The Dorsale del triangolo lariano is definitely a challenging trek! Its length and elevation gain challenge walkers, but the scenic rewards are resounding!
The starting point of the walk is in Brunate, in the province of Como. To reach Brunate I recommend taking the train to Como Lago, which is connected by a train from Milano Cadorna. From the Como Lago station, it takes less than 5 minutes to walk to the funicular railway that connects Como to Brunate: in not even a five-minute ride you go from 200 to 700 meters in altitude!
From Brunate the path, perfectly marked, begins. Initially one must follow the signs leading to ‘The Lighthouse’ and ‘to the peaks.’ In about 4 km, with an elevation gain of 400 meters, the Boletto refuge is reached. The path is almost always shady as it passes through dense vegetation.
From the Boletto hut it is possible to reach Mount Boletto, following the ‘ridge by ridge’, or to continue along the classic ridge trail: I chose the second option.
After 7 km of walking I again found the junction classic ridge or ridge to ridge. In this case I chose the second option, which took me, after a sometimes steep climb, to the top of Mount Bolettone, 1320 meters. After an additional five minutes of walking, it is possible to take a detour to a beautiful viewpoint. I highly recommend the detour, as you can see Lake Como, Cornizzolo (which is also one of themost famous climbs in the Como area), Lake Annone and Lake Pusiano.
On the 13th km of the walk I reached Rifugio Riella, from where it is possible to admire Lake Como again. Here I took a further detour: the so-called direttissima took me, via a decidedly steep path, to the summit of Mount Palanzone! From the 1430 meters of Mount Palanzone, I descended to the Sormano Colma, reached after 17 km of walking, then halfway down.
At the colma di Sormano there is a bar that provides refreshment before continuing the path of the Dorsale del triangolo lariano.
From the Sormano ridge one must reach the Terrabiotta alp. I again recommend a detour, again a very steep one. After the Spessola vent, it is possible to walk in the direction of Mount Ponciv: even without reaching the summit, it is possible to admire some impressively beautiful lake views!
At the 22nd km of the walk, I finally reached the Terrabiotta Alp, located at an altitude of 1435 meters: the view is once again majestic! From the Terrabiotta Alp, I began the long descent through Mount San Primo Park.
At the 28th km I found a water fountain at Rovenza: this second part of the walk is often in the sun and water consumption is definitely high! The last three kilometers to Bellagio are steep again: this descent, after more than thirty kilometers of walking, is tiring!
Finally, after 35 km of walking I reached the Bellagio pier: Dorsale del triangolo lariano was successfully completed!
The easy, but beautiful, path of Expressions!
The Wayfarer’s Trail, four stops on the lake!
25 July, 2021