Three small houses / with sharp roofs / a green meadow / a small stream... / microscopic town, it's true / a small town, but yet / there’s always a star above it .. / A star in love!”.

Aldo Palazzeschi (1885-1974)

Fairy tales usually talk about places like Erbonne (Valle Intelvi), in the boundary area between Italy and Switzerland: a tiny, quaint village surrounded by awesome mountains, with a handful of characterful stone houses, 7 inhabitants, 1 church (open only for the special occasions), 1 tavern, an old wash house, and flowers and extensive grazing lands all around.

Explore Claino, “The Painted Hamlet” of Valle Intelvi

The name of the hamlet itself speaks pretty clear, like a guarantee of peace and beauty: “Erbonne” indeed derives indeed from the ancient word “Arbonne”, that is being the union of “arb” (referring to the greenery and the lands) and “onne”, which stands for water.

Erbonne is really like a “pocket village” that can almost be taken in your hands and caressed.

Time seems to have stopped in this oasis of peace. Immersed in nature, between Monte Generoso and Monte Crocione (in the highest portion of Val Breggia), on the Swiss border, Erbonne is one of those unspoilt corners of the world where it’s highly recommended to switch off your phone, forget about everything and everyone, and just breath the awesome energy of Mother Nature.

You Should Experience Monte Generoso At Least Once In Your Lifetime, And Here's Why

Erbonne is a very small village, but with a long history behind: its birth as a human settlement takes place 300 years before the foundation of Rome, and 1000 years before Como.

The hamlet is made up of only 50 typical stone buildings: houses (most of them adorned with lovely flowers and colorful shutters and entrance doors) and very old stables.

Some properties have even the shutters matched with the color of the sky: pure poetry!

From Erbonne, Switzerland is really behind the corner, at less than 1 km away. The closest Italian village is Casasco d’Intelvi, from which it’s separated by about 6 km of provincial road that passes through the popular Pian delle Alpi, which acts as a watershed between Val Breggia (or Valle di Muggio), and Valle Intelvi.

How to get to Erbonne

Erbonne is just 20 minutes drive from Argegno, Lake Como, so it’s definitely a perfect trip during your stay on the lake!

Why Argegno Is The Perfect, Unspoilt Base for Your Lake Como Getaway

From Argegno, you can get there driving up from Via Valle Intelvi until you reach San Fedele Intelvi; in front of Sigma supermarket you turn left in the direction of Casasco d’Intelvi, always following the road until you see the brown sign “Erbonne”.

Jump to our listings near Argegno, Lake Como!

Things to see in Erbonne

“Museum of the Guardia di Finanza e del Contrabbando” is very interesting. Erbonne indeed, despite the definition of the Italian-Swiss border around the 16th century, has never forgot the spirit of brotherhood with the "neighbors" of the swiss village of Scudellate; a border that a few centuries later was, for years, "profaned" by the night shadows of the smugglers.

Anyone wishing today to plunge back into the era of smugglers and financiers can peek into the small windows of the “Museum of the Guardia di Finanza e del Contrabbando” where some objects belonging to a romantically disappeared world are carefully kept.

Another miniature place to drop by in Erbonne is the little cemetery, where you’ll notice that the surnames engraved on the various tombstones are only two: Cereghetti (very common in Ticino) and Puricelli (typical of Valle Intelvi) which suggests marriages between relatives, a custom that was practiced by the nobility or even by royal families.

The old wash house and the fountain are also nice corners of Erbonne.

The village also hosts an ancient “nevéra” (i.e an ice house) 3 meters deep, the bottom of which was accessible by means of a spiral staircase.
Not far from the village is the fox hole (also known as Tana di Erbonne); a cave 130 meters long by 16 meters in altitude, located at an altitude of 1.075. The ravine is difficult to access, because of the small size of the entrance.

Scudellate: a lovely trail in the woodland

For those who want to experience the thrill of reaching Switzerland on foot, you can just cross a wooden bridge built in Erbonne in 2005.

The trail is just a couple of kilometers long and leads to the romantic tiny hamlet of Scudellate, in the Muggio Valley, Switzerland. Just bear in mind to keep the documents with you, as it’s possible to run into some controls.

Where to eat in Erbonne: the matchless Osteria del Valico

Osteria del Valico was the former school of the village, today turned into a lovely tavern where you definitely have to stop if you are in Erbonne around lunch time.

It’s a family-run business, with very cordial people, and the food is 100% genuine and local (pizzoccheri, baked shank with polenta and homemade pasta with fresh mushrooms, local cheeses etc).

Pizzoccheri at Osteria del Valico | © Davide Baroncelli

Big plus: the owner’s son makes unique desserts and cakes.

The interior is just awesome, exactly how we like a tavern to be: rough hardwood floor, big fireplace, original stone details, (real) vintage furniture, and very old photos of the village and its inhabitants hang on the walls.

Looking for a property in Erbonne and surroundings?

Get in touch!

Erbonne And Its 7 Inhabitants: Exploring The Tiniest Village Near Lake Como

How to get to Erbonne

Things to see in Erbonne

Scudellate: a lovely trail in the woodland

Where to eat in Erbonne: the matchless Osteria del Valico