alta Archivi - Vie Storiche Valle Brembana

Serina

cmvb_admin — Mon, 03 Oct 2022 15:01:45 +0000

Continuing up along the valley floor, the Mercatorum Way then enters the municipality of Serina. The route avoids the provincial road, crossing river Serina just above Rosolo and climbing up the left bank on an old mule track immersed in woodland. After moving higher, the path leaves the woods in the outskirts of the hamlet of Bagnella, and then follows the asphalted municipal road until it enters the main town. At Serina, the low-altitude variant of the Mercatorum Way joins the high-altitude variant arriving from Trafficanti, before continuing towards the Crocetta Pass and Dossena.

L'articolo Serina proviene da Vie Storiche Valle Brembana.

Dossena

cmvb_admin — Mon, 03 Oct 2022 13:33:26 +0000

In its transversal direction, the Mercatorum Way crosses the Val Serina valley, moving towards the Val Brembana valley on the raised plateau of Dossena, on the north side of Monte Castello. The end of the route is on the Crocetta Pass, a historic point of passage not only for the Mercatorum Way but also for many other transhumance routes heading for Oltre il Colle. The village of Dossena, benefiting from slopes well positioned in relation to the sun, has dispersed over the years to form a series of small and attractive groups of buildings, now part of a modern but still low-density urbanised area. The ancient road, unlike the “high-altitude” route that exists today, ran past the San Giovanni Battista (Saint John the Baptist) parish church buildings, and then continued, as it does today, towards Villa – the oldest inhabited settlement – and on to Pignolino and Bosco in Fuori. Some branches leaving the path, even though included in the current project for promoting the Mercatorum Way, reached the Brembano valley floor via San Gallo. It is worth noting that for much of the route, hikers are walking at above 1,000 metres altitude.

L'articolo Dossena proviene da Vie Storiche Valle Brembana.

Costa Serina

cmvb_admin — Mon, 03 Oct 2022 13:18:14 +0000

The path, arriving from Aviatico, enters the municipal territory of Costa Serina at the church of San Rocco. “From the plain,” states the Costa Serina municipality’s website, “it wasn’t possible to ascend directly along the river Brembo; there were natural obstructions that were impossible to overcome at that time, especially at Sedrina, where the river had carved its course deep into the rocks and left no space for any passage. Similarly, to ascend the Val Serina from below, one immediately encountered the rock barrier at Ambria, which was tunnelled only in modern times. To reach the mines of Dossena, the route followed the Val Seriana valley road as far as Nembro, then ascended to Selvino, crossed the basin following the itinerary running through Rigosa, Sambusita, Bracca, Frerola and Serina, and finally approached Dossena. Many centuries later, this route would be shortened, by creating a connection between Serina and Cornalba, so that the track could continue halfway up the mountainside towards Trafficanti, Aviatico and Selvino.”
The Mercatorum Way principally follows the slope below the Monte Suchello ridge, descending from an altitude of 1,021 metres at San Rocco to 780 metres after Tagliata on the border with Cornalba. Its distinctive feature is the fact that it runs through several ancient settlements, whose urban layout corresponds precisely to the ancient road system, as in the case of Tagliata, whose name, which can be translated as “cut,” is a reference to the road’s route.
It should be noted that a large proportion of the route follows asphalted provincial or municipal roads, as it would currently be difficult to identify alternative footpaths.
For some time, the municipality of Costa Serina has been pursuing a policy of recovering local historical paths. One of these is now called the “Sentiero del sole e dei sensi” (Path of the sun and the senses) and this also includes part of the Mercatorum Way. In addition, the publication of a Map of Paths, also available online, proposes four other circular routes in the municipal territory. Lastly, the municipality of Costa Serina also suggests a “high-altitude” variant of the Mercatorum Way, from Sant’Erasmo to the Forcella shrine. This route is shown as being the main axis of the Mercatorum Way shown on the 1:28,800-scale map of Lombardy-Veneto, from the 1819 survey.

L'articolo Costa Serina proviene da Vie Storiche Valle Brembana.

Cornalba

cmvb_admin — Mon, 03 Oct 2022 09:55:28 +0000

Over the centuries, the Mercatorum Way has helped to shape the settlement of Cornalba, a municipality located on the western slopes of Monte Alben. In fact, the old centre follows the historic route, also connecting the districts of Gardati, Passoni, Ola and Pagliarolo, on an area of flat ground with heights varying from 750 to 800 metres. Cornalba, and above all the location Gardati, was one of the most important locations for recreation and trade along the Mercatorum Way in the Middle Ages. Some authentic remains of the track can still be seen in the hamlet of Passoni (it is thought that this name was derived from the Tasso family). The village of Cornalba also saw tragic events linked to the Resistance struggle in the Bergamo area. In 1944, Fascist gangs tortured and killed several partisans. The ancient coat of arms of Cornalba, which can be found in Camozzi’s 1888 index of emblems, consists of a mountain between two fir trees and a basket or cavagna, on which a dove, symbol of peace, is standing. This indicates that the noble Cavanis or Cavagnis families originated from the municipality of Cornalba. The proposed route, in order to follow the historically documented track, must necessarily follow the ordinary road network for long stretches, with just a few sections running along paths. For this reason, there have been suggestions to promote an alternative route running a little higher and parallel to the road, accessible from the cemetery of Cornalba, and known as the “Cornalba-Serina Track.”

L'articolo Cornalba proviene da Vie Storiche Valle Brembana.