Hike to Chiesa San Martino… The mountain peaks around Lake Como are sprinkled with a fine layer of snow. In December, the sun sets behind the mountain tops faster and, despite today’s lovely winter sun, it quickly gets cold. Hiking is still possible, but it seems wise not to go too high or too far into the mountains. Hence, the hike to the beautiful church of San Martino above Griante is a logical choice!
Take note, even in winter, Lake Como does not lose its charm.
Chiesa San Martino has a legend, of course: once upon a time, there was a wooden statue of Mary… which a resident of Menaggio hid in a mountain cave in the 14th century to protect it from destruction. Years later, a shepherd girl accidentally discovered the statue, and Mary was returned to the parish church. One night, the statue disappeared and reappeared the next morning on Sasso Martino, the mountain summit. It was promptly decided to build a small church on a ledge against the mountainside where Mary could feel at home… And so it happened.
From Menaggio, we drive to Griante, where we park at Chiesa di San Rocco in the designated parking lot. From there, we follow the signs that lead us to the start of the hike. The trail is well-maintained with small cobblestones and steps. The path winds upwards past small chapels with mosaics depicting the life of Christ.
Halfway up, we take a break at Cappella degli Alpini and enjoy the view. The thick sweaters can now come off…
After about an hour of hiking, we arrive at Chiesa San Martino. The low sun shines brightly on the church and the mountainside. Hikers are sitting comfortably against the church walls, enjoying the beautiful view. Lake Como is a blue mirror. The hills are yellow-brown with snow-capped mountain peaks.
Take note, even in winter, Lake Como does not lose its charm. We hear the bells ringing in the small villages below us.
We are curious… Why did Mary appear on the mountain summit just above us? Could the view there be even better? There is only one way to find out, and that is to climb higher to Sasso Martino. We retrace our steps a bit and take the fork to the right. The trail becomes a narrow mountain path. Suitable hiking shoes are recommended. The path winds upwards. The higher we go, the more beautiful the overhead view of Chiesa San Martino.
We arrive at a meadow with some mountain huts. Probably a meadow where shepherds rest with their flocks. The meadow is nestled between two mountain peaks. We don’t immediately see where the trail continues. Overall, the hike is moderately to poorly marked. Often, there are references to Pilone. It is still unclear to us. Is Pilone a village? This shepherd’s village then? Or a mountain peak? No idea.
In the meantime, we are getting hungry. We are a bit unsure about what to do… But turning back without reaching the end? We are not that quick to give up. Although our sense of direction would have us hike to the right, we follow the path to the left…
The trail keeps climbing and becomes steeper. Chiesa San Martino is now just a small dot. Something is not right… The summit of Sasso Martino is at an altitude of 818 meters. How high are we now? We download an app and see that we are at 750 meters. So, we keep walking. Eventually, we reach the top of a mountain that is clearly not Sasso Martino. Chiesa San Martino is not below us but to our left. Sigh…
But the disappointment is short-lived… How beautiful it is here! Another fantastic view of Lake Como. The bright blue sky contrasts nicely with the mountain peaks. We hear only the absolute silence of the mountains. We lie down in the grass, among the goat droppings, and breathe in the fresh mountain air.
We google a bit and learn that we are not on Monte Sasso but on Monte Nava! And where did we go wrong? Indeed, at the meadow. On one of the house walls there, it is indicated in light green paint that Monte di Nava is to the left and Monte Sasso to the right. Well, we didn’t notice that… Time to head back; it’s getting chilly!
Tired and very hungry, we return to the car. What was supposed to be a short hike turned into a solid mountain hike of several hours. Do we mind? Not at all… We drive to Millesimo to relax! Ciao!
