The Bolettone, or Bollettone, is a 1,317-metre mountain in the Triangolo Lariano, on the Como side, not far from the Palanzone and the San Primo: a natural viewpoint looking at the Lario, the Lecco peaks and the Brianza plain, covered in woods and meadows.
What to see
The profile can be recognised with the naked eye from Milan and the plain by the line of firs that runs down from the top. The ridge is a watershed between the territories of Albavilla, Faggeto Lario, Albese con Cassano and Erba; to the south opens the Albavilla valley, where the Cosia stream rises on the slopes of the mountain. On the summit the Gruppo Bolettone placed in 1964 a cross for the protection of the valley, and just below stands the hut. From the climbing path the view opens over the Grigne group, the Resegone, the Corni di Canzo and the Cornizzolo, and from the top the 360-degree view runs from the lake to the Alps.
Getting there
The classic climb starts from the Alpe del Viceré (903 m), a fine green plateau in the territory of Albavilla, where there is a large car park. You pass the barrier at the end of the car park, go straight for about a hundred metres and turn left at the multi-purpose centre, following the signs: a wide cart track in the wood climbs in hairpins, with a gentle gradient at first and then steeper, and reaches a pass from which the summit is reached. The guides give 417-420 metres of ascent and from 45 minutes to an hour to climb, difficulty E (hiking) or medium. For the return there is a longer loop, of about an hour and ten, touching the Capanna Mara and the Cacciatori huts. It can also be reached from Brunate, along the first stretch of the Dorsale del Triangolo Lariano (the walk from Como to Bellagio): from the CAO hut car park (980 m) you pass Monte Boletto (1,236 m) and the Bocchetta di Molina (1,120 m), for about 16 kilometres and 5 hours there and back according to myLakeComo. The times, ascents and difficulty ratings on this page come from unofficial hiking guides and portals (see Sources), not from a body that manages the trail. Times, difficulty and trail conditions change with the season and should be checked before setting out (CAI, hut managers, weather forecast).
Practical information
- Height: 1,317 metres (Wikipedia, Wikidata); OpenStreetMap gives 1,318 and the guides 1,320.
- According to OpenStreetMap the summit is in the municipality of Albavilla; the name, in its Lombard form, is Bureton, according to Wikipedia.
- We have not verified on an official source opening days and management of the hut and the capanne.
Sources
- Trekking Lecco, Monte Bolettone from Alpe del Vicerè (2021)
- eccoLecco, Monte Bolettone: path to the summit
- myLakeComo, The Dorsale del Triangolo Lariano: Monte Boletto and Monte Bolettone
- Wikipedia, Bollettone entry; Wikidata and OpenStreetMap.