THE WAYFARER’S FOUR NIGHTS

which is an amazing adventure along the Wayfarer's Path

PROMOTION: THE 4 NIGHTS OF THE WANDER → book 4 nights at Casa sul Sasso, you pay only 3 to do the Wanderer’s Path!

(valid from 01/10 to 31/04)

This path, located in the eastern part of Lake Como, allows you to walk through all the villages, each time down to the shore and then 
back to the coast, through the streets of the mountain, reaching areas where the view is truly breathtaking.

The whole path is about 45km long, so it is necessary to divide it into 3-4 stages, a number that depends mainly on the level of training.

For the wayfarer with good pace is divided into 4 stages: ABBADIA LARIANA - LIERNA, LIERNA - VARENNA, VARENNA - DERVIO and 
DERVIO - COLICO. If you stay with us you can reach the beginning of each stage, using the train or our shuttle.

HISTORY

The Wayfarer is a historical path, but it has never been used by armies and commanders because it is made up of paths that are too 
narrow. Also the Lansquenets' army, coming from Switzerland, once arrived in Bellano, preferred to climb towards Taceno and continue 
along the wide valley floor of Valsassina rather than take this route.
In fact, unlike many other paths, it is not an ancient way of communication, but the union of the various paths that connect the villages 
on the lake with those above: it was mainly the local farmers and fishermen who walked along these roads every day, to reach their 
fields or to go down to the lake.

What today is known as "Sentiero del Viandante" (Wayfarer's Path) has previously had various names: starting in the 18th century with 
"Via Regia", then "Via Ducale" and then in the Napoleonic era "Napoleona", with clear reference to the expansion works carried out in 
that period.

In the first decades of the nineteenth century, the opening of a new military road to the Stelvio Pass, between 1817 and 1834, caused 
the progressive abandonment of the previous road system, which only in relatively recent times has been rediscovered and enhanced 
by the APT (Azienda di Promozione Turistica) of Lecco.

THE 4 NIGHTS PROGRAM OF THE WAYFARER

First you should check in - in the reception of our facilities, in Via Crocietta n. 2, DERVIO, from where you will be taken to your rooms to 
spend the night: the next morning, after a restful sleep, our breakfast will give you the necessary charge to face the Wanderer's day.
Leaving your luggage in the rooms, with a light backpack, you can either take the train or our shuttle to reach the start of the stage 
chosen for the day. 
Continuing on foot and following the indications of the path scattered along the way, you will reach the village, end of the stage 
itself, from where, either by train or public transport or, upon notice, our shuttle service, you will return to Dervio. 
The same thing will happen in the following days, with, of course, different start and end stages.

STOPOVERS

1° stage → ABBADIA LARIANA – LIERNA

Average travel time: 3 hours and 30 minutes

Altitude difference: ± 360 m

Length: 10. 6 km

Description

This first step starts from the Church of San Martino, near the motorway exit.

After crossing the railway over a bridge, you reach the hamlet of Borbino by an asphalt road and then take the mule track that crosses the Molini area and the hamlet of Robbianico, with the interesting Church of San Bartolomeo.

Then it turns into a dirt path, thus arriving at Mandello del Lario and the Church of San Giorgio.

Chiesa di San Martino, Abbadia Lariana

You then climb towards the hamlet of Maggiana, dominated by the bulk of the Torre del Barbarossa, and continue along a cobbled path until you reach Rongio.

After passing through Mandello you continue along the Val Meria and then up a path to Galdano, which offers fabulous views of Olcio and the lake.

Finally you are forced to skirt the freeway and climb up towards the hamlets of Sornico and Olgianico, leading to the end of the first stage in Lierna.

Chiesa di San Giorgio, Mandello del Lario

2° stage → LIERNA – VARENNA

Once in Lierna, the path winds in two variants: a low variant that descends towards the lake or a variant that, on the contrary, climbs towards the mountain.

LOW VARIANT:

Average travel time: 3 hours and 30 minutes

Altitude difference: ± 655 m

Length: 9,4 km

Description

It allows you to visit the magnificent villages of Castello, Lierna and Fiumelatte. From Lierna continue towards Castello and then climb up the steps towards Ronco, where the path to Coria begins.

You then enter the Vacchera Valley where the route becomes narrower and more difficult, in fact it requires more attention, and then returns more gently to the bottom of the valley.

In the last piece you go along a piece of highway and then back to the coast until you reach the Fiumelatte spring, from which the village takes its name.

Finally we proceed towards Lierna.

HIGH VARIANT:

Average travel time: 3 hours and 45 minutes

Altitude difference: ± 800 m

Length: 10,4 km

Description

From Lierna you go up towards the village of Genico, through a rapid climb you enter the woods to a panoramic viewpoint on the lake.

From here the path becomes gentler and leads to Alpe Mezzedo and Piano di San Pietro. After reaching the Pozzal Pond you reach Ortanella, where you take the road around Mount Fopp.

Then we descend along the ridge towards Colle di Vezio and reach the Castle of the same name, a historic watchtower from which you can enjoy an extraordinary view and where, in summer, you can watch performances with hawks and birds of prey, as well as lunch in the beautiful garden of olive trees.

Now you can take the driveway or the path and rejoin the lower variant of the route and descend towards the old town of Varenna, overlooking the lake.

3° stage → VARENNA – DERVIO

Average travel time: 4 hours and 20 minutes

Altitude difference: ± 460 m

Length: 10,5 km

Description

From the village of Vezio take the path to the Esino torrent, passing an ancient bridge, and head towards Regolo, first going up and then down the coast.

Then, after passing the Chapel of the Madonnina Addolorata, the path descends towards Bellano, passing through the famous Orrido, and then continues to Ombriaco and the Sanctuary of Lezzeno, from where you go down to Oro.

Having passed Verginate and Ronchi, we finally reach Dervio.

4° stage → DERVIO – COLICO PIANTEDO

Average travel time: 5 hours and 20 minutes

Altitude difference: ± 595 m

Length: 15,6 km

Description

From Dervio village you go up towards the village of Castello, with the medieval tower and the Church of San Leonardo, and then continue along the route to the characteristic village of Corenno Plinio, on the shores of the lake, with the fortified castle and the Church of San Tommaso di Canterbury.

The path continues past the cemetery of Corenno and reaches Torchiedo, Dorio and, going up, the church of San Giorgio. From here starts the climb to the foot of Monte Legnone from where you can admire Piona and its small lake, until you reach the chapel of San Rocco. Near the Church of Madonna dei Monti you go down a dirt road towards Posallo. After crossing the Rio Perlino, you go up towards the Inganna torrent where you can visit the 14th century Fontanedo Tower. Then continue to Chiaro, Chiarello and Curcio and from here the road crosses the freeway, and when you reach the fork turn left and then left again to the next one.

The road then climbs for a stretch in the woods and descends towards the Sanctuary of the Madonna di Valpozzo; to the right of the sanctuary, a small road begins that connects to the provincial road for Piantedo: it is right here, at a chapel dedicated to the Madonna, that the Sentiero del Viandante ends!