Easy walk along old footpaths and stairways of the western side of the lake from the boat dock in Moltrasio to Laglio.
ITINERARY: Moltrasio - Carate Urio – Laglio
WALKING TIME ONE WAY: 1hr 30min
ASCENT: 120 m
DIFFICULTY: Easy
TRAIL SIGNS: Absent
CONNECTIONS: - by boat: from Como to Moltrasio every 30 min
- by bus: bus C 10 or C 20, “via lago” bus stop Moltrasio Pontile
Return from Laglio bus C10/20
ROUTE: from the boat pier at Moltrasio turn left along the main road and pass by the monument to Vincenzo Bellini, the Sicilian composer who lived here for a long time.
Turn right up via Raschi to reach the centre of the village. This stairway is known as “the Scala Santa” because it was used for holy processions and maybe also because it seems so long and steep. But it is not that tiring if you go up slowly and take your time to enjoy the views it gives of the village below and, on the other side of the lake, Torno, the manneristic villa Pliniana and the mountains Boletto and Bolettone. At the parish church follow via Curiè, piazza Umberto I and via Bianchi along the right bank of the stream and head up the valley by passing under the viaduct of the main road.
As you reach Villa Memy bear right to reach Tosnacco, the highest suburb of Moltrasio (312m). Cross the asphalted road and continue uphill following the way marks of the mountain trails. At a junction near the fountains, continue straight on via Marconi until you reach a T-junction with a stairway. Go down a few steps and turn left to follow via Linera, marked as “Panoramica per Urio e Carate.” The route is now very easy and plain with several lake vistas. The footpath leads to the rural house Pancino and along via Corridoni to the graveyard of Urio and the bridge over the stream Fesnàa. Continue straight on until you reach the suburb Cavadino.
DIVERSION (40 min): if you follow via Taroni on your left you can reach the Santuario della SS. Trinità, a little church surrounded by meadows and woods. Its natural parvis with benches is a great little place to rest and enjoy the view.
At Cavadino down along via Cavadino and via IV Novembre which lead you to the complex of Santa Marta, with a church dating back to the 12th cent., a plague memorial column of the 17th cent. and an old graveyard with Neo-Gothic tombs.
Walk down along the stepped via Santa Marta which passes under the main road and is lined with the 18th century aedicules of the Stations of the Cross. When a surfaced road is reached (attention children!) take via S. Rocco on the opposite side of the road to reach the crossroads of alleys of the hamlet Carate.
Follow the narrow via Vittorio Veneto and via Olzavino keeping parallel with the lake,cross a little panoramic square and continue straight on until the road reaches another stairway which you follow for a few steps down. At a fork you turn left and continue along a flat footpath 30 m above the lake among higher and lower fences, plantations and villas of the early 19th century, via Piave takes you for a few steps uphill and then goes straight to Laglio and affords views of the village of Pognana Lario on the opposite side of the lake. After a few meters downhill along via Val Crotto, turn left along via delle Frazioni and follow the pavement and then the stair way which reaches the lake over little bridges and through porticoed passageways. Along the lake you can find many nice places to rest, like piazza Riva Silvio and piazza Barchetta, near the frescoed parish church and the Oratorio dei Confratelli.
WAY BACKTO MOLTRASIO
You can walk back to Moltrasio along the same route or take the bus no. C10/C20 from piazza Riva Silvio direction Como. You can also walk along the road Regina Vecchia which is not very busy but be careful because the road is narrow and there is no pavement nor walking lane. Walking back towards Como, you pass the wharf of Laglio, a nice viewpoint on the village and Villa Oleandra, which belongs to a famous American actor. The boat pier of Carate (some boats to Como, journey duration 40 min) is a 40 min. walk from Laglio. The dock of Moltrasio can be reached in 1 hr from Laglio.
