Sentiero dei Monti: Stresa to Vezzo Trail
The network of signed footpaths rising from Stresa's upper neighbourhood of Carciano into the chestnut-forested hills toward the hamlet of Vezzo offers the best walking in the immediate area — quiet, well-marked, and rewarding with lake views that open and close through the trees like a series of curtain calls.
The Route
The most satisfying loop begins at Carciano (reachable by the cable car's lower section or a 30-minute uphill walk from the promenade) and climbs through dense chestnut and beech forest on a clear mule track. The path passes ruined dry-stone walls, small shrines and occasional clearings where the full sweep of Lake Maggiore and the Borromean Islands appears without warning.
After roughly 90 minutes you reach Vezzo, a quiet hillside village with a Romanesque church and a single trattoria — Trattoria Alpina — where the owner serves grilled meats, polenta and local wine to hikers and the handful of residents with equal warmth.
Practical Details
The full Carciano–Vezzo–Mottarone ridge loop is approximately 12 km and takes four to five hours at an easy pace; shorter out-and-back options to the first viewpoints above Carciano take under two hours and suit less experienced walkers. Trail markings follow the CAI (Club Alpino Italiano) red-and-white system.
Spring (May–June) brings wildflowers along the lower paths; autumn (October) transforms the chestnut forest into a blaze of copper and gold and fills the air with the scent of fallen leaves. Carry water, as there are no reliable sources between Carciano and Vezzo.
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