A mixed route of about 30 km that alternates sections of cycle/pedestrian path with sections of low-traffic road, from the banks of the Chiese river to the waters of Lake Idro
The track follows the course of the Chiese river, a tributary of Lake Idro, in a beautiful rural environment, now approaching, now moving away from the river. It alternates stretches of cycle/pedestrian lane with stretches of low-traffic paved roads without ever crossing state or provincial roads. It has no particularly challenging climbs or gradients and this feature makes it suitable for everyone, including children. Particularly suggestive during the spring period where it is possible to watch the spectacle of the different blooms. It starts from Pra di Bondo, then passing through the small but suggestive lake of Roncone. Then continue to Cologna, a hamlet of Pieve di Bono. At Cimego it is possible to visit the ethnographic path of Rio Caino, an open-air museum of popular tradition, while at the height of the town of Storo you can glimpse waterfalls, a suggestive walkway, and welcoming play areas perfect for enjoying a well-deserved stopover. Then a series of cornfields follow one another, until you reach the shores of Lake Idro in the locality of Baitoni. The final destination is the ideal place to relax before returning.
A perfect route to enjoy a day outdoors in complete tranquillity. To visit the Austro-Hungarian monumental cemetery in Bondo and, near Lardaro, the Larino fort. But the valley surprises us with other evidence visible from the track, such as the huge pipelines and hydroelectric structures between Cimego and Pieve di Bono, which document the intense exploitation of the Chiese waters carried out in the 1950s and which penetrate as far as the slopes of the Adamello , furrowing the side valleys of Daone and Fumo. You can also go and discover the many signs left by the Great War, an infinite number of walkways, trenches, emplacements. The track among beautiful alpine landscapes descends along the Chiese river, touches the numerous villages that lie along the narrow valley floor and which reveal unsuspected historical jewels and other curiosities. In Pieve di Bono the church of Santa Giustina is a true monument of history; in Condino, in addition to the palaces and churches of the old core, the parish church of Santa Maria does not go unnoticed. At the height of Cimego, the ethnographic path of Rio Caino, an open-air museum of popular tradition, is worth a visit. Having reached the northern shore of Lake Idro, the arrival point of the cycle path, it is possible to take the nature trail that crosses the Lake Idro Biotope, an important example of the landscape of the great lakes of the Insubric region. It occupies the southern part of the alluvial plain of the Chiese river and is what remains of the vast wetland that once occupied the northern part of the lake, largely reclaimed starting from 1848. The biotope environment has remarkable vegetation and flora interest; there are rare plant associations, some of which are reported for the first time in Italy and one is even new to science. There are numerous rare plant species of wetland environments; some of these are disappearing from Europe precisely because of the reduction of the environments suitable for them. On the top of a rocky outcrop overlooking Lake Idro, the Valle del Chiese and Rocca d'Anfo stands Castel San Giovanni, the ancient fortress of the Lodròn Counts dating back to the 12th century, which can be visited in the summer months. There are numerous picnic areas and refreshment points along the route.
