The Cycle lanes of the lakes of LECCO, COMO and VARESE The Cycle lanes of the lakes of CYCLE GUIDE LECCO, COMO and VARESE www.cicloviadeilaghi.it INDEX 5 Introduction The Province of Lecco 6 The cycle lane round the lakes 96 Itinerary 7: Art and Literature 8 The area of the lakes among the lakes of Brianza 10 Itineraries for the cycle tourists 110 Itinerary 8: The lakeside Riviera 12 Type of Itineraries from Lecco to Colico 128 Itinerary 9: The circular track of the lakes of Garlate and Olginate The Province of Varese 14 Itinerary 1: From Lake Ceresio to 138 Useful advice for the cycle tourist Lake Maggiore, crossing Valcuvia 141 Tourist information 28 Itinerary 2: By bicycle along the banks of the Lake Varese 46 Itinerary 3: Nature and culture while crossing Valle dell’Olona The Province of Como 56 Itinerary 4: From the pine tree park to the city of Como 72 Itinerary 5: The morainal lakes of Como 86 Itinerary 6: The Ghisallo The Cycle lanes of the lakes of CYCLE GUIDE LECCO, COMO and VARESE INTRODUCTION The project “Interreg III A”, to create a ridge that is possible to cycle along, linking the provinces of Lecco, Como, Varese and Canton Ticino, was started in 2002. It refl ects the desire by the Province of Lecco, Como and Varese to sustain and provide incentives, for the development of cycle tourism, which is already widely practiced and sustained at a national level, by the Governments of many European countries. Currently even Italy seems to be setting off in this direction. Nearly in every Italian Region and Province today, projects and initiative are taking off, with the creation of cycle routes and cycle lanes along city roads, in green areas, by recuperating tow paths and canals, or by creating new lanes, dedicated to slow mobility. Moreover, in the last few years, we have seen the development of new disciplines linked to the use of the bicycle, that have caused the creation of an additional, highly specialised, cycle tourist contribution, that is strongly integrated with the cycling infrastructures that are present in the territory. The project “Interreg III A Italy-Switzerland” in order to create a ridge along which it is possible to cycle, crossing the region of the three Provinces and connecting to the cycle lanes created in Canton Ticino, have placed alongside it, a project enabling tourists to value the cultural and environmental resources that can be of greatest use to them. By individualising the itineraries and the thematic courses, that allow tourists to get to know the region and its characteristics, more value is given to the development of sustainable tourism and also to the discovery and to the re qualifi cation of a great cultural and environmental heritage. Emanuele Panzeri Giorgio Bin Luca Marsico Assessore al Territorio Assessore al Turismo, Assessore Patrimonio Provincia di Lecco Sport e tempo libero e Beni Architettonici Provincia di Como Provincia di Varese 4 5 The Cycle lanes of the lakes of CYCLE GUIDE LECCO, COMO and VARESE province and districts. An opportunity travel. This does not mean that, even which should not be undervalued is for today, with direction indications presented the future creation of a cycle network in this guide and with the technical map between, Italy and Switzerland. especially designed for to the cycling lane, The ridge has reached so far only the it is possible to complete all of the route. fi rst phase, but a project concerning Therefore the Administration and the tourist signs and the re-adjustment of the promoters, refuse any responsibility for GUIDE TO THE CYCLE LANES OF THE LAKES setting of street signs according to the anything that could happen on the route Street Code is still to be fi nalised. Over and advise everyone to take maximum The territory of the Provinces of Lecco, who loves pedalling above all, offering the next following years the cycle lanes care, above all when crossing roads and Como and Varese has only discovered in interesting starting points to discover the will be fi nished also in the infrastructure, on diffi cult stretches, where there is a lot the last few years its tourist vocation, due region in all ist shapes and to spend a permitting easier accessibility and safer of traffi c. to political strengthening and through the very active vacation. promotion of territorial resources. The The “cycle ridge” of the 14 lakes, runs idea of “re-interpreting” the territory and through the territories of the Province of to create a possible connection between Lecco, Como and Varese, from Colico to cycle tourism and cultural tourism Ponte Tresa, crossing 9 different landscape comes from here, by the discovery of enviroments, each one representing some itineraries that allow one to “live” the fulcrum around which the thematic the territory on two wheels. The cycle courses contained in the 9 itineraries tourist itineraries contained in this guide, have been developed. which are in fact called “Cycle lanes of The ridge, which is 270 km. long and the Lakes” have grown by following the about 310 km. if you consider also some new cycle infrastructure, that represents alternative routes and circular tracks, the “ridge” for the development of slow assumes multiple value, being both a mobility, so that you can visit and enjoy link between Provinces and between the naturalistic, cultural and scenic beauty Regions and across the border. It can in of the three Provinces. fact be considered as a local itinerary that But we should not forget that the Lake develops through various scenic ambits District offers much more, from sports and where the routes have a limited facilities to itineraries for the food and length to allow the tourist to visit the most wine connoisseur, from pathways with remarkable cultural and environmental facilities, to traditional events. assets in the area. It is also like a single This publication is proposed as a real and itinerary that crosses the 14 lakes and links proper “tourist guide” in which there are up with the interregional and international 9 itineraries for the cycle tourist running ones, connecting with the cycle lanes that along the ridge of the lakes and only were created in Canton Ticino and with the one “long distance” itinerary for those cycle tourist itinerary of the neighbouring Taking a break on the shore of Lake Pusiano 6 7 The Cycle lanes of the lakes of CYCLE GUIDE LECCO, COMO and VARESE Art Nouveau buildings, especially hotels, infl uence of the Industrial revolution. factories, bourgeois houses and train The presence of these buildings is rather stations; these liberty-style buildings can diffuse even today. The presence of be found more often in Varese, especially aristocratic villas and large gardens in Campo dei Fiori, Ponte-Tresa and have marked the region in an exemplary Lake Maggiore. The presence of modern mode, not only for stylistic and scenic architecture in particular urban and aspects, but also for the organization of THE LAKE DISTRICT regional environments, can be particularly the villages (Azzate is a good example). found in the Province of Como. Among the Along the “ridge route” you can come The lake district which extends from the the tools for interpreting and understanding most interesting cases, we would like to across historical towns with homogeneous Province of Lecco to the Province of Varese, the meaning of the evolution, the mention Rationalism, an experience faced settlements, centres that have maintained takes its name from the existence, in the civilisation and the environmental, cultural in Como in the twenty year period between a good part of their original buildings. region, of 14 lacustral basins of which and socio-economical characteristics of the two World Wars (and consolidated Finally there are the bigger urban the principle lakes are Maggiore, Como the area. In these nine itineraries we have also in a theoretical environment, as the settlements: the cities of Varese, Como, and Ceresio, which are next to other individualised themes that give character studies of Antonio Sant’Elia show) and Lecco, and Erba which put themselves smaller lakes, of morainal origin (Varese, to each itinerary and give the inspiration Eclettismo from the late 19th century, with forward as organisational centres on a Biandronno, Comabbio, Monate in the for some routes, “themes” representing signifi cant 20th century cross reference. grand scale, but above all as key points Province of Varese; Montorfano, Alserio, various attraction. In particular various Of great interest is the archaeological in the cultural route, being high level Pusiano, and Segrino in the province of Romanesque monuments here pointed evidence in all of the area through which evidences. Como; Pusiano, Annone, Garlate and out, which are part of the “Cloister the “ridge cycle routes” pass. On the one Olginate in the Province of Lecco). Route” a cultural, international itinerary, hand, the great majority of towns have The scenic-cultural identity of the cycle that links and gives value to the local given back tracks, even if they are small lane is represented by “ the scenery and historical-architectural heritage, with and sporadic, from the proto-historic past, civility of water”, in fact the small glacial along with two other geographical areas if not prehistoric and on the other hand, lakes which follow on from one another, in Northern Europe, Leisnig (Germany) the different phases from the Bronze Age surrounded by undulating land partly and Gussing(Austria). These monuments have left anthropological evidence and re- covered with woods, give us a good are present especially in the Eastern organisation of the region ( for example the understanding of the original enviroment territory of Lake Como, in the Lecco lake dwelling people who procreated the that has been well conserved, despite the area, being in Alserio, Calolziocorte, surface of the Isolino Virginia in the Lake of conurbation that has taken place of vast Civate and Valmadrera.