There is a place in Lombardy called Val Vertova, it is a canyon that the stream has carved into the rock of Val Seriana over the course of millennia, and the air that flows through it is fresh even at the height of summer. It is not a recent discovery, the people of Bergamo have always known it, but after the forced closure following the landslide of 2023 the valley has reopened its doors and in the meantime has changed its skin. Today you book online, scan a QR code at the entrance and a maximum of 1,400 people enter per day. Once the quota is exceeded, the gate remains closed.
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The waterfalls and potholes, the heart of the place
The trail opens up slowly, as good places do. You start from the town center of Vertova, via Cinque Martiri is closed to traffic in season so you leave your car in one of the four car parks in the town and continue on foot along the stream. The forest takes over almost immediately, the temperature drops, the noise of the water increases. The difference in altitude is limited, around 270 meters in two hours, and the route leads to the waterfall that descends from Val de Grù: a waterfall framed by the rock which in the summer months becomes the natural resting point for anyone who arrives here.
But the waterfalls aren’t the only thing to see. Along the route you come across the so-called “giants’ potholes”: circular depressions dug into the rock by river erosion, a shape that dates back to the time when the whole valley was buried under the glaciers. They look like hand-crafted bathtubs, and partly function as such. The water that collects in it is emerald, icy, impossible to describe without sounding exaggerated. The natural pools scattered along the canyon complete the picture: there is no need to bring the beach from home, the place manages it on its own.
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The system that saved Val Vertova
The entrance ticket costs 5 euros, children between 8 and 17 years old pay 2.50 euros, children under 8 years old and people with disabilities enter free together with their companions. It is not a symbolic sum: it finances the maintenance of the paths and, above all, the access control mechanism that maintains the quality of the place. On May 1st, the first day of opening with tickets, it almost sold out in a few hours.
Reservation is mandatory and can only be done online, a few days in advance on weekends. At the entrance there is a physical traffic light: green for entry, red for return home. In the event of a yellow or orange weather alert, access is directly suspended for safety reasons, so it is worth checking the forecast the evening before leaving. Since June, a shuttle has also been available that connects the car parks to the entrance to the valley, for 2.50 euros, which can only be purchased together with the online ticket and not on site.
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Beyond the valley: an itinerary along the Serio
Those who want to turn the trip into a full day have everything they need within a few kilometers. Going down towards the Serio, between Casnigo and Ponte Nossa, you find Coston Beach: white pebbles, green water, a river beach that the people of Bergamo have passed down orally for generations and which does not appear in any official guide. Near Ponte Nossa there is also the “duck”, a rock in the middle of the river with an unmistakable silhouette that anyone who grew up in the valley will immediately recognize from the window. It’s not a postcard stage, it’s one of those things that you either know or you don’t, and knowing it changes your day.
To end on a high note, it takes thirty minutes from Vertova to Bergamo Alta.
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How to get there
By car it takes about an hour from Milan: A4 motorway to Seriate, then the SS671 Val Seriana in the direction of Clusone up to Vertova. On weekends the car parks fill up early, so it’s best to leave in the morning. By train the combination is Trenord to Bergamo, about 50 minutes, and then Val Seriana buses to the “Via Stazione” stop in Vertova, about another 45 minutes. From there it’s a 3.5 kilometer walk to the trailhead. Those coming by bike can follow a stretch of cycle path along the Serio and access the valley directly on two wheels.
