Lakeside promenade in Lenno

From the Lenno parking lot, drive along Via degli Artigiani in the lake direction until you cross, on your left, Via Delmati. After a few meters the street becomes pedestrian and here is where Lenno's lakefront begins. Immediately on your left you will see a wonderful mansion, a small clay-colored castle named Villa De Herra.

A little further on, near the tourist pier, via Guido Delmati starts on your left. Walk it down for a few meters to see both Villa Aureggi on your right and the splendid, perfectly preserved medieval signal tower built entirely with local Moltrasio-stone.

Continue your walk on Vicolo Delmati, which turns to your right to join the ancient Via Regina: always keep to the right and continue towards the center of Lenno. You are walking along a historic street!

Back on the roadway, always keep the right to reach the Church of Santo Stefano. Be sure to visit the interior and go down into the evocative Crypt dating back to the 11th century. We do not want to anticipate anything: it will be a real surprise.

Leaving the church, you reach the square behind, where you can admire the beautiful baptistery of St. John the Baptist, dating from the second half of the 11th century. The irregular composition of its stones is simply fascinating. The baptistery is currently closed, so to visit it you must contact the parish priest.

Also, on the square is an excellent ice cream shop, La fabbrica del Gelato, which we highly recommend. The lakefront street offers restaurants with outdoor tables overlooking the lake: first Il Golfo, for pizza and excellent aperitifs; second the Plinio Restaurant; and last the Restaurant Lago, a bit fancier and more sophisticate.

Beautiful villas and gorgeous gardens follow, until you reach the Hotel Restaurant Lenno and the pier in front. Here the roadway bends left uphill, but you can chose to cross the small pedestrian bridge and enter the garden of the Hotel San Giorgio to reach the free beach of Lenno, where a kiosk bar is also open in summer. On the far side of the beach, if the lake is low, a small walkway allows you to pass the wall construction and get to the next beach belonging to the adjacent villa. It is absolutely worth a peek.