DURATION: 1 hour
ALTITUDE: 522 m – 628 m
Monte Croce is a panoramic hill overlooking the landscape of the Lago MaggioreFrom the summit, you can see the geography of the southern portion of the lake, with the sinuous lines of the Lombard shore, the San Quirico hill and the Rocca d'Angera, and the lakes of Varese and Monate. At the summit, there is a small church and an area equipped for picnics. The hillsides are lined with ancient terraces, once cultivated and now overgrown with birch groves and invasive vegetation. Along the path is the Romanesque oratory of Santa Cristina (11th-12th century), where, according to an ancient legend, the vanished village of Tupinum once stood, destroyed by an epidemic of plague in the 17th century. Above the oratory are the Motta Rossa golf courses, Monte Ber (an ancient word of Germanic origin meaning "mountain").
Departure: Calogna 522 m – Arrival: Monte Croce 628 m
Climbing time: 1,00 hour – Difference in altitude: 106 m