Italiano
DeutschPian Cusello
Great route to do when there is still snow on the north side of Tamaro and you can't get up from Alpe Foppa.
The trail starts from a free parking lot in Gravesano. There is not much time to warm up, because after a few hundred meters you take the Penudria, the toughest paved climb in the Sottoceneri. 480 meters of elevation gain that never lets up, but in not even half an hour you are up precisely because of the gradient. There are 2 fountains along this first stretch.
Thus we arrive in Arosio, where we turn right and cross the village. From here on it is all a fountain, also because quite a bit of water is taken from this area for the Luganese. We climb up toward the Tamaro on a paved road that alternates between steep parts and others where you can breathe. An occasional water break gladdens the cyclist, not least because the views of the Vedeggio valley and surrounding montages are well worth it.
We transit to Alpe Torricella, from where if you wish you can shorten the ride by taking the path that leads to Bassa. It is cyclable without any problems. We, however, continue on the road, the environment becoming increasingly alpine and spectacular.
After an up and down we arrive at the Pian Cusello woman.
Here we take a left up the steep but cyclable trail to the path down from the Tamaro. From here we follow south, first falsely flat, then with a very long traverse on a forest floor and faster and faster to the Bassa.
Here we change sides and one of my favorite trails begins. All bikeable with good technique, it has some very satisfying technical passages. In early season and fall it is full of beech leaves, slippery when dry, so watch out. So we come to two cow fences, and after the second one, we continue for about a hundred meters and then take a right onto an unmarked trail, but where the Scenic Trail passes, so once a year it is put in place. It is a narrow and slow trail, but relatively easy.
So we are back in Arosio, cross the town again and go up to Grotto Sgambada, where the second part of the descent begins, which will take us to Bosco Luganese. This one has just been fixed, is of medium difficulty, only at the end you have to be careful of the gully because of the many stones. Thus we arrive on a cemented road that we follow until we get to the fountain (yet another one) located on the curve of the Bosco Luganese - Cademario road.
From here we follow the life trail, which we abandon to take the path down to Gravesano. More rocky than the previous ones, it has some technical passages that are doable if you have confidence. We thus come out at the Penudria, which we briefly follow downhill to return to the car.
