During our break in northern Italy, we spent most of our time around Lake Como. One of the highlights was the hike to Monte San Primo. We found this was on AllTrails, but as you’ll see we made an alteration to their route part of the way through. This turned what might have been described as a moderate hike into an easier one – and you could have made it easier depending on the trails you pick.
We started by driving to the carpark opposite La Baita restaurant. There is a pathway at the end of the carpark that leads straight up the field, which is where we went, but, as we found out later, if you go back out of the carpark and a bit up the road, you get to a much clearer path. After walking up the field we soon saw a farmhouse on our left hand side and just after this we became unclear of the path. There was a road that looked like it was just going to the farmhouse (but actually also led to the main path) but we ended up taking a little path through the fields once we were just beyond the farmhouse. This then led into a little winding path through the trees that climbed up until we met the major path further up the hill. This detour certainly didn’t matter but we were a bit unsure if we were heading in the right direction for a while – the main reason for this was that I had forgotten to download offline maps for the area and there was no phone signal at this point.
Once we were on the main path (which doubles as a mountain biking route) it was a simple but steep walk up the hill towards the peak of Monte Ponciv. Here we took another small detour to go and have a look at the views and check out the small lakes that are visible from the main route. This is also where the route joins up with others coming from the other side of the mountain.
At this point you can decide to follow the path around the slope to your left or take the steeper and slightly trickier route up along the ridge. We wanted to have the views to either side of us so we took the ridge. It was a good decision as the views were fantastic and the terrain was fine.
After walking for a while along the ridge you join up again with the main path. And after one last steepish climb, you have reached Monte San Primo, and the highest point on the hike. The panoramic views on all sides were amazing and this was a perfect place to stop for lunch.
After spending some time here enjoying the view, we started to head down the mountain, following a narrow steep trail. This trail was slick with mud and we didn’t have our hiking poles with us (as we couldn’t bring them in hand luggage on the flight). It was also going into an area of total shade without any real views. So we made the decision to just head back the way we had come. So this is where we deviated from the AllTrails route. Instead of going along the ridge we went back on the trail around the side, mainly to add a bit of variety rather than going back exactly the same way. It was very pleasant to walk in the autumn sunshine and be able to stretch our legs on the less steep path.
After getting off the ridge we carried on down the path that we had come up originally but instead of going down through the wood again, we carried on the route we were supposed to have taken in the first place (hence how we know now where we should have gone).
So overall this was a very pleasant hike. It took a bit more than four hours, including lunch and photo stops. By cutting off the second half of the loop, it made the walk non-technical, which we were more than happy to do this time. Whilst a certain level of fitness is required to get up the slopes, this hike is pretty accessible. And the views are fantastic so it is well worth the effort. A very enjoyable day.
To check out our route, please click on the video below:
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Brit and Czech Abroad 