Lugano gravel bike tour – Stage 4: Tesserete – Cadro/Lugano a English

Tour of Val Colla with ascent to Monte Bar. 

...From the Monte Bar hut away to Corticiasca you alternate between dirt and scenic asphalt roads, to Bogno you then pedal along the cantonal road through typical Val Colla villages. From Bogno you follow a dirt road up to the San Lucio pass, on the border between Switzerland and Italy with views on both sides. Panoramic dirt road and single trail lead to Pairolo. A further dirt road winds its way through the woods in the direction of the scenic Roveraccio, where we proceed to Cadro, passing through several villages. From Cadro we climb again along a steep dirt road to the 1,228m Capanna Alpe Bolla. From Tesserete begins one of the most classic and popular itineraries for cycling enthusiasts. We climb up to the hospitable Capanna Monte Bar, covering the approximately 1,000 metres in altitude difference along a route, except for the last km, on asphalt. Repaid by the hospitality and the impregnable view, we set off again towards Val Colla, cycling on the dirt road between Alpe Rompiago and Corticiasca (south of Alpe Musgatina you will find a viewpoint distinguished by a set of intriguing rocks), a valley that will be travelled all the way to the end of Bogno by cycling along the cantonal road. Bogno-Piandera section along a dirt road through the woods. On reaching Madonna d'Arla you climb up Monte Roveraccio, where you may come across grazing Scottish cows, a 360° panoramic viewpoint. From Madonna d'Arla to Sonvico on a dirt road, continue to the final destination of the stage in Cadro–Lugano.