Hike over Punta Almana on Lake Iseo

For a hike, the area around Lake Iseo is rich in routes, from challenging mountain tours to easy strolls. There are many panoramic peaks that rise steeply around the lake, such as Corna Trentapassi or Punta Almana. Punta Almana (1,390 m) even offers an easy traverse along an airy ridge; depending on your skill level, there’s also a more exposed variant over scree and rocky sections.

The hamlet of Portole, above Sale Marasino on the eastern shore of Lake Iseo, is an ideal starting point. As there are no signs on the lakeside road, turn off at the roundabout in the village centre, drive under the railway line and then turn left, where a sign for Trattoria Portole points the way. After passing under the main road, there are a few more hairpin bends up to a hikers’ car park. The ascent on foot begins there.

I started clockwise on the trail marked Sentiero Filippo Benedetto (SFB), climbing steeply through dense forest along alpine meadows and stone-paved paths up to Forcella die Sale. An intermediate section of the path is less appealing because it follows an extremely steep road. Once at the saddle, you can enjoy a beautiful view down to the lake from the paragliders’ launch meadow or take a break on the benches next to the small chapel.

From the Forcella, path 3VA branches off to the right, leading along the exposed and partly rocky ridge to the summit. However, I followed the main path number 3V along the eastern flank, first through a forest, then over increasingly steep slopes above the tree line onto the grassy summit ridge and the last few metres to the widely visible summit cross at 1,390 m. The view from the freestanding summit over Lake Iseo and the neighbouring Val Trompia would have been magnificent, but today it was obscured by rising clouds and wisps of fog. A mountain runner came up over the main ridge and immediately turned back at the summit; he was probably training for the Trentapassi Sky Race on Corna Trentapassi.

The path then leads down along the grassy ridge to the Croce di Pezzolo saddle. From there, the path winds through the forest in switchbacks back to Portole. The Trattoria Portole, mentioned earlier, invites you to a delightful end to your hike.