Aviatico: Trails, Rocky Landscapes and Church Art

Monte Poieto and Cornagera provide two clearly named landmarks for hiking plans around Aviatico. Churches and art in Aviatico and its hamlets of Ganda, Amora and Ama are also worth exploring. If you are looking for a hotel in Aviatico, you can first consider whether your trip will focus mainly on hiking trails, rocky landscapes or religious art.

Hiking trails to Monte Poieto

Monte Poieto is 1,360 metres high; forests, pastures and views over the valley below define the mountain. Numerous hiking trails lead up from Aviatico. A lift takes you directly to the summit. In 2021, CAI Trail 516 was extended from Forca d’Aviatico to Monte Poieto. Trail 521 reaches the church square in Ganda. CAI Trail 521A is listed as approximately 1.6 kilometres long, with an elevation gain of 250 metres and an estimated duration of 45 minutes.

Trail 537 also offers clear guidance on its intermediate destination and direction: it passes through Ama and then heads towards Monte Cornagera and Monte Poieto. The Cornagera–Monte Poieto circular hike starts near the Aviatico car park and follows Trail 537 towards the two mountains. This makes it possible to distinguish trails with specifically named destinations from a circular route whose starting area is also described.

Rocky trails and climbing routes at Cornagera

The trail through the Cornagera Labyrinth connects CAI Trails 537 and 521 and leads to the summit of Cornagera, at 1,311 metres. Along the route through the area is Büs de la Carolina, a narrow passage between high rock walls. The rock towers also have sport climbing routes graded from easy to 6c. Hiking trails, a rocky passage and climbing routes describe different aspects of Cornagera; they do not imply a uniform level of difficulty for all routes.

Getting there and practical information

The Aviatico–Monte Poieto route is accessible by car via the SP35 Bergamo–Nembro, the SP36 Cantul and the SP31 Aviatico. You can also travel by bus from Bergamo to Aviatico via Nembro. Check the current timetable before travelling. If you plan to use the lift, check its availability; before setting out on a hike, you should also check current trail conditions.

Churches, chapels and art

The San Rocco Temple in Aviatico dates back to 1632. It was built as a vow by survivors of the plague that struck in 1630. On the summit of Monte Poieto stands a chapel dedicated to Madonna della Neve, also known as Madonna di Poieto. These two sites are distinguished by their locations: one is in the village of Aviatico, while the chapel is high on the mountain.

A church in Ganda has a façade with six niches. They depict Mary and Saints Anthony the Abbot, Joseph, Roch, Peter and Paul. Also in Ganda, a hamlet of Aviatico, is the Osservatorio Astronomico delle Prealpi Orobiche, on the southern slopes of Monte Poieto at an altitude of about 1,200 metres. Its location and elevation give this site a different connection to Monte Poieto from that of the summit chapel.

In Amora, the parish church of San Bernardino da Siena stands on a raised church square known as the Belvedere. The church contains paintings titled “The Last Supper,” “Madonna del Carmine,” “The Fall of Manna” and “The Sacrifice of Isaac.” In Ama, the Church of San Salvatore and the Transfiguration houses a polyptych by Giovanni Giacomo Gavasio and an 18th-century wooden statue of Madonna delle Convulsioni, created by an unknown sculptor. Aviatico is also home to a place of worship with a painting of Saint Francis of Assisi attributed to Giovan Battista Moroni.

This gives you a concrete way to plan your trip: hiking destinations and elevations alongside artworks and churches in different locations. You can choose the focus of your stay before looking for a hotel in Aviatico.

Discover more destinations

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Go to the main travel overview: Bergamo.