''La Via dei Monti Lariani'' (variously translated into English as the Monti Lariani Way, the Monti Lariani Trail, or the Lariani Mountain Trail) is a

long-distance footpath A long-distance trail (or long-distance footpath, track, way, greenway (landscape), greenway) is a longer recreational trail mainly through rural areas used for hiking, backpacking (wilderness), backpacking, cycling, horse riding or cross-cou ...

in the hills on the west side of Lake Como, in Lombardy,

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. Its total length is approximately 125 km (80 miles), and its average altitude is about 1000 m, compared with the approximately 200 m of the lake shore. The trail starts in

Cernobbio Cernobbio (Comasco: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Como, Lombardy, northern Italy. It is located about north of Milan and about northwest of Como, on the border with Switzerland and near the Lake Como. The highest peak is t ...

, just north-west of the city of

Como Como (, ; lmo, Còmm, label= Comasco , or ; lat, Novum Comum; rm, Com; french: Côme) is a city and ''comune'' in Lombardy, Italy. It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como. Its proximity to Lake Como and to the Alps h ...

, and ends at

Sorico Sorico ( Comasco: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Como in the Italian region Lombardy, located about north of Milan and about northeast of Como. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 1,188 and an area of .All demo ...

, at the northern extreme of the lake. The trail is conventionally divided into four numbered sections, each with different

waymark Trail blazing or way marking is the practice of marking paths in outdoor recreational areas with signs or markings that follow each other at certain, though not necessarily exactly defined, distances and mark the direction of the trail. A blaz ...

ing, but these do not correspond to days of walking; Sections 1-3 would each involve at least two days' walking for a normally fit person, while the fourth section is itself divided into two sections each of which could well require more than a single day. The path runs through a mixture of forest and pasture land, frequently offering magnificent views over the lake.Lake Como Trekking. Provincia di Como, Assessorato al Turismo
/ref>

Sections

*1. Cernobbio to San Fedele Intelvi, a ''

frazione A ''frazione'' (plural: ) is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' (municipality) in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidate territ ...

'' of Centro Valle Intelvi: 28 km *2. San Fedele to Croce, a ''

'' of

Menaggio Menaggio ( lmo, label=Comasco, Menas ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Como, Lombardy, northern Italy, located on the western shore of Lake Como at the mouth of the river Senagra. Menaggio has three ''frazioni'' (parishes): Croce, Lov ...

: 26 km. A bus transfer is recommended to avoid a 1 km hike on a busy road to start Section 3. *3.

Grandola ed Uniti Grandola ed Uniti is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Como in the Italian region Lombardy, located about north of Milan and about northeast of Como. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 1,281 and an area of 17.3 km². ...

Garzeno Garzeno (Comasco: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Como in the Italian region Lombardy, located about north of Milan and about northeast of Como. Garzeno borders the following municipalities: Cremia, Cusino, Dongo, Gran ...

: 25 km *4a. Garzeno to Peglio: 24 km *4b. Peglio to Sorico: 22 km

Terrain

The path is based on old mountain mule-tracks and on the roughly paved stone military roads built during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

to service the Cadorna Line of defensive fortifications along the Italo-Swiss border. Accordingly, it typically does not go over peaks, which rise to 1300-2000 m in its neighbourhood, though side excursions to the peaks along established paths are often possible.Kompass Map 91 Lago di Como Lago di Lugano 1:50,000 Sections 1 and 2 are largely on these military roads, with bridges over all significant watercourses; furthermore the underlying rock in this region is mainly

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

, so that the terrain dries quickly. Section 3 is generally on unpaved and sometimes not so well defined paths, and the underlying rock is

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies under ...

; as a result, in rainy periods some of the streams may be impassible.

Accommodation

At the level of the path, overnight accommodation is available in numerous ''

Agriturismo Agritourism or agrotourism involves any agriculturally based operation or activity that brings visitors to a farm or ranch. Types A 2018 article published in the ''Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development'' classified a ...

'' establishments and ''Refugii'' maintained by local branches of the '' Club Alpino Italiano'' (C. A. I., Italian Alpine Club). At frequent points along the path, it is possible to descend by a road or well-maintained track to the villages along the lake shore, where hotels can be found.

References

External links

Brief description provided by the Lake Como tourism organizationsFullest authoritative description of the path
Hiking trails in Italy Cernobbio {{Trail-stub