Lago di Como, in the province of Lombardy – one of the mostly densely populated regions in Italy, and even Europe. The density of population here at an average of around 400+people/sq km rivals that in Japan and the Netherlands – two of the two most densely populated countries in the world. So you can imagine that when I found myself with time on my hands in May in the Bergamo area I did not seriously expect to find any exceptional pristine wild hikes there.
I’m going to tell you a story that sort of qualifies as a hiking trip failure, but in retrospect this short but eventful day trip was just another kind of adventure. And this adventure boasted of two highlights: getting caught in an Italian national train strike (a memorable and educational experience in itself), and surviving said strike to tell the tale. Namely, the tale of how we managed to travel to our destination and back (almost) without disruptions to our plan (though I ascribe this last bit to atypical lucky stroke). And yes, I’m talking about a day trip! It’s legendary – read on.
Joke aside, even this hiking “failure” felt so much better that missing out on exploring the area. Getting in a countryside stroll with beautiful lake views in my book scores as a nice addition to the typical hot and crowded city sightseeing you can do around Milan and Bergamo.
A LONG EASY TRAIL ALONG LAKE COMO (LAGO DI COMO)
After a short research I decided we should go hike on the Sentiero del Viandante (the Viandante path), along the eastern coast of the east “trouser leg” of Lake Como. (On a completely unrelated note, I’ve always thought it’s no wonder Italy creates world-famous great-quality fashion, seeing how many of the geographical shapes around the country resemble boots and trousers…lol).
The trail starts at a lake-side village/train station called Abbadia Larianna, less than 10 minutes ride by train from Lecco. Here’s a handy link to orientate yourself from the train station of Abbadia Larrianna to the trailhead – it’s just before the highway overpass, on the left-hand side.
Tip: I recommend checking out the local tiny beach first. It’s small but nice, and there’s a small Italian bar (cafe of sorts) where you can grab drinks and food (including prepared fresh fruit, pasta salads, pizza, coffee etc.), if you have not brought any sustenance along. Also, ahem, a handy (free) restroom.
ACCESS BY TRAIN
First things first – here’s how you get to the Abaddia Larianna train station: from Bergamo (or Milan) ride the train to Lecco and then wait for a transfer to Abbadia Larianna. You will most likely have at least half an hour of transfer time – but we found it was not sufficient to do anything really in Lecco except take a peak at a couple of streets close to the train station. You’d be happy to have this extra time because the trains can be late or delayed – for example, when there is a national strike going on, like on the day we went (and we stupidly did not check about planned strikes).
SOME QUIRKS OF ITALIAN TRAINS
Learn from our mistakes and be sure to check online if there are any strikes happening – they usually announce it at least a week in advance – it will save you a lot of grief. By the way, if they announce that the strike is planned only for certain times during the day, you can safely assume all trains throughout the day will be impacted, possibly suspended or running with delays.
If you can afford to, you’d be wise to avoid traveling on strike days. Our train to Lecco departed just fine – by unbelievable luck. That’s actually why we did not even suspect there was a strike going on until after we were ensconced stuffed on the hot train from Lecco to Abbadia Larianna. Still it felt very unnerving to wonder all the time if we’d get stranded and need to hitchhike, or take a (the?) bus, or… you get the picture.
One last pro-tip – if you end up travelling on a strike day after all, always buy a ticket. If you want to make sure you don’t waste your money you can download the app of the train company you’re using and hover your finger on the buy button. Poise yourself to press buy as soon as you get safely on board the train. Never get on without a valid ticket – you risk being fined and it would feel twice as bad to pay that fine knowing you got caught in a strike.
BEST TIME TO VISIT, WEATHER
May already promises sweltering heat (as in most of Italy, except mountainous regions). Because residential and cultivation needs vie for the tiny flat-ish strip of land between the Lake Como and the surrounding rocky cliffs/mountains, that land, most trees had given up space to gardens and fields with little (natural) shade. Also, all the humidity rising up from the grasses adds to the brilliant sun so expect to have to use loads of sunscreen. Early spring (April) and the autumn would be milder and nicer for any decent physical activity, but I would not head there during the summer months.
VIBE OF THE TRAIL, WHAT TO EXPECT
What the trail is not: to be clear, this trail bears no comparison to alpine trails. First of all – there’s the heat (see above), and second, you will be passing by inhabited places (apparently once upon a time a time this used to be an old donkey trail, practically the only road that connected these lake-side villages!).
The beautiful views over the lake do make for a different experience though – just be sure to manage your expectations that you will not be seeing magnificent high altitude landscapes and pleasant refreshing cool temperatures. 🙂 If you still want to give it a go though…
What you will get: While not particularly wild or pristine, if you’re in love with observing people going about their daily lives, tending their gardens, and more rustic landscapes, you will enjoy this trail. The path passes by villas, vegetable gardens, tiny stone villages, picturesque churches, and even a few some patches of forest, that looked more like a jungle! (due to the humidity, ferns and lianas had established a small kingdom in some parts).
FLEXIBLE PLANS POSSIBLE
You can easily do a day trip, or a longer hike along this trail (we went for the first option due to our schedule). The trail goes on and on along the coast, parallel to both the lake and the rail tracks, so you can get down from it at any train station, and just take the train back.
For example, since we only started hiking after a late lunch (what with the train strike and all), we had time to walked just for a few hours in the afternoon. We could easily cut our hike short, so we went down the trail to the next station, Mandello del Lario, where we got on the train back to Lecco, and then Bergamo.
HEAD-UPS & ANNOYANCES
At least where we started from, you will find bright orange signs reading Sentiero del Viandante that mark the trail – so look out for those. Although you have to cross some roads (including at one spot a flyover the coastal “highway” SS36), there’s not too much noise. You can hear crickets and the occasional barking doggie.
Finally, like I always say nag in all my posts, don’t forget to take plenty of water and some food to stay healthy and hydrated on the path. Look out for places around the train station or on the small beach in Abbadia Larianna.
WHAT OTHERS THINK ABOUT THE TRAIL
Some fellow hikers’ reviews on Trip Advisor if you’re interested. Do note, these reviews refer to starting the trail from Varenna, but you can of course start at any of the villages (each has their own character).
If you try this trail, I’d love to hear what you thought about it! Please send me a message or leave a comment below.
–Silvia
MORE HIKING TRAILS IN ITALY WITH GREAT VIEWS
OR TRY THESE OTHER GREAT HIKING TRIPS ELSEWHERE
A hidden gem of Paris – the park with Eiffel Tower views you didn’t know about