Buglio | Run 12km | San Bell by name, bello by nature

This route came to fruition in 2017 for the launch of a brand new uphill mountain race, which takes place in February. It starts from Agriturismo Sesterzio (a lovely B&B that does superb food and unrivalled hospitality), and begins with a rather steep, narrow trail. After just a few minutes it eases and weaves up through the cute village of Regoledo, with a mixed bag of terrain. After leaving the village via a beautiful single track, the climb continues, criss-crossing the road before jutting off to the left and following a gravel climb up to one of our favourite hidden houses in the valley. The descent is super fast and fun, bringing you back to Monastero then Maroggia, then finally Sesterzio again. 

Finish this one off with dinner or cake at Sesterzio. It's worth it. Those guys know their wine too.

Year-round route.

Ardenno | Run 8.7km | The 500s, in it for the mid-valley mule tracks

Loosely based on a race held every October, this route does a beautiful climb before looping through cute villages with great views. It's fast and furious to descend. You'll have fun, we promise.

From the highest point you can easily add another 1,000 metres of climbing by following signs for Alpe Schermendone. It's worth it when you get up past the tree line. It isn't a particularly tough climb either, just follows the ridge line with views all down the valley from under a canopy of trees.

There's a great bakery in Ardenno to round off your run – they take a long lunch break though, so time your effort.

Year-round route.

Postalesio | Run 7.3km | Ca' Moroni mandem

You're bound to have a fondness for your most local route, which is why this route has found its way here. But adopted home village aside, the view from Ca' Moroni and its cute cluster of houses makes any run worth its effort.

 From Ca' Moroni it flattens off onto a gravel track for about 1km, before joining the road briefly and taking a trail up and down to the Pirimadi, Postalesio's geological addition to the curiosities of Valtellina. 

Expect to startle plenty of deer in autumn and early winter. 

Stock up on cheese when you've finished this route. Postalesio is home to the best goats cheese producers in the valley, if not the whole of Italy. They can be found just opposite the bar at the entrance to the village.

Year-round route

Triangia | Run 17km | Vineyard vagrants, the extended version

A staple run in the valley, the vineyard climb from Triasso to Triangia is a tough section of uneven steps that seems never-ending. It does end, but you might wish it hadn't because it's just so beautiful.  Obviously afterwards the first thing you should do is go and find some Sassella red wine, preferably that made by the cooperative wine sellers in the village of Triasso or by Alfio Mozzi, Valtellina's fastest wine producer. 

You can make so many variations of this run, including starting from almost anywhere: Sondrio for a longer climb or Castione for a shorter loop. This one starts and finishes in Postalesio to give your legs a warm-up and warm-down. The trail across the top of the vineyards from Castione is part of the Terrazzamenti trail, and it's just magical. 

Above Triangia you've got the option to include the lake or not. I probably would but there's some beautiful pine forest trails that loop around it.

The descent back to Castione goes by the name 'Rodelbahn', as it weaves its way playfully through the woods. Enjoy it. 

Year-round route. The wine harvest is in October usually, so that's a great time to see the hustle and bustle along the route. 

Triangia | Gravel 39 km | Alpe Colina, the scenic way

This ride starts and finishes in Postalesio, but you could easily start from anywhere – you'd just end up climbing even further. 

From Triangia the road is tarmacked beautifully up to at least 1,100 metres where you'll find a cluster of houses called Ligari. You can fill up your bottle and nip into the 'village' for some cake and a chat at the restaurant. It's open all-year round. 
The road then worsens a little, but doesn't turn to gravel until around 1,700 metres of altitude. Then expect steep, concrete corners and rutted out gravel. Once you reach the cross at 1,900 metres, the track 'flattens' out for 6-7km before dropping down ever so slightly to Alpe Colina. The whole of this stretch is pretty beaten-up gravel so mountain bike tires are definitely recommended. 

From Alpe Colina, you can take the road straight down to Postalesio. The first 1.5 km is still gravel, but unfortunately in 2017 they made the decision to tarmac a lot more of the road. It's in a great condition now if you're into going fast. There are a lot of options for proper descending on trails, just look for deviations on either side of the road.

At 1,000 metres you'll reach Pra Lone, an opening with a few houses, and here's where the real trails start, dropping down to Ca' Moroni then Postalesio. These are not gravel bike-friendly, just sayin'.

Route reserved for summer and early autumn.

Buglio | Gravel 38km | Mid-Valtellina's pristine gravel and b-road climbs

Here's a stellar route for anyone who wants to avoid traffic and see the most unfrequented roads and tracks. So many variations of this route are possible, but there are certain unmissable sections like the tiny road linking Gaggio to Buglio that doesn't appear on most maps, or the pristine gravel across the bottom of the valley floor from Ere to Ardenno that gives such a sense of tranquility, so far removed from the madness of the main road. 

Year-round route. Gets pretty muddy on the valley floor after rain. You can get away with narrower cyclo-cross tires on this route.