Monte Resegone

Every view of Lecco is framed by the Resegone, the 1,875-metre mountain whose crest of rocky teeth resembles a great saw — the image with which Manzoni opens I promessi sposi. Its slopes rise to a summit cross and the Rifugio Azzoni, with a range of alpine landscapes.

Why it matters

The Resegone is not merely scenery: it is the mountain-symbol of Lecco, cited at the very beginning of the novel that fixed the city in Italy's imagination, and its profile is protected in civic memory — Milan once observed a servitude that limited building heights so as not to block the view of the peak. The Resegone is a landmark of the Lecco Prealps, a massif of thirteen summits rising steeply above the lake. Its scale and distinctive silhouette make it a defining feature of the region.

What to notice

The mountain's name derives from the Lombard resegun, or saw, referring to its row of jagged peaks, which Manzoni described as "many peaks in a line." The rock is Dolomia Principale, which takes on a rosy tone at sunset. The highest point is Punta Cermenati, 1,875 metres, marked by an iron cross inaugurated in 1925; an altar beside it was consecrated in 1981 by Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini. Just under the summit sits the Rifugio Luigi Azzoni, whose terraces open a panorama from the Brianza lakes to the main Alpine chain. Several of the thirteen principal summits bear the names of distinguished citizens of Lecco; the mountain is also known for its historic Gamma 1 and Gamma 2 via ferrata routes.

Context and history

The massif stands on the border between the provinces of Lecco and Bergamo, rising above the Lecco branch of Lake Como. Its two faces differ sharply: the Lecco side falls in steep walls, while the Bergamo side descends more gently toward the Valle Imagna and Val Taleggio. The summit cross of 1925 formalized the mountain's civic role, and the Azzoni refuge below the top turned the ascent into an institution for generations of Lecco hikers. Manzoni, who knew the mountain from his Lecco years, called it Monte Serrada in the novel, but the saw image belongs to the local name that survived. The cable car to Piani d'Erna forms part of the mountain's modern infrastructure.