Cascata della Froda

Cascata della Froda is a tall, 90 meter heigh, waterfall near Lago Maggiore. The waterfall is easy to reach and is located north of Sant Antionio (Varese), in the region Lombardia, Italy.

Cascata della Froda is not far from Porto Valtravaglia (Lago Maggiore) and is easy to reach from road SP7. There is limited space to park your car but there a few spots near the trailhead at gps 45.94324, 8.68703. From here it is only a 20-25 minute walk to the base of Cascata della Froda. The walk is easy and only in the second part of the walk you have to ascend slightly. The path is well marked and at the end there are a sort of stairs that lead to the base of the waterfall.

In summertime the flow of the river Frodo is limited and can almost run dry. When I was there, July 2024, it had rained but it was still a low stream waterfall. Although the height is quite significant it didn’t impressive me very much. The walk to the waterfall was pleasant and cool, through the woods, but I expected more.

Nevertheless, if you are near it is still worthwhile to visit Cascata della Froda and you can combine it with a visit to the big market in Luino on Wednesday. There are a few other nice waterfalls you can visit near lago Maggiore and Cascata Ferrera/Cascata Fermona in Ferrera di Varesa is a nice one where you also can swim!