Hiking around Trarego Viggiona
Trarego is the starting point for numerous walks that you can explore for yourself. Three selected suggestions are described below.
1. Circular walk in Trarego (about one hour)
At the church, we head straight on towards the woods and keep left at the first fork in the forest.
After a few minutes a small rustico comes into view on the left, and we cross a little old stone bridge beside a small waterfall.
After that we keep left again and go down the steps. When a house appears on the right, we don't continue downhill but turn left onto the path. Here we hear a waterfall, which we soon reach, thundering down about 50 m.
Time and again there are lovely views of the valley below Trarego and across to the eastern side of Lake Maggiore.
If we keep following the path, which then crosses a meadow, we soon see the first houses of Trarego and can walk back up through the old village centre towards the church.
2. Circular drive via Colle to Verbania
A particularly scenic circular drive leads via Colle (on the road from Trarego to Viggiona, turn left at the junction) and Pian Cavallo (stop again and again, get out and enjoy the wonderful views of Lake Maggiore and the surrounding mountains), via Premeno (a charming old spa town) and Bee (the wonderful views of Lake Maggiore and the Borromean Gulf with the famous islands Isola Bella, Isola Madre and Isola dei Pescatori are well worth the stop) to Verbania/Intra, and then back along the lakeside road to Cannero Riviera and Trarego.
On this drive we strongly recommend stopping in Colle and then walking left to the summit of the Morisolo (about half an hour). This is the mountain you see directly behind Trarego. On clear days it offers a wonderful view over the whole of Lake Maggiore and the surrounding mountains.
You can also reach the Morisolo on foot from Trarego: first walk along the road past the church to the woods, turn right at the first fork, and after about 500 m you reach a bridge, beyond which you will see an icon in a shrine. Immediately afterwards a path branches off to the left (path no. 17). From here it takes about 2.5 hours to reach the Morisolo. Along the way you will find fortifications of the Cadorna Line, built during the First World War between summer 1915 and spring 1918. Italy feared an invasion by Austro-German troops through the passes of the Swiss Central Alps into northern Italy's industrial and economic centres. Parts of these fortifications have also survived in the Valcuvia east of Lake Maggiore.
3. Walk from Cannero Riviera to Cannobio
From Cannero Riviera we take the path from the "Hotel Cannero" on the lakeside promenade, continuing past the old fishing harbour and climbing slightly towards the main road linking Cannero Riviera with Cannobio. We follow the road for about 50 m, cross it and then turn left onto the footpath towards Cannobio. At first the signs point to Carmine Superiore, and we follow these. Again and again there are lovely views of Lake Maggiore, and nearby a small lake with a large rock invites us to take a short rest. After about an hour we reach Carmine Superiore, a romantic village with a dream view of Lake Maggiore and a small 15th-century church decorated with beautiful frescoes.
After that the path climbs a little and we come to Molino. In recent years artists have renovated several houses here, and we can admire both the houses and the artworks.
After the last, somewhat steeper climb of about 15 minutes, we have earned a short rest. Then it is a gentle descent all the way towards Cannobio. High above the town, the trees open up a romantic view of Cannobio. Incidentally, we are walking here on an old path that the Romans are said to have used with their carts.
After about 2-3 hours of walking we arrive in Cannobio, which invites us to stop at one of its many ristoranti or bars. For a romantic end to the walk, take the boat from Cannobio back to Cannero Riviera.
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