Premana: Hiking Trails, Mountain Pastures and Living Culture

Premana brings together mountain scenery, hiking trails and local cultural traditions. If you are looking for a hotel, consider whether you mainly want to hike or also want to include the town’s cultural highlights in your trip. Alongside the trails to the mountain pastures, a major circular route, an ethnographic museum, choral singing and cutlery-making offer something for a range of interests.

Forests, High Pastures and Mountain Pastures

The area around Premana stretches from chestnut, beech, birch and pine forests to high pastures and mountain peaks. There are eleven mountain pastures in the area, known locally as “Mont.” Numerous hiking trails cross the surrounding countryside, and the nearby mountains can be reached within a day. A network of unpaved roads, mule tracks and well-marked trails connects the mountain pastures with one another and with Premana. When choosing a route, you can therefore take into account not only the scenery but also the specific connections between the town and the mountain pasture area.

Hikes with Different Characteristics

The Giir di Mont circular trail starts and ends in Premana and visits all eleven mountain pastures. It is 32 kilometres long, involves 2,400 metres of elevation gain and is graded E. Another hike follows a comfortable mule track along the Torrente Varrone in the Valle dei Forni, reaching the Forno, Casarsa and Vegessa mountain pastures in about an hour and a half; this hike is suitable for families. These differences are useful for planning: the Giir di Mont is defined by its length, elevation gain and loop linking all the mountain pastures, while the Valle dei Forni route is distinguished by its approximate duration, three destination pastures and suitability for families.

The route to the Laghi di Deleguaggio also starts in Premana: it is a challenging circular trail with equipped sections. A trail to Alpe Varrone starts in Premana’s industrial area and follows a military mule track for its entire length. This allows you to compare the routes by their individual features rather than by name alone.

Culture and Craftsmanship in Premana

The Museo Etnografico di Premana was founded in 1974. Traditional dress remains part of everyday and ceremonial life, including weddings and festivals. Tiir is Premana’s characteristic style of choral singing: male and female voices come together in a song of increasing intensity. The Corpus Christi procession follows the perimeter lanes of the old town centre for about one kilometre. The guided tour “Cosa c’è dietro una lama” explores cutlery-making, from the raw material to the finished product. The cultural highlights thus range from traditional dress and music to processions and craftsmanship.

Getting There and Choosing Your Stay

The final stretch of road to Premana follows a single road connecting Valsassina with Alta Valle. Take this road connection into account when planning your journey.

Discover more destinations: Mandello Del Lario, Campo, Taceno, Civate, Casatenovo, Piantedo, Paderno, Torre De' Busi

For the broader travel overview: Lecco.