Hike from Vilminore to the Gleno dam

The path starts from the Pianezza hamlet of Vilminore di Scalve. After crossing some meadows and reaching some huts, take an almost flat road on the right which you follow until the deviation for the Gleno dam.

Take the path on the left, you arrive at some large pipes of a penstock, from where you start to climb quite steeply along the mule track which, with steep bends, takes you up to an altitude of 1,500 metres, where the path becomes flat.

After an initial part in the woods you arrive at a spectacular stretch carved into the rock overlooking the valley. Continue along this stretch and you will soon reach the gloomy ruins of the Gleno dam, which collapsed on 1 December 1923, and the lake behind it.

From the Gleno dam you can continue further and enter its beautiful valley. Shortly after the dam there is also a kiosk, open only during the summer, where you can refresh yourself and take a short break while admiring the surrounding panorama.

The Gleno dam is located right at the foot of Mount Gleno, one of the main peaks of the Orobie, 2,882 meters high. This excursion is rich in history and combines the beauty of the Scalve valley with the memory of the tragedy of the Gleno dam.

The dam was commissioned by the Viganò family of Ponte Albiate, owners of important cotton mills and interested in having direct access to motive power. The project involved the construction of a multiple arch dam, at the time considered one of the most modern engineering concepts.

The basin was filled with water for the first time on October 22, 1923 with a capacity of eight million cubic meters. This basin fed a first power plant 400 meters downstream which in turn allowed the operation of a second power plant. In the months preceding the collapse of the dam, water leaks at the base and in the walls were reported several times.

On 1 December 1923, at 7.15 am, the Gleno dam collapsed and six million cubic meters of water overwhelmed several towns: Bueggio, Dezzo, Angolo Terme and Darfo Boario. About 500 people lost their lives in this tragedy.