Monte Magnodeno (Magnöden in dialect) is a 1,241-metre mountain of the Orobie Alps, in the Resegone subgroup, in the province of Lecco: it is climbed for the shortness of some of its approaches or as part of longer routes.
What to see
According to Wikipedia the name comes from two dialect words, magnà (to eat) and öden (blueberries): the mountain used to be rich in blueberries, and climbing up to eat them straight from the plant was a typical pastime. On the summit are a large metal cross and a bivouac of the ANA (Alpini association) of Maggianico. Since 2013 the “Magnodeno vertical kilometre”, an uphill race organised by ASD Falchi Lecco, has been run every year, starting from the church of Sant’Andrea at Maggianico.
On the north side, halfway to the top, is the Campo dei Boi; at the Passo del Fò (1,284 m), the Capanna Ghislandi of the CAI Calolziocorte. Along one of the paths, at 665 metres, stands the metal Vicerola cross, with a view over the plain.
Getting there
The route from Maggianico, the shortest, starts in via alla Fonte and climbs for 3.5 kilometres with 960 metres of ascent, mostly in the woods; for the return you can close a loop via Campo dei Boi. From Somasca the route first climbs to the ridge above the village, passing the Castello dell’Innominato and the Alpini chapel, then follows the ridge past the Mario Corti bivouac (918 m), the Corno di Grao (1,041 m) and the Passo Tre Croci up to the summit, where there is a helicopter pad. Along this route you see the castle of the Innominato from The Betrothed and the sanctuary of San Girolamo Emiliani (1486-1537). We did not find up-to-date times, ascents and difficulty grades on an official source: before setting out it is best to check with the CAI (Italian Alpine Club) and to look up trail conditions and the weather.
Practical information
- Height: 1,241 metres (Wikipedia, Wikidata and OpenStreetMap).
- We have not verified on an official source the opening days and management of the bivouac, the Capanna Ghislandi and the other refreshment points named by the sources.