Monte Tovo from Isolella

The ascent to Monte Tovo (at the end of the asphalt road to the dirt square and the small votive shrine with a fine view of lower Valsesia) offers two slopes: this is the longer and more discontinuous one, which, compared with the one that climbs up from Doccio, offers some fine walls with gradients approaching 20％ and long stretches that settle between 12 and 13％ and occasionally 15-16-17％. The difference with the northern slope is that the one that climbs from Isolella offers 4 km that are easy with gradients that settle between 5 and 7％. The remaining 6, after the village of Costa di Foresto, become particularly difficult due to the very narrow roadway and a mild gradient close to 11％. Unfortunately, the southern slope is also exposed to the sun for long stretches, so tackling it in high temperatures becomes extremely difficult. The section between the right-hand and left-hand hairpin bends before the drinking fountain located just before the Rifugio Gillodi (now dry - it no longer dispenses water) at 1050 m asl is the toughest: 250m with gradients that settle at 16-17％ which is right at the end of the hard section in the middle. In the vicinity of the Rifugio the gradient allows you to take a breather for a moment and then face a wall again, at the top of which is the junction with the road up from Doccio. The last kilometre should not be underestimated: it still has gradients of over 10％ and with your strength at its lowest, the risk of getting stuck is high. At the summit the view is not bad, but the best is the one on the stretch of road above the Gillodi refuge. For refuelling with water, the only possibility is at Costa di Foresto, just before the start of the hard section. This is a climb that should only be tackled if you are well-trained and have a bike with suitable gear ratios.

Lovely climb through the forest, divided into two parts, first part a wide, rideable road, second part winding through the forest on a narrow road.
If you are thirsty, the fountain is about 700/800m from the summit

A beautiful variant to climb up to Tovo, which is in no way inferior to the other, with which it joins just before the finish. This one is less continuous but has a couple of decidedly steeper climbs than the other. However, it is just as beautiful.