We highly recommend the following establishments, which are listed in order of their distance from Poggio Verde.

Fine Dining

Pierino Ristorante – 3 minutes from Poggio Verde

Michelin One-Star – This outstanding restaurant offers a delightful garden and an elegant dining room with a veranda. The menu features excellent Italian cuisine, including some fish dishes. 25-80 euros (lunch and dinner).

Via XXIV Maggio, 36, 23897 Viganò (Lecco)/ Tel: +39 039 956020

Cascina Scarpata – Agriturismo La Costa – 17 minutes from Poggio Verde

Come here for an outstanding meal in intimate, rustic surroundings, nestled in vinyards where the family produce their lovely wines. The farmhouse dates back to the beginning of the 18 th c. The delicious local cuisine brings together tradition and modernity.   If you go for lunch, enjoy a walk in the vinyards before or after your meal.

Via Curone, 15 – La Valletta Brianza (Lecco)/ Tel: 039 53 12218

Galbusera Nera – 20 minutes from Poggio Verde

This elegant restaurant deserves the many accolades it receives for its great chef and wonderful ambience.  Owned by the same family Crippa who produce La Costa wine and run the Cascina Scarpata restaurant mentioned above. Also here a fantastic walk among the vineyards is in order, either before or after your meal.

Via Galbusera Nera 2 – Rovagnate Tel: +39 039 53 12218

Good restaurants

Agriturismo Giovanna Passeri – 6 minutes from Poggio Verde

We love this place for a simple meal made with local ingredients, grown here and served in a quiet and cozy dining room or outdoors by the chef’s daughter. They also do cooking lessons!   Lunch and dinner.

Via Vincenzo Foppa, 1 – Monticello B.za (Lecco)/ Tel: 039 920292

Zafferano Bar – 6 minutes from Poggio Verde  

Great Sunday Brunch and poolside Bar. Daily restaurant is located in a modern but charming locale in the pretty Red’s hotel, this restaurant serves excellent Italian favorites by an attentive staff.

Via Don Rinaldo Beretta, 24 Barzanò – Lecco – Tel. +39 039 9272120

Trattoria Il Portico – 7 minutes from Poggio Verde

A simple but delicious trattoria that places emphasis on the quality of ingredients and their freshness.  Genuine regional dishes in a pleasant and friendly atmosphere.

Via Luciano Manara 24 | Prebone, Monticello Brianza, 23876 +39 039 920 5360

Galbusera Bianca – 20 minutes from Poggio Verde

Located within a WWF Oasis for Biodiversity in the protected park of the Val Curone, this Osteria bio offers a basic and delicious organic seasonal cuisine. The tasting and a la carte menus are simple and natural, vegetarian and vegan.  If you go for lunch, enjoy a walk in the vinyards before or after your meal.

Via Galbusera Bianca – Rovagnate (Lecco)/ Tel: 039 570351

Pizza and Quick Bites

Pizzeria Stramania – 4 minutes from Poggio Verde

Informal Pizzeria with very good pizza from a wood-burning pizza oven.

Via Roma 80, 23891 Barzano / Tel +39 039 955729

Teresa delle Fragole – 6 minutes from Poggio Verde

Lunch.  Very informal, buffet style farm producer offers simple organic dishes in friendly surroundings.

Via Piave 16 – Viganò – Tel: +39 039 921 1018

Pasticceria Fumagalli – 6 minutes from Poggio Verde

Outstanding pastry shop that doubles as a great aperitivo bar and lunch place over the course of the day.

Via Ferrari, 2, 23891 Barzanò Tel +39 039 9210397

Take-away

Pasticceria Fumagalli – 6 minutes from Poggio Verde

Outstanding pastry shop that doubles as a great aperitivo bar and lunch place over the course of the day.

Via Ferrari, 2, 23891 Barzanò Tel +39 039 9210397

Takeaway Pizza – Farina Trentatre – 9 minutes from Poggio Verde

Marvellous takeaway pizza of all kinds, excellent ingredients, super clean.

Via Vespucci, 5 – 23873 Missaglia – Tel. +39 039 920 0613

Aperitifs, Pubs and Bars

Appetizer and Brunch One-Off  – 4 minutes from Poggio Verde

A great place to grab an excellent cocktail and pre-dinner appetizer that can turn into dinner itself. They have excellent Brunch too!  Call before going because they are not always open (the business grew out of their thriving catering business).

Via XXIV Maggio, 13 Viganò Tel: +39345 1412527

Pasticceria Fumagalli – 6 minutes from Poggio Verde

Outstanding pastry shop that doubles as a great aperitivo bar and lunch place over the course of the day.

Via Ferrari, 2, 23891 Barzanò Tel +39 039 9210397

Cafè-Tea room/Pastry Shop

Pasticceria Fumagalli – 6 minutes from Poggio Verde

Outstanding pastry shop that doubles as a great aperitivo bar and lunch place over the course of the day.

Via Ferrari, 2, 23891 Barzanò Tel +39 039 9210397

Groceries

Rex Market – 5 minutes from Poggio Verde

Excellent supermarket with superlative meat and charcuterie. Open 24 hours, 7 days a week.

Via Monsignor Colli, 2, Barzanò

Teresa delle Fragole – 6 minutes from Poggio Verde

Delicious fruits and vegetables. Open on Tuesday, Friday, Saturday from 9.00 to 13.00  and from 15.00 to 19.00.

Via Piave 16 – Viganò – Tel: +39 039 921 1018

Activities around Poggio Verde

If you are coming with your family or friends and you want to plan your trip on your own, here are some advice about what to do in the vicinity of Poggio Verde villa. You can choose from cultural day trips, relaxing tours on the lakes, exciting sport activities ecc.

Montevecchia and Val Curone Park

Length of Drive: 18 min

Parking: at the beginning of Via Alta Collina

Type of Visit: natural beauty / historical site / views / walk / gastronomy

Things to see:

• Beata Vergine del Carmelo sanctuary, located at the highest point of the town, it has a terrace where you can admire the  landscape;
• Montevecchia walk: take a walk down via Alta Collina west towards Sirtori and have lunch in one of the restaurants on the way (Ristorante Carlambroeus, via Alta Collina, 19, Montevecchia, +39 039 993 0096; Terrazze di Montevecchia, via Alta Collina, 12, Montevecchia, +39 039 933 1111). You can even take a longer walk: pick up a detailed map at the Cascina Butto, park your car in the parking lot in Via Valfredda in front of the Municipio and walk to the cascina where the Parco Curone e Montevecchia headquarters are located.  (Closes at 12,30!);
• Buy local cheese at the Latteria Maggioni Amabile (900m walk from Montevecchia along the Via Alta Collina);

The beautiful little hilltop village of Montevecchia is about 20 minutes from Poggio Verde. Walking on past Montevecchia along the Via Alta Collina is a tiny cheese shop in a farmstead and a little further is a ridge with stunning views.

Next to Montevecchia Alta lies the Val Curone park: a natural reserve rich in flora and fauna with many walks of varying lengths and difficulty, and a winery with excellent white and red choices of the region.

Val Curone – Walk and wine tasting

Length of Drive: 23 min

Type of Visit: natural beauty / lunch / wine-tasting

Restaurants and Wine Tasting:

• La Costa Winery, La Scarpata & Galbusera

Nera- Via Curone, 15 – 23888 Rovagnate (Lc) – +39039 531 2218

• Bike rental & guided tours in English spinelli@events4you.it +39 335 6039 983

Things to see:

• Val Curone Park: After dining  at  La Scarpata

and buying some delicious local wine at La Costa, take a stroll in the beautiful vineyards of the Val Curone.

• Pyramids of Val Curone: there are three curious  pyramid-

like formations: they are east-oriented and arranged exactly like those of the plain of Giza, in Egypt. The highest of the three is 150 meters high. and would be higher than that of Cheops. Today they are completely covered by vegetation.

Just a few minutes drive from Poggio Verde you can visit the beautiful state park Val Curone, a small protected Valley completely out of the most common tourist itineraries. Here you can enjoy the silence of nature, dine in a centuries-old stone farmhouse and taste pleasant regional wines.

Our suggestion is to have lunch at La Scarpata or Galbusera Nera, both rustic but refurbished farmhouses, and then discover the amazing Valley. You can also enjoy a wine tasting experience at La Costa Agriturismo, connected to the Scarpata by a short path. After that, you can cross Val Curone and the Regional Park of Montevecchia through trails full of vineyards and farms. Bike renting and English tours are available.

River Adda: bicycling

Length of Drive: 28 min.

Type of Visit: natural beauty / light exercise / culture

Ferry crossing-bike rental Addarella: Piazza Leonardo da Vinci, 10, 23898 Imbersago LC  http://www.inadda.it/1/addarella_3606235.html Phone: + 39 392 2999771

Things to see:

• River Adda, also knows as Leonardo’s river because of the interest of the Renaissance genius  in this water course. Hired by the Duke of Milan not as an artist but as an engineer to help design regional transportation routes using water flow and currents, Leonardo is thought to have also made drawings like “Virgin on the rocks” while here;
• Leonardo’s Ferry, located at the bike rental location,  based  on  Leonardo’s model ;
• Crespi d’Adda, a village founded in the second half of 19th  century and still inhabited. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is the first  “worker’s village” built and designed by the Crespi textile manufacturer for the benefit of his employees.

A day of nature, history and easy exercise, suitable for children too. This easy cycle track runs along the Adda river from Lecco right down to Milan, but you can easily turn back earlier. We suggest to start from Imbersago, a stretch of canal designed by Leonardo da Vinci. From the bike rental location you can jump on a replica of Leonardo’s ferry, an ingenious water-powered craft designed by Da Vinci in the 1400s. Then follow the cycle path “The Martesana” along the river; the entire track is within the pristine nature preserve “Parco Adda”. From  here you can cycle towards the 19th village of Crespi d’Adda, a UNESCO World Heritage Site (17 km away; it takes just over an hour by bike; see http://villaggiocrespi.it/en/ )The river ride is easy and offers beautiful landscapes, bird- watching, floral and historical landscapes.

Monza

Length of Drive: 41 minutes

Parking: Piazza Trento e Trieste 1/A, 20052 Monza 2.40€ 1 hour

Type of Visit: Cultural

Things to see:

• Duomo, a Romanesque-gothic church in the city centre, with the Iron Crown, kept in the Duomo Treasury and said to be made with one of the nails from the crucifixion. Excellent tours in  English available, booking +39.039.326383;
• The City centre, a pedestrian-only shopping zone with charming shops, walking streets and cafès;
• Royal Villa, an amazing country-palace very similar to Schoenbrunn in Vienna, recently restored;
• Arengario, a very  well  preserved  13th  century City Hall situated in the central part of the city, Piazza Roma.

Monza is famous world-wide for the Italian Grand Prix of Formula 1 – which takes place in September – but there is so much more than this. It’s a beautiful historic city, completely walkable and full of green spaces thanks to the huge royal park, the Parco di Monza. There is a very interesting guided tour in English of the Duomo’s precious Iron Crown.
The Royal Villa with its wonderful gardens was recently restored; built between 1777 and 1780 by the Empress Marie-Therese of Austria, the most interesting rooms are the royal apartments of Umberto and Margherita and the chapel by Piermarini. The tiny church is dedicated to the Immaculate Mary and it is without doubt the most richly decorated of the Villa’s rooms.

Bergamo

Length of Drive: 1 hour

Type of Visit: Cultural

Parking: Piazza della Libertà, Bergamo

Things to see:

Città Alta:

• Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore & Colleoni Chapel, wonderful monument just off the main square;
• Piazza Vecchia, the heart of the city;
• Campanone, also  called Torre  Civica, a 12th- century tower, next to Piazza Vecchia;
• La Rocca, this fortified building includes a tower  which you can climb for a nice view, and the building complex has a museum as well;
• Duomo and Palazzo Vecchio, the religious centre of the city, where the Cathedral was erected in honor of the city patron, Saint Alessandro.

Città Bassa :

• Shopping: The best shops are in via XX Settembre, via Sant’Alessandro, via Torquato Tasso, Viale Papa Giovanni XXIII, via Giorgio Paglia.

Bergamo Alta is a fascinating part of the city which was at the best of its flourishing around medieval times. In the center of the Città Alta there is Piazza Vecchia, which was remodeled during the Renaissance and is considered one of the most beautiful squares in Italy. Bergamo Bassa – the lower town – is the newest and elegant part, full of shops, bars and restaurants. A delightful funicular takes you to the Città Alta from the Città Bassa, departing from Via Al Castello 3 in Città Bassa, not far from the parking lot in Piazza della Libertà. Bergamo is a lovely small city, perfect for a one-day trip from Poggio Verde. The city is divided in Città Alta – the oldest part built by the Romans – and the Città Bassa.

Como

Length of Drive: 51 min

Parking: Autosilo Val Duce, Viale Lecco 9, Como

Type of Visit: Cultural / natural beauty

Things to see:

• Basilica di San Fedele, XII c. church in  the heart of the town;
• Duomo, and  the medieval city  center next  door;
• Villa Olmo Neoclassical  building  on the shore that  often  has exhibitions;
• Funicular to Brunate: 15 minute walk from the parking lot to the base of the funicular in Piazza Alice de Gaspari 4. Lunch or coffee at the  top.

Activities:

• Tea/Aperitif at Villa D’Este: Drive around the lake to Via Regina 40, Cernobbio for a cup of tea or aperitif and view from the fabulous lake terrace.  The villa grounds are a wonder to  see!
• Boating  on the Lake: Take a boat ride to another location  on this beautiful lake, see http://www.navlaghi.it/eng/c_crociere.asp

Como is a very attractive Roman city surrounded by mountains that line the banks of Lake Como. The lake offers amazing views of the Alps from lake-side villas that are famous for their charm and elegance. The old center is built around the Piazza Duomo and San Fedele but there are many others attractions like boating on the lake, visiting the Villa Olmo and the park and also a great numbers of designer boutiques and local shops.

The best way to enjoy the breathtaking view of lake and landscape is to take the short funicular from Como to Brunate, or drive around the lake to Cernobbio and have tea at the elegant Villa d’Este.

Lake Como Greenway – From Lenno to Tremezzina

Length of drive Poggio Verde-Bellagio: 52 min

Type of Visit: natural beauty / light exercise

Parking in Bellagio: everywhere within the white lines (blue lines 1.50€/hour)

Ferry transfer Bellagio-Lenno: 25 min., schedule available here http://www.navigazionelaghi.it/eng/c_orari.asp Departure from Lungolario Manzoni, 1.

Length of walk Lenno-Tremezzina: 36 min.

Ferry transfer Villa Carlotta-Bellagio: 20 min. Schedule available here http://www.navigazionelaghi.it/eng/c_orari.asp

The Greenway is a leisurely and pleasant walk between Colonno and Griante following traces of the Antica Strada Regina, the antique connection road built by the Romans. This 10 km long itinerary (Colonno, Sala Comacina, Ossuccio, Lenno, Mezzegra, Tremezzo, Griante) leads through ancient villages with wonderful examples of architecture, as long as villas and gardens and offers charming views. You can also walk just through shorter parts of the itinerary if you don’t feel like walking from the beginning to the very end, which will take 3.30 hours: for example, you can walk along the Greenway from Lenno to Tremezzina, enjoying the fascinating panorama with its lovely villas. If you manage to walk until Tremezzina you can stop for lunch at Ristorante La Terrazza (Via Regina, 8, 22019 Tremezzina CO. Phone: + 39 0344 42491) where you can taste dishes signed by Italian master chef Gualtiero Marchesi. Then you can continue on the Greenway until you reach Villa Carlotta with its beautiful park and museum. Tickets: Adults € 10,00; Over 65 € 8,00; Children 0-5 free; Family € 20,00. http://www.villacarlotta.it/home.php?pag_id=9&sez_id=13&lang_id=2. After your visit to Villa Carlotta, you can take the ferry from there to Bellagio.

Patriach’s Greenway Path

Length of drive Poggio Verde-Oggiono: 17 min.

Type of Visit: natural beauty / light exercise

Parking: Oggiono train station

Train transfer Oggiono-Varenna: 1 hr. Train schedule here http://www.trenitalia.com/tcom-en

Train transfer Fiumelatte-Varenna: 3 min

The footpath, which will take 2 hours walking, starts at the Ferry dock, situated in piazza Martiri della Libertà, in the district of Olivedo., Varenna. Continue to walk to the start of the passerella also called “The Walk of Love”, along the shores of the lake towards the old town. Walk to its end to reach the old port of Varenna. Continue your walk on cobbled paving passing the typical arcades and little shops, cafés etc. on the way. At a certain point the walk starts to ascend and shortly you will reach the Varenna Cemetery. Go down some steps leading into the ancient road to Fiumelatte. Continue on this narrow street and only a few minutes away you will pass over the bridge of the famous Fiumelatte river: during its overflow you will live an unique experience submerged by the water’s milky foam. Now take the Via alla Stazione Fiumelatte and, bypassing the station, you arrive at the intersection with SP72, the provincial road. A short parallel road on your left leads you onto the street to Pino called Via Pino. After that, you will reach the Wayfarer’s Path: don’t’ follow signs of this path but walk down along Via Roslina to enter into the historical part of Pino, following an ancient trail through dry stone walls and gardens. Pass down a shrine and at this level continue on your right: from here you can admire the impressive landscape of Varenna and the backdrop of the Alto Lario mountains. Now, walking down along the street, you will pass the narrow railway subway to reach the start of the Patriach’s Greenway Path. From here you have two possibilities: one to walk back on the same trail or catch the train at Fiumelatte train station to reach in Varenna in 3 minutes.

Bellagio, the Pearl of Lake Como

Length of drive: 52 min.

Type of visit: culture, sport, gastronomy

Parking: everywhere within the white lines (blue lines 1.50€/hour)

Things to see:

• Villa Melzi Gardens, via Melzi d’Eril: The villa was built between 1808 and 1810. Count Melzi’s taste for the neo-classical style came from Napoleonic France and inspired his choice of the architect Giocondo Albertolli. Open from the end of March to the beginning of November everyday from 9,30 to 18,30. Price: 6,50 euro per person. Children under 12 years old free. http://www.giardinidivillamelzi.it/GIARDINI_DI_VILLA_MELZI/HOME_PAGE_ENG.html
• San Giacomo Church, Piazza della Chiesa: Stupendous example of the Roman-Lombard art (XII cent.), built between 1075 and 1125 by the Masters of Como. Sunday Mass: 8 am; 11.30 am.
• Tower of the Arts, Salita Plinio 21: The Tower of the Arts is a cultural center open to different cultural and artistic experiences, enhancing the historical / artistic patrimony of the area.
• Recommended restaurant: Le Darsene di Loppia, Via Melzi d’Eril, 1 (on the far side of Villa Melzi). Phone + 39 031 952069

Called the “Pearl of the Lake”, Bellagio is one of the most romantic and beautiful spots of Lake Como. Bellagio’s charm is first and foremost panoramic, because from here you can embrace with a glance one of the best views of the lake. Add to that the splendid villas, once inhabited by the nobles, the bright colors of the trees and flowers, the picturesque staircases, the variety of walks and paths: you will soon understand how Bellagio merits the title of  ‘Pearl of Lake’. The wonderful climate makes Bellagio the perfect place to relax drinking original Italian coffee in one of the little cafés along the lungolago, or tasting a fresh fruit gelato. With its mild winter and pleasant summer, Bellagio is the ideal place for those who like calm and walks, but also for those who like playing sports: during the summer there is whole range of water sports to choose from, while in the winter there are three ski-lifts on Monte San Primo. For those who prefer tasting new gastronomic specialties, the dishes which characterize the area are: fish from the lake, polenta and mataloc (dessert).