Lesa on Lake Maggiore: Trails, Shoreline and History

The old village of Lesa lies along the lakeside promenade and comprises palaces, arcades and narrow streets. The town thus combines a clearly recognisable historical structure with a landscape where walks, the lakeshore and culture meet within a compact thematic area.

Between Lake Maggiore and Vergante

The area around Lesa connects Lake Maggiore with the green hills of Vergante. The deciduous forests, predominantly chestnut forests, are criss-crossed by an easily accessible network of trails. For your planning, this provides a choice of trails of different lengths, from short walks to routes lasting several hours through woodland and hilly landscapes.

Walking trails of varying distances

The Varim Trail is an easy, 2.5-kilometre walking route from Lesa to Belgirate, which takes about 30 minutes. It can be continued through fields and along stone walls as far as Villa Lesa. This allows the same section of trail to be combined with an additional landscape perspective without assuming a specific duration for the continuation.

The old municipal road from Lesa to Comnago is a broad mule track that climbs steadily uphill through deciduous forests. The Mascarana Trail runs from Lesa through dense chestnut forests towards Comnago and offers wide views over Lake Maggiore. The two descriptions show different trail characteristics: in one case, the steady ascent through the forest is the focus, while in the other, the chestnut landscape is combined with views of the lake.

A hike through the Erno Valley leads from Villa Lesa to the Erno waterfall; it takes two hours. The old road to Calogna, by contrast, is a forest trail from Lesa to Calogna that takes about one and a half hours.

The Monte Croce–Motta Rossa circular route takes about one and a half hours from Comnago to Motta Rossa and offers views of Monte Rosa and the Alps. From Via Gibertini, a walking trail also leads towards Belgirate along a section of the ancient Roman road. The trail to M. Visconti is designated as a one-hour route at elevations ranging from 206 to 430 metres.

Historical traces in and above Lesa

The history of the Church of San Martino in Lesa dates back to the 12th century. The surviving wall remains of the old central nave illustrate its former structure and development. Above Solcio, the Romanesque oratory dedicated to Saint San Sebastiano has preserved its original structure almost completely over the centuries.

The Castellaccio was built to monitor commercial traffic on Lake Maggiore and took on the role of a customs house around the middle of the 14th century. The beach by the Castellaccio offers a lakeside place for walking and relaxing. The Sala Manzoniana preserves books, documents and evidence from the period of the Italian Risorgimento.

Lesa as a base for planning your trip

Lesa is connected to boat traffic on Lake Maggiore as a landing stage. Together with the lakeside promenade, forest trails, historic buildings and routes towards Belgirate, Comnago, Calogna and Villa Lesa, this creates a destination whose offerings can be arranged according to interests and the desired length of the day. Those choosing accommodation in Lesa can use their preferred combination of lakeshore, walking trails and culture as a guide for planning their own trip.

Other places in the surrounding area

For further orientation, you can also consider Veruno, Tornaco, Pella, Marano Ticino, Orta San Giulio, Barengo, Silvera and Mezzomerico.

For the broader travel overview: Novara.