Home of Il Lombardia monument. Como, Bergamo, and alpine challenges.
Destinations
Bergamo is the launchpad for the Bergamo Alps, the amphitheatre of climbs that decides Il Lombardia most years — the Colle del Gallo, Selvino and the Passo di Ganda are all within reach. From the medieval Città Alta, roads climb quickly into the Val Seriana and Val Brembana for endless walls and quiet valley loops.
Bormio sits at the foot of the Passo dello Stelvio — 48 hairpins to 2,758 m, the roof of the Giro — with the Passo di Gavia, the Mortirolo and the Foscagno all within reach. In the Alta Valtellina it is one of the ultimate high-altitude Alpine bases, pairing a spa-town centre with the hardest passes in Italy.
Brescia bridges the vineyards of Franciacorta and the mountains above Lake Iseo, giving riders gentle rolling terrain on the doorstep and a straight run toward the high passes of the upper Valcamonica. It's a practical base for tackling the Mortirolo and Gavia while sleeping in the city.
Como sits at the gateway to some of Lombardy's best-known riding, with the Passo di Valcava and the Passo Culmine di San Pietro rising behind the lake and Parlasco and the Forcella di Bura linking the quieter valleys above the shoreline. Long spring and autumn seasons, well-surfaced lakeside roads that climb the moment you turn inland, and frequent trains and ferries for shortening a day make it a base that suits both hard weeks and easy ones.
On the eastern arm of Lake Como, Lecco is cycling folklore territory: the Madonna del Ghisallo — patron of cyclists — the brutal Muro di Sormano and the Colma di Sormano all rise straight from the lake. Expect steep, wooded climbs, technical descents and postcard water views on every ride.
At 1,816 m, Livigno is a duty-free high-altitude training hub ringed by the Passo del Foscagno, the Forcola di Livigno and the Bernina toward Switzerland, with the Stelvio and Mortirolo a valley away. Thin air, long climbs and a lake-side bike path draw pro teams for altitude camps every summer.
Ponte di Legno is one of the great high-mountain hubs of the Alps, ringed by the Passo del Tonale, Passo di Gavia and Passo del Mortirolo, with the Stelvio a valley away. At 1,250 m it's a natural base for altitude-hungry riders chasing the Giro's most legendary passes in a single trip.
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7 destinations waiting to be discovered.