Walking tour through history, lake and culture
5 February 2026
There is a valley, hidden amongst the severe folds of the northern Grigna, which escapes the most beaten tourist routes and still preserves the authentic breath of the Lombard mountain. It is the Val d'Esino, a small green jewel nestled amongst rocks, woods, and silences. You don't arrive here by chance: you have to want it, seek it, travel to it.
And it is precisely this reserve of his that is his greatest treasure.
Geographically, the Esino Valley stretches across the province of Lecco, in the most rugged and at the same time charming part of Grigna Group. The natural boundary is marked by the Esino river, which, from the morainic sources, slips towards Lake Como, crossing stone villages and cultivated fields, before plunging in near Varenna, where the water spreads out in blue and the sky meets the boats.
Upstream is Esino Lario, downstream PerledoTwo countries united by the valley, but also by history, by the woods, and by that high-altitude life that smells of lit stoves, chopped wood, and windows with geraniums.
From a morphological point of view, the Val d’Esino has a Chunky and protective shape, almost maternal: a large basin of glacial origin that welcomes, nourishes, and collects. It is a landscape that reveals itself slowly, like someone who doesn't want to show themselves immediately to be desired. From southwest to northeast, the valley is protected by the crests of the Monte Palagia, from Mount Pilaster (which with its 1.823 metres (the sun solemnly dominates the scene) and from the ridge of the Pizzi di Parlasco, mountains that look like they were painted by an artist who favours bold strokes.
There are two main sub-valleys: the Val Vigna and the Valle Ontragno, carved by both water and time. Here the streams still run free, singing their clear song among the stones and joining in a silver embrace at Esino Lario, giving life to the Esino river, thus becoming the natural narrator of this valley forgotten by the clamours.
If for most people Val d’Esino is just a detour on Google Maps, for those who know these mountains it is instead the homeland of the “patata bianca di Esino”, a simple yet prized agricultural product, a symbol of the enduring hardship of peasant farming. There is no autumn festival or alpine table that does not celebrate the versatility of this tuber, which grows well here due to the altitude, the acidic soil, and the harsh climate.
In an era where everything is globalised, the Esino potato is a small act of identity-based resistance. And it's also an excellent excuse to return to the valley with a full shopping bag.
Anyone who loves walking will find it in the Val d'Esino a network of alpine paths and historic mule tracks which are not solely for hiking but are authentic memory arteries. From here you can go up towards Northern Grigna, cross the woods to go down to Lierna, or cut north to emerge into the Valsassina.
One of the most evocative streets is the SP65, which connects Esino to Perledo, winding through hairpin bends and postcard-perfect views, before merging into the provincial road of the lake at the level of Olivedo, near the river's mouth. It's a path that has seen generations of farmers, shepherds, and merchants pass by, and today it welcomes the slow footsteps of those who love to travel on foot or by bicycle.
The Val d'Esino has nothing to envy the more renowned valleys of Trentino or Alto Adige. Yet it doesn't seek comparisons. It is a place Authentic, quiet, a bit shy, like its people. It doesn't promise resorts or ski lifts, but it offers Pace, nature, identity.
It's a sanctuary for those who love listening to the voices of the streams, discover the flowers in the meadows, watching the peaks light up at dawn. And also for those who simply want to reconnect with themselves.
In a world that rushes, the Val d’Esino stands still. But it is not backwardness. It is wisdom.
And we, perhaps, would need it more than we think.
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