E-MTB  -  ALL MOUNTAIN

A beautiful tour, not too demanding, but one that offers breathtaking views of the wild, yet enchanting, upper Spluga Valley.

The route starts from Pianazzo, just below Madesimo, and, following the old road – now a cycle path – we reach Madesimo and then Motta.

We continue climbing towards Motta Alta, this time tackling some steep gradients along the dirt track that winds up the ski slopes, until we reach the Madonna d’Europa, an imposing sanctuary featuring a golden statue of the Virgin Mary standing a full 15 metres tall!

A traditional photo is a must before heading back down an easy single track to reach Lago Azzurro, an alpine lake famous not only for its beauty but also for its unique hydrogeological characteristics and its historical link to Italian literature.

In fact, the lake owes much of its fame to the poet Giosuè Carducci, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, who spent time in Madesimo from 1888 to 1905.

Fascinated by the tranquillity of this place, in 1888 he dedicated his famous poem "Lago Azzurro" to it.

We’ll continue towards Alpe Groppera, a charming alpine hamlet, before hurtling down one of the trails at the Made Bikepark (don’t worry, we’ll choose the one best suited to your technical ability – there’s even a simple blue flow trail!) to reach Madesimo.

From here, the second climb of the day will take us up to the Andossi plateau, where we can enjoy a completely different landscape to the forested slope we’ve just left behind: endless alpine meadows, high-altitude pastures and a 360-degree view of the surrounding rocky peaks, in particular the Pizzi Ferrè, Tambò, Suretta and Stella!

We then reach the village of Montespluga, the last inhabited settlement before the Swiss border – a place with a timeless atmosphere, where in summer you can breathe in the air of the great Alpine passes and in winter – when the road to the Spluga Pass closes due to snow – it becomes a secluded, remote destination, accessible only on foot, by snowshoes or by snowmobile.

We return to the Andossi Plateau, first following the path that runs alongside the lake of the same name and then a dirt track that initially climbs and then descends on the opposite slope, towards Madesimo.

The route concludes with a fun and not overly challenging trail back down to Pianazzo.