecconotizie; twenty-three of them were Super Baby. - 2026-03-28: Tablanata, cross-country, downhill and ski-mountaineering relay (Conca dell'Alben) — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/events/tablanata. The Tablanata is a relay for teams of three in which each leg is a different discipline: cross-country skiing, downhill and ski mountaineering. The third edition was raced at the Conca dell'Alben at the end of March 2026, on the day that was due to close the season on the Oltre il Colle slopes: Saturday 28 according to Valbrembanaweb's article of 29 March, while on 12 March the same outlet announced it for Sunday 29. At the end of August there is a version without snow, the summer Tablanata, with roller skis and running. Sources: https://valbrembanaweb.com/si-scia-fino-a-pasquetta-skipass-stagionale-in-palio-a-foppolo-a-oltre-il-colle-torna-la-tablanata/ #### The winter relay: how it works Each team fields three athletes, one per discipline, who hand over to each other: a cross-country skier, a downhill skier and a ski mountaineer. The sources we read do not publish the course, rules, entry fees or the organiser of the winter edition; the closest reference is the Sci Club Valserina, which manages the Conca trails and runs the summer version. The date depends on the snow and on the end of the season. In 2026 the race fell on the last weekend the Oltre il Colle slopes were open, after a March in which cross-country and downhill had stayed closed on the 14th and 15th because of bad weather forecasts. #### The summer Tablanata with roller skis and running In summer the relay is held without snow. On Saturday 30 August 2025 the summer Tablanata was a non-competitive two-discipline relay, roller skis and running, on the road from Pian della Palla to the Conca dell'Alben and on the cross-country trail: meeting at 9 am for bibs and meal vouchers, start at 10, then lunch with cotechino sausage, bread, cheese and chips and a raffle draw. You entered alone or in pairs, by the Friday, for 15 euros. In the Pro Loco's 2026 summer programme the summer Tablanata was scheduled for Sunday 30 August at the Conca dell'Alben, «run by the Sci Club Valserina»; we have not found times and fees for 2026. #### Where it is raced and how to get there The Conca dell'Alben and Pian della Palla are the meadow basins above the main village, below the north face of Monte Alben: Pian della Palla is about 800 metres as the crow flies from the centre of Oltre il Colle, the Conca about 1.2 kilometres. By car you drive up from Oltre il Colle along via Drago to the car parks at Pian della Palla; in winter the dirt road from the Colle di Zambla is a cross-country trail, closed to traffic. In summer the same dirt road is the CAI's barrier-free walk from the Colle di Zambla to Pian della Palla, about 45 minutes each way: those accompanying the athletes of the summer Tablanata can also arrive on foot from the Colle. #### The weather in late March and late August For Zambla Alta the 1991-2020 averages of the ERA5 reanalysis, in the hamlet's page, give March minimums of about −4 °C and maximums of 6 °C, with about 35 centimetres of fresh snow in the month; August 11 and 20 °C, with about 240 millimetres of rain, the highest monthly value in the series. At the end of March 2026, Valbrembanaweb wrote, the valley's ski areas still had a good amount of snow and cold temperatures. - D: What is the Tablanata? R: A relay for teams of three at the Conca dell'Alben in which each leg is a different discipline: cross-country skiing, downhill and ski mountaineering. In summer there is the summer Tablanata, with roller skis and running. - D: When is the Tablanata held? R: The winter one at the end of the season: the third edition was raced at the end of March 2026, on Saturday 28 according to Valbrembanaweb. The summer one at the end of August: Saturday 30 August 2025 and Sunday 30 August 2026. - D: How much does the summer Tablanata cost? R: In 2025 entry cost 15 euros, alone or in pairs, with a meal voucher for every participant. The 2026 fees do not appear in the sources we consulted. - D: Who organises the Tablanata? R: The summer version, according to the Pro Loco's 2026 programme, is run by the Sci Club Valserina. For the winter one the sources consulted do not name the organiser. - 2026-05-31–2026-08-30: Summer markets in piazza Carrara (Piazza Carrara, Oltre il Colle) — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/events/mercatini-estivi-piazza-carrara. From late May to late August the Pro Loco fills piazza Carrara, in the main village, with stalls from 10 am to 6 pm. In the 2026 programme the markets were scheduled on 26 days: Sunday 31 May, Monday 1 June, two Saturdays in June, almost every weekend in July and August and, from 14 July to 25 August, Tuesdays too. Some days were devoted to the producers of Coldiretti and of the Cascinale Lombardo, two to the children's market, and on 5 July and 30 August the square hosted the Sbaracco cantine, the second-hand market. Sources: https://www.oltreilcolleturismo.it/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Libretto-Estate-Oltre-il-Colle-2026.pdf #### The 2026 market calendar The dates are those of the booklet with the summer programme the Pro Loco published in May 2026. The season opened on Sunday 31 May and Monday 1 June, the eve of Republic Day, with the «In attesa dell'estate» (waiting for summer) day and Mago Celestino's entertainment from 2 to 5 pm. Not in the calendar were Sunday 19 July, the day of the Mountain Festival at Pian della Palla, and Saturday 29 August, the day of Val ParinArt in Zorzone; on Sunday 30 August the square hosted only the Sbaracco cantine. #### Coldiretti, Cascinale Lombardo, children and Sbaracco: the special days On the days marked «Coldiretti» and «Cascinale Lombardo» the programme lists the markets of the farmers' confederation and of the Cascinale Lombardo. The children's market, on 11 and 14 July, and the Sbaracco cantine, the second-hand market of 5 July and 30 August, require registration with the Pro Loco, which collects it directly. To exhibit or to register, the reference is the Pro Loco office, via Roma 201, phone 0345 95541. In summer 2026 it was open in June from Friday to Sunday, 9.30 am to 12 noon and 3.30 to 6 pm, and in July and August every day, 9.30 am to 12 noon and 4 to 6.30 pm. #### Piazza Carrara and the Pro Loco's other events Piazza Carrara is in the centre of the main village: the Pro Loco office, the bars and the ice-cream shop of the centre are along via Roma, the road that crosses the village. The square is also the stage of the other summer and autumn events: the dance evenings of August nights, the bingo night of 16 August with the prizes of the «Balconi fioriti» (flowered balconies) and «Una montagna di Lego» contests, the Carnival markets and the November Autumn Festival. By car you park near the parish church, where OpenStreetMap marks a free public car park; by bus you get off in piazza Tiraboschi with Arriva's line B, which runs Monday to Saturday. On Friday mornings, a few hundred metres away, there is the weekly summer market in piazza Mons. Belotti, which is a different thing: it is run by the municipality. #### Summer weather and tips According to the ERA5 averages in the main village's page, in July the minimum is about 12 °C and the maximum 22 °C, in August 12 and 21 °C, and it rains a good deal in summer too: about 230 millimetres in July and 240 in August. The programme does not list the exhibitors of each day: if you are looking for a specific product, it is quicker to ask the Pro Loco. The 2026 booklet was published in mid-May, and it is the document to look for in later summers too. - D: When are the summer markets at Oltre il Colle? R: From late May to late August, in piazza Carrara: in 2026 on 31 May, on 1, 20 and 27 June, on almost every Saturday and Sunday in July and August and, from 14 July to 25 August, on Tuesdays too. - D: What time are the markets in piazza Carrara? R: From 10 am to 6 pm. The Sbaracco cantine, the second-hand market, from 9 am to 6 pm. - D: What is the Sbaracco cantine? R: The Pro Loco's second-hand market in piazza Carrara: in 2026 on Sunday 5 July and Sunday 30 August, from 9 am to 6 pm. Those who want to sell register with the Pro Loco. - D: How can you take part as an exhibitor? R: Ask the Pro Loco of Oltre il Colle, via Roma 201, on 0345 95541; the children's market and the Sbaracco cantine require registration. - D: Is there also a weekly market at Oltre il Colle? R: Yes, in summer: on Friday mornings in piazza Mons. Basilio Belotti, from 9 am to 1 pm. In 2026 from 26 June to 28 August. - 2026-06-21: Festival at the Cattedrale Vegetale: «Sentieri di natura e sapori» (Cattedrale Vegetale, Grumello, on the road from Plassa towards the Arera) — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/events/festa-della-cattedrale-vegetale. On Sunday 21 June 2026 the municipality of Oltre il Colle organised, with the support of the Lombardy Region, an afternoon at the Cattedrale Vegetale, Giuliano Mauri's work in the clearing above Zambla Alta: at 2 pm a demonstration of beech pruning, at 4.30 pm a band concert and at 5.30 pm a tasting tour of local products. In the Pro Loco programme the title was «Sentieri di natura e sapori – I comuni della Val Parina tra outdoor e identità gastronomica» (paths of nature and flavours). It is not announced as an annual festival: it is linked to the recovery of the Cattedrale, which after some years of maintenance has started growing again. Sources: https://valbrembanaweb.com/oltre-il-colle-la-cattedrale-vegetale-torna-a-crescere-festa-tra-musica-e-degustazioni/ #### The programme of 21 June 2026 The local press listings and the Pro Loco booklet describe the same afternoon in slightly different words: «pruning demonstration, music concert and Alpine aperitif» for the Pro Loco, pruning, band concert and «food tour with tasting» for La Voce delle Valli, which also gave the times. The sources do not say which band played. Two weeks later, on Sunday 5 July at 5 pm, the Cattedrale hosted another event of the summer programme: a concert organised by the Gruppo Missionario di Zambla. - 2 pm: pruning demonstration on the Cattedrale's trees - 4.30 pm: band concert - 5.30 pm: food tour with a tasting of local products #### Why a festival: the Cattedrale is growing again The Cattedrale Vegetale was commissioned by the Orobie Park with the municipalities of Oltre il Colle, Ardesio and Roncobello and built in 2010 to a design by the Lodi artist Giuliano Mauri, who died in 2009: 42 beech trees planted inside columns of woven wood, meant to rot and leave the trees standing. Storm Vaia, in October 2018, destroyed much of the scaffolding and some trees; in summer 2023 33 beeches were left and the new municipal administration announced it had cleaned up the area and intended to replace the missing ones. In June 2026 Valbrembanaweb wrote that, after some years of maintenance, the Cattedrale has started growing again, although the soil is not the most fertile for beeches. The pruning demonstration showed exactly this work: the columns were made to disappear, and now it is the trees that have to be guided. #### Where it is and how to get there The Cattedrale stands at Grumello, at about 1,345 metres, along the road that climbs from Plassa, above Zambla Alta, towards Pizzo Arera. You leave the car in the Plassa car parks, because you cannot stop along the road; from there you walk up the tarmac for two hairpin bends, about 500 metres and a quarter of an hour, and a short path leads to the artwork. As the crow flies the Plassa car park is about 400 metres away. The road that continues from Plassa up to the Alpe Arera at 1,600 metres reopened to traffic on 22 April 2026: up there parking costs 4 euros for any vehicle, with the ticket to be bought before driving up in the participating shops or at the Plassa parking meters. On foot you can also come from Zorzone, on path H33 shown on the signpost next to the Cattedrale. #### What to do nearby: huts, flowers and Arera trails The Cattedrale is halfway between Zambla Alta and the Alpe Arera. With the car at the 1,600-metre car park, the Cà d'Arera hut is five minutes away and the Capanna 2000 about an hour's walk; from the Capanna starts the Sentiero dei Fiori, the botanical loop among the species that grow only on these mountains. According to the page on the endemic flora, flowering on the Arera and the Alben runs from April to August, and in June Saxifraga vandellii flowers on the rocks. - D: Is the Cattedrale Vegetale festival held every year? R: It is not announced as an annual event. In 2026 the municipality organised it on Sunday 21 June, with the support of the Lombardy Region; we found no similar festivals in previous years. - D: Where is the Cattedrale Vegetale of Oltre il Colle? R: At Grumello, at about 1,345 metres, along the road that climbs from Plassa in Zambla Alta towards Pizzo Arera, in the municipality of Oltre il Colle. - D: Where do you park for the Cattedrale Vegetale? R: In the Plassa car parks: you cannot stop along the road up to the Cattedrale. From the car park it is about 500 metres on foot on the tarmac, two hairpin bends, then a short path. - D: Who created the Cattedrale Vegetale? R: The Lodi artist Giuliano Mauri, who died in 2009. The work, commissioned by the Orobie Park with the municipalities of Oltre il Colle, Ardesio and Roncobello, was built in 2010. - D: What was on the programme on 21 June 2026? R: At 2 pm a beech-pruning demonstration, at 4.30 pm a band concert and at 5.30 pm a tasting tour of local products, according to La Voce delle Valli. - 2026-06-26–2026-08-28: Friday summer market (Piazza Mons. Basilio Belotti, Oltre il Colle) — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/events/mercato-estivo-del-venerdi. In summer the main village has a weekly market: on Friday mornings in piazza Mons. Basilio Belotti, the town hall square. In 2026 the municipality set it from 26 June to 28 August, and the Pro Loco programme gives the hours, 9 am to 1 pm. The pattern has been the same since at least 2023: every June a municipal notice opens the season on the last Friday of June and closes it at the end of August, or on the first Friday of September as in 2023. In the other months the municipal notices announce no weekly market. Sources: https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/po/mostra_news.php?id=373&area=H #### The dates of the last four years The municipal notices come out every June, a few days before the first market, among the announcements on the institutional website. In 2026 the Pro Loco's summer booklet listed the markets from 3 July onwards, without the one of 26 June that the municipal notice does include. #### Where it is held and how to get there Piazza Mons. Basilio Belotti is the square of the town hall, at number 212, and of the municipal library; the parish church of San Bartolomeo is about 200 metres away as the crow flies. To park there is the public car park near the church, which OpenStreetMap marks as free; by bus you get off in piazza Tiraboschi with Arriva's line B, which runs on Fridays. The notices do not list the stalls: if you are looking for a specific product, it is quicker to ask the municipality, on 0345 95015. #### Market and markets: the differences The Friday market is run by the municipality, is held in the morning and lasts the whole summer with one fixed date a week. The Pro Loco's markets are something else: they are held in piazza Carrara, from 10 am to 6 pm, on almost every weekend from late May to late August and, in July and August, on Tuesdays too, with some days devoted to the producers of Coldiretti and the Cascinale Lombardo and two second-hand markets. #### Summer Fridays in the village: what was on in 2026 In the Pro Loco's 2026 summer programme Friday also had other recurring events: the qi gong course at 6 pm in the main village's marquee, posture exercises at 11 am in the park at the Colle di Zambla in July and August, a few burraco card afternoons at 3 pm and, almost every week, canyoning outings for families and adults. On 14 August, from 6 pm, the same piazza Mons. Belotti hosted the beer festival. - D: When is the market at Oltre il Colle? R: In summer, every Friday morning: in 2026 from 26 June to 28 August. In recent years it has always run from the last Friday of June to the end of August. - D: What time does the Friday market open? R: From 9 am to 1 pm, according to the Pro Loco's 2026 summer programme. - D: Where is the Friday market held? R: In piazza Mons. Basilio Belotti, the town hall square of the main village, about 200 metres from the parish church. - D: Is there a market in winter too? R: The municipal notices only concern the summer, and in the other months we found no weekly market. - 2026-07-11–2026-08-15: Mountain Music Festival – Sinfonia della MAGA (Monte Menna, Pizzo Arera, Monte Grem and Monte Alben) — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/events/mountain-music-festival. Four free concerts at altitude, one for each of the MAGA mountains, which you can reach only on foot. They are curated by the Oltre il Colle municipal library, since 2026 together with the Maga association: the third edition ran from 11 July to 15 August 2026, with the brass of the Brixiæ Harmoniæ wind orchestra at sunset on the Menna, a harp and cello duo on the Arera, a jazz concert with the SonOrobie association on the Grem and a violin and cello duo on the Alben. Some stages add free tastings of local products. Sources: https://www.bergamonews.it/2026/07/10/mountain-music-festival-sinfonie-in-alta-quota-per-celebrare-la-bellezza-delle-montagne-bergamasche/908213/ #### The 2026 programme The programme below is the one in the library's press release published by BergamoNews on 10 July 2026. The «side events» calendar on the MAGA website gives the same dates but, for three stages, different places and times: the Capanna 2000 for the Arera, the Terza baita for the Grem and 5 pm for the Alben. The Pro Loco booklet gave only the dates and the names of the mountains. #### Three editions: how it began and how it changed The festival began in 2024 on the initiative of the municipal library, with a contribution from the Lombardy Region under the «Ogni giorno in Lombardia 2024» call: four free concerts, each with a free tasting of local products, over five weeks between July and August. In 2025 the second edition was supported by Fondazione Cariplo and the Province of Bergamo, with the backing of Serbaplast and the municipalities of Gorno and Oneta; in 2026 the third, organised together with the Maga association, by Fondazione Cariplo, the Province of Bergamo, BCC Milano, Serbaplast and the municipality of Premolo. The mountains remain the four of the MAGA, but the concert spots change from year to year: - 2024: Grem at the Terza baita (20 July, 2 pm), Menna at the Mattuida farmstead (27 July, 3 pm), Arera at the Capanna 2000 (7 August, 11 am), Alben at Pian della Palla (15 August, 5 pm) - 2025: Menna at the Faggi Secolari (19 July, 7.30 pm), Arera near the Capanna 2000 (26 July, 4 pm), Grem at the Terza baita (9 August, 11 am), Alben at Pian della Mussa (15 August, 5.30 pm) - 2026: Menna at the Faggi Secolari (11 July), Arera at the Cà d'Arera hut (25 July), Grem at Camplano (8 August), Alben at Pian della Mussa (15 August) #### How to reach the concerts You reach the concerts on foot: that is the festival's rule, which treats the walk as part of the experience. Some destinations are walks suitable for everyone, others require some fitness; along the routes, in 2026, there were volunteers of the CAI Val Serina sub-section, and for some stages free transport for people with disabilities was available, to be requested from the library. To find your way with the pages of this guide: the Cà d'Arera hut is five minutes from the paid Alpe Arera car park, at 1,600 metres, on the road that is open in summer; Pian della Mussa lies on the route of the cross-country loop that runs from Zambla Alta through the Conca dell'Alben, about 900 metres as the crow flies from Pian della Palla; Camplano is the group of huts between the Arera and the Grem, at around 1,800 metres according to the description of the Skyrace route. For the Faggi Secolari spot on the Menna we found no public directions for the path: it is best to ask the library. #### Practical information The concerts are free. For information and for transport of people with disabilities the library gives the address oltrelabiblioteca@gmail.com and its Facebook and Instagram pages. Dinner at a hut, when offered, is paid separately: in 2025 the Arera concert had a set dinner at the Capanna 2000. July and August are, in the ERA5 averages for the basin, among the rainiest months, with about 230-240 millimetres a month: mountain shoes, a jacket and, for sunset concerts like the 7.30 pm one on the Menna, a torch for the way back are the minimum kit. In case of bad weather the sources give no make-up dates. - D: When are the Mountain Music Festival concerts at Oltre il Colle? R: On four summer Saturdays: in 2026 on 11 and 25 July and on 8 and 15 August. The 2027 dates have not been announced yet. - D: How much do the concerts cost? R: Nothing: the concerts are free, and some stages also include a free tasting of local products. - D: How do you reach the concert locations? R: Only on foot, on paths of varying difficulty; in 2026 CAI Val Serina volunteers were along the routes. The Cà d'Arera hut, the stage of 25 July 2026, is five minutes from the Alpe Arera car park. - D: Are there concerts accessible to people with disabilities? R: In 2026 some stages offered free transport for people with disabilities: ask the municipal library at oltrelabiblioteca@gmail.com. - D: Who organises the Mountain Music Festival? R: The Oltre il Colle municipal library, since 2026 together with the Maga sports association, the one behind the MAGA Skymarathon. - 2026-07-12: Alpini festival at the Plassa (Alpini base at the Plassa, above Zambla Alta) — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/events/festa-alpina-plassa. Two summer Sundays at the table with the Zambla Alpini, at their base at the Plassa, the locality above Zambla Alta from which the road to the Alpe Arera climbs. In the Pro Loco's 2026 programme the «traditional Alpini festival run by ANA Zambla» was scheduled for Sunday 12 July and Sunday 9 August, both times from 12 noon. The Zambla group is one of the three Alpini groups in the municipality, together with those of Oltre il Colle and Zorzone, in the Valle Serina zone of the Bergamo section of the national Alpini association, ANA. Sources: https://www.oltreilcolleturismo.it/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Libretto-Estate-Oltre-il-Colle-2026.pdf #### The 2026 dates and programme In the Pro Loco's summer programme the festival appears twice with the same wording: «Plassa Arera, Alpini base, from 12 noon, traditional Alpini festival run by ANA Zambla», on Sunday 12 July and Sunday 9 August 2026. The programme gives no menu, prices or booking details: for more information the reference is the Pro Loco, on 0345 95541. The two Sundays fell on weekends full of other events: on 12 July, in piazza Carrara, the Coldiretti markets and a visit to a cheese dairy in the area; on 9 August the fairy tale in the woods at the adventure park of the Colle di Zambla and the afternoon opening of the Minerals Museum in Zorzone. #### Who the Zambla Alpini are There are three groups of the national Alpini association in the municipality, all in zone 25 Valle Serina of the Bergamo section: Oltre il Colle, Zambla and Zorzone. Each has its own festivals: the Zambla Alpini at the Plassa, those of the main village on the last weekend of July, those of Zorzone with the mid-August festival at the hamlet's parish centre, together with the Fanti and the sports club. The Alpini also appear at the village's other events: chestnuts and mulled wine at the Autumn Festival, the mulled wine at the 2024 living nativity, the refreshment stand of the Mountain Festival. In the Val Serina, at the end of June, there is also the Alpini training camp: in 2026 the fifth edition, at Costa Serina from 25 to 28 June. #### How to get to the Plassa and where to park The Plassa is the locality above Zambla Alta, at about 1,150 metres according to OpenStreetMap, where the road to the Alpe Arera starts: from the Colle di Zambla a municipal road climbs about four kilometres through the meadows, and from the centre of Zambla Alta it is about 2.1 kilometres as the crow flies. You park in the Plassa parking areas, near the Camping Arera; line B buses go as far as Passo Zambla, not to the Plassa, and do not run on Sundays. Those who want to go higher after lunch will find the Alpe Arera road open, reopened on 22 April 2026: at the 1,600-metre car park parking costs 4 euros a day for any vehicle, with the ticket to be bought before driving up in the participating shops or at the Plassa parking meters; there is also a 30-euro season pass. #### What to do at the Plassa before or after the festival From the Plassa you walk up in a quarter of an hour to Giuliano Mauri's Cattedrale Vegetale; with the car at the Alpe Arera car park you reach the Cà d'Arera hut in a few minutes and the Capanna 2000 in about an hour, the start of the Sentiero dei Fiori and of the normal route up Pizzo Arera. In July and August, for Zambla Alta, the ERA5 averages give minimums of about 11 °C and maximums of 20 °C, with about 230-240 millimetres of rain a month: it is wise to bring something for the rain. - D: When is the Alpini festival at the Plassa? R: In 2026 on two Sundays, 12 July and 9 August, from 12 noon, according to the Pro Loco's summer programme. - D: Who organises the Plassa festival? R: The Zambla group of the national Alpini association, ANA Zambla, at its base at the Plassa. - D: Where do you park for the Plassa Alpini festival? R: In the Plassa parking areas, near the Camping Arera. Higher up, at the Alpe Arera car park at 1,600 metres, parking costs 4 euros. - D: Is it the same as the Oltre il Colle Alpini festival? R: No: the main village group's is a different festival, held in 2026 on 25 and 26 July. - 2026-07-19: Mountain Festival at Pian della Palla (Pian della Palla, below Monte Alben) — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/events/festa-della-montagna. A July Sunday devoted to the mountains on the meadows of Pian della Palla, above the main village: markets of local products and crafts, games, ponies, the visit to the lime kilns with the CAI, the Alpine Rescue stand, music and the refreshment point of the Pro Loco and the Alpini. The fourth edition was held on Sunday 19 July 2026, from 10 am to 6 pm, and according to the Pro Loco brought together over a thousand people; the third had been on 20 July 2025. Sources: https://www.bergamonews.it/evento/festa-della-montagna-a-oltre-il-colle/ #### The 2026 programme On Sunday 19 July 2026 the fourth edition offered a day devoted to the mountains, sport, nature and outdoor activities. The Pro Loco's May booklet announced a partly different programme from the one published in July, with pony rides, yoga and wooden sculptures; the July one, reported by BergamoNews and La Voce delle Valli, included: - Markets of local products and crafts - First saddle experience on the ponies - Wooden games and Lego sculptures - Workshop on mountain herbs - Meditation - Visit to the calchere, the old lime kilns, with the CAI - Stand of the Alpine Rescue, Oltre il Colle station - Live music - Refreshment point of the Pro Loco with the Oltre il Colle Alpini, with the barbecue from 12 noon #### The 2025 edition and earlier ones The third edition had been held on Sunday 20 July 2025, from 10 am to 7 pm: markets, refreshment point, the guided walk to the lime kilns with the CAI Valserina, the first saddle experience on a farm's ponies, country games, the greasy pole from 4 pm, a scent-search activity for dogs and a drum meditation. The Alpine Rescue, with the Oltre il Colle station of the VI Delegazione Orobica, had a stand with the vehicles and equipment used in rescues. In 2026 the Alpine Rescue technicians came back with an information stand for the whole day, handing out material on responsible mountain-going. We have not found reports of the first two editions. #### Where Pian della Palla is and how to get there Pian della Palla is the meadow basin below the north face of the Alben, at around 1,270-1,300 metres, about 800 metres as the crow flies south of the main village centre and a few hundred metres from the Conca dell'Alben. By car you drive up from Oltre il Colle along via Drago to the car parks at Pian della Palla, as the pages of this guide explain. On foot you get there from the Colle di Zambla on the CAI's barrier-free walk, almost flat along the forest road: about 45 minutes each way, suitable in summer for off-road pushchairs too. Scheduled buses do not run on Sundays. #### The weather in July and what to do nearby In July, in the 1991-2020 averages of the ERA5 reanalysis for the main village, the minimum is about 12 °C and the maximum 22 °C, with about 230 millimetres of rain in the month: the festival is held on the meadows, so comfortable shoes and something for the rain are needed. From the Colle di Zambla start the path to Monte Alben and the one to the Torrione Brassamonti crags, and in the woods next to the pass there is the adventure park. - D: When is the Oltre il Colle Mountain Festival? R: On a Sunday in July: the third edition on 20 July 2025, the fourth on 19 July 2026, from 10 am to 6 pm. - D: Where is Pian della Palla? R: Above the main village of Oltre il Colle, below the north face of Monte Alben, at around 1,270-1,300 metres: by car along via Drago, on foot from the Colle di Zambla on the CAI's barrier-free walk. - D: Can you eat at the Mountain Festival? R: Yes: in 2026 there was the refreshment point of the Pro Loco with the Oltre il Colle Alpini, with the barbecue from 12 noon. - D: What is there for children? R: The first saddle experience on the ponies, wooden games and Lego sculptures; in 2025 also country games and the greasy pole. - D: How many people take part? R: According to the Pro Loco, over a thousand people took part in the edition of 19 July 2026. - 2026-07-25–2026-07-26: Oltre il Colle Alpini festival (Oltre il Colle, main village) — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/events/festa-alpina-oltre-il-colle. The summer festival of the main village's Alpini group, separate from the one the Zambla Alpini hold at the Plassa. In the Pro Loco's 2026 programme the «traditional Alpini festival run by ANA Oltre il Colle» took up the weekend of 25 and 26 July: Saturday from 6 pm and Sunday from 12 noon, postponed to 2 August in case of bad weather. The programme gives neither the exact place nor the menu: ask the Pro Loco. Sources: https://www.oltreilcolleturismo.it/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Libretto-Estate-Oltre-il-Colle-2026.pdf #### The 2026 programme and the rain date In the Pro Loco's summer programme the festival is listed twice: Saturday 25 July «from 6 pm» and Sunday 26 July «from 12 noon», both times «run by ANA Oltre il Colle», with the same note: in case of bad weather postponed to 2 August. The booklet prints the postponement date as 02.08.2025, an obvious misprint: 2 August 2026 is the following Sunday. As with the Plassa festival, the programme does not say where you eat, what is cooking or whether you need to book: ask the Pro Loco, via Roma 201, on 0345 95541. #### The same weekend at Oltre il Colle 25 and 26 July 2026 made for a busy weekend. On Saturday there were the Cascinale Lombardo markets in piazza Carrara, the Mountain Music Festival concert at the Cà d'Arera hut at 5.30 pm, the 7 pm barbecue at the Zambla Bassa parish centre and the music and dance evening at the Arena in Zambla Alta. On Sunday the markets, a visit to a farm's cheese dairy, the opening of the Minerals Museum in Zorzone from 3 to 6 pm, the Mini Maga for youngsters in Serina and the evening cabaret at the Arena in Zambla Alta. #### The Oltre il Colle Alpini through the year The main village group is one of the three ANA groups in the municipality, with those of Zambla and Zorzone, in the Valle Serina zone of the Bergamo section. In 2026 it ran, with the Pro Loco, the refreshment point of the Mountain Festival at Pian della Palla and, on Saturday 8 August at 5.30 pm, a mass at Cà Pasi; at the November Autumn Festival it is the Alpini who make chestnuts and mulled wine. The Piazzale degli Alpini, along via Roma, is the meeting point of other village events, starting with the Carnival parade. To reach the village on Saturdays there is Arriva's line B from Bergamo, changing at Zogno; on Sundays and public holidays buses do not run and you drive up. Near the parish church there is a public car park that OpenStreetMap marks as free. - D: When is the Alpini festival at Oltre il Colle? R: In 2026 on Saturday 25 July from 6 pm and Sunday 26 July from 12 noon, according to the Pro Loco's summer programme. - D: What happens if it rains? R: The programme provides for postponement to the following Sunday: in 2026 to 2 August. - D: Is it the same as the Plassa festival? R: No. At the Plassa it is the Zambla Alpini who celebrate, in 2026 on 12 July and 9 August; this is the festival of the main village group. - D: Where is the main village Alpini festival held? R: The programme only says «Oltre il Colle»: ask the Pro Loco on 0345 95541 for the exact place and the menu. - 2026-08-02: Monte Menna mountain festival (MAGA bivouac (Gerolamo Palazzi hut), below the Cima di Menna) — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/events/sagra-del-monte-menna. On the first Sunday of August the 4 Cime M.A.G.A. group of Zorzone takes the festival up the mountain, to its bivouac below the Cima di Menna: you walk up from Zorzone, at 11 am there is mass near the cross and at noon lunch with the barbecue and polenta cunsada made by the group, then music and the walk back in the afternoon. Sunday 2 August 2026 was the fifty-eighth edition; for those who cannot walk there was a helicopter service from 9 am, to be booked with the Pro Loco. Sources: https://www.oltreilcolleturismo.it/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Libretto-Estate-Oltre-il-Colle-2026.pdf #### The programme of the latest edition The fifty-eighth edition, on Sunday 2 August 2026, followed the usual pattern. The Pro Loco's programme and the one published by La Voce delle Valli agree: mass at 11 am near the cross, then lunch at the bivouac with the group's barbecue and polenta cunsada, music and the return to Zorzone; at the bivouac there is a bar and food service, and from 9 am a helicopter service, up and down, to be booked with the Pro Loco on 0345 95541. The group warns that it declines all responsibility for accidents to hikers during the festival. The times of the climb are those of the 2025 edition, the fifty-seventh, on Sunday 3 August: - 8 am: departure on foot from Zorzone - 10.30 am: arrival at the bivouac - 11 am: mass near the cross - 12 noon: lunch with barbecue and polenta cunsada made by the group, then music - 3 pm: back to Zorzone - In case of bad weather, in 2025, postponed to Monday 4 August #### The MAGA bivouac and the 4 Cime M.A.G.A. group The festival is held at the group's bivouac, below the Cima di Menna, at the head of the Val Carnera. CAI Bergamo lists it as Bivacco Palazzi Gerolamo, at 2,095 metres, managed by the M.A.G.A. group of Zorzone: the winter room is always open, with beds and a fireplace, while the hut opens at the members' request. OpenStreetMap marks it at 2,005 metres as «Bivacco Maga – Palazzi», and the Pro Loco calls it the «rifugio M.A.G.A.». M.A.G.A. stands for Menna, Arera, Grem and Alben, the four peaks around the basin. According to the history published by the MAGA Skymarathon association, the group was born in the mid-1960s in Zorzone from a few friends who decided to cross the four peaks in a single day: fifteen set off and seven made it. In 2024 the group's volunteers put up more than forty signs at seventeen points of the Menna paths, up to 2,000 metres, with funding from CAI Bergamo's trails commission. #### Almost sixty years of the festival The editions are counted year by year and let you trace the origins: the forty-eighth was on 7 August 2016, the fifty-fourth on 7 August 2022, the fifty-sixth on 4 August 2024, the fifty-eighth on 2 August 2026. Counting back, the numbering leads to the late 1960s, a few years after the group was founded. The date is always the first Sunday of August, as CAI's page on the bivouac also notes. In 2016 the programme was almost identical to today's: departure from Zorzone at 8 am, arrival at the bivouac at 10.30, mass at 11, barbecue at noon and return at 3 pm; back then, in case of bad weather, the festival was postponed to a date to be set. #### How to walk up from Zorzone to the bivouac The path is CAI 234, which starts in Zorzone, with the car park in via Colombi indicated by CAI, climbs through the woods of the Val Carnera, passes the Mattuida farmstead at about 1,470 metres and reaches the bivouac across meadows; the Cima di Menna, 2,300 metres, is just above, along the ridge. From the village to the bivouac there are about a thousand metres of ascent and two and a half hours of walking, those of the festival programme and of the Gulliver and Diska route descriptions; as the crow flies the bivouac is about 2.5 kilometres from the Zorzone church. It is a hiking path, graded E in the Cima di Menna page: nothing technical, but a climb that needs fit legs. In August in Zorzone the ERA5 averages give minimums of about 12 °C and maximums of 22 °C, and the bivouac is a thousand metres higher: a jacket in the rucksack is useful even in sunshine. - D: When is the Monte Menna festival? R: On the first Sunday of August: 3 August in 2025, 2 August in 2026, when it was the fifty-eighth edition. - D: How long does it take to walk from Zorzone to the festival bivouac? R: About two and a half hours on CAI path 234, with about a thousand metres of ascent: the festival programme has departure from Zorzone at 8 am and arrival at the bivouac at 10.30. - D: Is there a helicopter for the Monte Menna festival? R: Yes: in 2025 and 2026 a helicopter service, from 9 am, flew people to the bivouac and back down. It is booked with the Pro Loco of Oltre il Colle, on 0345 95541. - D: What do you eat at the festival? R: The barbecue and the polenta cunsada made by the M.A.G.A. group, at noon; there is also a bar service at the bivouac. - D: What happens if it rains? R: The festival is postponed: in 2025 to the following Monday, 4 August. - 2026-08-12–2026-08-14: Traditional Zorzone festival at the parish centre (Zorzone parish centre) — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/events/zorzone-in-festa. Three evenings of food and music in mid-August at the Zorzone parish centre, organised by the Zorzone Alpini, the Fanti of Oltre il Colle and the Associazione sportiva Oltre il Colle with the Pro Loco. In 2026, from 12 to 14 August, the kitchen opened every evening at 7 pm and there was live music at 8.30 pm; the dishes changed from night to night, from barbecue with casoncelli to polenta with wild boar and the polenta cunsada of the last evening, to be booked together with the table. Food could also be taken away. Sources: https://www.oltreilcolleturismo.it/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Libretto-Estate-Oltre-il-Colle-2026.pdf #### The three evenings of 2026 The Pro Loco's programme presents the festival as «traditional» and repeats it identically for three evenings: kitchen from 7 pm, live music from 8.30 pm, takeaway available and booking «advisable». For the last evening, the polenta cunsada one, booking the dish and the table was compulsory. The booking number is printed in the Pro Loco's booklet, and the Pro Loco also answers on its own phone, 0345 95541. #### Who organises it It is organised by three village associations with the Pro Loco: the Zorzone Alpini group, one of the three ANA groups in the municipality, the Fanti of Oltre il Colle and the Associazione sportiva Oltre il Colle. They are the same groups that, a week later, organised with the Baci shop the first Sagra dei Baci di Zorzone and the evening with the nature photographer and film-maker Baldovino Midali, on 21 August. #### Zorzone's other August events The parish centre festival is the heart of a busy August for a hamlet as small as Zorzone. In the 2026 programme: - Sunday 2 August: Monte Menna festival at the MAGA bivouac - From Wednesday 12 to Friday 14 August: the three evenings at the parish centre - Sunday 16 August: San Rocco feast with games for children, from 3 pm - Friday 21 August: evening with Baldovino Midali at the parish centre - Saturday 22 August: first Sagra dei Baci di Zorzone - Sunday 23 August: Aperimuseo, special opening of the Minerals Museum from 4 to 6.30 pm, with an aperitif and unseen interviews with people who worked in the mines - Saturday 29 August: Val ParinArt and the fresco competition #### How to get to Zorzone and where to park From the main village you leave the provincial road at the Piazzale degli Alpini and drive up via Capriana: from piazza Tiraboschi to the Zorzone church it is about 4.8 kilometres of narrow road with hairpin bends. In Zorzone there are public car parks near the church and along via Funivia. Arriva's S50e shuttle links the main village with the hamlet on weekdays; for the festival evenings a car is the better option. In August the Minerals Museum was open from 3 to 6 pm on Sundays 2, 9, 16 and 30, Wednesdays 5 and 12 and Saturday 22: those arriving early on 12 August can visit it before dinner. In August, in the ERA5 averages for Zorzone, the minimum is about 12 °C: after dinner, outdoors, you need a jacket. - D: When is the Zorzone festival? R: In mid-August, for three evenings: in 2026 from Wednesday 12 to Friday 14 August, with the kitchen from 7 pm and music from 8.30 pm. - D: Do you need to book at the Zorzone festival? R: Booking is advised; for the polenta cunsada of the last evening, in 2026, it was compulsory together with the table. The number is in the Pro Loco's booklet, and the Pro Loco also answers on 0345 95541. - D: Can you take food away? R: Yes, the programme offers takeaway on all three evenings. - D: Who organises the festival? R: The Zorzone Alpini group, the Fanti of Oltre il Colle and the Associazione sportiva Oltre il Colle, together with the Pro Loco. - 2026-08-13: Sagra del Balòch at the Colle di Zambla (Park at the Colle di Zambla) — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/events/sagra-del-baloch. The Pro Loco's mid-August festival in the park at the Colle di Zambla, which always falls on 13 August: stalls of local products and crafts, wooden sculptures carved with a chainsaw, pony rides, children's games and, in the afternoon, the country games. Thursday 13 August 2026 was the thirteenth edition and started as early as 10.30 am; in 2024, at the eleventh, the festival began at 2.30 pm and among the games there was the «Bingo mucca» (cow bingo). Sources: https://www.oltreilcolleturismo.it/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Libretto-Estate-Oltre-il-Colle-2026.pdf #### The 2026 programme In 2026 the festival fell on a Thursday and was the thirteenth edition. The Pro Loco's programme: - From 10.30 am: markets of local products and crafts - Chainsaw sculpture show - Pony rides, slides and bouncy castles for children - From 2 pm: the traditional country games #### What it was like in 2024: country games, cow bingo and falconers In 2024, at the eleventh edition, the festival ran from 2.30 to 6.30 pm, with over thirty stalls: mountain cheeses, cured meats, jams, cakes, honey and wines from the Bergamo area, and crafts in wood, textiles, stones and bread dough. The country games included a treasure hunt in the straw, skill games, a wheelbarrow obstacle course, target shooting with a laser rifle and the most talked-about game, the «Bingo mucca»: two hundred squares on the meadow, two cows, and you bet on where they will leave their mark. There were also ponies, an educational farm from Gorno, a wood sculptor at work and, new that year, the Falconieri delle Orobie with owls, little owls, barn owls, buzzards and falcons, with the «glove baptism» at 4.30 pm. BergamoNews dated that edition «Sunday 13 August», but 13 August 2024 was a Tuesday: the festival follows the date, not the day of the week. #### How to get to the Colle di Zambla and where to park The Colle di Zambla, 1,264 metres, is the pass on the SP27 provincial road of the Val Serina, where the Val del Riso road from Ponte Nossa arrives: from the main village centre it is about 2.2 kilometres as the crow flies. On the pass there is a public car park that OpenStreetMap marks as free, and from Monday to Saturday Arriva's line B comes up, with its terminus at Passo Zambla. The park at the Colle, as the Pro Loco programmes call it, also hosts other summer events: the stories and legends by moonlight at the end of June, with blankets spread on the grass, and posture exercises on Friday mornings. #### What to do at the Colle before or after the festival From the Colle start the barrier-free walk to Pian della Palla and the Conca dell'Alben and the paths to Monte Alben and the Cima di Grem; in the woods next to the pass there is the Parco Avventura Monte Alben, which at the end of September 2026 was temporarily closed. In mid-August, for Zambla Alta, the ERA5 averages give minimums of about 11 °C and maximums of 20 °C. On the evening of 13 August 2026, at the Zorzone parish centre, there was the second evening of the hamlet's festival. - D: When is the Sagra del Balòch? R: On 13 August, whatever day of the week it is: in 2024 it was a Tuesday, in 2026 a Thursday. - D: Where is the Sagra del Balòch held? R: In the park at the Colle di Zambla, the pass above Zambla Alta. It is organised by the Pro Loco of Oltre il Colle. - D: What is there for children at the Sagra del Balòch? R: Ponies, slides and bouncy castles and, in the afternoon, the traditional country games; in 2024 also the cow bingo and the Falconieri delle Orobie. - D: What is the «Bingo mucca»? R: A game of the 2024 festival: two hundred squares drawn on the meadow and two cows, and you bet on the square where they will leave their mark. - D: Where do you park for the festival? R: At the Colle di Zambla, in the public car park on the pass, marked as free on OpenStreetMap. - 2026-08-16: Feast of San Rocco in Zorzone (Zorzone parish centre) — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/events/festa-di-san-rocco-zorzone. On 16 August, the day of San Rocco, Zorzone has an afternoon of games for children at the parish centre, from 3 pm. It is organised by the 4 Cime M.A.G.A. group, the same behind the Monte Menna festival; in 2026 it fell on a Sunday, on the same day the Minerals Museum was open from 3 to 6 pm and, in the evening, the Pro Loco's bingo night took place in piazza Carrara in Oltre il Colle. Sources: https://www.oltreilcolleturismo.it/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Libretto-Estate-Oltre-il-Colle-2026.pdf #### The programme of 16 August 2026 The Pro Loco's programme gives the feast a single line: «Zorzone, at the Parish Centre, 3 pm, San Rocco feast with games for children, run by the M.A.G.A. Group». In 2026 16 August was a Sunday: that same afternoon the Zorzone Minerals Museum was open from 3 to 6 pm, and at 9 pm, in piazza Carrara in Oltre il Colle, the Pro Loco's bingo night awarded the «Balconi fioriti 2026» and «Una montagna di Lego» contest prizes. The programme does not say which games or whether registration is needed: for details you can ask the Pro Loco, on 0345 95541. #### San Rocco in Zorzone San Rocco, the pilgrim saint invoked against the plague, has a chapel of his own in Zorzone: according to this guide's page on the church of the Santissima Trinità, it stands along the old mule track between Oltre il Colle and Zorzone, just after crossing the Parina stream, at Mulino, and was built in 1640 by the villagers in thanks for escaping the plague. The parish church of the Santissima Trinità also holds a statue of the saint. The feast on 16 August, San Rocco's day in the calendar, is run by the 4 Cime M.A.G.A. group, the one of the bivouac below the Cima di Menna and of the festival on the first Sunday of August. #### The long mid-August week of Zorzone and the basin San Rocco closes a week full of events between Zorzone, the Colle di Zambla and the main village: - From Wednesday 12 to Friday 14 August: three festival evenings at the Zorzone parish centre - Thursday 13 August: Sagra del Balòch at the Colle di Zambla - Saturday 15 August: the Mountain Music Festival concert on Monte Alben and, in the evening in piazza Carrara, a show of bubbles, illusionism and magic with the lighting of the four M.A.G.A. peaks - Sunday 16 August: the San Rocco feast in Zorzone and the bingo night in piazza Carrara #### How to get to Zorzone From the main village you drive up via Capriana, about 4.8 kilometres of narrow road from piazza Tiraboschi to the Zorzone church; in the hamlet you park in the public car parks near the church and along via Funivia. 16 August 2026 was a Sunday, and on Sundays scheduled buses do not run. In August, in the ERA5 averages for Zorzone, the maximum is about 22 °C. - D: When is the San Rocco feast in Zorzone? R: On 16 August, San Rocco's day: in 2026 it fell on a Sunday, with children's games from 3 pm at the parish centre. - D: Who organises the San Rocco feast? R: The 4 Cime M.A.G.A. group of Zorzone, the same as the Monte Menna festival. - D: Where is the San Rocco chapel of Zorzone? R: Along the old mule track between Oltre il Colle and Zorzone, at Mulino, just past the Parina stream; it is described in the page on the church of the Santissima Trinità. - D: What is there to do in Zorzone on 16 August? R: In 2026, besides the children's games, the Minerals Museum was open from 3 to 6 pm; in the evening, in the main village, there was the Pro Loco's bingo night in piazza Carrara. - 2026-08-21–2026-08-22: Sagra dei Baci di Zorzone (Village of Zorzone and parish centre) — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/events/sagra-dei-baci-di-zorzone. The Baci di Zorzone are the biscuits the hamlet's grocery shop has made since 2023 and showcases on social media with videos in Bergamo dialect; in August 2026 they got a festival of their own, the first edition. On Friday 21 a preview with an evening of nature photography at the parish centre; on Saturday 22, from 10 am until late, stalls, workshops, the museum and the apple orchard open, lunch and dinner at the parish centre with boiled potatoes and baciottella, and a DJ in the evening. It has not been announced whether it will become an annual event. Sources: https://primabergamo.it/tempo-libero/sagre-e-feste/a-zorzone-di-oltre-il-colle-debutta-la-prima-sagra-dei-celebri-baci-rinati-grazie-ai-social/ #### The programme of the first edition, 21 and 22 August 2026 The programme below combines the Pro Loco booklet with the previews by Prima Bergamo, Valbrembanaweb and La Voce delle Valli, which agree in substance. According to the Pro Loco the kitchens were at the parish centre; Valbrembanaweb spoke of a marquee. - Friday 21, 8.30 pm, parish centre: evening with the nature photographer and film-maker Baldovino Midali, «In viaggio in compagnia della natura»; free entry, limited seats - In the Baci shop: a photo exhibition on the people of Zorzone, past and present - Saturday 22, from 10 am: stalls of typical products, workshops and stands on airsoft, herbs and mushrooms, games and ponies for children - Saturday 22, 12 noon: casoncelli, salamelle sausages and chips at the parish centre; from 7 pm polenta, braised beef, casoncelli, salamelle and chips, with the new addition of boiled potatoes and baciottella - Saturday 22: visit to the Minerals Museum, apple orchard open in the afternoon, church open to the public - Saturday 22, 8.30 pm: music with a DJ from Zorzone - All day: the big heart-shaped cut-out for photos and the heart of love padlocks, with a padlock and a packet of Baci for a 5-euro contribution #### What the Baci di Zorzone are They are biscuits inspired by the Baci di Alassio, born in 2023 in the Zorzone grocery shop, the hamlet's last shop, and known thanks to the dialect videos posted on the brand's social media profiles. In February 2025, for the brand's second birthday, a social media challenge chose the fifth variety, made with eggs, coffee, spelt flour, chopped hazelnuts, baking powder and vanillin, which according to the challenge rules was to be produced by a pastry shop in Serina. The Baci also appear elsewhere in the village calendar: among the tastings of the Mountain Music Festival on the Menna, in 2025 and 2026, and in the video sketch contest of the 2025 Carnival. #### Who organises it The Pro Loco booklet credits the festival to «Baci di Zorzone, Gruppo Alpini di Zorzone, Fanti di Oltre il Colle, Associazione Sportiva OIC in collaboration with the Pro Loco»; Prima Bergamo writes «gruppo Fanti di Zorzone». They are the same associations as the mid-August festival at the parish centre. To book lunch or dinner the programme advised calling the number printed in the booklet; the Pro Loco answers on 0345 95541. #### How to get to Zorzone and what to see From the main village you drive up via Capriana, about 4.8 kilometres of narrow road from piazza Tiraboschi to the church; in Zorzone you park in the public car parks near the church and along via Funivia. The hamlet is the village of mines and frescoes: a week after the festival, on 29 August 2026, its houses received seven new frescoes and the façade of the Minerals Museum a large mural. - D: When is the Sagra dei Baci di Zorzone? R: The first edition was held on Friday 21 and Saturday 22 August 2026, with the preview on Friday evening and the main day on Saturday. A second edition has not been announced yet. - D: What are the Baci di Zorzone? R: Biscuits inspired by the Baci di Alassio, born in 2023 in the Zorzone grocery shop and known for their videos in Bergamo dialect on social media. In 2025 an online challenge chose the fifth variety, with spelt flour, coffee and hazelnuts. - D: Where can you buy the Baci di Zorzone? R: In the Zorzone grocery shop, the hamlet's last shop, where they were born. - D: How much was the love padlock at the festival? R: In 2026 the padlock, with a packet of Baci, came for a 5-euro contribution. - D: Did you need to book to eat? R: It was advised: the Pro Loco programme recommended booking lunch and dinner at the parish centre. - 2026-08-24: Saint Bartholomew's patronal feast (Parish church and parish centre of Oltre il Colle) — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/events/festa-patronale-san-bartolomeo. Saint Bartholomew the Apostle is the patron of Oltre il Colle and of its parish church, and the feast falls on 24 August. It is a date the village keeps firmly: in 2026, a Monday, the municipal offices stayed closed for the feast, as they had on 24 August 2023, and the Pro Loco programme listed a dinner at the parish centre at 7 pm. The times of the day's masses are not published online: ask the parish. Sources: https://www.comune.oltreilcolle.bg.it/c016146/po/mostra_news.php?id=378&area=H #### 24 August 2026: what was on the programme The Pro Loco's summer booklet gives the day two lines: «S. Bartolomeo Apostolo, patron of Oltre il Colle» and, at 7 pm, a dinner at the parish centre for the patronal feast. The municipality, in a notice of 21 August, announced that its offices would close for the feast of Saint Bartholomew. The religious programme, masses and any processions, is not published on the web: the parish answers on 0345 95095 or at oltreilcolle@diocesibg.it. The feast falls in the last full week of summer in the village. The day before, Sunday 23 August 2026, Zorzone had the special opening of the Minerals Museum with an aperitif and, in the evening, a show of jokes in piazza Carrara; on Tuesday 25 the markets and the dance evenings returned to the square. #### The church of San Bartolomeo and the parish The parish church stands high above the main village, at the top of a wide flight of steps. It became a parish in 1449, when the bishop of Bergamo detached it from the mother church of Lepreno, and was consecrated in 1780; the portico running round three sides of the façade comes from the enlargement designed by Luigi Angelini in the 1930s, and inside there are frescoes by Vincenzo Angelo Orelli and an organ by Carlo Bossi from the early nineteenth century. This guide's page on the church tells its history and works in detail. For the diocese of Bergamo the parish of San Bartolomeo Apostolo has its seat at via Roma 171 and belongs to the Comunità ecclesiale territoriale 4 Valle Brembana, with the same parish priest as Zambla and Zorzone. The village band, the Corpo Musicale San Bartolomeo Apostolo, is also named after the saint; in 2026 it celebrated 120 years since its foundation with a concert at the Arena on 7 August. #### Getting there and where to park The church is about 200 metres as the crow flies from the town hall in piazza Mons. Belotti and a few steps from the Piazzale degli Alpini, along via Roma. Near the church there is a public car park that OpenStreetMap marks as free. By bus you come with Arriva's line B, changing at Zogno, to the piazza Tiraboschi stop; 24 August 2026 was a Monday, a day when buses run. In August, according to the ERA5 averages for the main village, the typical maximum is about 21 °C and the minimum 12 °C: you need a jacket for the evening. - D: When is the feast of Saint Bartholomew at Oltre il Colle? R: On 24 August, the patron saint's day. In 2026 it fell on a Monday, with a dinner at 7 pm at the parish centre. - D: Are the municipal offices open on 24 August? R: No: the municipality closes them for the patronal feast, as it announced in 2023 and in 2026. - D: What are the mass times for Saint Bartholomew? R: They are not published online: ask the parish of San Bartolomeo Apostolo, via Roma 171, on 0345 95095 or at oltreilcolle@diocesibg.it. - D: Where is the church of San Bartolomeo? R: In the main village of Oltre il Colle, above via Roma, at the top of a wide flight of steps, a few steps from the Piazzale degli Alpini and about 200 metres from the town hall. - 2026-08-29: Zorzone fresco competition and Val ParinArt (Village of Zorzone and Mining and Minerals Museum) — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/events/concorso-degli-affreschi-zorzone. Zorzone is the «village of frescoes»: the houses are painted with scenes of life in the old days, the result of a competition born in 2006 that held three editions between that year and 2009. On Saturday 29 August 2026 the competition returned after about twenty years within «Val ParinArt – L'arte sale in quota a Zorzone» (art climbs up to Zorzone), the day promoted by the municipal library: seven new frescoes on the theme «C'era una volta» (once upon a time), painted by students of the Manzù art high school in Bergamo, bringing the works to 23, and the large mural «Memorie di luce» (memories of light) by the urban artist Frode on the façade of the Mining and Minerals Museum. Sources: https://www.lavocedellevalli.it/a-zorzone-spunta-il-mega-murale-sulla-facciata-del-museo-altri-sette-affreschi-dalle-studentesse-del-manzu/ #### The Val ParinArt programme, 29 August 2026 The day was open to the public from 10 am to 6 pm, with the prize-giving at 6.30 pm. The workshops were run by Let's ART, and in the parish church a small gallery showed works by a painter and a sculptor; at the parish centre there were a refreshment point and a bar, from 12 noon. - From 10 am to 6 pm: fresco competition on the houses and artists at work along the village streets - All day: live painting by Frode on the façade of the Minerals Museum, with a contribution from the BIM - From 11 am to 12 noon: children's workshop «Il giardino segreto dell'Arera» (the secret garden of the Arera), up to 15 participants - From 3.30 to 5 pm: adults' workshop «Il mio albero interiore» (my inner tree), up to 10 participants - From 5 to 6 pm: screening of nature drawings, «I rapaci notturni» (birds of prey of the night) - 6.30 pm: prize-giving of the fresco competition #### The seven new works and the «Memorie di luce» mural The theme was «C'era una volta»: seven photographs of moments of life in the old days, from which eight students of the third-year classes of the «Giacomo e Pio Manzù» state art high school made seven frescoes, one painted by two hands, under the artistic direction of a local teacher and painter. The works are titled «La Caterina», «Fà la fòia», «Ol Lino Piasöla», «La funivia», «Ol pustì», «'Ndóm a cà di Soterai» and «Bat la ranza». An expert jury and a popular jury awarded «Ol pustì», then «Bat la ranza» and «Fà la fòia». Outside the competition, the Milan urban artist Frode painted the mural «Memorie di luce» on the façade of the Mining and Minerals Museum. At its centre is the word MUSEO, broken into lines, arches and mountain outlines; the large M stands for museum, mountain, Menna and mine, and a girl with a lamp recalls the children who worked in the mines. White, black and grey evoke light and darkness, the bright colours the minerals and the landscape. #### From the first edition in 2006 to the 2026 return The competition was born in 2006 on an idea of the then mayor, with the aim of making Zorzone a «village of frescoes»; there were three editions between 2006 and 2009, then a break of about twenty years. In 2026 the municipal library revived it, with the artistic direction of a local teacher and painter and, as Valbrembanaweb wrote, close attention to tradition and community participation. With the seven new works the frescoes on the houses of Zorzone number 23. The competition is not announced as an annual event: to know whether there will be another edition, follow the library, at oltrelabiblioteca@gmail.com. #### How to see the frescoes and get to Zorzone The frescoes are on the walls of the houses, along the village streets: you can look at them freely in every season, walking between the church of the Santissima Trinità and the Minerals Museum, which opens on some afternoons in summer. From the main village you drive up via Capriana, about 4.8 kilometres of narrow road from piazza Tiraboschi to the church; you park in the public car parks near the church and along via Funivia. Walkers will find in Zorzone the start of CAI path 234 to the Cima di Menna and, just before the village, the start of the Val Parina traverse on CAI path 259, both described in this guide's pages. - D: Where can you see the Zorzone frescoes? R: On the walls of the village houses, along the streets between the church of the Santissima Trinità and the Minerals Museum: you can look at them freely, on foot, in every season. - D: How many frescoes are there in Zorzone? R: Twenty-three, after the seven painted on 29 August 2026 by students of the Manzù art high school in Bergamo. - D: Is the fresco competition held every year? R: No: it was born in 2006, had three editions up to 2009 and returned on 29 August 2026, after about twenty years. A new edition has not been announced. - D: What is the «Memorie di luce» mural? R: The mural painted by the urban artist Frode on the façade of the Mining and Minerals Museum during Val ParinArt: a large M for museum, mountain, Menna and mine and a girl with a lamp, in memory of the children who worked in the mines. - 2026-09-04–2026-09-05: MAGA Skymarathon and Skyrace (Start from the Zorzone church, finish in Serina) — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/events/maga-skymarathon. The skyrunning race over the four peaks that ring the basin, Menna, Arera, Grem and Alben, whose initials give it its name. The Skymarathon starts from the Zorzone church and finishes in Serina after 39 kilometres and 3,000 metres of ascent, with ridges equipped with fixed ropes; the Skyrace, 24 kilometres and 1,400 metres, starts from the 1600 locality on the Arera. Since 2025 it has been biennial and is run in even years: the edition of Saturday 5 September 2026, a stage of the Merrell Skyrunner World Series, sold out with 637 athletes from 23 nations, and the organisers have set the next appointment for 2028. Sources: https://www.magaskymarathon.it/skymarathon/ #### The programme of the 2026 edition For the first time the MAGA was run on a Saturday: according to the organisers Sunday remained as a back-up day in case of bad weather, and the festivities could fill the whole weekend in the Val Serina. The first finishers were expected between 11.15 am and 12.30 pm, depending on the source. #### The route: four peaks in 39 kilometres The race website describes four climbs in a row, of about 1,300, 600, 200 and 700 metres of ascent. From Zorzone you climb to the Cima di Menna, 2,300 metres, passing the MAGA bivouac; then the trickiest part, the ridges equipped with fixed ropes, watched over by the Alpine Rescue and mountain guides, as far as the Passo Branchino. The Sentiero dei Fiori leads to the Capanna 2000 and from there you climb to Pizzo Arera, 2,513 metres, the race's highest point. You descend eastwards to the Grem, 2,049 metres, and across the pastures to the Colle di Zambla; one kilometre to the Passo della Crocetta, then the climb to the Alben cross, 1,978 metres, the meadows to the Passo del Sappli, the Cascina Bianca, Pian della Mussa, Valpiana and the last kilometre to Serina. There are 15 aid stations, run by over 300 volunteers, and two time barriers: at the Capanna 2000 within 3 hours 15 minutes of the start and at the Passo di Zambla within 6 hours 30; the time limit is 9 hours. The Skyrace starts at 1,600 metres on the Arera, climbs to the Capanna 2000, passes the Camplano huts and the summit of the Grem, descends to the Colle di Zambla and from the Passo della Crocetta climbs to the Passo della Forca, to cross the Alben meadows and descend to Serina, with a barrier at the Passo di Zambla closing at 1.30 pm and a time limit of 6 hours 30. #### Entry and rules In 2026 each race had a limit of 300 entrants; the Skymarathon cost 70 euros until 31 July, 75 until 23 August and 80 until 30 August, the Skyrace 35 euros until 31 July and 40 until 30 August. You need to be of age, hold a FISky membership, or a 5-euro day card, and a competitive medical certificate for athletics, skyrunning, mountaineering or ski mountaineering. The fee is not refunded, except with the optional insurance on the entry portal, and a change of name cost 10 euros by 30 August. A windproof jacket and a cup or flask are compulsory, because the aid stations have no disposable tableware; poles are allowed, but on technical sections they must be stowed in the rucksack. Athletes reach the starts on shuttles from the Serina sports hall: for the Skyrace, cars can only go as far as the Plassa, and the road to 1,600 metres is reserved for authorised vehicles until the start. #### Where to watch it and getting around on race day In 2023 Valbrembanaweb pointed to the Passo di Zambla as the easiest spot for spectators, with the leaders passing from 10 am; the finish is in Serina, at the piazzale del Mercato, where the afternoon brings prize-giving and a party. In 2026 the race was held with the SP27 provincial road closed between Algua and Rosolo di Serina since 28 August because of a fallen boulder: to get up the Val Serina you went via Costa Serina or via Bracca, Frerola and Serina, and the road's reopening was announced for 1 October. #### History, editions and the two-year cycle According to the history published by the association, the MAGA was born in the mid-1960s in Zorzone, when a few friends founded the «4 Cime MAGA» group and tried to cross the four peaks in a day: fifteen set off and seven made it. In 1975 two fifteen-year-olds repeated the round, and in 1985 one of them completed it from Zorzone back to Zorzone in just over six hours. The race website publishes results from 2002; in 2023 the MAGA was in its fifteenth edition and awarded the FISky Italian skymarathon title. After serving as the single race of a European championship, in 2024 it made its debut in the Skyrunner World Series. In February 2025 the organisers decided on a two-year cycle, in even years, to focus the volunteers' energy, keeping annual the Mini Maga, the day for youngsters and families in Serina, and the Maga Gourmet, a staged route between food and landscape that set off from the Passo di Zambla on 10 August 2025. In 2026 the Skyrace joined the Trofeo Esteban Olivero, the international circuit for under 23s; the men's course record, from 2024, held, while the women's was improved. - D: When is the MAGA Skymarathon held? R: In even years, in early September: the latest edition was run on Saturday 5 September 2026. Since 2025 the race has been biennial and the organisers have set the next appointment for 2028; the date has not been announced yet. - D: How long is the MAGA Skymarathon? R: About 39 kilometres with 3,000 metres of ascent, over the peaks of Menna, Arera, Grem and Alben. The Skyrace is 24 kilometres with 1,400 metres of ascent. - D: Where does the MAGA start and finish? R: The Skymarathon starts from the church of Zorzone, a hamlet of Oltre il Colle, the Skyrace from the 1600 locality on the Arera; both finish in Serina, at the piazzale del Mercato. - D: What do you need to enter the MAGA? R: To be 18, a FISky membership or a 5-euro day card and a competitive medical certificate for athletics, skyrunning, mountaineering or ski mountaineering. In 2026 there were 300 places per race and they sold out before entries closed. - D: Where can you watch the race go by? R: At the Passo di Zambla, on the provincial road, which Valbrembanaweb pointed to as the easiest spot for spectators, and at the finish in Serina, at the piazzale del Mercato. - D: What is the Mini Maga? R: A non-competitive event for children and young people up to 16 and their families, in Serina, with 2 and 6 kilometre routes and mountain activities. It remains annual: in 2026 it was held on Sunday 26 July, with an entry fee of 10 euros per child. - 2025-11-01–2025-11-02: Autumn Festival in piazza Carrara (Piazza Carrara, Oltre il Colle) — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/events/sagra-d-autunno. The festival that closes the season in the village, on the All Saints' weekend: two days of markets in piazza Carrara, from 9 am to 6 pm, with the Alpini's chestnuts and mulled wine, bread and salamella sausage, apples and cider, pizza and sweets from the bars of the centre. The last documented edition is that of 1 and 2 November 2025, with Mago Celestino's show on Saturday and a cheese-making demonstration on Sunday. In 2019 the festival was in its sixth edition. As of 1 October 2026 this year's programme has not been published yet. Sources: https://www.bergamonews.it/evento/sagra-dautunno-a-oltre-il-colle-3/ #### The programme of the latest edition, 1 and 2 November 2025 The programme published by BergamoNews split the festival between the square and the bars of via Roma; the two days were almost the same, with one different event each: - Saturday and Sunday from 9 am to 6 pm: markets in piazza Carrara - Bread and salamella at the bar Cristallo, apples and ciders at the bar Manenti, pizza and panini at the bar Carrara - Ice cream, pizza and crêpes at the La Fonte ice-cream shop, food service at the Drago restaurant - Chestnuts and mulled wine from the Alpini - Saturday at 3 pm: Mago Celestino's show - Sunday at 11 am and 12 noon: demonstration of cheese-making, with a farm #### The editions of recent years The festival shifts by a day or two around 1 November and, at least once, changed square too. In 2024 it was called «Festa d'autunno», in 2022 it was held in piazza Arena; in 2019 BergamoNews presented it as the sixth edition promoted by the Pro Loco. #### When it falls in 2026 and other autumn events As of 1 October 2026 the Pro Loco has not yet published the autumn programme: in its summer booklet it referred to its website and social media pages for the events of the autumn-winter season. In 2026 All Saints' Day falls on a Sunday. It should not be confused with the Zorzone chestnut festival, held in 2025 on Sunday 19 October from 2.30 pm in piazza Caduti del Lavoro, with roast chestnuts, autumn sweets, hot chocolate, mulled wine, face painting for the little ones and the Minerals Museum open, with postponement to the 26th in case of bad weather. #### The weather in early November and how to get there November is cold and wet: in the 1991-2020 averages of the ERA5 reanalysis for the main village the minimum is around 0 °C and the maximum 7 °C, with about 180 millimetres of rain and, on average, about 25 centimetres of fresh snow in the month. The festival is outdoors: closed shoes and a warm jacket are needed. Piazza Carrara is in the centre of the main village; you park near the parish church, where OpenStreetMap marks a free public car park. On Sundays and public holidays scheduled buses do not run: on 1 November you drive up. - D: When is the Oltre il Colle Autumn Festival? R: On the All Saints' weekend: in 2025 on Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 November, in 2024 on Friday 1 and Saturday 2 November. The 2026 programme has not been published yet. - D: What do you eat at the Autumn Festival? R: The Alpini's chestnuts and mulled wine, bread and salamella, apples and cider, pizza, panini, ice cream and crêpes in the bars of the centre, according to the 2025 programme. - D: Where is the festival held? R: In piazza Carrara, in the main village; in 2022 it was held in piazza Arena. - D: Is there a chestnut festival in Zorzone? R: Yes, it is a separate event: in 2025 it was held on Sunday 19 October in piazza Caduti del Lavoro, with roast chestnuts, mulled wine and the Minerals Museum open. - 2025-12-07–2025-12-28: Christmas markets and festivities in the village (Piazza Carrara, the Arena and the Pro Loco office, Oltre il Colle) — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/events/mercatini-di-natale. In December Christmas in the main village happens in the square, between the Immaculate Conception holiday and the week after Christmas. In 2025, on Sunday 7 December, piazza Carrara hosted the old trades, a demonstration of how cheese is made from milk, the Gioppino puppets in the Arena and children's workshops at the Pro Loco; on Sunday 28 December, «Natale in famiglia» (Christmas with the family), markets from 9 am to 6 pm and a family show at 3.30 pm. The programme changes every year: in 2024 there were an inflatable Christmas village in piazza Arena and Father Christmas's house at Casa Perletti. Sources: https://www.lavocedellevalli.it/settimana-di-natale-in-valle-brembana-e-valle-imagna-gli-eventi-dal-24-al-28-dicembre/ #### The December 2025 programme The La Voce delle Valli listings report two days. For the Immaculate Conception the event was called «Il calore delle feste nel cuore del paese» (the warmth of the holidays in the heart of the village) and was cancelled in case of bad weather; for «Natale in famiglia», on 28 December, the planned shelter in case of bad weather was the parish centre. - Sunday 7 December, piazza Carrara: from 1 to 3 pm the old trades, «from the woods we create the art of needle and thread» - Sunday 7 December, 2 pm: «dal latte nasce il formaggio» (cheese is born from milk) demonstration with a farm - Sunday 7 December, 3 pm, Arena: traditional Bergamo puppets, «Il Gioppino e la principessa stregata», with the advice to dress warmly and bring a cushion for the stone steps - Sunday 7 December, at the Pro Loco: children's workshops, Christmas decorations from 10.30 to 11.30 am and greeting cards from 1.30 to 3.30 pm - Sunday 28 December: markets in the square from 9 am to 6 pm and at 3.30 pm the family show «La slitta di Babbo Natale» (Father Christmas's sleigh) - Sunday 28 December, same day: the polenta cunsada lunch in the square in Zorzone and, at 9 pm, the band's Christmas concert in the parish church #### What Christmas 2024 and Christmas 2023 were like In 2024 the programme was longer. On 8 December Father Christmas's house at Casa Perletti, markets in piazza Arena from 9 am to 6 pm, a fairy-tale workshop at Villa Perletti, the cheese demonstration and free guided tours of the Zorzone Mineralogical Museum; on 15 and 22 December children's workshops at Villa Perletti. From 22 to 27 December piazza Arena hosted an inflatable Christmas village; on Christmas Eve Father Christmas with presents, for 3 euros, on the 26th a treasure hunt with a snack, for 5 euros, on the 27th and 28th the Christmas markets in piazza Arena, with a chocolate-sculpting demonstration, and on the 28th a roving show from Zambla Alta. In 2023, Valbrembanaweb wrote, the village lit up from 8 December: markets in via Perletti, ponies along the streets of Grimoldo, Casa Perletti reopened after restoration with Father Christmas at weekends until Christmas, a wooden Nativity in a hut in the square and, after dark, a video-mapping show that made snow fall on the house façades, promoted by the municipality. On 30 December 2023 the day of markets and magic ended with the year-end concert in the parish church. #### For children and families: what to expect In all three years the thread is the same: markets, children's workshops, a family show, Father Christmas and some demonstrations of crafts and cheese-making. Shows in the Arena are watched from open-air stone steps, and some events, like the 2025 Immaculate Conception one, are cancelled in bad weather: the 2026 programme has not been published as of 1 October, and the Pro Loco announces it on its website and social media pages. #### The weather in December and how to get there In December, in the 1991-2020 averages of the ERA5 reanalysis for the main village, the minimum is about −5 °C and the maximum 3 °C, with about 40 centimetres of fresh snow in the month in an average winter. You park near the parish church, where OpenStreetMap marks a free public car park; Arriva's line B reaches piazza Tiraboschi from Monday to Saturday, but does not run on Sundays and public holidays. - D: Are there Christmas markets at Oltre il Colle? R: Yes, in the square of the main village: in 2025 on 7 December, for the Immaculate Conception, and on 28 December with «Natale in famiglia», from 9 am to 6 pm; in 2024 on 8, 27 and 28 December in piazza Arena. - D: When are the Christmas festivities in the village? R: Between the Immaculate Conception and the days after Christmas. The December 2026 programme has not been published yet: the Pro Loco announces it on its website and social media pages. - D: What is there for children at Christmas at Oltre il Colle? R: Workshops at the Pro Loco or at Villa Perletti, the Gioppino puppets, family shows and, in 2023 and 2024, Father Christmas's house at Casa Perletti. - D: What happens if it snows or rains? R: It depends on the event: in 2025 the Immaculate Conception festivities were cancelled in case of bad weather, while «Natale in famiglia» moved to the parish centre. - 2025-12-28: Christmas concert of the Corpo Musicale San Bartolomeo Apostolo (Parish church of San Bartolomeo, Oltre il Colle) — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/events/concerto-di-natale. Between Christmas and New Year the village band, the Corpo Musicale San Bartolomeo Apostolo, plays in the parish church: on Sunday 28 December 2025 at 9 pm, with the participation of Avis Serina, the local blood donors' association; on Saturday 28 December 2024 at 9 pm; on 30 December 2023 the Pro Loco already called it «the by now classic year-end concert». The band turned 120 in 2026 and celebrated with a concert at the Arena on 7 August. Sources: https://www.lavocedellevalli.it/settimana-di-natale-in-valle-brembana-e-valle-imagna-gli-eventi-dal-24-al-28-dicembre/ #### The latest editions The date always falls in the last days of December, in the evening, in the parish church of San Bartolomeo. The programme of pieces was not published in the listings we read, which do not mention an entry ticket either; for December 2026 the date has not been announced yet. #### The Oltre il Colle band The Corpo Musicale bears the name of the village's patron saint, Saint Bartholomew the Apostle, like the parish church where it plays at Christmas. In 2026 it celebrated 120 years since its foundation with a concert at the Arena in Oltre il Colle, on Friday 7 August from 9 to 11 pm, conducted by its bandmistress; in the Pro Loco's summer programme it was the band's August concert. The band also plays outside the church: at the living nativity in the Vandullo hamlet, on 29 December 2024, the Christmas melodies were performed by the Corpo Musicale with a group of accordionists. #### The church and getting there in the evening The parish church of San Bartolomeo stands high above the main village, at the top of a wide flight of steps above via Roma. Inside, under the vaults frescoed by Vincenzo Angelo Orelli, is the early nineteenth-century organ by Carlo Bossi, described in the church's page together with the other works. The concert is in the evening and often on a Sunday, when scheduled buses do not run: you drive up and park near the church, where OpenStreetMap marks a free public car park. At the end of December, in the ERA5 averages for the main village, the minimum is about −5 °C. #### The same day in the village On 28 December 2025 the concert closed a full day: from 9 am to 6 pm the «Natale in famiglia» markets in the square, at 3.30 pm the family show and, at noon, the polenta cunsada lunch in the square in Zorzone. In 2024, the day after the concert, the Vandullo hamlet hosted the living nativity. - D: When is the Christmas concert at Oltre il Colle? R: In the last days of December, at 9 pm: Sunday 28 December 2025, Saturday 28 December 2024 and, in 2023, 30 December. The 2026 date has not been announced yet. - D: Where is the Christmas concert held? R: In the parish church of San Bartolomeo, in the main village of Oltre il Colle. - D: Who plays at the Christmas concert? R: The village band, the Corpo Musicale San Bartolomeo Apostolo, which turned 120 in 2026; in 2025 with the participation of Avis Serina. - D: How do you get to the concert in the evening? R: By car: on Sundays and public holidays scheduled buses do not run. Near the church there is a public car park, marked as free on OpenStreetMap. - 2025-12-28: Cunsada in the square in Zorzone (Piazza Caduti del Lavoro (formerly Rossini), Zorzone) — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/events/cunsada-in-piazza-zorzone. The winter lunch in the square in Zorzone: from 12 noon, in piazza Caduti del Lavoro, polenta cunsada, salamelle sausages, cheese and salami, also to take away, and in the afternoon music, mulled wine, hot chocolate and panettone in a heated room. The portions of cunsada are limited and must be booked. The Gruppo Giovani Zorzone organised it on Sunday 29 December 2024 and it was repeated on Sunday 28 December 2025, the last documented edition. Sources: https://www.lavocedellevalli.it/settimana-di-natale-in-valle-brembana-e-valle-imagna-gli-eventi-dal-24-al-28-dicembre/ #### How it went in 2024 and 2025 In 2024, on Sunday 29 December, the Cunsada in the square was organised by the Gruppo Giovani Zorzone: from 12 noon in piazza Caduti del Lavoro, the former piazza Rossini, polenta cunsada in limited portions, with booking advised, salamelle, cheese and salami also to take away; in the afternoon music with accordion and guitar, mulled wine, hot chocolate and panettone, in a heated room where tables could be booked. On Sunday 28 December 2025 the format was the same, with booking the cunsada now compulsory. Bookings were made on WhatsApp to the numbers published in the local press listings; for December 2026 there is no announcement yet. #### The Gruppo Giovani Zorzone and the hamlet's events The Gruppo Giovani Zorzone also appears at other times of the year. In December 2023, at the Immaculate Conception markets in via Perletti, it served bread and salamella, chisöl flatbread, tea, mulled wine and hot chocolate; in summer 2026 it organised with the Pro Loco the Festa in contrada of 18 July, a walking dinner through the streets of the old quarter behind the church with live music and markets, and with the Museum the Aperimuseo of 23 August, a special opening with an aperitif and unseen interviews with people who worked in the mines. #### Where piazza Caduti del Lavoro is and how to get there Piazza Caduti del Lavoro is one of the stops of Arriva's S50e shuttle, which climbs from piazza Tiraboschi to Zorzone; but the shuttle runs only on weekdays, and the Cunsada is on a Sunday. So you drive up: from the main village you leave the provincial road at the Piazzale degli Alpini and take via Capriana, about 4.8 kilometres of narrow road with hairpin bends to the Zorzone church. In Zorzone there are public car parks near the church and along via Funivia. #### The weather in late December and tips In December, in the 1991-2020 averages of the ERA5 reanalysis for Zorzone, the minimum is about −5 °C and the maximum 4 °C, with about 40 centimetres of fresh snow in the month in an average winter: the road to the hamlet may be snowy. Lunch is in the square, the afternoon indoors in the heated room. If you want the cunsada, book early, because the portions are few. On the same day, in 2025, the main village had the «Natale in famiglia» markets and at 9 pm the band's Christmas concert; in 2024, on the evening of the Cunsada, the Vandullo hamlet hosted the living nativity. - D: When is the Cunsada in the square in Zorzone? R: On a Sunday after Christmas: 29 December 2024 and 28 December 2025, from 12 noon. The 2026 date has not been announced yet. - D: Do you need to book the polenta cunsada? R: Yes: the portions are limited, and in 2025 booking was compulsory. Bookings were made on WhatsApp to the numbers published in the local press listings. - D: Can you eat indoors? R: Lunch is in the square; in the afternoon the event continues in a heated room, with music, mulled wine, hot chocolate and panettone, and tables can be booked. - D: Who organises the Cunsada in the square? R: The Gruppo Giovani Zorzone, which organised it in 2024 and repeated it in 2025. - 2024-12-29: Living nativity in the Vandullo hamlet (Contrada Vandullo, Oltre il Colle) — https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/events/presepe-vivente-vandullo. On the evening of 29 December 2024 the Vandullo hamlet, a sixteenth-century cluster of houses above the main village at the foot of the Alben, became a living nativity set in the early twentieth century: houses, porticoes and courtyards reopened, old trades and games, about ninety performers between primary-school children and adults and, according to BergamoNews, about eight hundred visitors. It grew out of a school project and spread to the whole village. It was not announced as an annual event and it does not appear in the December 2025 listings. Sources: https://www.bergamonews.it/2024/12/30/nellantica-contrada-vandullo-di-oltre-il-colle-un-presepe-vivente-fa-rivivere-la-vita-di-montagna/765360/ #### How the 2024 nativity was organised The nativity was open from 7.30 to 11 pm. Visitors entered in staggered groups, accompanied by guides, on a route of about twenty minutes through old houses, porticoes and courtyards reopened for the occasion, with tools and crafts now forgotten. The primary-school children worked alongside the adults in the trades, showed the games of the old days, acted as guides and sang in a choir at the end; the old-time school was their scene. The lights were those of torches, braziers and period lamps, the music that of the village band, a group of accordionists and the baghèt, the traditional Bergamo instrument. At the exit the Alpini offered mulled wine. A shuttle left every fifteen minutes from 7 pm from piazza Mons. Belotti; on foot you entered the hamlet from via Drago. #### Who made it The idea was born at school, as a teacher's project with her pupils, and spread to the whole community. BergamoNews lists those who collaborated: the municipal administration, the Pro Loco, the library, the Alpini, the band, the sports association, the parish, the owners of the hamlet's private houses and many volunteers. There were about ninety performers, children and adults. #### The Vandullo hamlet: where it is Vandullo is one of the historic quarters of the main village, together with Grimoldo, Capriana and Vanini, whose names survive in the street names. It lies above the built-up area, at the foot of Monte Alben, about 500 metres as the crow flies from the village centre, and dates from the sixteenth century according to BergamoNews. In the history of skiing in the basin, recalled in the cross-country skiing page, the remains of the last ski-jumping hill, the Vandullo one, can still be seen. The hamlet is reached from via Drago, the road that climbs from the main village towards Pian della Palla; OpenStreetMap marks via Vandullo partly as a private road. On ordinary evenings it is a cluster of lived-in houses: visit it on foot and discreetly. #### Will it return? What we know None of the sources we read announces a second edition. In the La Voce delle Valli listings for December 2025 the Vandullo nativity does not appear: the main village's Christmas events were held in the square, with the markets, the band's concert in the parish church and the Cunsada lunch in Zorzone. For December 2026 it is worth checking the Pro Loco programme and the municipal notices. - D: Is the Vandullo living nativity held every year? R: Not as far as we know: it was held on the evening of 29 December 2024 and was not announced as an annual event. It does not appear in the December 2025 listings. - D: Where is the Vandullo hamlet? R: Above the main village of Oltre il Colle, at the foot of Monte Alben, about 500 metres as the crow flies from the centre; you reach it from via Drago. - D: How did you get to the living nativity? R: With a shuttle leaving every fifteen minutes from 7 pm from piazza Mons. Belotti, or on foot from via Drago. The visit, in groups with a guide, lasted about twenty minutes. - D: How many people visited the nativity? R: About eight hundred, according to BergamoNews, with about ninety performers between children and adults. ## Main pages - [The village](https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/oltre-il-colle) - [Zambla Alta](https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/zambla-alta) - [Zambla Bassa](https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/zambla-bassa) - [Zorzone](https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/zorzone) - [Things to do](https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/things-to-do) - [Winter](https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/winter) - [Itineraries](https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/itineraries) - [Where to stay](https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/where-to-stay) - [Food and services](https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/food-and-services) - [How to get there](https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/how-to-get-there) - [Weather and snow](https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/weather-and-snow) - [Map](https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/map) - [Events](https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/events) - [History and mines](https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/history-and-mines) - [FAQ](https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/faq) - [About](https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/about) - [Photo credits](https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/en/photo-credits) ## Other language versions - Italiano: https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/ · llms.txt: https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/llms.txt - Deutsch: https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/de · llms.txt: https://www.visitoltreilcolle.it/de/llms.txt Contact for corrections: visitoltreilcolle@gmail.com