MONTE LESIMA TRA 4 REGIONI

Challenging AM route that winds through 4 regions: Emilia, Lombardy, Piedmont and Liguria. Start is from Piani del Lesima; on Google Maps indicate Albergo Prodongo (also valid for end-of-ride beer). After warming up the leg on dirt road, we ride along Provincial Roads 88,18 and 90 until we begin the tough ascent to Monte Chiappo (1700 meters). Be careful here because the descents of the Pian del Poggio BikePark start from the top of Mount Chiappo.

If you are only interested in the descents stop here, otherwise if hiking predominates in you continue further, still on an open path through the pastures, to Capannette di Cosola.

Always pay attention to the barbed wire of fences used for grazing animals. At Capannette di Cosola cross the road and take the CAI 101 trail that will take you first to Monte Cavalmurone (1670 meters) and then, with a very short a/r to Monte Legnà (1669 meters). With continuous up and down you reach the slopes of Monte Carmo where the bike climbs on your back and in 10 minutes you reach the summit at 1642 meters. From Monte Carmo beautiful views of the entire Apennines and we descend from the opposite slope on trail in the pastures.

We go around the Mt. and return to our steps retracing the path taken on the outward journey with a few variations. On a saddle an obvious forest dirt road starts and ends on the road coming from Bogli. Now it is asphalt as far as Passo del Giovà and then back up to the road barred by a stanga that marks the beginning of the ascent to Monte Lesima (1724 meters) Monte Lesima is recognizable even from far away because of its "white ball" positioned at the summit, which is nothing more than a radar used in aeronautics. You will bless the fact that the climb is paved because there are some very but very hard initial peaks.

Once you reach the summit you go back a few hundred meters until you intercept the ridge trail that with a few ups and downs takes you past Monte Tartago (1688 meters), Monte Terme (1489 meters), and Monte La Colla (1438 meters). In its final part the trail is a bit ruined but by now we have arrived to ride downhill on the dirt road that we faced a few hours earlier on the ascent. The tour done by mtb has several stretches with push bikes and the climb to Monte Carmo with shoulder bikes. With the e-bike, I think everything becomes easier as long as you don't run out of battery because the ride is not short and, if you don't want to push, you will use the motor quite a bit. The ride should be done in good weather, with variable forecast give up.