From Menaggio we drive up to Monti di Breglia and carry on to the end of the road, where we find a small car park (m1046, you need to buy a 3€ ticket from a machine at the start of the road). From here we take a lovely path that climbs in hairpins through birch woods and ferns, and that already offers views over Lake Como.
After about 30 min of walking we come to a fork: left for Rifugio Menaggio and Monte Grona, right for Sant'Amate and Bregagno. If we want to bag both Grona and Bregagno, we first follow the signs for Menaggio. We reach Rifugio Menaggio (m1383, 0.50 hours), which looks out over the lake. Then we climb again to cross over towards Valle Sanagra. Once at the Forcoletta, we tackle the remaining 100 metres of ascent that separate us from the summit cross of Monte Grona (m1736, 1 hour), through a succession of small rock pinnacles somewhat reminiscent of the Grignetta above Lecco.
We then set off for the summit of Bregagno. We come down from Grona and walk along an almost level traverse to Sant'Amate (m1623, 0.30 hours), a modest chapel strategically placed on a panoramic grassy saddle (Sella di Sant'Amate), with views over a large stretch of Lake Como (to the East), and over Val Sanagra and Lake Lugano (to the West).
Now the climb begins on the broad meadows of the Costone del Bregagno. Rising step after grassy step, we reach Monte Bregagnino (m1904, 0.40 hours). We then continue along the Costone del Bregagno, now almost level, to the foot of the last climb, a grassy ramp that leads us without too much effort to the spacious summit of Monte Bregagno (m2107, 0.40 hours). The views: Lake Como almost in its entirety, Legnone in front of us, the Grigne and a distant Resegone, the Valtellina, the Rhaetian peaks, then the Piedmontese Prealps, which offer theatrical wings of summits, Lake Lugano and finally the far-off chain of the Apennines.
For the descent we return to Sant'Amate along the same broad ridge (m1623, 1.15 hours). From there we turn left instead, descending with fine views towards the lake, back to Monti di Breglia (m1046, 0.45 hours).
