Village of the Gatehouse

Borgo della Portiera is nestled in the green Brembana Valley, the small hamlet of Portiera - a hamlet of San Giovanni Bianco - suspended between nature and history. It is accessed from Camerata Cornello (known for the historic medieval hamlet of Cornello dei Tasso, among other places), climbing about a kilometer up a winding road away from the valley's main road: the altitude around 550 meters gives a fresher air, peaceful views and a sense of peace hard to find elsewhere.
As soon as you arrive, you find yourself in the central square - the true heart of the village - from which all the houses branch off: with no obvious hierarchy, the houses form a cosy, harmonious and orderly whole. Some of the buildings are distinguished by wooden galleries, typical of these mountain communities: wooden steps, loggias, suspended corridors, evoking a slow time, made up of simple but tradition-conscious daily life .Behind the village core, stands the small church - the little church of the Portiera - dedicated to St. Francis of Assisi. In a somewhat solitary position, it seems almost hidden, like a discreet treasure waiting to be discovered. Inside, the surprise: a 16th-century fresco decorating the chancel wall, depicting the Madonna Enthroned with Child and other small sacred paintings. This detail makes the little church a place of interest not only for popular piety, but also for art and history lovers.
But La Portiera is not an isolated island: by taking a few kilometers you could reach other villages and points of interest in the Brembana Valley. For example, Camerata Cornello and Cornello dei Tasso-the latter famous for being one of the best-preserved medieval villages in the area, with stone buildings on a rocky spur overlooking the Brembo River.
The valley is crisscrossed by a bicycle and pedestrian path-the Valle Brembana Bicycle Path-that makes it easy to get around by bike or on foot, with beautiful views of nature and with passages that, in some cases, pass through old tunnels: a different and pleasant way to get to know the valley and its small villages.