COSTA VALLE IMAGNA

The village of Costa (600 inhabitant) lies at 1014m a.s.l., in Imagna Valley, in Bergamo province. It extend on a plateau of Dolomia Principale in Albenza massifsul (the highest top is Mt. Tesoro, 1432m). Some kilometres near there are massiccio dell'Albenza (altezza massima 1432m). Near Costa there are Camozzere (1452m) and Resegone (1875m). Placed above S.Omobono Imagna, Costa is a beautiful place, immersed in the green of the broad-leaved trees (beeches, birches, maples, ashes...). Just out from the village there are a lot of caves, a lot of them are polluted. The weather is cool during the whole year. In the summer the average temperature is about 15°C, in the winter it is -3°C, the snow covers the grass from December to March, unfortunately rain is very frequent: 2m of rain falls during a year. The landscape is very beautiful both in summer and in winter. Some years ago in winter Costa was a small ski center, that had a single ski lift now closed. Near Costa there is Valcava, where till 10 years ago there were two ski lift. On Mt. Tesoro (1432m) there was a ski lift, too. A more than 5Km cross-country slope is still opened.

 

About the excursions that it is possible to do from Costa there are a lot of small trips.

Costa-Valsecca (CAI n°574 trail sign): it begins from Cà Todesk (small hamlet at 990m) and it arrives at Valsecca. This short trip is fairly beautiful, it takes about 30 minutes. The walking is on an ancient mule track that is in the grasses. In the first part the slope is soft, while 100m near there is a very beautiful rock area with a lot of caves (about 30 in 1Km²). Then the mule track goes down in a flat area near somes livestock. If we go out from the path, we will can see the Big Beeches or Fö döl Paulì, enormous 2m wide beech placed in the ending part of a big grass. The mule track goes near some other livestock and a small shrine, then it arrives at Cimalprato (a Valsecca hamlet at 800m), it crosses the hamlet of Caffarino and, after it goes down the portico of Cascutelli, it finally arrives at the center of Valsecca. Travelling time: 1hour.

 

Costa-Pertusino: the walking begins from the hamlet of Cà Todesk (990m) and arrives at Pertusino (1180m). The path is accessible from a lot of points near Costa-Valsecca road. It is beautiful and it takes only 30 minutes. In the part near Cà Todesk the path crosses a grass of raspberry, then it goes into the wood. At the beginning it is flat and it quickly reaches a rock area near some walls, at last it is steep and does a lot of ups and downs. It arrives at a building for collecting a small spring and 100m after it reaches Pertusino, a friars' convent, now deserted. On the right a path begins and goes to Passata, while on the left there is a small nets to trap birds and the walk to Pertüs (Laghetto).

 

Pertusino-Passata: it goes from Pertusino (1186m) to Passata (1224mThis path is quite long: it takes about one hour and half. It skirts the mountain, but there are a lot of ups and downs to avoid some walls. In all there are 20 ups and downs that make it quite tiring and it climbs about 200m. The walking is very nice, the landscape is wonderful, on one hand we can see Mt. Resegone (1875m), on the other Valsecca (800m). The walking begins on the left of the friars' convent, after some minutes we arrive at Passo del Pertüs and we cross Ponte degli Spagnoli (Spaniards' Bridge), then there are two paths: one of them goes to the top of Ocone and to the other tops and the other one goes to Passata. We go along the last one. The path often crosses small screes, then it is flatter and the near landscape is less steep. It finds a shrine, a house with a beautiful grass and 400m after it arrives at Passata. From here there are a lot of links with Valsecca (1hour), with Rota d'Imagna (11/2 hour), with Brumano (one hour and a quarter), with Capanna Monza (30 minutes), with the top of Resegone (path of the crest, 3hours).

 

Pertusino-Passata (path of the crest): it goes from Pertusino (1186m) to Passata (1224m). It is quite long: it takes about 2 hour and a half. The walking climbs on the numerous crests of Camozzere: the first one is Ocone (1410m), the third and last one is Corna Camozzera (1452m). From here there are a lot of links with Valsecca (1hour), with Rota d'Imagna (11/2 hour), with Brumano (one hour and a quarter), with Capanna Monza (30 minutes), with the top of Resegone (path of the crest, 3hours).

 

Laghetto-Pertusino: the path goes from Laghetto to Pertüs and arrives to Pertusino, where there is a deserted friars'convent. The beginning is along a dirt road, at the end of this it arrives at a beech wood on the left of Mt. Picchetto (1310m) and then it reacheas Ristorante Pertusino (1182 m) and Pertüs (1214m). Travelling time: 20 minutes.

 

Costa-Cà Mazzoleni (CAI n°573 trail sign): it is a mule track and it goes from the hamlet of Rale of Costa to Cà Mazzoleni, hamlet of S.Omobono Imagna. The walking is very beautiful, it goes through hornbeam woods. It takes about one hour. The mule track reaches a centuries old beech on the right 100m after with the Virgin Mary of Cornabüsa's effigy. The path arrives to Cà Mazzoleni, then continues along the hamlet of Rizzolo and Cà Quadre, then it goes along Via Brigata Lupi and arrives at the church of Mazzoleni.

 

Costa-Laghetto: the path goes from Cà Bagazzino to Forcella. It takes 45 minutes. At the beginning it crosses a big grass then it enters a closely-planted beech wood. After a beautiful way it arrives at nets to trap birds in a clearing. Just over there is the cross-country slope, the path begins over this again and come out at Forcella, more commonly named Laghetto, because of a small pond.

 

Costa-Laghetto: the path goes from the center of the village to ForcellaIt climbs a steep slope where there is the ski lift. At the end it arrives at Cascina Egle and at the provincial road. The mule track begins again and it goes near a livestock and nets to trap birds. We meet the cross-country slope and we follow it towards Mt. Resegone for 50m. We arrive in a fork: we turn left and shorthly after we arrive at Laghetto. Travelling time: 1hour and 20minutes.

 

Forcella-M.Tesoro: the path goes from Forcella (1296m) to the top of Mt. Tesoro (1432m). It takes only 15 minutes, but it is very beautiful. At the beginning it crosses a big grass, then it goes into a wood and arrive at a grass again, we walk on the crest and shortly after we reach a ski lift. The wood begins again, but it ends 150m after, when it arrives at an other grass that lead to the top. This ending part is very beautiful: on the one hand it is possible to see the plain, on the other hand the mountains. The view is very large because Mt. Tesoro is the highest top Albenza Massif (except Corna Camozzera).

 

Valpiana-Cornabusa (CAI n°572 trail sign): the path goes from Valpiana, hamlet of Costa, in front of Primula restaurant, and lead to the sanctuary of Cornabusa (S.Omobono Imagna). At the beginning it is along a dirt road, then there is a mule track that lead to a grass with a livestock (Barbis's livestock). It crosses a birch wood, then a grass, at which extremity the walking is steeper and more panoramic. There are a lot of hairpin bends over some walls and finally the path arrives at Grotta della Cornabusa, where there is the sanctuary of Cornabusa, that is reachable by car from Cepino (hamlet of S.Omobono Imagna), too. Travelling time: about 45 minutes. 

 

Costa-Brodelli-Valcava (CAI n°573 trail sign): the path goes from the hamlet of Cà Geraglio. The mule track begins on the right of a bowling green, it crosses a lot of beech woods and grasses and leads to the hamlet of Brodelli (in which in May it is possible to see narcissus filled grass and laburnums in flower). From here there is a provincial road that lead to Valcava. Travelling time: 11/2 hour.

 

Rale-Tribulina del Ciapa: the path begins from a washing under Paer, near the hamlet of Rale. At the beginning it goes in a dirt road, then at the first pylon, it turns left, where there is nets to trap birds. The walking continues flat going by Grotta dei Ragni, it descends surpassing a lot of valleys, finally it arrives at Tribulina del Ciapa, small shrine. Travelling time: 30 minutes.

 

Brodelli-Roncola S.Bernardo: the path goes from Brodelli (small hamlet at 1200m). A long mule track skirts the mountain, it crosses large grass and 2km after it arrives at two livestocks, then it continues descending through a beautiful wood near some white rock walls. Finally it arrives at hamlet Ronco (1050m) of Roncola S.Bernardo.

 

 

 

THE MOST BEAUTIFUL AREA IN THE VILLAGE OF COSTA

 

Cà Todesk -Cà Gazzoli-Cà Bagazzino: it is a very beautiful area with a lot of woods, in which there are a lot of caves, but above all there are numerous karst needles of rock, that are blocks in light eroded Dolomia Principale that come out from the ground. Very beautiful is the karst block formation, where a lot of lapiazes and tectonic fractures split the ground in numerous areas separated from the other ones.

Val de la Catoi-Valpiana: this area is very beautiful and it is like Cà Todesk. There are a lot of woods, in which there are a lot of caves, but above all there are numerous karst needles of rock, that are blocks in light eroded Dolomia Principale that come out from the ground. Very beautiful is the karst block formation, where a lot of lapiazes and tectonic fractures split the ground in numerous areas separated from the other ones.

 

Brodelli-Albenza: this area is included between 1200m and 1400m. Big pasture with white cropped out stones and beech and birch covers this area. Very beautiful is the Albenza crest, where there is a beautiful landscape (the Po Valley, the Alps and the foothills of the Alps).

 

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This page is written by Andrea Maconi (Gruppo Grotte Milano)

Last Update: 14-12-1999