At 1,682 metres, Monte San Primo is the highest peak of the Triangolo Lariano: from the summit the view sweeps across Lake Como, the Como Prealps and, on the clearest days, beyond the Alps.
The mountain lies in the municipality of Bellagio, between the two branches of Lake Como. The Perlo stream is born here, while the Lambro river has its source nearby, at Piano Rancio. The summit, stripped of vegetation by intensive logging in the medieval period and again in the 18th and 19th centuries, remains one of the widest panoramic viewpoints in the Como-Lecco area: on clear days the view reaches as far as the northern Apennines.
History
On 14 March 1946, at 4:30 in the morning, an avalanche broke away from a ridge above the mountain and buried the annexe of the Grande Albergo Parco Monte San Primo, killing eleven people — one of the deadliest avalanche disasters in the area’s history.
From 1957 the mountain was also home to a small ski resort, with three lifts (Baby Pianone, Terrabiotta and Forcella) and around 12 km of slopes. Legal disputes over land ownership led to its closure between 2005 and 2006; after a partial reopening in 2012, the facilities are now permanently closed.
Getting there
Monte San Primo is reached on foot from Piano Rancio, in the municipality of Bellagio (by car to the Ghisallo pass, then an asphalt road through the woods), following waymarked paths 1 and 39. It is the destination of the loop described in the Monte San Primo loop from Piano Rancio itinerary, which also passes the Rifugio Anna Maria and the Rifugio Martina.
Practical information
- Difficulty: E (hiking trail).
- The classic loop from Piano Rancio is 7.5 km with 560 m of ascent, covered in about 3h30 (source: comoeilsuolago.it). Other sources describe different variants: a longer one (13 km, 670 m of ascent, about 4h45) or an out-and-back route (2h30, 720 m of ascent) — times and ascent vary depending on the route chosen.
- No fixed equipment (ropes, chains) is present along the trail; the higher sections can stay snow-covered well into spring.