The Zone Pyramids: the clay giants above Lake Iseo and the village on the ridge

Above the Brescia shore of Lake Iseo, water has carved the moraine for millennia and left standing clay spires up to 30 metres tall, each capped by a balanced boulder that shelters it from the rain. This is the Zone Pyramids nature reserve, and up close it does not look like Italy.

The route

From the church of San Giorgio in Cislano we walk the reserve loop among the pyramids, then climb to the village of Zone and continue along the panoramic terraces above it, with the lake and Monte Isola below. Eight kilometres and 400 metres of climb, with no difficult step.

Who it's for

• anyone who wants something to see, not just a trail
• families with children: the pyramid loop is short and there is a playground at the start
• dog owners
• anyone who prefers to stay low in November, in the lake sunshine

Good to know

The pyramids are viewed from the marked path: leaving the trail damages the erosion and is not allowed. Lunch is packed, but the restaurants in Zone are open in winter too and the guide offers the stop. Highest point 700 metres.

Getting there

By car from Milan about one hour forty (A4 to Rovato, then Sarnico and the Brescia shore of Lake Iseo to Marone and up to Zone): free parking at Cislano, at the reserve entrance. Without a car: train to Marone on the Brescia–Iseo–Edolo line and bus up to Zone, to be checked for Sunday timetables.