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It’s said that Milan lacks only the sea to be a perfect city (and the web is going crazy with memes and posts to that regard!).
But to find water in our area, you don’t need photo montages, just point your car in the right direction. And in less than two hours on the autostrada highway from the metropolitan area is a place to re-embrace nature among impressive waterfalls, ancient canyons and natural oases.
From the Pozze di Erve in Lecco Province to the Acquafraggia waterfall in Valchiavenna, we have selected 5 natural pools for you to have a cool relax outside of the Milan city centre and out of the summer heat. Discover how to get there and how long it takes!
POZZE DI ERVE (Lecco)
The province of Lecco, just 45 km from Milan, is the location of the Pozze di Erve, an oasis of wellness at the feet of Monte Resegone. It’s a small natural pool with clear and cold water, easily reachable by car in less than one hour from the centre of Milan (following the signs for Calolziocorte, which is just 10 minutes from Erve). A path leads from the parking lot to Capanna Monza that skirts the waters of the Gallavesa creek: the pools are found along its length with its emerald reflections. Visit on a weekday to avoid the crowds!
CASCATE DELL’ACQUAFRAGGIA [WATERFALL] (Sondrio)
Purchase of a three euro ticket is required to enter the Park of the Acquafraggia of Piuro in Sondrio Province during the summer, but it’s definitely worth the price: with their majestic jet of water, these waterfalls left an impression even on Leonardo da Vinci (he mentioned them in his “Codice Atlantico”). An equipped path crosses a surrounding environment rich in plants, and has panoramic terraces from where to enjoy the view of the entire valley. The park, open from 8:30am to 6:30pm, is reachable by car (by taking SS 36 of Lake Como and of the Spluga) in less than a couple of hours from Milan.
VAL VERTOVA (Bergamo)
In Val Seriana, in the mountains that surround Bergamo Province, is a waterfall with great landscape appeal, the waterfall of Val Vertova, considered the “Maldives of the Bergamo area”. Located in the heart of a natural oasis of rare beauty, among creeks, natural pools and the so-called “giant’s silencers” (pools of water with emerald green colour), the waterfalls of Val Vertova are reachable in just 90 minutes by car on the A4/E64, following Via Cinque Martiri, and a daily ticket costs 3.50 euros.
CASCATE DI FERRERA [WATERFALL] (Varese)
Easily reached and also suitable for families with children, the Cascate di Ferrera (Ferrera Waterfalls) are a wild, natural oasis located just an hour and a half by car from the centre of Milan by the A8: hidden in the woods of the Lombardy alpine foothills, it’s just a few minutes’ walk from the nearby parking lot of the Ferrera di Varese town hall and is the ideal place to sunbathe or soak one’s feet. Comfortable clothing and athletic shoes are recommended.
ORRIDO DI BELLANO [GORGE] (Lecco)
At an hour and a half by car from Milan (by the SS 36 of Lake Como and the Spluga) is one of the most impressive canyons of Italy, the Orrido (gorge) di Bellano, formed inside a natural gorge created by the Pioverna River about 15 million years ago. Accessible through a dense system of suspended walkways and stairs, it is a location of uncontaminated nature punctuated with waterfalls and water courses where swimming is not permitted. The path can be walked in half an hour and visitors can relax on the nearby beach of the Lido of Bellano, partly free access and partly equipped with seating. Gorge entrance fee: 6 euros.
