Published on: 16 March 2013  | Last updated: 25 December 2019

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From Bellagio there’s a 500-metre (altitude) climb to the chapel dedicated to Madonna del Ghisallo - patron saint of cycling. This is a famous climb that forms part of the Giro di Lombardia (average gradient is 9 per cent). The chapel is a place of pilgrimage for Italian cyclists. There are also great views from here over the lake. 

Next door to the chapel is the cycling museum - admission is 6 euros - but as a reward for those who make the climb by bike, it’s five for cyclists. The museum is housed in a modern spacious well-lit building. The collection includes the bikes ridden by Gino Bartali, Fausto Coppi e Eddie Merckx in their Tour de France victories, as well as a collection of pink, yellow and rainbow shirts and other memor­abilia. - bone up on your history of Italian cycling to get the most out of it. 

As well as the bikes used by the champions there’s a bike that was used by firemen and another by an arrotino (knife sharpener - an Italian insti­tution that’s now dying out) as well as a Swiss army bike. There are some wooden bikes and wheels with wooden rims made by a firm in the village itself.

From the chapel and museum the route heads back to the lake via the Valbrona and a nice stretch of road along the lakeside.

Options

The classic climb is from Bellagio. You could do it the other way round taking this route clockwise rather than anti-clockwise.

Connections

You could continue via Asso, the Lago di Segrino and the Lago di Pusiano to link with the Lakes of Lombardia and Piemonte route see this article for the link.

Articles in this series

• Tour of the western lakes: Overview
• Western Lakes – Part 1
• Western lakes – Part 2
• Western lakes – Part 3
• Western lakes – Part 4
• Western Lakes – Part 5