Esino Lario: Hiking, Culture and Regional Cuisine

When choosing accommodation in Esino Lario, you can plan your days around three clear interests: hikes through forests, meadows and mountain landscapes, cultural sites such as the Museo delle Grigne, and regional specialties. This also keeps the destination manageable for travel groups with different preferences: trails, history and local traditions can be considered separately.

Landscape and Natural Environment

Esino Lario is the only municipality located entirely within Parco della Grigna Settentrionale. The park stretches between Lake Como and the Orobie around the Grigne massif, at elevations between 500 and 2,409 metres. The Grotte delle Grigne comprise caves extending over several kilometres and reaching depths of more than 1,000 metres. The summit of Grigna Settentrionale is the destination of numerous hikes, including the Ghiacciaia del Moncodeno, a gorge with ice formations that remain throughout the year.

Hiking Trails with Different Distances

The trails differ considerably in distance. The Percorso dei santi eremiti is an approximately 7-kilometre round trip through the forests and meadows from Esino to Sasso di San Defendente. The Antiche mulattiere tra Varenna ed Esino Lario route connects Varenna and Esino Lario on foot via historic mule tracks; the climb to Esino is approximately 6.5 kilometres long. This allows you to distinguish between shorter and longer hiking days.

The Panorama sui monti e sui laghi route is 13.5 kilometres long and can be started at any point in Esino Lario; the route description begins at Piazza Pietro Pensa. The route offers viewpoints overlooking Lake Como and the Grigna.

Local Culture and History

The Museo delle Grigne extends over two floors and houses palaeontological, archaeological and ethno-anthropological sections. Its focus is the development of the local area and local society from the earliest times through the 20th century. The museum can be visited by prior reservation and as part of guided group tours.

The Romanesque chapel of San Pietro is located in the Ortanella hamlet of Esino Lario at an elevation of 996 metres. Its origins certainly date back to before the 13th century. The Church of San Giovanni Battista is a subsidiary church of Esino Lario and belongs to the parish of San Vittore Martire. It was consecrated in 1565 and first restored in 1635. The Via Crucis in Esino Lario was created between 1939 and 1940 with fourteen bronze panels set into the chapels.

Regional Specialties and Events

Patata bianca di Esino, also known as Biancona, is a potato variety traditionally grown in Val d'Esino. Ravioli di Sant'Antonio, also known as Patole, is a traditional dish prepared for the feast of Sant'Antonio Abate in upper Esino Lario, in Crès.

The Esino Skyrace dates back to 2015. Its course follows the ridges of Val d'Esino; the Polisportiva di Esino association is involved in organising it in May. The municipal bus route D21 provides connections to the surrounding area: it connects Esino Lario with Perledo, Varenna and Bellano.

Further destinations for orientation: Vendrogno, Oliveto Lario, Cassina Valsassina, Limonta, Mandello Del Lario, Varenna, Perledo, Gisazio.

For the higher-level travel overview: Lecco.