Fancy a day out with the family in the open air? The beauties of nature in Lombardy can be discovered, step by step, along footpaths suitable for everyone. You can organise easy trips and hikes for one day or more - just get your boots, choose your destination and take off for a pleasant weekend outdoors.

Destination? The Monte Lariani trail is a walking route laid out by the Como mountaineering club that leaves from Cernobbio and goes as far as Sorico, along an itinerary of no less than 125 kilometres, done in at least six stages, sleeping in mountain refuges along the way. Shorter – it can be walked in about 4 hours – is the Lake Greenway, which links Colonno and Cadenabbia di Griante, passing through Sala Comacina, Ossuccio, Lenno – location of Villa Balbianello - and Tremezzo, famous for Villa Carlotta.

Love history and mountains? Ideal for day excursions is the Memory Trail in Valcamonica, along mule tracks used by soldiers during the First World War. Along the way it is not unusual to find anti-aircraft machine gun posts, cave shelters, sentry posts and fortifications, like those on top of Doss de l'Ora. If, instead, you prefer a two-day excursion, you might try the Periplo del Monte Aviolo, where you will be enchanted by the forests of mugo pine and larch and by the spectacle offered by Lake Aviolo. Also in the same zone, food lovers might choose the Mountain Pastures trail, a food and wine excursion that leaves from Edolo and goes to Monno. The walk takes you to Mola, with its shepherds' huts where cheese is produced and to the Oasis of Toricla, a rich nature reserve containing roe deer, red deer and marmots.

Nature, splendid panoramas and tasty breaks are to be found in Valtellina, where you can organise enjoyable outings along the Cardinello Trail (including the famous Via Spluga), a broad mule track carved out of the side of the mountain, offering splendid natural views of waterfalls, of the torrent Liro and of the Prati dei Torni, or along the Via Bregaglia, which reaches from Chiavenna right into Switzerland, to the Maloja Pass, along simple paths, mule tracks and forest roads. This last itinerary, to be organised over several days, is very interesting because it combines the historical and cultural attractions of the zone – visits to historic monuments such as the Museum of the Piuro Excavation or Palazzo Vertemate Franchi - with breathtaking views of the Sciora and Badile peaks, pausing at the Acquafraggia Waterfalls or the Parco delle Marmitte dei Giganti.

Lastly, if you would like to add educational activities to the fun of being in the open air, there are many trails to choose from, such as the famous Walter Corti Ornithological Trail, in the Orobie Valtellinesi Park, and the Vittorio Sella Glacier Trail, part of the Valmalenco Ecomuseum, which wends its way from the valley bottom up Mount Ventina. Along the way you will find information boards and glaciological signs that offer interesting food for thought on recent climate change.