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In Varenna, Italy, on Lake Como,
there’s a lovely footpath that is easy enough for
a grade schooler and panoramic enough to
keep everyone’s interest. Packing a lunch is
highly recommended.
The footpath takes you to the source of Italy's shortest river (800 feet long), the Fiumilatte (Milk River), which flows from March to September. What gives it its milky white appearance is its crashing whitewater cascading from beginning to end.
Directions:
On the south end of Varenna, start at Villa Monastero, a former monastery for women. Head
uphill to the left of the monastery on a paved road. At the quarter-mile mark, take time to visit the cemetery. Inside its gates, you will not only find some of the most stunning views of Lake Como,
but you will also experience the honor Italians give their departed.
When you’re finished strolling around, go back the same way you came and climb the stairs you walked past to get to the cemetery. Soon you will enter an enchanted forest with a
sun-dappled footpath and glimpses of Lake Como between the trees.
After a half-mile, you’ll come to picnic tables and the rushing waters of Fiumilatte. An ancient
stone fountain bursts forth clean mountain water where you can rinse your fruit and vegetables
and fill your water bottle. So Italiano!
Up several steps from the picnic tables is a grotto dedicated to an uncle (zio) and higher still, up more steps, you’ll see the source (sorgente) of the river coming from inside a cave. Once you've
had your lunch, go back the same way you came.
The entire walk is less than two miles roundtrip. The time it takes you depends on how long you admire the views, amble through the cemetery, peer into the cave, eat lunch and whether you dawdle or hoof your way back.
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The backs of sunflowers' heads.
Blog spot travel story
Pack a lunch and
follow a footpath
overlooking Lake Como
Fill your water bottle here.
It is unlikely that you'll be able to see this waterfall on the hike described above. The best viewing of the waterfall is from the town of Fiumilatte which is a short walk on a flat surface from Varenna. Please note that the walk is entirely on a roadway.
This the view of the cemetery from below.
Special thanks to travel guru Rick Steves for mentioning this hike in one of his Italy guidebooks. His web site is:
