Forests, Lakes and Rivers

Italy Stage 04 – Fri 1^st July 2016 – Como to Bergamo (73 Km)
Weather: 21⁰C min – 29⁰C max, hot and sunny

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” You don’t suffer, kill yourself and take the risks I take just for money. I love bicycling “ ~ Greg LeMond

Riding in the Lombardy region of northern Italy is as good as it gets, particularly on a day like today when the sun is shining and the temperature is around 30 degrees. Today’s route from Como to Bergamo took me through delightful forests, farmland, five more beautiful lakes (Alserio, Pusiano, Annone, Garlate and Loginate) and along the bike path that follows the scenic Adda river.

Leaving Como at 8 am the traffic was already heavy, but fortunately most of it coming into town. Just to get my heart started there was a reasonably steep climb for the first couple of Km, which soon had me changing back to the lower gears. After 3 Km I turned off the main road onto a rough, gravel track through a beautiful greenway called Parco della Valle del Cosia. It was a nice change listening to a chorus of birds rather than traffic, even if gravel tracks are slow-going and not ideal when riding a pannier-laden touring bike.

I rumbled along the rough gravel track for about 2 Km before returning to a sealed road. The villages came and went and I passed through rich farmland growing mainly corn and vegetables. At one point I had to hold my nose because there was a tractor-drawn tanker pumping foul-smelling sludge onto the furrowed ground. Nearby there was a vast expanse of grass mown so short it looked like a bowling green, which had me puzzled until I saw a pile of wooden pallets and realised that the grass will be cut into strips and rolled up into lawn turf.

Near Lake Annone I came to  the bustling town of Oggiono where I had to thread my way through a market that was completely blocking the street. At Garlate I turned onto a cycleway that followed the lakes of Garlate and Loginat before continuing beside the Adda River for another 10 Km. Garlate looked pristine from a distance, but when I got closer I was surprised to see it was quite polluted. But when I rounded the next bend there was a team of about 30 orange-vested workers cleaning the debris out of the water.

My first impression of Bergamo was that it was drab and boring, but how wrong I was. Devoid of marble-paved or cobbled streets, and showy sidewalk cafés and bars, it might lack instant tourist appeal. But you have to scratch beyond the surface to appreciate Bergamo. Behind the unpretentious exterior there lies a fabulous city, rich in history and culture, with many classy Milan-type boutiques and eateries.

Bergamo is a medium sized city with a population of about 120,000. Other than a lively industrial centre, Bergamo is also an interesting city, full of art-work and culture. Bergamo is divided into two distinct parts: Bergamo Alta (the Upper Town) and Bergamo Bassa (the Lower Town). Bergamo Alta is the medieval part on the hill, defended by the Venetian walls dating back to the 15th century, while Bergarmo Bassa is the dynamic modern part.