…the heart of the valley

Piazza Brembana is a small “service and trade center” of Alta Val Brembana. With its 1200 inhabitants it is the largest municipality of the 20 existing in the “Oltre la Goggia” area (ancient name of the upper part of the valley). Not to be missed is the imposing Gothic-style Church, which stands out against the surrounding mountains. A simple walk leads us to discover the ancient part of the town, which in the past was crossed by Via Priula (and Via Mercatorum) and the little shops in the center.

The trip continues to Olmo al Brembo, which welcomes us with the Santuario dei Campelli, a small church on the banks of the Brembo river. The village was the ancient crossroads of historic roads, with bridges and arcades. Today there are some characteristic corners such as that of Cugno, at the entrance to the Valle Stabina.

Moving towards the Valle Averara, the first point of interest is the ancient Via Porticata di Averara, which is part of the historic “Via Mercatorum”. A few steps away, behind the ancient arcaded road, we can reach the ruins of an ancient watchtower, and then continue to Redivo, where the Bottagisi house is located, with its characteristic rural architecture from the Venetian era.

Returning to the village, we make a detour to take a look at the Ancient Venetian Customs House (Antica Dogana Veneta) and go down to the church, in whose arcade we can see the “Torre della Sapienza”. From here we can drive or walk (30 min.) to the historic villages of Valmoresca and Caprile Basso, small villages where time seems to have stopped.