Edolo: Culture, Mountain Trails and History in Valle Camonica

Edolo Between Sacred Buildings and Rock Art

Edolo brings together impressive churches, traces of history and mountain trails in Valle Camonica. For planning your trip, the town can therefore be viewed from different perspectives: the Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista represents Renaissance art, while trails such as the Alta Via dell’Adamello and the Sentiero dei Cervi lead into the mountain landscape. This picture is complemented by the Castello di Mu and the history of the former connection between Edolo and Mu.

Art and History in Edolo and Mu

The Chiesa di San Giovanni Battista is a Renaissance church dedicated to Edolo’s patron saint, Saint John the Baptist. Its interior preserves frescoes by Paolo da Caylina il Giovane, who worked there around 1530–35. Another defining building is the Pieve di Santa Maria Nascente, with its 68-metre-high bell tower, the tallest in Valle Camonica.

In the district of Mu, the present form of the Chiesa dei SS. Ippolito e Cassiano di Mu dates from the 18th century. The vaults of the presbytery and nave are almost entirely covered with frescoes. The Castello di Mu also reaches far back into the past: the castle is the ruin of a medieval fortification that was already mentioned in documents from the 13th century.

The archaeological site of the Castello di Mu is part of UNESCO World Heritage Site No. 94, “Rock Drawings in Valle Camonica”. The Ponte Vecchio also provides a historical link between the two districts, having formerly connected Edolo and Mu. In Edolo, sacred art, medieval architectural history and the older cultural landscape of Valle Camonica thus come together.

Hiking Trails on Different Scales

The Sentiero n. 634 – Cima Aviolo begins in Località Pozzuolo in the municipality of Edolo and leads into the broad hollow below Monte Aviolo. 171 – Sentiero dei Cervi, Dosso Turicla begins at the chapel in Località Mola. It follows an old military mule track through a larch forest and leads to still-visible anti-aircraft machine-gun positions from the First World War.

The Sentiero n. 171 also passes through a wildlife protection zone where deer and other wild animals can be observed during the hike. This trail therefore combines nature observation with a tangible historical testimony. Cyclists can reach the MTB-Itinerario Sentiero dei Cervi, Dosso Turicla from Edolo via the SS39 and Via Primavera to the chapel in Località Mola.

The Alta Via dell’Adamello – Trail No. 601 covers greater distances. The almost 85-kilometre long-distance hiking trail runs from Breno to the area in front of Adamello’s north face and ends in Edolo, or vice versa. The route runs within the area of Parco dell’Adamello. Thanks to access and connecting trails from every main valley, it can also be completed in stages as shorter hikes.

Another clearly defined stage is Stage 7 of the Cammino di Carlo Magno. It covers 20.2 kilometres from Grevo to Edolo. The different trail lengths show that the surrounding area includes both individual hiking destinations and longer sections of trail. For orientation on site, the Infopoint Edolo offers tourists and residents a free information and welcome service and provides information about public transport and taxi services.

Discover More Destinations

If you would like to add more places to your trip, you can find Anfo, Montirone, Capovalle, Erbusco, Rovato, Tre Capitelli, Braone and Passirano here.

To the main travel overview: Brescia.