It is a place of many stories – of men and mountains, passion and courage, breath-taking views, advanced hiking trails and walks suitable for all.

From Monte Resegone to Monte Grigna, the peaks around Lecco have been the playground of generations of climbers. Heroes like Riccardo Cassin and Carlo Mauri have climbed here, not to mention the legendary Ragni della Grignetta [Grignetta Spiders] – one of the most prestigious mountaineering groups in the world – who are continuing their glorious traditions.

The place also attracts freeclimbing aficionados. If you love the great outdoors and enjoying a hike but don’t fancy scaling a rocky cliff face, the Vivere la Montagna [Live the Mountain] programme is made for you. The starting point is the Versasio gondola lift, which was completely renovated and reopened in 2008.

It takes just five minutes for you to climb the 1300 metres to Monte Resegone’s Piani d’Erna, a natural balcony which overlooks the Lake of Lecco. In the winter, you can make a quick descent using a bobsleigh or sledge, while there are also several hiking routes if you’ve remembered to pack your snowshoes.

In summer, you can enjoy hikes (some of which are guided: guidealpine.lombardia.it) with stopovers in lodges, where you can taste mountain pasture cheeses. If you’re visiting with the family, we recommend a walk along the Nature Path with a break in the adventure park, where rope bridges and raft luges will keep a smile on the kids’ faces. For the fitter amongst you, June brings the chance to take part in the famous Lecco Resegup skyrace, which sees participant race each other from the lake to the summit.

The Assalto al Resegone, meanwhile, is a race to Rifugio Azzoni 1875 metres up and takes place in July. Your reward for getting up there? A truly breath-taking view out over the Alps and down to the Apennines.