Monte Cornizzolo from the Valle dell'Oro

The climb up Monte Cornizzolo is an easy walk, suitable for children too, with a view of the lake; Civate's network of paths also reaches Monte Rai and the Corno Birone.

The Cornizzolo lies between the provinces of Como and Lecco. On the summit stands a wrought-iron cross made by the smiths of Canzo, while the old stone cross is kept beside the Alpini chapel on the Cornizzolo plateau; a little lower, at about 1100 metres, is the Rifugio Marisa Consigliere. Hang-gliding and paragliding pilots know the mountain for a take-off field used almost all year, and on a saddle towards Monte Rai, again at about 1100 metres, a Mesolithic site has been found, perhaps a seasonal hunting camp. The classic loop starts from Civate: from the locality of Pozzo you climb the mule track of the Valle dell'Oro to the Romanesque basilica of San Pietro al Monte, then path 10, by the Val della Porta variant, to the Rifugio Consigliere and the summit, at 1240 metres, and you come back by path 11, looking over the lakes of the Brianza. From the top the view runs from the Grigne and the Resegone to the Corni di Canzo and widens over the plain and the Brianza as far as the skyscrapers of Milan. The first stretch is the path to San Pietro al Monte, and half way up you can stop at the basilica and the oratory of San Benedetto.

1. 01The loop is graded E, for hikers, and has no technical difficulties, but it is long: twelve kilometres and 940 metres of climb from Civate, three hours up and three back, with water along the way.
2. 02The first stretch is path 10 to San Pietro al Monte: from Pozzo or the Valle dell'Oro it is about 350 metres of climb and an hour's walk; wear boots or hiking shoes.
3. 03Civate is served by trains on the S7 Monza–Molteno–Lecco line and by buses on the C140 Lecco–Erba–Como line, with the handiest stop at Civate Paese Municipio; drivers should set their satnav to Civate or one of its car parks, not to the abbey.
4. 04The Cornizzolo can also be reached from the Terz'Alpe, in the Corni di Canzo regional forest, in an hour and a half, with 500 metres of climb.

WhereMalgrate · Valmadrera