Sentiero del Viandante - First Stage

The first stage of the Sentiero del Viandante takes us from the municipality of Abbadia Lariana to the municipality of Lierna, a distance of around 11.4km.

Leaving from the railway station of Abbadia Lariana you reach the provincial road 72 and you follow it towards Lecco for about 200 meters until you meet Via Onedo on the left.
Following Via Onedo, at a certain point, you will notice a concrete staircase. This is the real starting point of the Sentiero del Viandante. You will immediately notice the small orange sign, this type of sign will accompany the hiker for the entire length of the path indicating the way.

Taking the mule track behind the houses, you begin the route that leads from Abbadia Lariana to Mandello del Lario.
This part of the path is quite easy, with a regular bottom and without particular difficulties. Initially, you will pass through an olive grove with a view of the village of Abbadia Lariana on your left.

After having crossed a small bridge over the Zerbo torrent, you continue along a small road between the houses of Molini, then again between the meadows flanked by olive trees, until you reach a crossroads with a chapel: you continue straight along a cobbled road very well maintained and further on you come out in a square.
Going straight on, you leave the church of San Bartolomeo on the left and you reach the Gastronomia del Viandante. Shortly after you cross Via per Novegolo, taking it to the left you reach an underpass of the highway and just after you turn right finding again the cobbled path.

Continue straight on through the meadows to the Church of San Giorgio in the municipality of Mandello del Lario, a stone church dating back to the 13th century. From here, it is possible to admire a splendid panorama that sweeps from the municipality of Abbadia Lariana to that of Mandello del Lario.
Climbing to the right along a small road that is cobbled for a good stretch, after a few turns, you reach a small bridge that crosses the highway. After crossing the bridge, turn left along a dirt road that then turns into an asphalt road and leads to the hamlet of Mandello del Lario called Maggiana.

In Maggiana it is possible to walk through the ancient medieval streets and admire the ancient tower dating back to the 12th century.
Following the signs, which are always clearly visible, you take a path that then enters the woods and is slightly more uneven.

The hamlet of Rongio is reached, characterized by the Church of San Giacomo, with a wash-house on its right.
From this square there are two small streets, you have to take the one on the left, slightly downhill, you have to cross the inhabited center until you reach San Giacomo square. Here you must turn right and after a few meters you will find a parking lot on the left. Just from this parking lot you take a small path of a few meters that leads to a paved road downhill that leads to the restaurant Al Verde.

Continuing on the dirt road that almost immediately becomes a path, you enter the woods and cross the Meria torrent. Here the path becomes a little less easy and after a short stretch you reach the hamlet of Sonvico.
Here you come out on the asphalt road that climbs from Mandello del Lario, there is a hairpin bend with a chapel; there are no signs but you must climb to the right along the Contrada di Sonvico road.

Once you have crossed the inhabited center you follow the signals until you take an asphalted road, Strada per i Saioli.
Continue along this road until you come to a bar that blocks it, here you must continue straight ahead, going around the bar, you will find the orange signs of the Sentiero del Viandante a few meters later.

Take a path on the left just before the end of the paved road and on the left you will have a beautiful view of the hamlet of Olcio.
From here on, continue straight ahead, following the partly gravel and partly cobblestone path until you reach the hamlet of Sornico in the municipality of Lierna.
During this last stretch you are often surrounded by olive and fruit trees and you can enjoy the beautiful view of Lierna.

When you arrive in Sornico, you are greeted by an old church and a small group of old houses.
At this point, the path meets Via San Michele. In order to reach the train station, you must continue down Via Sornico.
Continuing on Via Sornico we will arrive at a small square with a traffic circle, here we must take Via Olcianico and follow it all the way to the Church of Sant'Ambrogio.
Then continue along Via Parodi until an underpass that crosses the railway. After the underpass, take the first street on the right, Via Luigi Panizza. After a few meters you will see the station on the right.

Both the departure and arrival towns are served by the Lecco - Sondrio railway network, so it is possible to reach the beginning of the itinerary and return by train. If you reach the starting point by car, the train is always the most convenient way to return to the same. Information on schedules and tickets on the site Trenord.

Near the train station there are several parking lots, but in the summer season are to be paid through scratch card system, purchased in bars and newsstands in the vicinity. You can find free parking along the surrounding streets, but it is advisable to always park near the station in order to facilitate the return to the car.