Catch-up from Como

I'm back in the UK after a month away in Italy; it's all work, work, work for me. There's lots to report but as usual I haven't found time to write to my blog whilst away. Here are some catch-up entries, beginning with Lake Como.

My friends in early morning sunshine at Rezzonico on the western shore of Lake Como

 I spent a couple of weeks alongside Lake Como, the first with Jude doing the last preparation for the second week, with my lovely "Pacemakers" walking group. This was the tenth annual walking trip we've done and it's definitely become a habit. Although I've been leading trips for Explore by Lake Como for a couple of years I wanted something different so I spent the first week exploring some new walks. The first of my two favourites was a section of the Sentiero delle Viandante on the eastern shore of the lake.
From Gravedona Jude and I took a lake ferry across to Piona and disembarked alone. We found our path nestling uncomfortably alongside a fence at first but it soon improved, taking some zig-zags as it climbed up the the whaleback crest of the peninsula on our way to Olgiasca.

On the whaleback ridge before Olgiasca

 This was a lovely section of path through natural woodland above cliffs where we found climbers. It seems little walked.
From Olgiasca we had a few hundred metres along the road to Dorio. There's a path I found later in my visit that goes directly up from Dorio to the chapel of San Giorgio in Mandonico where we joined the Sentiero delle Viandante.

Jude re-lacing near Madonico

This path winds delightfully through the old hamlet of Mandonico and then climbs relentlessly up to a second chapel; Chiesetta di San Rocco. As it goes this path allows some terrific views southwards along the lake from above rocky bluffs.

Relentlessly up, but what a view above Dorio

Up again from San Rocco to round the ridge, traversing now all around the 500 - 600m contour, views north over Colico and into Val Chiavenna.

Northwards from the walk's highpoint towards the high mountains above Val Chiavenna

Shady walking towards Sparesee with beautiful views

Eventually, after the village of Sparesee the path starts to descend eastwards and onto a tarmac lane which zig-zags down to Posallo. A track now heads north from here before rejoining the tarmac on the outskirts of Colico. If you make it to the jetty in time the ferry will return you to Gravedona, otherwise it's a bus around the north of the lake.