HOTEL MONTELAGO - MONATE
HOTEL MONTELAGO - MONATE
17km - 1,5 hours - easy
A pleasant itinerary, en route to two of the Province's many small lakes.
A slight uphill stretch leads us out of the center of Ternate. Afterwards, we must cycle for a few kilometers on a rather busy street, which despite the traffic still holds beautiful views to the right, just after passing the roundabout in the direction of Varese. From here on, we can admire the Campo dei Fiori massif and the hills just above the Laveno gulf.
Via Vittorio Veneto will take us to the town center of Travedona, where we will be welcomed by the Church of San Vito and may decide to take a break in one of the many cafés dotting the main streets.
Just outside the center, in the direction of Angera-Ispra, we must cross the SS629 road. At this point, we are in the hamlet of Monate, a tiny village nestled on the banks of one of our many small lakes. From here it is just a few dozen meters before we find, to the left, a narrow pedestrian alley leading to the Monate Rowing Club's beach, where we can take a break, stopping to admire wide views of the lake and the surrounding hills, and simply taking our time to enjoy the beauty around us.
From here we can start a tour of Lake Monate, a small pool of water which used to be part of Lake Varese. The area is famous for the sweet peaches, a prized delicacy both fresh and under spirit. The small Church of Our Lady of the Snows, charmingly Romanesque and interestingly colored in interlays of Angera marble and hand-made brick, is certainly worth a visit.
Next comes a peaceful, flat stretch, crossing the small villages of Cadreazzate and Osmate. Both towns have well-preserved Lombard architecture to admire, with houses, courtyards, arches and, a most important part of village life up to just a few decades ago, public washing basins, many of which have been carefully and lovingly restored.
At the bottom of a pleasant and refreshing downhill slope, we find the village of Comabbio, which takes its name from the second lake we will visit today. Strangely enough, the actual village is perched atop a hill, rather far from the homonymous lake. A network of well-tended streets crosses the village: if one feels up to tackling the uphill road, it is worth a visit to the Sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin of the Rosary, of ancient origins. The area around the apse opens onto a beautiful view of the valleys below and over the small lake.
Leaving the village and crossing the SS629 once more, we will soon find ourselves on the waterside, cycling along a quiet bicycle lane, which is particularly beautiful and scenic. An exceptional thrill is the passage over a suspended wooden bridge: from here, every view is simply breathtaking. A few kilometers later, the unpaved but well-tended road leads us through a public park, just outside the city center of Ternate, where we will have to walk our bikes for a short stretch to make our way back to the hotel.
