High up the Val Brembana, north of Bergamo, the valley narrows and the villages get smaller until you reach Piazzatorre, a little resort of a few hundred people on a sunny slope surrounded by spruce forest and meadows. In winter it has a modest ski area; in summer it is a place for walkers and families from the plains escaping the heat of Bergamo and Milan. For riders, it sits near the start of one of the finest climbs in the Bergamo Alps: the road over the Passo San Marco, which leaves the valley at Mezzoldo and climbs toward the Valtellina.
The San Marco has a long history. In the late sixteenth century the Republic of Venice, which then ruled Bergamo, built a mule road over the pass, the Via Priula, to connect its territory with the Grisons and the Valtellina without passing through Spanish-ruled Milan. It became an important trade route for goods and soldiers, and near the top stands the Ca' San Marco, an old stone inn and customs house that once sheltered travellers and still serves food today. The pass itself is close to 2,000 metres, and on the far side, the road drops in a long series of hairpins toward Morbegno.
The riding is excellent. The road up from Mezzoldo is narrow and steep, with tight hairpins, rough patches and little room for passing, but the scenery is superb, with views back down the valley and up to the rocky peaks of the Orobie. The descent to the Valtellina is longer and more open. It is a seasonal road, normally closed by snow from late autumn to late spring, so check before you go. Traffic is light on weekdays but can be heavy on summer weekends with motorcycles and cyclists. Lower down, the road along the Val Brembana passes through a series of villages and gorges, with tunnels and bridges, and can be busy.
The Val Brembana is known for its cheeses, including Branzi and Formai de Mut, and nearby valleys produce Taleggio. San Pellegrino Terme, further down the valley, is the spa town that gave its name to the famous mineral water, with an Art Nouveau casino and baths. For fuel, Piazzatorre has none of note, so fill up in the larger villages of the lower valley, such as Zogno or San Pellegrino, or in Morbegno on the other side of the pass, about eighteen kilometres away as the crow flies, but much further by road.