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 every Thursday afternoon tel. 0344 361232. Having passed the baroque façade of the church San Lorenzo and the sport centre, you reach “Pianure”(also called Piamuro) 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. Cross the bridge Nogara and follow the mule track as it leads up to Codogna. You reach the road which leads up to Naggio; cross it and pick up the track below the walls on the left side of the 17th century Villa Camozzi (sign Rogolone). It is the seat of the town hall of Grandola and of the Ethnographical and Naturalistic Museum Val Sanagra tel. 0344 32115.
From the even track you have a beautiful view of the Val Menaggio with Monte Crocione and Monte Galbiga. The trail then leads into the woods and crosses several streams. At the last stream where there is a rudimental gate, a steep stretch leads uphill to “il Rogolone”. Pick up the trail up on the right side of the clearing (sign Velzo). After a brief stretch uphill, it leads on to another trail which you follow to the right in the direction of Velzo. After having walked for about 30 minutes, the trail becomes a cart track and arrives at the hamlet Velzo.
You cross the road (Via delle Alpi) which leads up to Naggio, and you take the track right in front of you which leads to the center of the hamlet. At the house where the street splits, pick up Via Gottro to the right. Keep right and you come to a little piazza with a small chapel where you pick up Via Leopardi on the left. After having passed a washhouse you cross the road and pick up the mule track leading along the side of the beautiful parish church S. Siro. You again reach villa Camozzi (on the opposite side), cross the road near the sport center and pick up via Mulino. You go down to the river following the indications for “agriturismo La Vecchia Chioderia”, where there is a trout farm with typical inn. Cross the bridge and follow the track along the river to the right which again leads to the bridge Nogara. From here you follow the same way as you came, back to Menaggio.
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