Surroundings & Shops

In the beautiful village of Gera Lario and in the immediate surroundings there are a number of shops and facilities such as:

Tabacchi
Sorico Tabaccheria. From mid-June until mid-September this Coffeehouse is selling  international newspapers. In Italy, Tabacchi shops are also open on Sunday mornings. In addition to cigarettes and tobacco, also stamps (Francobolli), bus tickets and matches can be found there.

Bread and groceries
Within walking distance of Sole Mio you will find several small local shops in Gera Lario and Sorico for daily shopping and fresh bread daily.

Post office and Bank
Both the Bank (Banca Popolare di Sondrio) in Gera Lario and in Sorico have an ATM machine. The bank is open every working day from 8:20 – 13:20 and from 14:20 – 15:20.

Supermarket Iperal Fuentes
The Iperal supermarket is approximately 10 minutes by car. The Iperal is a giant supermarket with a food and a non-food department and is located in the Fuentes shopping center, which has ample free parking. From the park turn right, follow the road, cross the bridge, and follow the road until the roundabout. Turn right onto the SS36 and follow the signs “centro commerciale”. (shopping center is on the left of the SS36 and SS38). Immediately after the exit, there are a few roundabouts until the exit to the Iperal. There are almost a hundred stores in the shopping center of various kinds: clothing, shoes, jewelry, perfumes & make-up, electronics and also services such as a pharmacy, hairdresser, optician and a few catering establishments. In Domaso and Gravedona Iperal has stores with food departments.

The Iperal Fuentes is open every week day from 8.30 am to 9:00 pm and on Friday until 10 pm.

Address: Via La Rosa 354 23010 PIANTEDO (SO).

A few kilometers further on the road towards Sondrio you will also find a large Lidl location.

Markets
In the neighborhood of Gera Lario there are several local smaller and larger places where markets are held. Almost every day a market in one of these places is held. You will find more information about the locations and time of the markets on the information board at the entrance of the park.

The park staff can also indicate where and when there is a market nearby.

Souvenirs
Do you want to surprise those staying at home with a nice Italian gift? A few tips:

• Excellent wines from Valtellina (the area north of Lake Como).
• Different wines such as Sassello, Grumello, Inferno and Sfursat come from here.
• Great liqueurs: Grappa (from grapes, but sometimes also from other fruit). Cynar (from artichokes), Amaretto (almond liqueur), Amaro (various spice bitters).
• Como is the silk center of the north and its fun include ties, scarves and lingerie,
• Kitchen utensils such as: pizza plates, spaghetti dishes / tongs, lasagna holders, cheese pots, pasta grinders and espresso machines.

Local products to take with you:

• Pickled vegetables: artichokes, tomatoes, mushrooms, onions (“Sott’olio” means pickled in oil and “Sott’aceto” means pickled in vinegar).
• Pasta sauces in all kinds of flavors, ready to eat such as the fragrant basil sauce “pesto Genovese” to give your pasta that real Italian touch.
• Extra virgin olive oil, seasoned or not.
• Italian cheeses: gorgonzola, mascarpone, belpaese, parmezano, pecino;
• Salami, Parma ham, bresaolo (means smoking meat from the Valtellina)
• Dried mushrooms
• Saffron
• Honey from the region
• Raisin-fig-nut bread (stays delicious for weeks)
• Canned tuna in oil with “salsa tonata” (means tuna sauce).