Breglia is a small mountain village and is part of the commune of Plesio. It is situated at an altitude of 750 m at only 7 km from Menaggio. this brief itineray offers wonderful views of the lake and the surrounding mountains but also interesting historic and artistic sites.
Route: Menaggio – Loveno – Piazzo – Logo- Ligomena – Cavalseglio – Plesio – Breglia – Barna – Menaggio
We start from Menaggio following the road towards Lugano. After a few bends you leave the main road to turn right onto the SP7 road towards Loveno and Plesio. Loveno, located on the sunny south slope, is a small village with a particular charm. Already in the first decades of the 18th century, noble families loved to stay here during the summer, attracted by the beauty of the landscape and the mild climate. The construction of luxurious villas dates back to this era. After about 800 meters, turn left into via Filzi and park your car here.
Continuing on foot along Via Carboni you enter the ancient nucleus and then reach Piazza Giuseppe Vigoni with a nice fountain. You pass in front of the entrance to Villa Mylius Vigoni, the most majestic building in Loveno. In 1829 the villa was purchased by the German banker and patron Mylius Vigoni who enlarged it and enriched it over the years with his art collections, transforming it into a house-museum. Thanks to his heirs, the villa has remained intact to this day. Bequeathed in 1983 by Ignazio Vigoni to the Federal Republic of Germany, the villa is now home to a prestigious Italian-German cultural centre. The English park that surrounds it dominates an extraordinary panorama of the Center Lake. The garden and the villa can be visited from March to the end of October on Thursday afternoons at 15.00 pm by reservation (tel. +39 0344 361232). In front stands Villa Garovaglio Ricci, home of the Villa Vigoni cultural center.
At the beginning of the street, the Parish Church of SS Lorenzo and Agnese, rebuilt between 1725 and 1738, is a notable example of Baroque art. Inside there are, in addition to frescoes by Luigi Tagliaferro, a valuable painting of the “Madonna of the Seven Sorrows” and a wooden statue by Lorenzo Matieli dating back to 1737.
We get back in the car and pass through Piazzo to get to Logo which still retains its ancient structure with its cobbled streets, winding and narrow, and multi-storey houses. The old wash house and the oratory of S. Sebastiano are worth a visit. At the hairpin bend there is a small car park.
After Ligomena we reach Cavalseglio. Not very far from the center, just under the new road, there is an Avello boulder, a tombstone from the Roman era. We arrive in Plesio which still retains its medieval structure. We recommend leaving your car at the parish church and walking through the narrow streets. We get back in the car and pass in front of the Chiarella mineral water factory.
Once in Breglia, we recommend visiting the Sanctuary of the Madonna di Breglia (15 minutes on foot) which is located in a panoramic position on the lake. We take the small uphill road near the cemetery. In the last stretch of pavé and cobblestone road that leads to the Sanctuary we find some of the 14 granite stations where there are copper paintings depicting “The Mysteries of the Rosary”. Inside we can admire a Madonna carved in marble, an object of devotion for over two centuries. The sculpture was brought from Genoa by the Tatti family as a sign of thanks for being spared from the plague.
Right in front of the Breglia cemetery there is a Roman tomb dating back to the 6th century. It was customary to place the tombs of important personalities along the main roads to keep the memory of the deceased alive. The high variant of the ancient Roman road “Via Regina”, the connecting road along the western coast of the lake, between Como and the Alpine passes, passed through Breglia. Later it partly lost its importance when a faster passage was opened between Menaggio and Acquaseria.
Another short and interesting walk leads to San Domenico, a small chapel from where you can admire a wide panorama of Lake Como and the surrounding mountains. It can be reached thanks to a convenient path located to the right of the parish church of S. Gregorio.
Breglia is an excellent starting point for hikes and trekking routes. In 1h30 you can reach Rifugio Menaggio (1400 m), a splendid balcony overlooking the lake. The Sentiero delle 4 Valli, a 3-day excursion that connects Breglia to Valsolda, on Lake Lugano, starts in Breglia. The town is also crossed by the Via dei Monti Lariani, a 125 km trek which, from Cernobbio, leads to Sorico in the Upper Lake, following mule tracks and paths that connect the “Munt”, the Monti, small rural agglomerations. scattered along the mountains of the western shore of the lake.
On your way back to Menaggio, once you reach the village of Ligomena, we recommend taking the detour to the village Barna. You park your car before entering the village. The picturesque square in front of the church of S. Maria Maddalena hosts a beautiful stone fountain dating back to 1862.
Parking possibility in the area on the right of the church of S. Gregorio
Breglia can be reached by bus line C13 of the Afs bus company from Menaggio.
No runs on Sundays.
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