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

Oltre il Colle · Val Serina · Colle di Zambla

Zambla Alta and Zambla Bassa

The two hamlets on the pass linking the Brembana and Seriana valleys: meadows, cross-country skiing, and the starting point for Alben, Arera and Capanna 2000.

Zambla Alta1,197 m
Zambla Bassa1,060 m
Colle di Zambla1,264 m
MunicipalityOltre il Colle (BG)
Photo: Ago76 · CC BY-SA 3.0

Zambla is the collective name of the two hamlets of Oltre il Colle lying beneath the Colle di Zambla, the pass at 1,264 metres that is the only paved link between Val Serina, in the Brembana valley, and Val del Riso, in the Seriana valley. Zambla Alta is closer to the pass, Zambla Bassa lower down towards the main village: together they form the basin from which the trails to Monte Alben, Capanna 2000 and Pizzo Arera set off.

Zambla Alta. 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.

Zambla Bassa. 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 village of Zambla Alta, a hamlet of Oltre il Colle, under snow with the houses and bell tower among the fir woods

Zambla Alta

1,197 m · the full page

Zambla Bassa, a hamlet of Oltre il Colle, with the bell tower and houses on green meadows at the foot of rocky peaks

Zambla Bassa

1,060 m · the full page

FAQ

Frequently asked questions about Zambla

How high is Zambla Alta?

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.

Are Zambla Alta and Zambla Bassa the same village?

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.

How many people live in Zambla Alta?

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.

Where do you park in Zambla Alta and at the Colle di Zambla?

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.

Where do you park to climb to Capanna 2000?

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.

How do you get to Zambla Alta by bus?

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.

What services are there in Zambla Alta?

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.

How cold does it get and how much snow falls in Zambla Alta?

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.

Sources

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Things to do

Trails and summits starting from Zambla

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

Hikes · 2 minutes

Sentiero dei Fiori “Claudio Brissoni”

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.

The rocky pyramid of the Pizzo Arera with the first autumn snow, seen from the Cima di Menna

Summits · 2 minutes

Pizzo Arera (2,512 m) by the south normal route

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.

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

Summits · 2 minutes

Monte Alben (2,019 m) from the Colle di Zambla

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.

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

Mountain huts · 2 minutes

Capanna 2000 hut

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.

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

Winter · 2 minutes

Cross-country skiing at the Colle di Zambla

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.

The snow-covered slopes of the Alpe Arera climbing towards the Capanna 2000 hut, with big clouds above the ridges

Winter · 2 minutes

Snowshoe walk to the Capanna 2000 from Plassa

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.

Monte Alben seen from the Arera in winter, with the slopes and meadows below whitened by snow

Winter · 2 minutes

Snowshoe walks at the Colle di Zambla and in the Conca dell'Alben

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.

The rocky summit of the Pizzo Arera covered in snow, with the final ridge climbing to the cross under a blue sky

Winter · 2 minutes

Ski touring and winter ascents on Arera, Alben and Menna

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.

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

Winter · 2 minutes

Ski lifts at Zambla and the Alpe Arera: what is there today

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.

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

Winter · 2 minutes

Ski school and equipment hire at Zambla

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.

The still snow-covered Monte Grem seen from the Conca dell'Alben, above the houses and meadows of Oltre il Colle

Summits · 2 minutes

Cima di Grem (2,049 m) from the Colle di Zambla

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.

The signs at the Passo della Crocetta (1,267 m): CAI trail 501 to Baita Nembrini, la Forca and Monte Alben, trail 526B to the Madonna del Frassino and the arrows to Pian della Palla

Hikes · 2 minutes

Passo della Crocetta (1,267 m), between the Colle di Zambla and the Conca dell'Alben

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.

The limestone spires of Monte Alben above Oltre il Colle, seen from the meadows of the ridge path

Climbing · 2 minutes

Torrione Brassamonti and the crags of the Alben

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.

The Passo Branchino with the sign for the Capanna 2000 hut and the limestone walls of the Arera group

Hikes · 2 minutes

Passo Branchino from Zambla Alta via the Capanna 2000

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.

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

Nature · 2 minutes

The endemic flora of the Arera and the Alben

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.

The signpost at the Passo di Zambla (1,260 m) with the cycling route sign and the distances to Serina, Dossena and San Giovanni Bianco

Cycling and MTB · 2 minutes

Colle di Zambla by bike: the climbs from Ponte Nossa and from Ambria

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.

The church of Santa Maria Maddalena with the bell tower and the houses of Zambla Bassa, a hamlet of Oltre il Colle

Churches · 2 minutes

Church of Santa Maria Maddalena in 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 village of Zambla Alta, a hamlet of Oltre il Colle, under snow with the houses and bell tower among the fir woods

Nature · 2 minutes

Giuliano Mauri's Cattedrale Vegetale

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.

Monte Alben and the Zambla pass seen from the Pizzo Arera, with the villages of the basin among the meadows

Nature · 2 minutes

Colle di Zambla (1,264 m)

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.

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

With children · 2 minutes

Monte Alben Adventure Park

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.

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

With children · 2 minutes

The barrier-free walk from the Colle di Zambla to the Conca dell'Alben

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.

A cairn with a stick on the path climbing from Plassa towards the Arera, with Monte Alben opposite

With children · 2 minutes

Rifugio Cà d'Arera: the short goal above Plassa

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.

Where to stay

Where to stay in Zambla

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

B&B

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.

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

B&B

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.

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

B&B

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.

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

Hotel

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.

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

Campsite

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.

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

Campsite

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.

The stone Capanna 2000 hut with its metal roof, on the snow-covered pastures of the Alpe Arera, below two snowy peaks

Mountain hut

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.

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

Mountain hut

Rifugio SABA — Cà 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.

Independent guide by Oltre il Colle: this is not the website of the Municipality of Oltre il Colle.