Mottarone

Start in Stresa, either in the town centre (the railway station is at about 220 m) or at the Lido di Carciano; both lines are well signed and join at the start of the old road to Someraro, a former Roman road. The way climbs steeply on asphalt to the hamlet of Someraro (about 590 m), with views over the Borromean Islands, then continues through beech and chestnut woods to Alpino (about 800 m), a villa resort with the Alpinia botanical garden and the intermediate station of the cable car. Above Alpino marked paths cross woods and pastures to the old Borromea station (about 980 m), the last halt of the rack railway that ran from Stresa to the summit from 1911 until the 1960s. From here the route follows the former railway bed up the open upper slopes to the broad grassy summit at 1,491 m, which has a small church (Madonna della Neve), restaurants and the top stations of the closed cable car and of the small ski area. From the top on a clear day you see Lake Maggiore and Lake Orta, the Po plain and the Alps from Monviso to Monte Rosa. CAI Stresa gives 10.995 km, 1,291 m of ascent and 4 h 10 min for trail VL1; Itinerarium gives 12.2 km and 4½ hours from the station, CAI Novara about 5 hours and 14 km. Above Alpino much of the ground is forest road and firebreak, which becomes very steep below the summit. Descend the same way (about 3 hours, an estimate); the summit can also be reached by road.