Ranica
Ranica: a municipality in the province of Bergamo with 5,898 inhabitants
Ranica is a municipality in the province of Bergamo, Lombardy, with a population of approximately 5,898 inhabitants. Situated on the right bank of the Serio river, just 3 kilometers away from the center of Bergamo, it is part of the Valle Seriana mountain community.
Physical Geography
Territory
The municipal territory of Ranica covers an area entirely located on the right bank of the Seriana valley, at an altitude ranging from 260 meters of the valley floor to 726 meters of the Colle di Ranica, the main relief of the municipality. Its territory is bordered to the north by the municipality of Ponteranica, to the south by the municipality of Gorle and southeast by Villa di Serio and Scanzorosciate, while to the west it borders Torre Boldone and shares with it the course of the Gardellone torrent. Finally, it is divided to the east and northeast by the hamlet of Nese, belonging to Alzano Lombardo.
The territory of Ranica is composed of numerous hamlets and localities that make up its geographical and cultural fabric, including the hilly areas of Botta, Bergamina, Ripa, and Valledonata, Chignola Alta and Chignola Bassa, Borgosale, Chiesa, and Castello. There are also Viandasso and La Patta, located in the alluvial plain of the Serio river near the border with Gorle and Torre Boldone.
In terms of roads, in addition to the ordinary road network and the old provincial road of the Seriana valley, there is the S.P. 35, a major arterial road of the valley, and the Bergamo-Albino tramway, a metro-tram line that connects the town with Bergamo.
As for the hydrography, the Gardellone is the most present watercourse in the municipal territory of Ranica, and it flows through its own valley. It collects the waters of numerous small streams made up of excess waters coming from the surrounding hills.
In summary, Ranica is a medieval municipality that extends over a vast geographical area characterized by the presence of numerous reliefs, watercourses, and historical hamlets, immersed in the Seriana valley.
