Why choose Cornello dei Tasso for a pleasant outing? Because this tiny mountain village of medieval origin, immersed in the woods of the Upper Val Brembana, will amaze you with its sense of tranquility. And, walking through the stone porticos, it will seem like going back to the commercial life of the ancient merchants of Bergamo and Valtellina, who met here to exchange their goods. Indeed, Cornello dei Tasso was a true crossroads of business.
Jewel of the Upper Bergamasco, in the heart of the Upper Val Brembana, Cornello dei Tasso is about thirty kilometers from Bergamo. The village, slightly detached from the municipality of Camerata Cornello to which it belongs in any case, owes its name both to the Orobic dialect (“Cornello” derives from “corna”, which in Bergamo means “rock”, “stone”), and to the ancient family Tasso, the birthplace of the famous poet Torquato Tasso and who in 1500, under the Habsburg empire, founded the first Italian postal service. The Museum of Tasso and Postal History tells of the development of the village from the late Middle Ages (the first settlements date back to the early 1200s) to the Renaissance.
Being a very small village, Cornello dei Tasso can be easily visited in half a day. The itinerary that we recommend starts from the path that runs along the Brembo river, amid the alpine green of the Upper Val Brembana. After a very short walk of five minutes, you arrive in front of the entrance arch of the Via Mercatorum, which in the Middle Ages represented the point of commercial exchange between the Bergamo and Valtellina merchants. The Via Mercatorum, backbone of the inhabited complex, is very characteristic for its cobbled paving, its stone arches, the massive wooden beams and the very low ceiling. It gives a sense of welcome and protection to those who follow it. Walk slowly, in total relaxation: here time seems to flow very slowly.
The village, perched on a hill, develops on three levels. On the “ground floor” rise houses overlooking the Brembo; the first floor is the Porticata Road; on the third there is the inhabited part, where the buildings that once belonged to the noble families of the town are located, including the Tasso family, the Romanesque church of Saints Cornelius and Cipriano (12th century) and the Tasso Museum and postal history : here it is possible to admire the first stamp issued in the world, the Penny Black; furthermore, free guided tours of the village are organized periodically at the ticket office. Where do you make perfect selfies? In Via Mercatorum, precisely in front of the corner of an old shop adorned with wooden planters, where the inhabitants love to plant daisies and cyclamens, especially in spring and summer.
If you love horseback riding and want to give it a romantic ride on horseback, the Camerata Cornello riding school, just outside the village retracing the initial path, will be for you. The stable, also an educational farm (riding courses for children), is open to the public throughout the year and has eight steeds: English thoroughbreds, Friesians and ponies. We are sure that you will be conquered by the beauty (and the sympathy!) Of these wonderful creatures.
A Cornello dei Tasso can be easily reached by car. From Bergamo take the Strada Statale 470, which runs along the Brembana Valley, and exit at Camerata Cornello. Cross the village and park in the open space. From there, continue on foot along a dirt path that, in less than five minutes, will lead you to the entrance arch of the Porticoed Road, where the visit to the village will begin.
