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Walking tours

La via delle Colme

Length of the itinerary: about 20 km.
Main stops: Cernobbio, Rovenna, Moltrasio, Argegno.

The route winds in part along the Via dei Monti Lariani then follows the mountain ridge, between Monte Bisbino and Sasso Codona, which is situated between the basin of Lake Como and Val Crotta, in Swiss territory. The excursion ends by going down into Val d'Intelvi (PHOTO) as far as Argegno. The name "via delle colme" derives from the dialect term for the settlements high in the mountains ('colme'), characteristic of this area. The excursion begins in Cernobbio and ends, after following the route of the Via dei Monti Lariani, in Rovenna. Having crossed the town, take the mule paths which cross the mountains. The first stop is at Monti di Scarone and, from here, head towards a chestnut wood as far as Monti di Madrona. Further on you meet the mule track which comes out on the road of Bisbino and, after crossing this, the path which climbs up to Mt. Piella. Following from here the road which comes from Ca' Bossi further up the mountain, cut through the beech woods of Poncione della Costa, and head for Colma dei Morelli, where you will finally have a view of Lake Como. To climb further, you will need to go over the Sella del Mortirolo, which will take you into the valley of the Quaglio river, from where you can reach the Binate mountain hut at Prato di Schignano. From here, after the ruins of the houses of Binate, a path leads to the "colma" of the same name, from where you can once more go down into Val d'Intelvi, coming to Occagno, a hamlet in the town council district of Schignano. Once you have arrived in Occagno you will easily find the chapel of Schignarot, built in 1851 in memory of the plague epidemic which, in 1476, decimated the town. Going past this interesting piece of history, follow the path of the old road, along the valley del Telo, until you reach the town of Argegno. Along the route there are views of the characteristic mountain pastures, while the votive chapels and small mountain churches testify to the strong popular religiousness of these people. The surrounding environment remains highly memorable, with its thick beech woods and many panoramic viewpoints over the Lake.