Comune di Sedrina

The Priula Way tourist route enters the territory of the Comunità Montana Val Brembana (Val Brembana Mountain Community) at Ponte Ballerino di Clanezzo; the hiking route leads into the territory at Botta di Sedrina, arriving from the slopes of Monte Bastia in the municipality of Villa d’Almè and probably linked to an ancient way at a higher altitude in the valley, much earlier than the construction of the Priula Way. Of course, neither of the routes follow – except in certain parts wherever possible – the Priula Way’s original historical route, which lies under the present-day asphalt of the valley floor road, but they offer satisfactory alternatives that guarantee, as far as possible, a separation from motorised traffic, giving users a degree of safety. The need to improve accessibility to historic settlements and other isolated monuments at various locations on the Priula Way, in addition to the various logistical structures, made it logical to focus the routes on the main locations in the valley, with the possibility of including some shared stretches.

Tracciato Storico

Starting from the “Campana settlement (Contrada Campana); from here the Way went to Botta, where it climbed up again, following the present-day steps leading up to the entrance of the parish church. It then continued on to the village Lisso, arriving in Sedrina. Today, Botta and Campana are completely bypassed by the two viaducts built in the 1960s and ‘70s. The Way therefore reached Sedrina and went all the way through it (on what are now Via IV Novembre and Via Roma). Then it went uphill with a challenging gradient towards Sedrina Alta (the upper section of Sedrina); here the Priula Way passed under a portico, demolished by the Austrians between 1820 and 1822, and zig-zagged between the houses with a width such that at some points there was not enough space even for the passage of two mules going in opposite directions. After leaving Sedrina Alta, the road turned towards Stabello; Priuli eased the descent to the Zogno bridge (now one of Sedrina’s six bridges), by means of two hairpin bends. This was another section that was difficult to build and very tiring for travellers because of the slope, which remained steep. The bridge was already in use in 1593 when Priuli decided to include it in the new Way. A second wooden bridge over the river Brembilla led into the territory of Zogno, with the route moving onto the right banks of the river Brembo. On a spur of rock that separated the two bridges, there was a house called Comishàre, which according to local lore was a customs house; however, there are no documents attesting to this.” (Extract from Michela Lazzarini’s degree dissertation, Milan Polytechnic University, Faculty of Architecture, 2009).

Itinerario escursionistico

Difficoltà: Escursionistico
Lunghezza percorso: 4570m
Dislivello: 330m
Tempo di percorrenza: 1:40
Note: Connessioni con trasporto pubblico: Botta, Sedrina, Ponti di Sedrina.
Ricettività: bar a Botta e a Sedrina.
Altri percorsi escursionistici convergenti: sentiero natura della Valle del giongo a Botta di Sedrina; sentieri per il Nido del falco e il Monte Canto Alto alla Sella di Tassera.
SE1

Botta di Sedrina, Parrocchiale di S.Antonio Abate

Botta di Sedrina, parish church of Sant’Antonio Abate. Documented since 1397, it was separated from Sedrina’s principal church in 1520 and belonged, through rights of patronage (jus patronatus, advowson) to the counts Vitali and Sottocasa. The building has been reconstructed in modern style. Botta is closely linked to the Priula Way as a result of its famous “arches”, one of the most challenging stretches of the route. On today’s carriageway, much wider than it was in the past, the technical solutions that were used to surpass this obstacle have been eliminated: they comprised a series of iron arches – named “chiavi” (keys) – projecting out over the drop, cantilevered above the river, supporting the footway made of wooden planks. The arches were refurbished for the first time in 1812, excavating the rock and increasing the width of the path to 3 metres so that carts could pass. Today, nothing remains of those arches, except in local memory.

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Casa-torre comunale di Botta di Sedrina

Municipal hall and tower, Botta di Sedrina. A three-storey tower building with covered-way portico and wooden balconies, with some round arch windows that have been walled up. Probably of medieval origin.

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Sella di Monte Tassera

(alt. 632 m). Panoramic viewpoint at the highest location on the route.

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Sentiero dei Falchi

(Falcon’s path). A path leading up to Prati Parini (Parini meadows) and the Associazione Falchi di Sedrina (Sedrina Falcons Association, a sports club) mountain lodge, which can be followed riding a mountain bike, and that has been endowed with various educational facilities. Three traditional Bergamasque “roccoli” (bird snares) are located on the trail. An information board is installed on Via Cler, at the entrance to the path.

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Sentiero storico Sedrina-Cler

Historic Sedrina-Cler path. It runs along the Valle Pisoni local road (historic cadastre). In the upper part it is cobbled and has steps along the narrow valley gorge. There is a spring, and several sections have retaining walls.

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Parrocchiale di S. Giacomo Maggiore

Sedrina, parish church of S. Giacomo Maggiore. Lombard Gothic interior, a fine, harmonious Renaissance façade by Mauro Codussi, who had previously designed the church of San Michele dell’Isola in Venice. During the 1944 restoration, an original 14th-century apse was renovated. Inside there are two valuable paintings: Madonna in Glory and Saints by Lorenzo Lotto (1542); Dead Christ by Giampietro Silvio, one of Titian’s pupils. Also notable are a 17th-century painting by Carlo Ceresa, Guardian Angel, and a Madonna of the Rosary. There are various sacred furnishings and vestments.

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Sedrina Alta

Traditional row of historic buildings along the Priula Way. This stretch was particularly rough and steep. In order to enter Sedrina, from the Bridges, other animals had to be harnessed to the carts in order to climb the steep slope, as can be seen in the 1856 Austrian document. Over the years, the population of Sedrina developed services specifically for travellers (stabling, hire of draught animals, inns), which later developed to become modern trucking activities.

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Ponti di Sedrina

Sedrina Bridges. A picturesque collection of bridges dating back to various epochs, crossing the Brembo gorge at the confluence of the river Brembilla. Legend has it that the bandit Paci Paciana threw himself from one of the bridges to escape capture. The Val Brembana valley has two particularly narrow sections: one is the Goggia, on the other side of San Giovanni Bianco, and this is the other. The roads run through passages of limited width that required the construction of bridges. Over time, these have become prominent elements in the landscape and local history. There are six bridges in Sedrina, built at different times using various techniques, over the two rivers: four of them are still employed (for the road Variante alla SS 470, the SP 23 road to Zogno, the pedestrian and cycle path on the bridge of the former Brembana Valley Railway, and the SP 23 road to Clanezzo).