Bergamo and Brescia as Capitals of Culture and cycling 2023

2023 is the year of Bergamo and Brescia, chosen as Italian Capitals of Culture. It will be a year full of events, exhibitions and appointments for these two cities. This is an opportunity not to be missed to visit them by bicycle, in their historic center and in the surrounding area.

Bergamo

This city won the sixth edition of the Urban Award, an award for sustainable mobility organized by Viagginbici.com, thanks to some of the initiatives put in place with the extensive Bergamoinbicicletta project, such as an innovative bicycle station, the reopening of the historic Ciclofficina with almost 3,000 bicycle parking spaces, a new bike sharing service with 390 bicycles and Bike boxes for safe parking.

For gravel lovers, three new routes have been prepared in the province for a total of 220 kilometers to slowly discover the area but with an extra pinch of adrenaline in addition. Gravel Lago, Gravel ValSeriana, Gravel Val di Scalve: three circuits to explore ValSeriana, Lake Iseo and Val di Scalve by bike.
You can also get on your bike and ride along the Val Brembana cycle path starting from Bergamo towards Zogno, following the Brembo river and the route of a former disused railway. The route is slightly uphill, but the maximum height difference is 200 metres.
Also worthwhile is a tour among the castles of the Bergamo plain, or a nice bike ride on the Muraine, the “World Heritage” Venetian Walls , the fortified walls of Bergamo dating back to the first half of the fourteenth century.
Then there is a cycle path, ”the culture cycle path”, which connects Bergamo with Brescia: 75 kilometers touching places of historical and naturalistic value, small villages, monasteries, regional parks, a nature reserve (the Torbiere del Sebino), castles and monuments. Both are Unesco cities, for the Venetian Walls,
one and for the monastic complex of San Salvatore, Santa Giulia and the archaeological area of the Capitolium the other.

Brescia

It is the second Italian city in terms of the number of bicycles ‘picked up’ by bike sharing services and the sixth largest in terms of the number of cycle paths in relation to the number of residents, according to the seventh report of the Focus2R Observatory.
In addition to the city center, you can cycle along the Garda cycle and pedestrian path, within which you will also find the spectacular 2 km stretch overlooking the lake that goes from Limone sul Garda to the border of Riva del Garda. For all tastes and legs is the Oglio cycle path which in 2019 won the Italian Green Road Award and with its total 282 km of route, 220 of which in the province of Brescia, goes from Passo del Tonale to the Po, through the Unesco area of Rock Engravings of Valle Camonica, skirts Lake Iseo and winds through the vineyards of Franciacorta. It winds between Valle Trompia and Valle Sabbia and connects them with Brescia, the Greenway of Valli Resilienti, a cycle path in the heart of the Brescia Pre-Alps.
You can also cycle among the vineyards of Franciacorta and Valtenesi, among hills, countryside, ancient villages. Here are six mapped wine-cycling itineraries, within everyone’s reach, each dedicated to a type of wine.
And then there are the routes for the more daring: the Tonale, the Gavia and the Mortirolo. Landmarks for cycling enthusiasts, they are historic stretches also crossed by the Giro d’Italia