The ancient path that climbs up to Bocchetta di Sommafiume

The San Jorio Pass is an ancient way that connected Bellinzona to the Como Lake at the age of the Roman Empire already. During the last century the construction of roads and the invention of cars threw it out of the international trades, but for the same reason it kept its importance for the local economy: it's new gained isolation allowed for the smugglers, that knew by memory all the peaks and the valleys, to export rice, salt and cigarettes, and thus to be the main support for their villages.

This tour starts in Arbedo, Switzerland, and climbs up to San Jorio Pass, right on the border. On the other side of the pass it descends for a few kilometers down in Italy, then climbing again back into Switzerland through Bocchetta di Sommafiume, another important pass. Due to the long climbs and the hard and dangerous paths, this tour can be done only by strong and trained bikers with very good technical skills.