A circular walk in the area of Entratico, discovering a cave, one of the most important in the Bergamo area for its Neolithic archaeological finds.
C.A.I. trail n°: 616
Difficulty: E – Hikers
Starting point: Entratico
Destination: Entratico
Duration: 2 hours and 30 minutes
Minimum height: 300 m
Maximum height: 577 m
Total ascent: 277 m
Availability of water on the route: Fonte del Canale, fountain above the Buca del Corno cave
Approach: from S.S. 42, go up into the centre of Entratico
and continue to the cemetery
Parking: at Entratico cemetery
Route:
From Entratico cemetery, walk up Via Leonardo Da Vinci and then Via Annunciata towards the small like-named church built in the 16th century. Continue to the right on the steep road Via Luèt along a gentle ridge until you reach the signpost for Buca del Corno. Go up a steep concrete road to the right to take a path that starts on the right of the cart track. It continues on level ground through the woods. After passing the spring known as Fonte del Canale, you reach the meadows surrounding the cave Buca del Corno.
This cave, which extends for 385 metres, is one of the most important in the Bergamo area for geological reasons and for archaeological finds from the Neolithic era. After walking up the park located to the left of the cave, take the access road towards the right, going around the fence and then continuing in the opposite direction, until you reach the masonry building located above the area. Walk up the meadow along the tracks, skirting the metal fence that borders the upper entrance to the cave. Continue through a forest of chestnut and locust trees to the hamlet named Sommi, which opens out onto a karst plateau from which you can enjoy a view encompassing the entire western Alpine range. After going around a private property on the left, continue along the dirt track that leads to the farmstead Cascina Maifreda in Zandobbio and continue along a wide path to a clearing. Following the C.A.I. signs, turn left onto a narrow path that gradually widens, until you reach the dirt track arriving from Foresto Sparso. Turning right, with a small detour from the route you can reach the hermitage of San Giovanni delle Formiche in a few minutes, visible from Val Calepio and the Basso Sebino area. Otherwise, following trail n° 616 to the left, take a long dirt track through chestnut woods and clearings towards Monte Bronzone and the Colli di San Fermo hills. At the end of the dirt track, go uphill along the asphalt road that leads to the hamlet Il Casino, located on the ridge that marks the border between the municipalities of Entratico and Foresto Sparso, and which still preserves traces of the old roccolo (a bird-trapping structure). Next, take the path that descends to the left and joins the Monte Sega dirt track, near a wood with damp ground and alder trees. Following the road towards the left, you will return to Via Luèt and the starting point in fifteen minutes.
Credits: Cooperativa Sociale l’Innesto Onlus and Consorzio Servizi Val Cavallina.
