The No. 7 trail starts at the former funicular railway station. To reach the station first pass the barrier on the internal lane that leads to the forecourt of the Grand Hotel.. Together with the former Panoramico restaurant, the station is part of a group of Art Nouveau buildings that made up the Campo dei Fiori Grand Hotel complex. Nearby, in the park opposite the Grand Hotel, we find the Marelli Grotto, a karstic cave that is one of the most significant of the many found on Mount Campo dei Fiori. 

The No. 7 trail follows the steps up into the fir-wood above the Grand Hotel, taking you to a square below a small church. Just above this is Monte Tre Croci, which can be easily reached by following the lane with memorials commemorating members of Italy’s armed forces who have lost their lives. The central monumental cross was created by the sculptor Lodovico Pogliaghi and erected in 1900 to mark the Jubilee.

From the small church follow an unsurfaced track called Via Belvedere until you reach the former Siro Magnaghi resort. Just after this you come to Bar-Ristorante Irma, a characteristic bar and restaurant and the only eatery on the mountaintop of Campo dei Fiori. This place is a great spot in which to join the No. 7 trail as it has a large car park and is only a couple of hundred yards up from the bus terminus (next to the barrier across the access road to the Grand Hotel) for the A.V.T. buses that arrive from Sacro Monte.

Follow the trail that snakes across the northern slope of Cima Paradiso, and into the Campo dei Fiori Regional Park. This trail offers staggering views, but is not particularly easy, and takes you to a small col from which a trail heads southwards and meets up with the No. 1 trail and the old army road to Orino Fort.

Just after this you come to a large, sunny meadowed area, known as “Pratone”, with panoramic views over the lakes of the alpine foothills and the plains below. At the edge of this meadowed area is a small wooden hut with benches. After “Pratone” the trail heads upwards towards Punta di Mezzo, which is the highest of the Campo dei Fiori peaks at 1227 metres (4026 ft). The climb up to the top is short but challenging. As you follow the trail you come across a memorial that commemorates the courageous feats of Varese’s glider pilots who used this large meadow as a base for launching their gliders several decades ago. In addition to enjoying unrivalled panoramic views of almost 360° over the plains and Alps, you will see a small metal column that was used as a triangulation station for drawing up maps.

The trail continues over the rocky north-south divide of the peak, right above the distinctive calcareous crag that soars over the northern slope. After going over the peak, the trail descends steeply first into a coppiced woods and then through a dense fir-wood until you reach the army road to Orino Fort, which is the No. 1 trail.

DETAILS:

• Duration: 1 hour
• Distance: 3 km
• Difficulty: easy
• Altitude: 193 mt.
• Starting point: Stazione Funicolare Campo dei Fiori. 
• Arrival point: Punta di Mezzo
• Parking: yes, free

ATTENTION: DUE TO FORESTRY WORK FOR THE REDEVELOPMENT OF THE CAMPO DEI FIORI PEAK, TRAIL 1 WILL BE CLOSED TO TRAFFIC ON WEEKDAYS THROUGHOUT FEBRUARY AND MARCH 2023. HOWEVER, IT WILL BE POSSIBLE TO WALK THE TRAIL ON SATURDAYS AND SUNDAYS. TRAIL 7/307 (CAMPO DEI FIORI-PUNTA DI MEZZO) WILL REMAIN OPEN AT ALL TIMES.