Above Olcio the trail crosses a chestnut grove about a hundred meters above the lake. The railway isn't visible,hidden by the trees and the highway viaduct,but every so often a low rumble rises from below,lasting about ten seconds,and fades away to the north.

It's the regional train to Colico. It passes beneath the feet of those walking and,roughly every five kilometers,it stops.

This is the most useful thing to know about the Sentiero del Viandante,and it's also the thing talked about least. The route is almost always described as a four- or five-day hike,with a backpack,booked overnight stays,and the satisfaction of reaching the end. That works too.

But since each stage is bookended by two stations,you can walk one at a time and return to your starting point with a ticket that costs less than a sandwich. One October Sunday is worth one stage. No one's asking you to finish them all right away,and that's exactly the beauty of it.

On the flank of this mountain there are four roads,stacked one above the other like layers.

The lowest is the highway,which enters and exits the rock through tunnels. Below it,almost at water level,runs the railway: Colico station dates from 1892,and the others are more or less from those years.

Still lower,right along the water's edge,is the old provincial road. The first carriage road along the lake,between three and five meters wide,was completed in 1832 to a design by engineer Carlo Donegani: before then,on this shore,there was nothing a cart could travel on.

The trail is the highest road and the oldest. It isn't a planned route: it's what remains of a network of mule tracks that connected the lakeside villages with the mountain hamlets,and the villages with each other. Paved stretches,steps cut into the rock,dry-stone walls,bridges over streams. Built for fetching firewood,hay,and chestnuts,and for getting to church on Sunday.

When the road and then the railway arrived,all of this became useless within two generations. The trail survived because (fortunately) no one bothered to destroy it.

It's worth understanding why the mule track exists right there,and not on the other shore.

For centuries Lake Como was a trade corridor toward the Alpine passes,and heavy goods traveled by boat. The Visconti established the "via recta," the only route permitted for the transit of merchandise,in order to levy duties at mandatory crossing points: the customs stations stood at the loading points,at Chiavenna,at the Torre di Olonio,at Punta di Bellagio. Copper,iron,hides,and livestock came down from the north; silk,oil,wine,spices,and salt went back up.

Those with valuable goods could simply afford to pay and sail. On the western shore there also ran the Strada Regina,of Roman origin,the noble road.

Left out was a third category: people on foot,pilgrims,soldiers,small traders carrying little. They passed right through here,on the eastern shore,along mule tracks that climbed and descended into every valley.

The trail's name,then,isn't a tourist affectation added later. The viandante (wayfarer) was exactly this: someone who walked because they couldn't afford the water route.

The detail that makes this concrete is found at Oro,a tiny hamlet between Bellano and Dervio: the church is dedicated to San Gottardo,patron saint of wayfarers,and was built between 1569 and 1579. On the road of those who walk,a church to the saint of those who walk.

The stones are ancient; the "Sentiero del Viandante" is not.

Its creation began in 1992,from the idea of an employee at the Lecco tourism board: to redevelop the old network of mule tracks and turn it into a trekking route. Thirty-four years,not three hundred. And this explains what confuses anyone who tries to plan it.

Because if you search online for how long the Sentiero del Viandante is,you'll find 45 kilometers,49,50,55,71,75,and on some pages even 100. And then 4 stages,5,8,11. No one is actually wrong: since it's a route "stitched together" after the fact,it can be assembled in several ways,and each source is simply measuring a different object.

The historic stretch,from Lecco to Colico. This is the Viandante as almost everyone knows it. The stages are catalogued town by town: added up,they come to about 47 kilometers. Those who round it write 45 or 50; those who include the variants reach 55.

The extension to Piantedo. The trail doesn't end at Colico but a bit further on,at the entrance to Valtellina. That's about five kilometers more,and it's why some sources give 45 starting from Abbadia Lariana instead of Lecco.

The continuation to Morbegno. Beyond Piantedo the route continues on another network of trails,and altogether it measures about 75 kilometers,marked with orange arrows and walkable in full or in stages.

The "Le Vie del Viandante" project. This isn't a single route but a network of itineraries,which took its name from its most famous stretch. The project does not include the stretch from Piantedo to Morbegno. The figures around a hundred kilometers that circulate on some tourism pages come from counts of this kind,not from a single linear route.

These are the official stages with the real numbers and the station where each one ends.

Overall Data

Those who walk it in four or five days combine stages: Lecco–Abbadia–Mandello becomes a single stage,as does Perledo–Bellano–Dervio. The two micro-stages of 2.4 and 4.5 kilometers only make sense on paper.

The number that matters more than the length is the sum of the elevation changes: uphill you come close to 2,900 meters over the whole crossing. The Viandante isn't a lakeside stroll at altitude — it's a continuous up-and-down that dips into every valley and climbs back out.

The surface alternates between uneven trail and paved stretches that become genuinely slippery in the rain,and the full traverse is recommended for those with at least some hiking experience and good physical condition. The individual stages,taken one at a time,are a different matter: ordinary hikes,within reach of anyone who walks a bit.

To estimate times without surprises: three kilometers an hour,plus ten minutes for every hundred meters of climb. With the numbers in the table,the math is quick to do in your head — and it almost always comes out longer than you'd hoped.

Two different services run on this line,and the difference matters a lot when you have to get back with tired legs.

The R13 regional train Lecco–Colico–Sondrio stops at Abbadia Lariana,Mandello del Lario,Olcio,Lierna,Fiumelatte,Varenna-Esino,Bellano-Tartavalle Terme,Dervio,Dorio,Piona,Colico and then continues into Valtellina. This is the Viandante's train: it stops everywhere,including the small stations that serve the trail's side exits.

The RegioExpress RE8 Tirano–Sondrio–Lecco–Milan stops only at Colico,Bellano-Tartavalle Terme,Varenna-Esino,Mandello del Lario,and Lecco. It's faster and the right choice for arriving from Milan in the morning,but if your stage ends at Lierna or Dorio,it won't help you.

Generally the four larger stations have a train every half hour and the smaller ones one an hour,with some gaps around midday. Colico–Lecco takes just under half an hour. Regional fares are calculated by distance,so the trip back after a stage costs just a few euros.

Arriving from Milan

The RE8 departs from Milano Centrale and reaches Varenna-Esino in just under two hours,stopping at Monza,Lecco,Mandello del Lario,and Bellano. For the central stages (Lierna,Varenna,Bellano) it's the simplest way to do it all in a single day starting from the city. For the smaller stations,change at Lecco and take the regional train.

If you're doing it as a day trip,the real constraint isn't the morning train but the evening one: check the last useful departure from the station where you'll finish before deciding how far to walk.

The Car Trick

If you're coming by car,don't leave it at the starting point. Leave it at the arrival stage's station,take the train in the opposite direction to your starting point,and walk back toward the car.

This changes everything: at the end of the day,with tired legs and maybe in the rain,you're not waiting for anything. And if you slow down,if you linger too long at Corenno Plinio or take a wrong turn at Genico,you won't miss the train: the car is waiting for you.

Three Things to Check Before Setting Off

Platforms. Trenord notes that some stations on this line have short platforms and asks passengers not to use the last carriages to board or alight. This applies to Olcio,Fiumelatte,Dorio,Piona: if you're in the last carriage and don't realize it,the door won't open and the next village is six kilometers away.

Construction work. This line has been under reconstruction for years. In summer 2025 the Lecco–Colico–Tirano stretch was closed from June 15 to September 14 for upgrade works linked to the Milan-Cortina Olympics,with replacement buses,and shorter closures recur on weekends. With the buses,getting back still works,but the times change and the stops aren't right in front of the station. The "construction" section of the Trenord website should be checked the evening before,not the morning of. Once the works are finished,the stated goal is a train every thirty minutes between Milan and Tirano,at which point this trail will become one of the most convenient things in Italy.

The ferry. The eastern shore has seven landings served by Navigazione Laghi. From Varenna you can cross to Bellagio,Menaggio,and Cadenabbia: it's the simplest way to end a stage on the Lecco branch and have dinner on the other shore,or to fit it into a full day tour of the lake.

Just below the hamlet of Genico,in Lierna,the trail splits in two. The two variants rejoin at Vezio,above Varenna,and they're two days that couldn't be more different.

The high variant is real mountain terrain. You climb into the Brentalone valley on switchbacks partly cut into bare rock,pass the Croce di Brentalone,and reach Alpe Mezzedo at 871 meters,where the old ice-house still survives.

Then the church of San Pietro at 992 meters,the highest point of the whole route,on a karst plateau with benches and tables. From there you descend to Ortanella,where enormous beech trees still stand among the meadows because they once marked property boundaries.

The final stretch runs along the ridge above the cliffs and passes the remains of Sass da Poo,a tower once used for signaling in the Byzantine era. At the Croce del Fopp,Vezio appears with its castle,and the descent is over.

The low variant instead climbs to Coria,at 780 meters among the chestnut trees,touches the ruins of Roslina,and crosses the Vacchera valley: here the herdsmen of Esino used to roll logs down to the lake through gullies they called oghe. It then descends toward Varenna,skirting Fiumelatte and the cemetery,and climbs back up to Vezio in a few minutes.

If your legs are up for it and the sky is free of threatening clouds,take the high route: it's the most beautiful stretch of the whole walk. If the weather is uncertain,or if you want to reach Varenna in time to still visit Villa Monastero,take the low route.

A note that almost never comes up: on the connecting path that climbs from Coria to the Bocchetta di Ortanella,you'll find the Prato dei Spini,an equipped area with a panoramic bivouac shelter,also accessible to the visually impaired.

Varenna → Bellano. Four and a half kilometers,+322 and −488. You start from Vezio,descend into the gorge of the Esino stream,and pass by the Mulino del Crott. This is the ravine where the skeleton of a prehistoric reptile was found,later named the Lariosaurus and now kept at the Natural History Museum in Milan.

You climb up to Regoledo and Perledo,skirt the slope known as the Bosco delle Streghe (Witches' Wood),and at a certain point the trail cuts through a deep trench: this is the bed of the funicular that from 1903 to the 1950s connected the railway and the ferry landing with the hydrotherapy establishment opened at Regoledo in 1858. A little further on,alongside the trail,stand three boundary markers dated 1732 bearing the initials of Varenna,Bellano,and Perledo. For centuries the trail wasn't just a road: it was the border.

You finish at Bellano in front of the San Rocco bridge,with the Orrido gorge below: the less-photographed sibling of the Orrido di Nesso on the other shore.

Bellano → Dervio. Five kilometers,+428 and −438. The shortest stage and perhaps the best preserved. After the sanctuary of Lezzeno,the trail passes niches carved into the side walls,which used to collect rainwater from the meadows and served as cisterns during droughts.

It crosses Oro and Verginate,then enters the Ronchi: terraces supported by earthen embankments,houses that seem to hang above the lake,a boulder carved with the date 1693. In some spots the trail runs directly on rock,still grooved from centuries of sledge traffic. It descends into Dervio past the Crotto del Cech and arrives at the bridge over the Varrone,where in medieval times wayfarers paid a toll.

Dervio → Colico. Nine and a half kilometers,+733 and −528. The longest and most varied stage. You climb to the village of the Castello di Dervio,a medieval settlement that has remained intact,and descend to Corenno Plinio,the village of 493 steps cut into the rock,clustered tightly around its walled castle. Then Mandonico,the chestnut grove,the chapel of San Rocco,and the Ronchi di Vesgallo,with a viewpoint over the small lake of Piona.

Here the rock itself changes: up to Bellano you walk on limestone,beyond it mica schist and gneiss prevail,and accordingly the trees disappear and broom and heather take over.

The final stretch descends to Posallo among boulders carried by glaciers,some carved with cup-marks by people who lived here long before everything else. If you have an hour to spare,just above Colico a forty-five-minute loop branches off climbing to the Torre di Fontanedo,and it's worth the detour.

A detail almost no one mentions,and one best seen from here: much of the "mountains" above Colico belong to the municipality of Dorio,not Colico. This was decided by an arbitration in 1755 that put an end to violent disputes between the two communities,which explains why the mule track is built so well in this stretch.

It served people who came from far away to collect their firewood,and who had just won a lawsuit. From Colico onward,Valtellina begins,and with it the terraces of Valtellina DOCG: the landscape changes character within just a few kilometers.

The Viandante isn't a trail with hostels and organized stages: you sleep and eat in the villages,which are ordinary towns with hotels,B&Bs,and trattorias. Every village along the way has a pharmacy and a grocery store or supermarket.

Along the route,though,there are a few stopping points worth remembering because they come at just the right moments: the bar at Rongio,above Mandello,shortly before the descent into Val Meria; the establishments at Ortanella,the only real stop on the high variant; the Bar Milano in Perledo,at the junction with the provincial road; the Crotto del Cech at the edge of Dervio; the agriturismo and trattoria at Posallo,the last option before Colico. Hours and opening days are seasonal: outside high season,it's worth checking ahead rather than counting on them.

Preferably not in August. The altitudes are low,the exposure faces the lake,and the trail crosses olive groves and limestone that by midday give back all the heat they've absorbed since morning. Precisely because of the modest altitudes,the recommended periods are spring,autumn,and winter,and the hottest months are not advised.

The best window opens from mid-September to early November. The chestnut groves turn color,the air dries out,and the lake is visible all the way to the bottom. The second window runs from March to May,with cyclamen in the woods above Lierna and periwinkles along the Olcio stretch.

Winter is underrated: there's no one around,clear days give the best views of the year,and ice is a problem only on shaded paved stretches. You do need to account for darkness,which arrives by five in December.

Two things depend on the calendar. The first is the Fiumelatte,barely 250 meters long and often billed as Italy's shortest river; a record actually disputed by the Aril in Veneto,which measures 175 meters. It's a temporary stream: it appears around late March with the thaw and disappears by October. If you take the low variant in winter,you'll find only a dry bed of stones. Leonardo,who in the Codex Atlanticus calls it "Fiumelaccio",wrote that it flowed only in August and September: he was wrong,but it's a mistake that deserves the detour. The second is the tower of the Castello village,in Dervio,which is open to visitors on weekends from Easter to the end of September.

If you can choose the direction,consider that heading north the lake widens ahead of you and the Alps appear in the distance; heading south you walk toward the Grigne mountains,which at the end of the day reflect a wonderful light and seem to "light up."

Water is available in the villages. Public fountains and reliable water points are located in the villages along the trail,not on the mid-slope stretches,and between Dervio and Colico several hours pass without reaching a populated area. Two liters per person on the longer stages.

Side exits exist and are short,and that's what makes the Viandante a trail that feels safe even when hiking alone. From Sonvico,above Mandello,you can descend to Olcio and its station in about twenty minutes. From Mandonico you can drop down to Dorio. From Posallo you reach Colico. From Lierna a short stairway along via Genico is enough.

Waymarking is orange,with dense signposts and arrows,and in some spots it runs alongside the CAI's white-red trail markers. That's why it's hard to get lost here. The GPX track and the official hiking map can be downloaded from the trail's info page,and it's wise to have them offline regardless: phone signal comes and goes in the valleys.

No credential is needed. The trail itself doesn't have one,but the "Le Vie del Viandante" project offers the Passaporto del Viandante,available at the Lecco Infopoint in Piazza XX Settembre,along with the stamps to collect along the route.

Wild camping in general is not allowed: each municipality has its own regulations,and there are equipped campsites in Abbadia Lariana,Mandello del Lario,Dervio,and Colico.

Shoes matter more than the backpack. The surface changes constantly (paving stones,packed earth,rock,short stretches of asphalt),and when wet,the historic paved sections become genuinely slippery.

One last thing,the reason this trail sticks with you. Above Sonvico you walk beneath limestone cliffs locally called Sasso di Olcio: this is the stone the Como Cathedral was built with. It was quarried on this side and carried across the water. Even the shore that seems poor has built something,somewhere.

How long is the Sentiero del Viandante? About 47 kilometers from Lecco to Colico adding up the official stages,around fifty continuing to Piantedo,about 75 reaching Morbegno.

How many stages are there? Eight official ones from town to town,plus two variants between Lierna and Vezio. In practice,people walk it in four or five days,or one stage at a time.

Can it be done in a single day? Yes,and it's the most sensible way to get to know it. Each stage begins and ends near a station on the Lecco–Colico line.

Do you need experience? For the full crossing,yes,because of the overall elevation change and the continuous ups and downs. For individual stages,an ordinary hike is enough,with the exception of the high variant between Lierna and Vezio.

Can you walk it in winter? Yes,and it's one of the best seasons. Low altitude,good exposure,no crowds. Watch out for ice on shaded paved stretches and the short days.

How do you get back to your starting point? By train on the Lecco–Colico–Sondrio line,or by ferry from one of the seven landings on the eastern shore.

Can you get there from Milan in a day? Yes. The RegioExpress Milan–Lecco–Tirano gets you to Varenna-Esino in just under two hours. The constraint to check is the last evening train,not the morning one.

Are there fountains along the route? In the villages,yes; on the mid-slope stretches,no.

Is it suitable for children? The short stages,yes: Perledo–Bellano and Bellano–Dervio are brief and have nearby exits. The high variant Lierna–Vezio,no.