Cima di Morissolo and fortifications of the Cadorna Line

The Summit of Morissolo, with its distinctive 3 crosses, is both panoramic and easily accessible. In less than half an hour of walking on flat terrain, we can reach one of the most scenic peaks overlooking Lake Maggiore. The road leading to it is so wide that the summit is perfect for an afternoon or nighttime outing, to admire the lake from above at sunset or during the night.

Moreover, the summit is dotted with a series of tunnels, part of the Cadorna Line, a defensive line built during the First World War between 1915 and 1917, but never used. The access road to Morissolo, cut halfway up the slopes of Morissolino, is part of the same military interventions—it was used to transport armaments to the Morissolo batteries.

We can park in a large parking lot in front of the Auxologico Piancavallo Institute (1240m). For the ascent, we can climb Morissolino, first following the uphill asphalt road for a few hundred meters, then taking the path on the right towards Morissolino. From Morissolino (1410m, 30 minutes), we then follow the ridge all the way to the Summit of Morissolo (1311m, 20 minutes).

Near Morissolo, there's a maze of tunnels and positions for 4 cannons that fired 80kg projectiles up to 14km away. On the right, outside the batteries, we find a metal ladder with chains that leads us to the sub-peak of Morissolo. From here, the view opens up immensely over 50km of Lake Maggiore.

For the return, we take the flat military dirt road that brings us back to Piancavallo in less than half an hour (30 minutes).