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This church has been entrusted to the local community not by one of the (almost countless) saints, but by "Santa Croce" (the Holy Cross). Perhaps a brief stop here is the perfect opportunity for hikers and walkers to offer a short meditation and a prayer to God. I would therefore like to invite you to prayerfully contemplate God's infinite love for us, revealed in Christ nailed to the wood of the cross. Perhaps a saying by the Spanish founder of the religious order, Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556), might be helpful: "It is precisely where human hopes fall lowest that trust in God rises highest. For where all human help gives way, there divine help takes its place."

This church in Arosio was dedicated to the Archangel Michael. The name (from the Hebrew language) means "Who is like God?" He is often depicted - in paintings or as a statue - with a flaming sword, occasionally with a lance. Michael is - together with Raphael and Gabriel, and occasionally Uriel is also included - one of the three or four archangels who (according to human belief) occupy the highest rank in the heavenly hierarchy of angelic beings. Their common feast day in the calendar of saints is September 29th.

To do...very beautiful

The church of Arosio, dedicated to Saint Michael the Archangel, is a building dating back to before the year 1000. In the church square you can also admire a fourteenth-century baptistery and the sundial from 1664. Near the church there is one of the few fountains in the area.

Thanks to its location between mountain and lake, its village center with its many arcades, its churches and chapels, and a park that is like a small paradise, Morcote deserves the title “Pearl of Ceresio”. It lies on the southern nose of the Arbostora peninsula. Once a fishing village, it soon became a popular place for artists and celebrities; magnificent buildings such as the Palazzo Paleari with its stucco facade or the Torre del Capitano bear witness to these times. Also known is the “monumental staircase”, which leads up around 400 steps to Santa Maria del Sasso - another must for Morcote visitors - from where there is a magnificent view. The adjacent cemetery is also in an enviable location and is considered an outstanding example of sacred funerary art. Morcote's exotic attraction is called “Parco Scherrer”. Subtropical vegetation and works of art from distant countries transport visitors to another world.

Porto Ceresio belongs to the province of Varese on Lake Lugano, and was made famous as an internationally renowned center of craftsmanship and art. Very inhabited and busy city, but worth a passing visit.

The Capuchin monastery was founded in 1535 as the first of its kind in Switzerland. The complex is laid out in terraces and has been expanded several times over the centuries. The chapel by architect Mario Botta is also worth seeing. Today three brothers still live in the Convento del Bigorio. You can find more information about the monastery at: bigorio.ch/de/kloster

Close to Alpe Maria Santa, the area is very beautiful on a naturalistic level and offers a crossroads. Once the asphalt is over, any other route you choose is dirt, therefore not suitable for all bikes. Mostly they are wide forest roads but at some connection points there are paths that may require pushing the bike.