Cycling from Menaggio to Porlezza

From Lake Como to Lake Lugano along the former railway tracks

This itinerary follows the route of the railway that connected Menaggio with Porlezza, a town overlooking Lake Lugano, from 1884 to 1939. The route develops through Val Menaggio, mostly on paved surfaces, and passes through the Lago di Piano Nature Reserve.

Departure point: Menaggio
Length: 13.5 km
Travel time: 1 hour
Difficulty level: easy

The route begins at the old Menaggio railway station, which was located near the ferry terminal; from here, proceed towards the hostel, continue for about half a kilometer, and at the hairpin bend, turn right and climb the steep road that follows the side of Monte Crocetta.
Continuing the climb, you reach the entrance to the cycle-pedestrian path: the route enters the valley, passing through a 90-meter-long tunnel that leads to Grandola ed Uniti.
The path continues through the hamlets on a road shared with cars until the signs for the cycle path towards Bene Lario/Grona.
You then skirt a peaceful plain, embraced by Monte Crocione and Monte Galbiga. Near the village of Grona, the path is interrupted, returning to the driveway. The dedicated cycle path resumes near the sign indicating Lago di Piano. After passing through a wooded section, you enter the Lago di Piano Nature Reserve area. After the campsite, you can reach the lakeshore, a picnic area, and the park information point.
Then resume the cycle path, crossing a wooden bridge over the Cuccio River. Following the course of the river, you will cross the main road. By following the direction of the river from the road, you reach the Porto Letizia complex, overlooking the shore of Lake Lugano. To return to Menaggio, follow the same itinerary.

A point of interest: the railway line allowed tourists from Northern Europe to reach Lake Como via Switzerland. Having arrived in Lugano by train, tourists were transferred by boat to Porlezza, and then the train took them towards Lake Como. After the First World War, it was used by cross-border workers until the line closed in 1939. To reach the locality of Cardano, the railway line first headed south towards Griante, then turned back to continue northwards. This allowed the train to overcome the elevation gain between Menaggio and Cardano, thanks to a particular maneuver called "regresso" (reversal): once at the shunting yard, the wagons were braked and the locomotive was detached to reach a turntable where the direction of travel was reversed. The locomotive then returned on another track to hook onto the tail of the convoy and set off again.