Valsolda

As you go along the shore of the lake from Menaggio the landscape changes and the horizons widen up, dominated on one side by the Grigne and on the other by the Grona , surrounded by multicoloured reflections.
Going up tight bends in the valley that lead towards the Lugano Lake, we pass the wonderful coast of Piano Lake, a natural oasis with guided nature tours to observe the flora and the fauna.
Following the state road, you come to Porlezza, a charming town on the Lake Lugano, also known as Ceresio, this water basin is half Italian and half Swiss and is serviced by boats that offer many interesting excursions. The city is the most important tourist resort in the valley, thanks to an interesting variety of hotels, campsites, restaurants and other leisure facilities. It is also rich in artistic heritage: we highly recommend S. Vittore Parish Church, with the attached oratory of S. Giovanni, and the Santa Maria and S. Maurizio church, a small Romanesque church from the XI century on the slopes of Monte Galbiga. The hamlet of Cima is particularly suggestive and preserves the characteristics of an ancient village, curiously surrounded by terraced olive trees.
The village of Cressogno introduces us to the Valsolda, a picturesque area protected by steep mountains of dolomite origins, where many inhabited towns lie. These are the “Fogazzariani” places, the “Piccolo mondo antico” ( the ambience described in the romance “Tides of Change”) that even years later, preserve all their charm, with villages, streets, houses described in the novel. San Mamete is the main town, this is a small village that still maintains a medieval style, running tightly around a small square with arcades overlooking the lake. In Cressogno, on a natural balcony that occupies the lake, stands the great Santuario di Nostra Signora della Caravina, an XVII century work with valuable frescos by Isidoro Bianchi. From here there is a road that travels up the valley to meet Puria, a native Pellegrino Tibaldi town, where you find the wonderful Santa Maria parish church. Once we pass Albogasio and its elegant XVII century palaces, you meet Castello, probably the most special place in the valley that is named in memory of the medieval fortress that overhung on a rocky spur. The castle was demolished in the XVI century. Today some ruins and S.Martino church remain. The last town of the Valsolda is Oria which divides the Italian-Swiss border.
This entire area is an interesting base for walks along the “Sentiero delle Quattro Valli”, this is an itinerary made for hikers, that with a tough walk links the Ceresio area to the Lake Como area.