Valcamonica is a long, deep Alpine valley running north from Lake Iseo towards the Adamello and Tonale mountains, and for something like eight thousand years people have been scratching pictures on its rocks. The Camunni, an Iron Age tribe, carved most of them, but the tradition began in the Neolithic and carried on through the Roman period and into the Middle Ages. The result is one of the largest collections of petroglyphs in the world, well over a hundred thousand figures by the common estimate, and in 1979 it became the first site in Italy to be given World Heritage status.
The images are simple and astonishingly alive. There are stick-figure warriors with round shields, deer hunted by dogs, ploughs drawn by oxen, huts on stilts, and the so-called Camunian rose, a looping symbol that is now the emblem of the Lombardy region. Some rocks show a village, drawn almost like a map. The carvings were pecked into smooth glacial sandstone, polished by ice in the last glaciation, and the best of them are in open parks near Capo di Ponte, where paths run through chestnut and oak woods and the rock surfaces rise like grey whales from the moss. Go on a bright morning if you can, because low raking light makes the engraved lines stand out. Breno, close by, is the valley's main town, with a hilltop castle and enough shops, cafes and petrol stations to sort out any practical need.
The valley is good riding in its own right. The main road follows the Oglio river through a wide, green floor with steep wooded sides, villages with tall bell towers and farms on terraces, and at the top the road reaches Ponte di Legno, from which two great Alpine passes open up. The Gavia, a narrow, high and sometimes terrifying climb, and the Tonale, an easier wide road across to Trentino, are both within reach. Another famous test, the Mortirolo, leaves the valley side near Monno, and its gradients that cyclists talk about in hushed voices. High passes carry closures in winter, and even in June they can hold snow, so check before you commit.
Late spring and September are the sweet times, with clear air and fewer visitors. In midsummer the traffic of holidaymakers heading for Lake Iseo and the mountains thickens along the valley floor. Polenta, cured meats and casonsei, filled pasta from the Brescia area, are what you will find on local menus.