Bordogna among churches and historic routes

If you are looking for a hotel in Bordogna, the village’s historic routes, churches, and landscapes offer several themes to help you plan your trip. The landmarks range from an old mule track and a former crossroads to churches dating from different centuries. There is also a stretch of river, archaeological remains, and paths that pass notable buildings.

Historic routes and landscapes along the Brembo

Sentiero 269 follows an existing historic mule track from Lenna through Bordogna, Baresi, and Roncobello. At the hamlet of Forcella di Bordogna, a path that can still be walked branches off toward Valle di Fondra. Chiesa della Forcella stands at the old crossroads to Valle di Fondra; its porch served as shelter for travelers. Here, the history of the route and the history of the building come together.

Another route description begins beside Chiesa di Bordogna and runs along Via Case, the mule track to Zucchero, and the Ria di Spì, beside the penstock of the Bordogna hydroelectric plant. The penstock from the Baresi reservoir to the plant also shapes the landscape. Along these routes, the hydroelectric infrastructure itself is part of the scenery.

Near Bordogna, the Brembo flows through a gorge carved out of the rock by water over thousands of years. A stream on the Bordogna–Fondra–Roncobello route can occasionally turn into a waterfall visible from the provincial road toward Branzi. The word “occasionally” matters here: the waterfall is not a permanently guaranteed feature.

If you would like to combine a circular route with a named destination, the Giro dei cantoni di Lenna e Bordogna leads to Bordogna’s sports ground, where picnic and barbecue areas are available. After a short paved section, Via delle Rocce returns to the old Castello Forcella di Bordogna. Bordogna’s small cemetery is also along this route. The different descriptions provide specific route names and destinations to help you find your way, but do not give a walking time.

Churches, chapels, and traces of the past

Chiesa della Forcella has a single-nave interior, a small bell tower, and a porch in front of the entrance. Its small mountainside chapel has umbrella vaulting, as well as frescoes on the walls and in the vaulting lunettes. These architectural features distinguish it from Chiesa di Bordogna, also known as Santa Maria Assunta.

Construction of Chiesa di Bordogna began in 1715 on the site of an earlier church, and it was consecrated in 1737. The earlier church’s square stone bell tower was preserved; it was later altered, including with the addition of bifora windows on its east and west sides. Its history thus combines an 18th-century new building with an older structure that was reused and modified.

Another religious site is Cappella e Oratorio di San Rocco a Bordogna. It was built around 1520–1526 on the site of a former cemetery as a votive chapel in honor of Saint Roch and as protection against the plague. Its approximate date and former cemetery location are part of its history; they do not describe its current use.

Castello di Forcella also tells the story of several stages of development. It appears to have been built gradually from the 12th century onward and to have taken on a more complex form in the 14th century. Its archaeological remains include extensive square-plan perimeter walls and the remains of a tower with sides measuring about seven meters. The castle is said to have controlled the only entrance to Valle di Fondra, giving it a degree of strategic importance. After a short paved section, Via delle Rocce returns to the old castle; the account of its history remains explicitly cautious.

Local tradition includes a historical account associated with the Bordogna-Fondra family: since 1400, the tenants of Alpe Mezzeno have reportedly paid two wheels of cheese to the family’s descendants without interruption. This is a cultural tradition, not a described opportunity to take part or sample the cheese. The old bridge in Bordogna, also known as Ponte del Bernigolo, crosses the Carona branch of the Brembo and adds a structure at a river crossing to the historic sites.

Bridge information

Work to renovate the Bordogna bridge on the SP 3 “SP 2 – Roncobello,” in the municipalities of Moio de' Calvi and Roncobello, began on July 24, 2026. The contract period was stated as approximately eight months. Check the bridge situation before you travel; the dated notice does not establish its later status.

Discover more destinations: Schilpario, Solto Collina, Mozzanica, Boltiere, Clanezzo, San Pellegrino Terme, Fuipiano Valle Imagna, Pumenengo.

For the wider travel overview: Bergamo.