Piani d'Erna via Funivia
A 15-minute cable car ride from the edge of Lecco delivers you to the Piani d'Erna plateau at 1,370 metres, where the entire Lake Como system, the Alps and the Bergamo Prealps spread out in a single sweeping panorama. It is the most effortless high-altitude viewpoint in the province.
The Ride and the Plateau
The Funivia dell'Erna departs from Via Bonaiti in the Rancio district and climbs steeply through chestnut and beech forest before depositing you on a grassy plateau ringed by limestone peaks. On clear days you can identify Monte Rosa to the northwest and the Adamello group to the east — a geography lesson delivered in one glance.
The plateau itself is laced with easy walking trails suitable for trainers, and a handful of rifugi (mountain huts) serve polenta, local cheese and cold beer. Rifugio Erna is the most popular stop and has a sunny terrace that faces directly down onto the lake.
Hiking On from the Top
Strong walkers can continue from Piani d'Erna along the ridge towards Monte Resegone, the jagged peak that Manzoni described as a saw blade against the sky. The marked trail CAI 1 takes roughly 2.5 hours round-trip from the cable car station and passes through dramatic karst limestone scenery.
For a gentler outing, the short loop around the plateau takes under an hour and passes a small chapel, grazing cattle and viewpoints that face both the Lecco branch and the Como branch of the lake simultaneously — a rare double-lake vista that photographs spectacularly.
Practical Timing
The cable car runs on a limited schedule and does not operate on Tuesdays. Weekends in July and August fill up fast; arriving before 9 am or after 4 pm avoids queues and gives you the plateau in golden light.
In winter the plateau sometimes holds snow while the city below is clear, making for surreal snowy-peaks-over-blue-lake shots that look almost too good to be real.
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