The Muro di Sormano is the old road climbing from Sormano to the Colma, in the Triangolo Lariano: under two kilometres with ramps that reach, according to the source, between 23 and 27%. Included in the Giro di Lombardia in 1960, it is now resurfaced, closed to motor vehicles and dotted with writing on the asphalt.
History
At the end of the 1950s Vincenzo Torriani, patron of the Giro d’Italia, was looking for a climb to make the Giro di Lombardia more selective between the Ghisallo and Como. His friend Angelo Testori, mayor of Sormano, pointed out what was then little more than a path in the woods. The Muro entered the race in 1960 and stayed for three editions, until 1962: many professionals were forced to get off and walk, because the bikes of the day had no low enough gears. In 1962 Ercole Baldini set a time of 9’24”. Then the climb was dropped, also because the race was distorted by spectators pushing.
With the new, wider and gentler provincial road, the old route was abandoned. In 2006 the Comunità montana del Triangolo Lariano promoted its recovery, with a project by If Design, the studio of Franco Tagliabue and Ida Origgi: 98,000 euros, 2,200 square metres of new asphalt and the idea of an “open-air museum”, with white writing on the road giving the altitude metre by metre, the vegetation, the names of the mountains and the times and finishing orders of the champions of the 1960s. The Muro returned to the Giro di Lombardia in 2012; the race climbing record, according to LarioTrek, is Thibaut Pinot’s in 2018 in 8’48”, after Joaquim Rodríguez’s 9’02” in 2012.
What to see
The road starts from Sormano, from the Valle del Corno, and reaches the Colma di Sormano, from where you continue towards the Pian del Tivano. At the top you can see the barrier closing the stretch from afar. Descending the Muro is not possible, and to return you take the SP44 provincial road. Along the climb, besides the writing, there are glimpses of the mountains of the Triangolo Lariano, such as the Palanzone and the Cornizzolo (Wikipedia).
Practical information
- The numbers change with the source. Length: 1.65 kilometres and average gradient 16.24% (in-Lombardia, citing Grimpeur.it, with start at 818 and finish at 1,086 metres), 1.7 kilometres and average 17% (other sources), 1.9 kilometres and average 16% (RadioCorsaWeb); maximum between 23% (in-Lombardia), 24% (Sport&Impianti) and 27% (LarioTrek, RadioCorsaWeb). Height of the Colma: 1,086 metres or 1,124 metres depending on the source. We have no official measurement.
- The road is closed to motor traffic (LarioTrek): you climb by bike or on foot. We have not verified current conditions on an official source.
- The Muro is a regular climb of the Gran Fondo Il Lombardia, and on 3 October 2026 “Il Muro” was scheduled, a time trial open to all starting from the Valle del Corno and finishing at the Colma (La Provincia di Como).
Sources
- in-Lombardia, Muro di Sormano in bici
- LarioTrek, Muro di Sormano (2023 text)
- Sport&Impianti, Il «Lombardia» e il Muro di Sormano (2019) and RadioCorsaWeb, Il Muro di Sormano: come nasce una leggenda
- La Provincia di Como, Torna la sfida al Muro di Sormano (29 September 2026)
- Wikipedia, Muro di Sormano entry.