From Dervio to Camaggiore

The loop crosses the clusters of houses and the old summer pastures on the mountains of Dervio, with the lake in view for much of the way.

You start from Santi Quirico e Giulitta, a few minutes from the station, and climb the Via ai Monti, a steep mule track through the woods, to the first cluster of houses at Pianezzo, at 380 metres. Leaving the turning for Mai and the Castelvedro on the right, the path, part paving and part stone steps, climbs to Monte Basso and Cangiago, then beside a stream that makes little falls and pools among meadows and huts to the Cascine di Pratolungo, at 924 metres, on a panoramic knoll above the lake. Higher up are the comune's summer pasture of Pratolungo, at 1028 metres, and the wide grassy basin of Camaggiore, at 1210, where cows graze in summer. A level road leads to San Girolamo, on a panoramic balcony, and the houses of Camaggiore. You then go down past the ruins of old Camaggiore to Noceno, beside San Gregorio, and a long contour stretch with views over the lake leads back to the path you came up and down to Dervio.

1. 01A 15.4-kilometre loop with 990 metres of climb, from Santi Quirico e Giulitta in Dervio up to 1210 metres, about five hours. It is of moderate difficulty, with no difficult passages, but its length and duration call for good fitness.
2. 02It starts a few minutes' walk from Dervio station, on the Lecco–Colico–Sondrio line; the recommended season runs from March to November.
3. 03From Camaggiore you can go on to the top of Monte Muggio, at 1799 metres; the Pratolungo and Camaggiore pastures are grazed in summer.
4. 04For a shorter round there is the Vignago loop, of moderate difficulty and walkable all year: 4.2 kilometres, 460 metres of climb, two hours. From Cangiago you drop in ten minutes to Vignago, at 535 metres, among centuries-old chestnuts and known for porcini; a path through the chestnut woods above the Varrone valley leads back to the junction and Dervio.

WhereDervio · Bellano