Sondrio | Run 12 km | Boirolo for the bois and the gyals

Even though Valtellina is an alpine valley, there aren’t that many opportunities to truly break the tree line and enjoy being up there – as in, not too technical, not exposed, but nice and runnable. That’s exactly what this is.

Boirolo is a little gathering of houses at around 1,600 metres. The road up to it is marked with kilometres signs for cyclists so it is also highly recommended that you ride up before doing this run.

It’s a real beauty of a run and you’ll continually marvel at the scenery. if not, you should stop and look around. Take your eyes off your watch and your heart rate.

A lollipop-shaped run because that just happens to be as far as you can drive up with your car. Normally we wouldn’t advocate driving up the little roads as we like to keep them quiet for bikes, but we can make an exception in this case.

A fairly simple route to follow and in a very sunny spot. Summer only, of course.

Morbegno | Gravel 56 km | Mixed terrain at its finest

The Only Way Is Morbegno – Gravel. Not the easiest route in the world, but worth every pedal stroke, apart from that 1km you have to ride on the main road.. It starts from the flat plains of Morbegno and begins with the early part of Passo San Marco. It’s a bit of a slog for 3/4 km before you jet off down a little lane when you reach the pass’ first major hairpin. This next stretch is a dreamy bit of gravel on an ancient lane with great views. A quick descent to Talamona before nipping around the Colmen to join the Sentiero for a bit. From here, you’ll head towards Buglio. The route looks complicated as it goes ‘off-grid’ here and takes a very tiny, very steep, very authentic cement climb that’s pure Panda territory. This rejoins the road after 10 minutes of climbing, so you could decide to stay on the main road (which is incredibly quiet). Once you’ve rejoined the road up to Buglio, the route again goes off-grid although it’s a very well used path that is signposted on your right on a big hair pin. You can’t miss it basically; there’s nothing else around. It’s a cool path, bit tricky in the wet, but worth it for the satisfaction of having ridden up it. Then you’ll turn a right when you hit the road at top of the zigzags, heading into the woods for a little bit of fun on a single track then a gravel road before rejoining the road that you skipped earlier.

From here, up to Buglio before a little more of a climb that cuts into the mountainside and escorts you towards Gaggio. Gaggio is a super cool village with great views and an even greater descent for gravel bikes with little cobbled alleys that cut across all the hair pins of the road. We like them a lot. Can be tricky though so don’t let go of the brakes too much.

Once at the bottom, head back towards the Colmen (the hill in the middle of the valley that sticks out). There’s a seriously cool trail that cuts off the main road. It’s lovely!

There’s one more little climb up to San Bello that awaits but it’s just a few minutes and has some of the valley’s coolest hairpins. You’ll then cruise through little villages and tiny lanes before a flat, mellow route back to Morbegno.

Mixed terrain at its finest.

Sondrio–Tirano | Road 32km | The Scenic Option

Getting from Sondrio from Tirano can be straightforward or blissfully complex. This is the latter. And it’s worth every drop of sweat, every crank of your neck to look alternately at the bike computer and the views, and every pedal stroke in the direction of Tirano.

It sets off from the car park at the tennis courts on the outskirts of Sondrio, first heading along the trusted Sentiero before breaking free and heading towards Faedo and Piatedo Alta. This is the first climb of the route and it’s just a little lump to get the legs warmed up and the lungs opened. It starts with one long drag but gets more exciting the higher you get. You’ll then drop down again and rejoin the Sentiero for its nicest cobbled section. The next climb takes up you to Castello dell’Acqua and it’s a SUPERB bit of road. It skirts along the edge of the mountainside with prestigious views before a mellow drop down to San Giacomo. Quickly across the road and another, very short climb awaits.

This whole route has been conceived to avoid the main road and escort along the valley’s hidden gems. If you ask us, it succeeds on both fronts. A truly winning route, it gets even better after a 500m stint on the main road when you take a left turn off the main road towards Boalzo. This is where the roads get really quiet (although the earlier side sections are also very quiet), and there are a few lumps and bumps on the final, super scenic 10 km to Tirano.

Avoid this route in the deep winter as the two first climbs are on the shady side of the valley. Obviously it can be ridden in both directions too – just reverse the route on Komoot.

Triangia | Run 5 km | The Balcony

A fairly new trail called the Balcony Trail, this is a wonderful route that condenses the greatest views and a fairly techy trail into just 5 km, which renders it the ultimate trial mountain run. We highly recommend this for families and those new to mountain running and looking for a taste of its beauty. After this route, you will go on to far bigger achievements. But for right now, and for those coming back from injury, this has just enough spice to heighten your senses and get you hooked.

Park in Triangia (the perpetually sunny village above Sondrio). There’s a cafe in the centre of the village, or head 2.5km up the road to Ligari afterwards for coffee and cake.

Runnable ALL YEAR ROUND.

Sondrio | Run 9km | Not the typical athletics track

This is a really basic but truly wonderful route that sets off from the athletics track and essentially does an extended scenic loop above it.

It takes in the most exciting and accessible vineyard trails and takes you on a panoramic tour above Sondrio. The first part is mainly uphill before it flattens off then drops you down towards the track again. There are many ways to extend this route, but it’s a great, time-efficient, touring run for those with an hour to spare. The photo below is clearly not representative of the vineyard trails, but does signify where you’ll find free parking.

Laps on the track afterwards, optional.

Sondrio | Road 50 km | The definitive Valtellina road ride – vineyards, orchards, tiny roads.

In winter it’s hard to know which roads are still passable by bike – is that stretch of tarmac getting any sunshine at all? A safe bet is to keep high on the south-facing slopes. That’s exactly what this sublime route does. A breath-taking excursion into Valtellina’s wine territory. We think it is unrivalled!

You’ll head eastwards up the valley along the main road for a short stretch – it’s very quiet though. After a few minutes of pedalling you’ll find yourself on back roads that careen along the bottom of the valley, taking you on a whistle-stop tour of the orchards to Chiuro. Once you reach Chiuro, there’s the beautiful Castionetto climb that takes you up to the Panoramica. That road, the Via Panoramica, is something else entirely. Unbeatable views, fairly quiet on the traffic front, it’s a real pleasure to cruise along. This route doesn’t follow it for long though; you’ll be spewed out onto back roads that bypass the bigger villages and go all-in for authenticity. Expect little archways, ancient buildings and a whole lot of character through the vineyards.

This route starts and finishes at Sondrio train station, which even in the winter should get a fair amount of sun.

Have a good one!

Ponte in Valtellina | Run 13km | Rifugio ramble up high

This route is very close to hearts of runners from Lombardy as the rifugio ADM (Amici delle Montagne) used to be the summer training base for many of the region's top runners. They'd train twice a day, chop wood and clear trails. Pretty idyllic way to spend your summer and very different from pounding the track at St Moritz, where the mountains just make a nice backdrop. Here, the mountains are truly 'lived'.

Great route, it goes high, breaks the treeline and offers beautiful views. 

Not really doable in winter. Unless it's one of those winters with very little snow. 

Buglio | Gravel 26km | Lost lanes and adventurous climbs

A solid route of tiny tracks, disused and half-finished gravel roads, some cute villages and views galore. Starting and finishing at Sesterzio. 

Year-round but watch out for the descent down from the reservoir at Lotto as shady tree-covered corners could be a bit icy in winter. 

Campo Moro | Run 20km | Digging the diga

A bit techy and arguably at altitude so you really want to pick your day to do this route. It's one of the blow-your-mind loops with beautiful trails, boulders, ridges and the crystal clear water of the reservoir, hence the name 'diga' which is Italian for dam. 

A choice of rifugios up here for a post-run cake and cola.

Summer only. Works in both directions. 

Sondrio/Valmalenco | MTB / Gravel 54km | Vert metres for Valmalenco

Riding out of Sondrio on the Sentiero Rusca isn't the most inspiration start to a mountain bike ride so some might argue that you don't really need a mtb for this route. However, there are trail diversions galore once you've got those vertical metres in your legs in Valmalenco. 

Summer and early autumn only. 

Sondrio | MTB 32km | One for the climbs and the carnivore

Essentially uphill for 20 km towards Carnale and onwards, followed by 10 km of fast, flowing descent. We've done the legwork so you can have fun finding your way. 

Spring and summer only. 

Chiuro | Road 58km | A for adventure, B for b-roads, C for Chiuro

Loose description of 'road', this one wouldn't be averse to somewhat extra grip on certain roads on the northside of the valley. The first half is almost totally traffic-free until you reach the main pass road down from Aprica. In summer this gets a little busy so just watch out for motorbikes careening their way up the pass, in a mad dash to overtake lorries. It's not great but it'll whizz by. Then you're back onto small roads. You have to rejoin the main road super briefly before you start the climb to Teglio, but it isn't a dealbreaker, we promise. 

A hilly route, but unfortunately off the cards in winter. All of the climbs will be worthwhile. 

Val Viola | Run 43km | A very special hut-to-hut run

Here's a particularly mind-blowing route that starts in Val Grosina, just above Grosio. From there, a number of tracks and trails head up the valley towards Rifugio Eita. (There's also a road with restricted access but the trails on the righthand side of the road are much more interesting). From Eita, continue in the same direction and run and over Passo Verva along a gravel track. Drop down the other side and you're into Val Viola. Swing left, follow the single track and keep going until Rifugio Federica in Dosde.

Tip: sleep here and carry on the next day. 

Once you've regained your energy at the rifugio, head up towards Passo Dosde at 2,800 metres. It's pretty amazing. A slightly techy descent to a lake (the deepest in the Alps), before the downhill gets super runnable towards Malghera. This is where you might start meeting other hikers, but you'll be going to fast back to your parked car at Fusine that you won't notice. A great way to round off a hut-to-hut. 
 

Colorina | MTB 38km | All for that zigzag descent

Sondrio | MTB 30km | Steep and scenic up Val di Togno

Mortirolo | Road 137km | A more mellow approach

From Sondrio you'll first ride the Passo Aprica before a long, swooping descent to Edolo. From here it ramps up gentle to Monno before a steep climb under a canopy of trees takes you up towards the Passo Mortirolo. You'll ride a few kilometres along the top before hitting the pass sign and the top of the much steeper side. Start going down that descent but take a right turn towards Grosio. Safer and a lot less steep, this narrow downhill pops you out on the far side of Grosio. From here, follow the small roads or even the Sentiero bike path back towards Tirano and Sondrio. 

The Mortirolo doesn't usually open until late May/early June.

Sondrio | Gravel 41km | Life lessons in Val Cervia

The road up from Cedrasco is steep, so perhaps get all your conversations out of the way before embarking on the suggested first hour of this ride. It levels off after a while and there's beautiful, wide open scenery with meadows and high, high, high mountains on the horizon. If you bring a bike lock (not that you'll need it), you can do a ciclo-Alp adventure and keep running once the two wheels have taken you as far as you can go on the gravel. 

Val Cervia is often over-looked but that's what is so special as you'll barely see a soul. Just marmots and deer. Exactly how it should be, 

For the descent I'd nip off to the right when you see a bumpy track. It'll add some more excitement to your ride. 

Summer only.

Chiuro | Gravel 67km | Groading up the mid-valley

Set aside a good few hours for this exploratory gravel ride around the valley. Expect the unexpected: cute villages, snaking singletrack, rasping-breath-inducing cobbled climbs, and more. We expect a lot of highlights on this route. Don't let yourself be navigated though – this is one where you should take any turning that takes your fancy.

Castione | Run 11km | The partisans' last stand

Setting off from Postalesio means you'll get a few kilometres of flatter running to warm your legs up ready for the climb. It's a tough one, but super rewarding when you realise that you're exploring rarely-seen territory, even for the locals. Other than us, the only runner you might see here will be a former international boxer and his dog. 

The descent starts a little bit slip-and-slidy, but opens up into an incredibly runnable gravel track. 

Teglio | Road 87km | By b-roads

This is 87 km with a lot of bang for your buck. Exciting, tiny roads that wiggle across the valley sides. It might be easy to brush this route off but it's a great starting point for bigger rides. The climb from Bianzone up to Teglio is included in the Gran Fondo Stelvio Santini but gets so crowded with inept climbers during the gran fondo that it's much better to do in your own time, on your own ride, away from the masses. 

There's a section on the Statale that's almost unavoidable, but you could take the Sentiero Valtellina if you really hate the main road. 
The route back to Sondrio teases with the 'Via Panoramica', which is delightfully short of traffic and swoops and swerves its way back along the south-facing slopes. It's an exciting route that provides amazing views. There's always the option to stick to the Via Panoramica if you prefer to bypass the super scenic, slightly arduous route that is outlined here.

Year-round.