The Moregallo (1,276 metres) is the last mountain of the Triangolo Lariano to the east: it rises above Valmadrera, on the border with Mandello del Lario, and looks down on the Lecco branch of the lake, with the Grigne and the Resegone opposite.
What to see
The summit is unusual: instead of a point, an almost flat hump with a wood on the right and a fine view; from the viewpoint you see the Lecco branch with the Grigne group and the Resegone. The south side, above Valmadrera, has vertical strata that form ridges and spurs; the east side drops into the lake with gullies and walls. The mountain is linked to the Corni di Canzo by a short south-west ridge.
The most visited place is the Sasso di Preguda, at 647 metres on the spur rising from Valmadrera: an erratic boulder of “ghiandone” granite from the Val Masino, dragged by glaciers for over eighty kilometres. It is a prism of about six metres by three, seven metres high, with a volume of over a hundred cubic metres, and has been a Regional Natural Monument since 1984. The Lecco-born abbot and geologist Antonio Stoppani used it to confirm the glacial origin of Alpine deposits, and a plaque recalls it. Built against one wall of the boulder is the little church of Sant’Isidoro, patron of farmers: it was Valmadrera’s parish priest, don Giuseppe Valera, who wanted it in 1895, and local farmers built it with him (according to Lecco Tourism after a serious livestock epidemic), and it was inaugurated on 12 May 1899.
Getting there
The trails are looked after by the OSA of Valmadrera, which gives length and expected time for each. Path 6 climbs from Valmadrera through Pradello and Preguda (4.8 km, two and a half hours to the top); the route by the VARS chapel and the Sambrosera pass (1,192 m) is 3.9 km and 2 hours. Path 5 links the sanctuary of San Martino to San Tomaso, Sambrosera, Zucon and Preguda; path 7 leads from Valmadrera to Pianezzo. For the Sasso di Preguda alone, 40-60 minutes from the Piazza Rossè hamlet are enough (path 6, about 330 metres of ascent). On the east side the Sentiero Cinquantesimo starts from La Fame, near Parè, passes under the overhanging walls of the via O.S.A. and reaches the summit with about a thousand metres of ascent from the lake: it is steep and exposed, although without alpine passages. Wikipedia classifies the south-side trails as mostly for experienced hikers (EE), with chain-equipped sections. There are only two water points: the Sambrosera fountain (750 m), the first work of the OSA members in 1952, and a spring on the east side. Times, difficulty and trail conditions change with the season and should be checked before setting out (CAI, hut managers, weather forecast).
The August 2026 wildfire
On the evening of 4 August 2026 a fire started on the north side, along the lakeside road between Valmadrera and Oliveto Lario, and swept the slope between Valmadrera and Mandello. According to the latest estimate of the regional fire-fighting system it burned about 250 hectares. On 14 August, La Provincia di Lecco reports, several trails were still closed: 6 (Valmadrera-Pradello-Preguda-Moregallo), 5, 7 as far as Pianezzo, the Cinquantesimo OSA, the Elvezio and the Paolo e Eliana. The Comunità montana Lario Orientale-Valle San Martino declared the fire out at 5 p.m. on 18 August, after three days without flare-ups, and warned that monitoring would remain high. We do not know which trails have reopened: before climbing it is best to check with the Comunità montana or the municipalities of Valmadrera and Mandello.
Practical information
- Height: 1,276 metres (OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikipedia).
- The Moregallo lies on the border between Valmadrera, to the south, and Mandello del Lario, to the north.
Sources
- Lecco Tourism, Sasso di Preguda and the church of Sant’Isidoro
- Trekking nel Triangolo Lariano, from Valmadrera to the Moregallo
- OSA Valmadrera, signage and trails
- La Provincia di Lecco, 14 August 2026 and LeccoToday, 18 August 2026
- Wikipedia, Moregallo entry; Wikidata and OpenStreetMap.