Along the Roads of Franciacorta
The route starts in Iseo, a beautiful tourist resort in the lower Sebino, to head towards Brescia, stopping almost immediately in Provaglio d'Iseo (beautiful monastery of San Pietro in Lamosa, founded by the Cluniac monks and overlooking the peat bogs of Sebino, old town, ruins castle, Madonna del Corno, panorama).
From the village, along a beautiful road that passes halfway up the hill, (detours to the ancient rural villages of Sergnana and Persaga) you reach Provezze (Villa Soncini of sixteenth century origin but enlarged in the '700) and then to Monticelli Brusati (Sanctuary of Madonna del Monte or Madonna della Rosa and Madonna dell'Avello or Cerezzata).
You reach Ome (Maglio Averoldi, recently transformed into a museum and open to the public).
Continuing along stretches immersed in a landscape of hills, vineyards and small towns you reach Rodengo Saiano where, not forgetting the locality Corneto (Villa Fenaroli XVIII-XIX century), the most precious jewel of Franciacorta rises majestically: The Olivetan Abbey, an important religious monument founded in the tenth century by the Monks of Cluny and then ruled by the Olivetan Monks, rich in frescoes by Foppa, Lattanzio Gambara and Romanino.
An episode towards Brescia leads to Gussago (Pieve di S. Maria con pulpito di Mavioranus VIII sec., Santuario della Stella XVI sec., La Santissima XV sec.) and then to Cellatica (Parrocchiale XVI sec., Chiesa di S. Rocco).
The itinerary then continues in the direction of Paderno Franciacorta (castle), Passirano and Bornato (castles), Cazzago San Martino (seventeenth-century town hall, Villa Cazzago with thirteenth-century towers) and crosses Calino (Ville Maggi) until descending towards Rovato (castle walls, Palazzo Porcellaga, Convento dell'Annunciata, Chiesa S. Stefano, Chiesa San Michele).
The next stop is the ancient castrum of Coccaglio and then Cologne (former Roman colony) until you reach Erbusco (castle, villa Lechi XVI - XVII sec., Pieve S. Maria).
A beautiful hilly road through the vineyards softened by rose bushes leads to Torbiato and then, crossing the road Iseo-Rovato, Borgonato (Palazzo Lana-Berlucchi) that with the villages of Timoline (church of S. Giulia, Villa Pizzini Piomarta), Colombaro (Palazzo Ragnoli - Lana, Palazzo Barboglio de' Gaioncelli), Nigoline (Church of Sant'Eufemia, Palazzo Monti della Corte, Palazzo Torri), forms the municipality of Corte Franca.
Once in Adro (Sanctuary of the Madonna della Neve, Palazzo Bargnani Dandolo XVII sec., with adjacent Church Bargnani, Santa Maria in Favento) we then head to Capriolo (castle) then towards Paratico, whose castle testifies to the strategic function exercised in the past by this center.
Continuing in the direction of Clusane (Castello del Carmagnola) will close the itinerary.
Texts taken from "Lake Iseo - Franciacorta - Valcalepio" Map of the Territory - Tourist Itineraries, published by the Province of Bergamo and the Province of Brescia
From the village, along a beautiful road that passes halfway up the hill, (detours to the ancient rural villages of Sergnana and Persaga) you reach Provezze (Villa Soncini of sixteenth century origin but enlarged in the '700) and then to Monticelli Brusati (Sanctuary of Madonna del Monte or Madonna della Rosa and Madonna dell'Avello or Cerezzata).
You reach Ome (Maglio Averoldi, recently transformed into a museum and open to the public).
Continuing along stretches immersed in a landscape of hills, vineyards and small towns you reach Rodengo Saiano where, not forgetting the locality Corneto (Villa Fenaroli XVIII-XIX century), the most precious jewel of Franciacorta rises majestically: The Olivetan Abbey, an important religious monument founded in the tenth century by the Monks of Cluny and then ruled by the Olivetan Monks, rich in frescoes by Foppa, Lattanzio Gambara and Romanino.
An episode towards Brescia leads to Gussago (Pieve di S. Maria con pulpito di Mavioranus VIII sec., Santuario della Stella XVI sec., La Santissima XV sec.) and then to Cellatica (Parrocchiale XVI sec., Chiesa di S. Rocco).
The itinerary then continues in the direction of Paderno Franciacorta (castle), Passirano and Bornato (castles), Cazzago San Martino (seventeenth-century town hall, Villa Cazzago with thirteenth-century towers) and crosses Calino (Ville Maggi) until descending towards Rovato (castle walls, Palazzo Porcellaga, Convento dell'Annunciata, Chiesa S. Stefano, Chiesa San Michele).
The next stop is the ancient castrum of Coccaglio and then Cologne (former Roman colony) until you reach Erbusco (castle, villa Lechi XVI - XVII sec., Pieve S. Maria).
A beautiful hilly road through the vineyards softened by rose bushes leads to Torbiato and then, crossing the road Iseo-Rovato, Borgonato (Palazzo Lana-Berlucchi) that with the villages of Timoline (church of S. Giulia, Villa Pizzini Piomarta), Colombaro (Palazzo Ragnoli - Lana, Palazzo Barboglio de' Gaioncelli), Nigoline (Church of Sant'Eufemia, Palazzo Monti della Corte, Palazzo Torri), forms the municipality of Corte Franca.
Once in Adro (Sanctuary of the Madonna della Neve, Palazzo Bargnani Dandolo XVII sec., with adjacent Church Bargnani, Santa Maria in Favento) we then head to Capriolo (castle) then towards Paratico, whose castle testifies to the strategic function exercised in the past by this center.
Continuing in the direction of Clusane (Castello del Carmagnola) will close the itinerary.
- Length: 80 km
- Difficulty: (by bike) easy with some climbs
- Cycling: total
- Average walking time (by bike) 4 hours
Texts taken from "Lake Iseo - Franciacorta - Valcalepio" Map of the Territory - Tourist Itineraries, published by the Province of Bergamo and the Province of Brescia
