Route
From Piazza Garibaldi you pick up Via Calvi. At the end of it you cross the main road and you turn into Via Caronti, along the left side of the Parish church St.Stefano. At the end of the street turn right and after 30 m turn left into Via Castellino da Castello. This street leads to the upper part of the town where once the castle stood. It was destroyed in 1523 by the Signore delle Leghe Grigie . Above the ruins of the ancient castle you find the church S.Carlo (1614) The street then leads down to a road (Via N.Sauro) which you follow to the right. Pick up the path way on the right side of Hotel Loveno in order to cut off a bend. Back on the road follow it (to the left) another 30 m and at the next bend, pick up the street to the left (sign Pianure).
You are now in the hamlet Loveno with its splendid villas. To begin with, on the left at the beginning of the street, there is Villa Bel Faggio and after 200 m you pass Villa Garovaglio now owned by the German Federal Republic which hosts the Association “Villa Vigoni Centro Italo – Tedesco” which organizes high level meetings. Villa Mylius Vigoni lies just behind Villa Garovaglio. The park can be visited on reservation onThursday afternoon tel. 0344 361232. Having passed the baroque façade of the church San Lorenzo and the sport centre, you reach “Piamuro”(also called Pianure) a big pasture (40 min. from Menaggio). From Piamuro follow the cart track straight on for about 1 km till you reach the Chapel dell’Artus.
The track from here leads down to river. Do not cross the bridge at Mulino Nogara but follow the path on the right side of the river. You pass the ancient brick-furnace “Galli” and then reach “La Chioderia”, once a factory where nails were made, now a trout farm with a typical inn. Pick up the track on the right side of the trout farm. Just past the trout farm you pass the deviation to Barna, reachable in 30 minutes. Continue straight on to “Mulino Carliseppi”(456 m), a mill where not much time ago wheat and corn were ground. Cross the old stone bridge and pick up the path to the right which leads along the bank of the river to Sass Curbée. Here the passage of the river is obstructed by enormous boulders. Steps hewn in the rock make it possible to climb up the huge monolith and continue your way to an ancient lime-pit (be very careful here to follow the signs). At the ancient lime pit "Fornace della Calce" you will see the deviation for Barna reachable in 30 minutes on route 4a. You continue on route 4 through the woods and after approx. 40 minutes you arrive at the beautiful pasture of Monti di Madri (570 m).
From here you turn back the same way you came or back at the lime-pit ,"Fornace della Calce" you can pick up trail 4a which leads through the woods to the hamlet of Barna. You pass the quiet church square with its lovely fountain and then pick up the trail at the other side of town to the right leading back down to Piamuro.
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