There are villages you visit,and villages you climb. Corenno Plinio is the second kind. Clinging to a rocky spur on the eastern shore of Lake Como,between Dervio and Dorio,at the foot of Monte Legnone,it's a village built like a staircase: the houses climb one on top of the other from the tiny harbor up to the square at the top,where the castle and the church have stood guard for seven hundred years.

Between climbing up and coming back down its steps,the tally comes to 493 steps carved into the living rock. That's why it's called the village of a thousand steps,and that's why,before saying anything else,it's worth saying this: wear comfortable shoes.

Corenno is a small,improbable place. About thirty people live there year-round. There are no four-story hotels,no souvenir shops,and for decades it remained what its own residents used to call the forgotten village.

Then something changed,and today Corenno is among the most photographed spots on the Alto Lario,selected in 2025 as one of the twenty finalists for Rai's Borgo dei Borghi (Village of Villages) award representing Lombardy. This is the guide to visiting it properly,in every season,knowing what you'll pay,what you'll see,and what almost no one notices.

• Corenno Plinio is a fortified medieval village on a rocky promontory high above the lake,dominated by a walled castle from the 1300s and linked to the water by 493 steps carved into the rock.
• Since June 2022 it has been among the very first historic inhabited centers in Italy to ask for a small access fee: today the standard entrance costs 4 euros,with many categories exempt.
• Unlike a beach,it works in every season,and the World War I Cadorna Line,just above the village,can be visited all year round.

The first thing you see arriving,by land or by lake,is its castle. And it's an unusual castle,because it wasn't built to be lived in. As the FAI (Italian National Trust) fact sheet and the documentation from the Municipality of Dervio explain,Corenno's is a walled enclosure castle: not a noble residence with halls and bedrooms,but a fortified perimeter wall designed to take in and protect the local population in case of attack. A stone refuge,not a palace.

Its history is long and violent. The first documented mention of a fortress at Corenno dates back to 1040,when the Republic of the Three Parishes besieged and conquered the village and its castle,where the people from the surrounding area had taken shelter. The fiefdom of Corenno was granted in 1277 by the Archbishop of Milan Ottone Visconti to the Andreani family,who between 1363 and 1370 gave the castle its current form. The statutes of Dervio of 1389 record the Andreani as castellans,and even today,a detail few people know,the castle remains their private property.

Of that fortress,the walls and two towers remain well preserved,and they tell two different stories. The massive square tower in the north-eastern corner,the oldest part,watched over the mule track climbing up into Valvarrone. The south-western tower is instead the type known as a vela (sail) tower,open on the inside,and looks over the entrance toward the little square,topped by the coat of arms of the Andreani counts: it faced the lake and,according to historical reconstructions,was in visual contact with Rezzonico Castle on the opposite shore,to signal the arrival of enemy ships.

In case of danger,it wasn't just the castle gates that were shut. The steep stairways down to the lake,the only way in and out of the village,were barred too.

Corenno could,in effect,turn into a stone trap. The moat that completed its defenses was only filled in between 1825 and 1831,to build the military road that is today's provincial road.

The castle is considered among the best preserved in all of Lombardy,but precisely because it's private property belonging to the Andreani family,it can't be visited freely. As the Dervio tourist office points out,the interior is only accessible during the guided tours of the village organized with the Municipality on certain dates during the warmer months,at a cost of around 5 euros,free for residents of Dervio and for children up to age ten,in groups of no more than twenty-five people. If you're keen on actually getting inside those walls,it's worth checking the schedule before you go.

The true body of the village,though,is its stairways. The scalotte,as they're called here,are narrow,steep flights of steps,some cut straight into the living rock,running down from the medieval square to the lake through a maze of alleys,archways,and porticoes among the old houses.

There are 493 of them to be precise,and they're the reason for the village's nickname and,ultimately,for its charm: walking through them is like passing through a vertical cross-section of the Middle Ages.

At the bottom of the descent you reach the small harbor and the boat basin. It's the best spot in the village at sunset,when the sun drops behind the mountain and sets the water alight. In recent years a new landing pier has also been added. Don't expect an equipped beach: as in nearby Dervio you can swim,but here it means a few patches of pebbles to dive from,not sunbed-lined lidos.

On a raised part of the village there's a viewpoint with fixed binoculars,from which you can pick out,and read about,the main landmarks of the Lario that open up in front of you: the western shore,the mountains,the center of the lake that Corenno has always dominated from its spur.

Set against the castle walls stands the parish church,dedicated to St. Thomas of Canterbury,that is,Thomas Becket,the English archbishop brutally murdered in 1170.

Built between the 12th and 13th centuries and consecrated in 1355,it was probably originally a castle chapel,so much so that it connected to the fortress on the north side. It was Carlo Borromeo who raised it to an independent parish in 1566. A recent restoration,carried out in 1966,brought to light votive frescoes on its walls dating between the 14th and 16th centuries,including a St. Christopher,a St. Francis,and an Epiphany.

But the detail that stops every visitor in their tracks is outside the church. On the churchyard stand three grand Gothic funerary arches from the 14th century,the tomb monuments of the Andreani counts: two flanking the portal,the third set against the castle walls. Monumental tombs left outdoors,exposed to the sky and to view,are a genuine rarity in Italy,and they're one of the reasons Corenno stays with you. Why the Andreani chose to be buried like this,in plain sight on the threshold between church and fortress,is a story that deserves a chapter of its own.

Just above Corenno lies something almost no visitor ever sees,partly because signage is almost entirely absent: the fortifications and trenches of the Cadorna Line,the defensive system built during the First World War to protect the roads leading into the lakeside villages.

Fortunately,not a single shot was ever fired here,the war passed elsewhere,and precisely because of that these structures have remained perfectly preserved.

Sitting at only a few hundred meters of altitude,as the FAI notes,they're among the few alpine fortifications that are easy to visit all year round. A second layer of defensive stone,eight centuries after the castle,above the very same village. A coincidence well worth mentioning.

Corenno made headlines across Italy for a controversial choice. Since June 4,2022,according to the local Lecco press,it has become the first inhabited center in Lombardy to introduce an access fee,preceded in Italy only by Civita di Bagnoregio,the famous "dying village" perched on a cliff in the province of Viterbo.

Here are some practical facts. The fee,which the local administration calls a contribution toward maintaining the monumental complex,started at 3 euros and today the standard entrance costs 4 euros,with a reduced rate of 3 euros for young people aged 10 to 18 and for groups of at least twenty people.

There's no charge for children under ten,for people with disabilities and their companion,for residents of the municipalities of Dervio,Dorio,Sueglio and Valvarrone,for owners of a second home in the village,and for guests staying at accommodations in Corenno. The fee is paid directly at the ticket office on Via Garibaldi,at the information point on open days,or via a vending machine.

WHY DO YOU PAY?

The idea,explains the Municipality of Dervio,is that maintaining a stone village costs a great deal,because almost everything has to be done by hand,from maintaining the stairways to collecting waste. The proceeds are reinvested to preserve and enhance Corenno. It's the same principle used for museums and historic residences,applied for the first time to an entire inhabited village. Prices and rules may change from season to season: it's worth checking before you go.

It's not like a beach: Corenno is enjoyable all year round,and each season has its own light and its own character.

Spring. Perhaps the best time: cool weather for tackling the steps,the village still quiet,green mountains. Ideal for pairing with a walk along the Sentiero del Viandante.

Summer. The village fills up with holidaymakers and the harbor is perfect for a swim and a sunset. Expect heat on the exposed stairways and some crowds on weekends. Go early in the morning or in the evening.

Autumn. The connoisseurs' season: foliage on the mountains,golden light,fewer people. It's also when medieval reenactments and events bring the square to life.

Winter. The quietest,starkest Corenno,with Monte Legnone snow-capped behind it. Some services are reduced,but the village,the stairways,and the view remain,and the Cadorna Line can still be visited. Always check opening times.

By car,exit the SS36 at Dervio and continue on the provincial road 72; parking is at the entrance to the village,along the road,since the village itself is entirely pedestrian and vertical.

Without a car you can manage perfectly well. Dervio train station,on the Lecco-Colico-Sondrio line with connections from Milan via Lecco,is a few minutes away,and from there you can reach Corenno on foot or by bike. The village is also a stop on the Sentiero del Viandante,the great trail along the eastern shore,and it can be reached by boat,using the landing pier.

PRACTICAL TIP. In Corenno you won't find chic restaurants or luxury hotels: it's a slow-tourism village. To eat,have an aperitivo,or spend the night,the natural base is nearby Dervio,or Bellano with its Orrido gorge. Bring water and suitable shoes: between the climb up and back down,you'll feel all 493 steps.

If you know the Alto Lario,you know Corenno is at its best when the coach tours and the crowds aren't there. The best light is in the late afternoon from the harbor,with the sun going down over the opposite shore. The in-between seasons,spring and autumn,are ideal for the stairways and for the quiet.

There are two things hit-and-run visitors miss. The first is the real castle: you can only get in on the dates of the guided tours run by the Pro Loco,so it's worth planning ahead. The second is the Cadorna Line above the village,unsigned and so almost unknown,perfect to pair with a walk. And for a full day without a car: train to Dervio,a swim in the lake,a stretch of the Sentiero del Viandante up to Corenno,sunset on the stairways.

Where is Corenno Plinio? On the eastern shore of Lake Como,in the province of Lecco,between Dervio and Dorio,at the foot of Monte Legnone. It's a hamlet within the municipality of Dervio.

Do you have to pay to enter Corenno Plinio? Yes,since 2022 there's been an access fee. Today the standard entrance costs 4 euros,the reduced rate is 3 euros,with several categories exempt,including residents,guests staying at accommodations in the village,and children under ten. Prices and rules should be checked before your visit.

How do you get there without a car? By train to Dervio station,on the line from Milan via Lecco,then a few minutes on foot or by bike. The village is also a stop on the Sentiero del Viandante and can be reached by boat.

Can you visit the castle? The castle is privately owned by the Andreani family. It can only be visited during the village's guided tours organized by the Dervio tourist office on certain dates,at a cost of around 5 euros.

How many steps does Corenno Plinio have? Its stairways carved into the rock count 493 steps,linking the medieval square to the harbor on the lake. That's why it's nicknamed the village of a thousand steps.

In the end,it all comes down to that stone staircase climbing from the water up to the castle. Corenno doesn't offer beaches,postcard villas,or shop windows: it offers something rarer,a genuine piece of the Middle Ages still standing on a rock,where every step has been worn down by seven hundred years of footsteps. Climb it slowly.

And when you reach the top,at the three tombs in front of the church,stop for a moment: because those stones hold a story that few people know,and that's worth a second trip. Really.