Menaggio

Monte Grona and Rifugio Menaggio

The 1,736-metre mountain above Menaggio, with Rifugio Menaggio on its south face and steep, exposed paths to the summit.

Visit duration: 4 h – 6 h
Booking: Not required
Area: Centro Lago

Mænsard vokser · CC BY-SA 4.0

Mænsard vokser · CC BY-SA 4.0
Mænsard vokser · CC BY-SA 4.0

Why go

Monte Grona, 1,736 metres high above Menaggio, overlooks lakes Como, Lugano and Piano.

Rifugio Menaggio stands on its south face at about 1,400 metres, reached from Breglia on marked paths.

From the refuge, the normal route climbs to the Forcoletta at 1,627 metres and follows a steep, exposed ridge; a steel cable assists with the final rocky step. The ascent from the refuge takes about an hour and a quarter, in addition to the approach and return. The Sant'Amate branch follows a different route. The Via Ferrata del Centenario is for experienced mountaineers with suitable equipment. On clear days, the view includes the Alps from Monviso to the Bernina, as well as the Bregagno, Legnone, Grigne and Corni di Canzo.

Paths to the refuge and the Grona ridge, with steep, exposed sections towards the summit.
Rifugio Menaggio, on the south face at about 1,400 metres.

Getting there

By car or bus to Breglia above Menaggio, then on the path.

Practical information

Difficulty: Hiking grade (E) as far as the refuge; the normal route to the summit is for experienced hikers (EE), with exposed sections and a cable on the final passage. The via ferrata is a separate route
Ascent: About 650 m of ascent from Breglia to the refuge

The light

It faces south-east: in autumn and winter the sun rises right behind the Grigne, in summer further north over the Legnone, and either way it means leaving the Monti di Breglia in the dark, with a head torch. The lake below is often under haze until nine.

Faces: south-east
Best light: morning
Full moon: Tue 24 Nov · 16:29 · north-east

JuneDecember

The skyline measured every two degrees out to twenty-two kilometres, and to two hundred where the near mountains let the Alps show. The solid line is the sun's arc at the summer solstice, which leaves the top of the frame; the dashed one is the winter solstice, with the hour it comes out from behind the mountain and the hour it goes back.

See from here where the sun comes from, in 3D

All the photo spots

Directions On the map

DestinationsMenaggioIn the middle of the lake, between the ferry, the Regina road and the bus to Lugano.

Updated 23 October 2026

The mountains from here

The highest summit in view from here is Monte Disgrazia, 3678 m, 47 kilometres away.

Open the panorama with the summits by name

The ochre line follows today's sun path and marks the estimated times of its first and last appearance above the mountains. Drag the panorama to see all of it.

How it is drawn

Paler ridges are farther away; heights are stretched two and a half times. Houses are not drawn, nor are trees within half a kilometre. Terrain © Regione Lombardia (CC BY 4.0); summits © OpenStreetMap contributors.