La Tavern Road is an ancient mule track that runs along the border ridge between Val Brembilla e Val Brembana, following a ridge line that now separates the municipal territories of Val Brembilla e Zogno.
Mentioned by several sources as a road of ancient origin, the Tavern was also formerly known as the Meneghina Road, from the name of a small settlement that stood along the route. An indication that hints at its role as a link between different territories and communities, at a time when these routes represented real arteries of communication.
The route starts near the Bridges of Sedrina and the historian Hat Bridge, at the entrance to the Brembilla Valley. From here the mule track climbs steeply up the slope, passing through a series of small rural cores and mountain environments that tell of a continuous and stratified use of the land.
Continuing at high altitude, the road reaches the meadows of Castignola and the village of Catremerium, and then pushed on, under the name of Tavern, to the Fork of Crosnello. Beyond this point, the trail continues along the coast toward the cores of Sussia, where it branches out in multiple directions.
From here it was possible to descend to San Pellegrino Terme or head to the alpine pastures around the Mount Sornadello and the crossing of the Iron Merchant, a junction with the routes used to transport ore from the mines of the Cake Valley.
The precise origins of the Strada Taverna, its dating and main functions remain partly the subject of study. What is striking, however, is the high quality of the structural works, particularly evident in the initial stretch to Castignola, which testify to the importance and continuity of use of this link over the centuries.
Today the Tavern Road is marked as. CAI trail 592 and is a fascinating itinerary for those who wish to walk along a route suspended between history, landscape and ancient relationships between valleys.
