The Tremezzina region with Griante and Cadenabbia offers us the most romantic landscape on the entire lake. Writers, musicians, poets, artists, and distinguished statesmen have found inspiration here and places to stay for a long time. From Mr. and Mrs. Shelley to Verdi, from Adenauer to Stendhal.Â
Our journey begins at the first Anglican Church built in Italy, a witness to how much these places are loved by the many foreigners who have visited. As we ascend through the alleys of Griante, the luxurious lakeside villas give way to narrow streets between ancient buildings, and still higher we ascend through pastures and woods as the panorama grows wider and wider. Our destination is the extraordinary little church of San Martino, which houses a statue of the Virgin with a legendary history. Around us the environment is rugged, overhanging rocks and steep slopes sometimes frequented by acrobatic goats. The contrast with the peace of the lake below us is strong and fascinating; these are the places Mark Twain admired from the window of Hotel Genazzini in Bellagio. The time has come to descend again, there are several possible routes, along the Way of the Cross (Via Crucis) or by lengthening the path you can pass by the Rogaro meadows location of some Star Wars scenes ( Warning, the waterfall of the picnic scene does not exist, it is all cinematic art). At the end of the excursion whether you are a guest in Tremezzina, Bellagio or elsewhere the advice is to let the beauty of the places visited settle into your memory, sipping a drink on the lakeside
We can arrange lunch at a local “trattoria” upon request.
